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Letter reporting on this meeting, from Moses Kotane to Professor Z. K. Matthews, May 8, 1949

P.O. Box 2098

Cape Town

8th May, 1949

Dear Professor,

I am writing to thank you for your letters of the 23/4/49 and 5/5/49, as well as the telegram of 30/4/49. I shall now wait for a word from you advising me of your arrival.

About the joint meeting of the Executive Committees of the All African Convention and the African National Congress, briefly this is what happened:

1. We continued the discussion on the form of organisation after you people left till about 3:30 a.m. on the 18/4/49.

2. Negotiations broke down at about 2 a.m., an hour and a half before the representatives of the All African Convention left.

3. Earlier we had all agreed on a compromise formula. But when the chairman called for the next item, some representatives of the All African Convention at the instigation of Mr. Tabata--on the pretext of not having clearly understood the formula--went back on their word. Rev. Mahabane was strongly for the formula and Mr. Mda Mda [not A.P. Mda] did not go back on his word.

4. The formula was:- "That this joint session of the Executives of the A.A.C. and the A.N.C. agrees on a unitary form of organisation with federal features." Yes, Mr. Tabata and Mr. Canca agree with this formula but they felt it needed amplification. Otherwise they felt it was dangerous because it gave the leaders of the new organisation the right to exclude some organisations or refuse their applications for affiliation.

5. These gentlemen then moved that the following sentence be added to the resolution:-

"That is, all organisations which agree with its policy shall have the right to affiliate to it."

6. After we had shown unmistakably that we would rather break off negotiations than accept the addendum and after we had pointed out that the effect of the addendum would be to make the proposed organisation federal in character with unitary features, Rev. Mahabane made a special appeal to Messrs. Tabata and Canca to accept the formula as it was and drop their amendment.

7. Before making his special appeal to Tabata and Canca, Rev. Mahabane stated that if they did not listen to his appeal he would "chuck up the sponge." His appeal was treated with contempt.

8. As we could not reach agreement on the formula, the negotiations broke down. We then said that as negotiations have broken down on this important point all that which were done or agreed to previously are null and void, and that we would report accordingly to the Congress. But it was felt that it would be bad politically to announce that unity negotiations between the two organisations have broken down. We then agreed on the statement published in the African Press and the Guardian, The statement was actually drafted by Mr. Mda Mda. It was merely a public face saving statement--a statement which covered up the truth.

I was surprised to read the report in the Torch of the 25/4/49. I am convinced that we cannot come to an understanding with the conventionites, especially if they still have Dr. Gool, Mr. Tabata and Mr. Tsotsi as their leaders.

Their "non-collaboration" policy is in one sense a cover or pretext for not doing any practical work. While I am strongly for the boycotting of the inferior institutions set-up to perpetuate the oppression and exploitation of the African people, I nevertheless do not agree that the boycott should be carried out without regard to the support we have for it.

Yours Sincerely,

Moses M. Kotane