Documents: Africans Acting Alone

DOCUMENT 48h. Report of T.D. Mweli Skota, Secretary-General of the African National Congress, January, 1930 [?] (Typewritten, 2 pages)

African National Congress

Secretary General's Report.

Mr. Speaker, Leader of the House, Chiefs, Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen, it grieves me very much that I am not in a position to attend this momentous Convention of the Organisation we are serving for the rights and interests of the Black masses. I am therefore forwarding you my report which I hope you will be good enough to read to the House. It is my sincere prayer that the Almighty's Bless­ings; the Blessings of the God of Africa will crown your deliberations.

Mr. Speaker, last year was perhaps the worse year of the African National Congress I ever experienced. This obviously is due to the fact that all Provincial Congresses failed hopelessly not only by violating the Constitution, but also in disregarding the resolutions arrived at in the Convention. Orders and Instructions of the President-in-Council have been treated with contempt. The expulsion by the Convention of officers who failed to carry out the Constitution were disregarded and open rebel­lion was manifested. Resolutions were passed particularly by the Transvaal African Congress and the Western Province Congress of far reaching effects without first submitting same to the Executive for approval or sanction--this no doubt created Provincial independence that is detrimental to the best interests of the mother body. There has been a crying need for tickets, but as the Treasurer General lives in Rustenberg, we could not get in personal touch with him, and a request in writing had no effect. When I did see him later it was at the General Hospital Johannesburg where the Chief was seriously ill--it was therefore out of the question to repeat my request under such circumstances. Another matter of importance which I must report is the expulsion of Mr. Mvalo from the Executive Committee.

This matter Mr. Speaker caused much unpleasant­ness, but Mr. Mvalo was reinstated at the request of some of the members of the Executive Committee who claimed that he was wrongfully dismissed. Mr. Mvalo, I am informed, has since got into trouble somewhere in Herschel. To the best of my know­ledge and belief Chief Mandlesilo Nkosi is the only Chief who rendered financial assistance. Lack of funds prevented Officers to tour for the purpose of organising and collecting funds. The only persons who did succeed to take long trips are the President who went to Natal, and was there during the Kafir Beer disturbances. Messrs. Letanloa and Matseke toured the North Western Transvaal. Mr. Mvabaza and Mr. Mvalo left for the Cape after the rising of the last Convention.

The Abantu Batho affair is somewhat complicated, but I am sure the President and other officers will submit a clear report on the Abantu Batho. All the correspondence have been handed to the officers. Delegates were elected to repre­sent the African National Congress at the Bantu Leaders Conference which met at Bloemfontein on the 4th of December last, and the Non-European Conference at Cape­town which met on the 2nd of this month. The Transvaal African Congress sent its resolutions of their April Conference which met at Pretoria. It seems to me Mr. Speaker, Congress will have to take drastic steps to put its house in order.

The Provincial Congresses refuse to send in the number of their branches and members as well as their dues to the Congress. It is therefore impossible to know if Congress has any members at all. Even the tickets that were sent out last year and the year before to the various Provinces have to the best of my knowledge never been accounted for. In other words Sir, there seems to be no Law and Order. Everybody seems to have the right, or thinks he has the right to do as he pleases. The Executive Committee is powerless. I suggest that immediate steps be taken to register the Constitution, NKOSI SIKELELA I AFRIKA and MAYIBUYE to enable Congress to take such legal steps to recover Congress funds, and interdict whenever it deems it necessary so to do.

Lastly Mr. Speaker, President, Chiefs, Delegates Ladies and Gentlemen I have a suggestion to make which I hope you will accept in all seriousness. The position in which the Blackman finds himself in his own Country today from Cape to Cairo makes it imperative for him to take immediate action if he is to avoid perpetual slavery of the very worse type. I need not repeat the press reports of the letters, articles, and speeches of men like General Hertzog on the Native question, of General Smuts in Europe, of Mr. Pirow, of Mr. Abercrombe and others. I need not recount the deliberate murder of Africans by Europeans with impunity, I need not recall the gas-Machine gun scheme to recover a tax that amounts to robbery. I need not repeat the convict service scheme to force our people to work for nothing, I need not recall the £5 tax Bill and the Riotous Assembly Act amendment Bill to prove that we are in the greatest danger of our lives and the lives of our children.

I therefore repeat that the time is NOW to formulate some way by which redress of all these oppression, suppression, can be arrived at. I now humbly submit to the Honourable House, the Speaker, the Leader of the House, the Chiefs and the Delegates that a monster Conclave be summoned to meet say--in Capetown or Delegoa Bay or such other place as the Congress shall see fit. That invitations be sent to the National Party of Egypt, to the National Party of Abyssinia, the West African Congress, the Progressive Association of Kanya, the National Association of Nyasaland, the Christian Association of North and Southern Rhodesia, the Lekgotia la Bafo of Basutoland, the Chiefs of Swaziland and Bechuanaland Protectorate and all African Organisations of the Union of South Africa. It will be seen at once that if all these bodies of various parts of Africa attend (and I submit most of them will attend) it will be the most representative meeting ever held in Africa--a meeting that will not fail to create a lasting impression on our white neighbour, while it will cement close and beneficial relations among the various tribes of Africa. There is definite proof that our more fortunate brothers in the north and west are prepared to render us material as well as financial assistance. It is their wish that we should invite them. If we fail other organisations will take the lead. General Hertzog's speeches in the Union, and those of General Smuts in Europe have been an eye opener not to us only, but to the negro throughout the whole World. Our friends in the north see in them a serious danger looming over the sky of the black or negro race. They are resolved to leave no stone unturned to destroy the danger that threatens the rights and liberty of Africans. It is therefore my humble suggestion that you seriously but favourably consider this my motion of an ALL AFRICAN CONVEN­TION. Lastly my humble prayer is that the ALMIGHTY direct that Honourable House with the wisdom of Heaven, and with the best wishes for the new year.

NKOS1 SIKELELA I AFRIKA. T. D. Mweli Skota, Secretary General.

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