Documents: Africans Acting Alone

DOCUMENTS 49b-l-49b-6. Kadalie's I.C.U.

DOCUMENT 49b-l. "African Labour Congress."    Article   by Clements Kadalie, National Secretary, I.C.U., in The Workers' Herald, December 21, 1923

We are at the threshold of a New Year, we might just as well call it, a new era. The church bells will soon chime and herald the dawn of a New Year--1924. A question worth while to be considered by all sons and daughters of the African race, is whether we are fit for the new struggles, obstacles, failures and success, also torment awaiting us as a people.

The New Year 1924 promises to be of historical importance to South Africa as a whole. Our statesmen will probably be faced to meet another General Election--a General Election that will surpass all previous General Elections in South Africa. The new event in the year will be the South African Labour Party Conference to be held in Pretoria where the Nationalist and Labour Pact will be brought up for ratification. It is also anticipated that the South African Mine Workers' Union will consider at their Annual Con­ference the admission of Black workers into their Union. Our Parliament will be summoned together to ratify the decisions of the Imperial Conference held in London recently. It cannot be denied that South Africa will face so many vital problems in the New Year that is before us. What will become of the black toilers of this sunny land of our forefathers? We shall at least be expected to stoop down to further humiliating laws such as the operation of the Pass System being intended to extend to the Cape Province. God alone knows what shall be our lot!

We live in a scientific world, a world which is good and beneficial to the industrious, adventurous and ambitious men and women. That now for five years we have carried on "industrial organisation" being the only weapon to effect our real economic emancipation. We did not in the least despair at difficulties, the way was hid from us, but thank God we at last found the way to the new Jerusalem. We are now at the brink of Jordan, receiving invigorating command. "Be strong and of a good courage, be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed. . .for unto this people shall thou divide for an inheritance the land which I swore unto their fathers to give them." With this grand biblical motto we shall enter that momentous Congress soon to open at East London as from January 17th, 1924. We shall not turn from it to the right or to the left, we have placed our hands to the plough, and it is high time that the white capitalistic press in this land take notice of our declaration. The African Native of to-day is a new man and is therefore quite different from his forefathers whom the white man found here some two hundred years ago, and whom you duped. We would like to remind the white capitalistic press, that although you profess to have studied thoroughly, through your own experts, the African Native, you have arrived most hopelessly at a very poor conclusion of this most romantic man ever created by Dieu. You keep on making noise in your press about Bolshevism as a dangerous doctrine, frightening the African Native, you will soon find that the so-called illiterate masses will jump in, simply for the sake of curiosity to see for himself. The African Native has been a law-abiding person from time immemorial. No African leader will join any political move­ment purporting to upset any Constitution. It is not an easy matter to sway an African audience. In no time in the history of the African people of this vast Continent it is recorded of rebellion against any constituted authority, whereas we read of Cromwellian revolution in Great Britain, the formation of Republican France and secession from Great Britain by the American Colonies in 1776. Give us what we desire, economic freedom, we must have a say in the affairs of our country and for God's sake do not make Bolshevism as an excuse.

Workers of this land, how long shall you halt between two ways? Your bosses have very nice time of your labour. It is cheap and abundant, through it it was possible to build these great cities in South Africa. You were forced to dig the earth, you brought from hell, gold, diamonds, copper and coal, some piled in the Bank of England, diamonds being demonstrated throughout the civilised Europe and America. Your wives and children, yourselves included, are continually sweating making the white man and woman's life so easy, practically living in a paradise, while you are condemned to live in hell. The reason why the white man's press is against the I.C.U. to-day is because we have directed you to eat that forbidden fruit in the centre of the garden. We believe that our race is just as good as any other race, if only given same opportu­nity, since we were all made in the likeness of the Creator. We have never cringed to any white politician, rather we have followed our own convictions, and it is also anticipated that this journal will face strong opposition from these exploiters of the race, since we dare to call a spade a spade.

Invitations have been issued in time to various minor unions to send their represent­atives to this forthcoming Congress. We have a large comprehensive agenda that needs deter­mined men and women with a vision. A new development of far-reaching effect will be made so as to create a central organisation which must operate throughout South Africa and beyond its borders if necessary. We have reached a stage when as a race of people we must forget the past and go forward as new men and women. Our Branches in particular and also other unions should see that best men and women are delegated to this Con­gress. It is an opportunity that rarely occurs. Whatever the path may be, the forthcoming Congress must determine to establish a formidable Labour Organisation, through which the African workers shall more and more win a real emancipation for himself and take his rightful place in the ranks of those who do the world's useful work.

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