Documents - Part One: Leaders and Chiefs oppose government plans

Document 6. News Report and Resolution of the Conference of Chiefs and Leaders in the Transvaal and Orange Free State Convened by the Government, September 6-7, 1935

The conference of chiefs and leaders of the Native peoples of the Transvaal and Orange Free State, which has been in session at Pretoria on the two Native  Bills of the Prime Minister, has declined to express any definite opinion on the Bills. The conference adopted a policy of caution and passed a resolution asking for more time to consider the Bills and consult their people.

The conference, which was convened by the Government to hear the views of the Natives on the Bills, was opened yesterday morning by the Acting Minister of Native Affairs (Mr. R. Stuttaford). The morning and early afternoon were taken up by explanations of the Bills by members of the Native Affairs Commis­sion. The conference then went into committee and discussed the Bills.

Late yesterday afternoon and yesterday evening a committee was appointed and deliberated further. This morning at noon the committee presented the following resolution: --

"As the chiefs and delegates to this conference were only given two weeks notice of the conference and were not supplied with copies of the Bills in advance, and as the policy underlying the Bills is one of political, territorial and economic segregation, and it is the intention of the Government to further amend the Natives Urban Areas Act to complete its general policy, and in view of the importance and gravity of the situation and the very limited time at the disposal of the conference, and the fact that this policy affects posterity, this conference is unable at the moment to give a matured and considered decision on the fundamental principles and details involved for the following reasons:

"(a) The chiefs and delegates were not conversant with the principles involved.
"(b) They had not time to obtain the mandate of the people they represented.
"(c) The Bills are not available in the vernacular and are, therefore, beyond the comprehension of the majority of the chiefs and delegates.
"(d) The chiefs and delegates are not at the moment in a position to visualise or locate the proposed released areas, nor do they know to what extent the released areas are occupied or owned by missionaries, Africans, or private bodies.
"(e) It is the intention of the Government to take a Native census next year and in the opinion of this conference the Native Bills should be held over until the Native population in the scheduled and released areas, and on private farms, has been ascertained through the census.

This conference therefore respectfully asks the Government:--

"(1) To translate the Bills into the various Native languages;
"(2) To appoint a mixed commission to investigate the scheduled and released areas with a view to assuring the chiefs and the public as to what areas are really and actually granted to them under the Native Trust and Land Bill;
"(3) To convene a Union conference of African chiefs and leaders during the next year to consider the whole policy of the Bills."

Three members of the conference who drafted the resolution-Chiefs Sekukuni and Manope, of the Transvaal, and Chief Charles Mopedi, of the Free State-spoke in support of the resolution and explained how they had reached the conclusions contained in the resolution. "Let us not rush this thing or we will make serious mistakes," said Chief Mopedi.

Other delegates expressed themselves in complete agreement with the attitude of the committee. One of them made an appeal for the incorporation in the Government's general Native policy of a progressive education policy.

The resolution was passed unanimously.

In closing the conference Mr. D. L. Smit (Secretary for Native Affairs) said the conference had served a very useful purpose and he thought there should be similar meetings every year to consider matters concerning the welfare of the Native people. The requests contained in their resolution would be conveyed to the Government and he would use his personal influence in support of them. The resolution would receive careful consideration and they would be informed later of the Government's decision. He could quite understand that they had some difficulty in following the Bills and it was just as well that they should first discuss them with their people.

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