Documents: Africans Acting Alone

DOCUMENT 50b. Report on the pro­ceedings of the Annual Conference of the Cape Native Voters' Convention, in Imvo Zabantsundu, January 8, 1929

After some discussion regarding the internal affairs of the Convention, the most important matter of the session was the election policy of the Convention for the coming general election. The Chairman called upon Mr. Godio to open the discussion. Mr. Godio, after making a number of introductory remarks, which he concluded by saying that a thing to be eaten by the big men was to be tested by the young men, came directly to the point by saying that at present no Native knew what he was going to do. Vote they must, but then there were two parties which wanted their votes, the Pact and the S.A.P.

The Convention must not compromise itself. Its members must be united in protect­ing the Cape Native franchise. Unity in this was essential, for without unity they might as well cease to strive altogether and leave the whole matter in the hands of their rulers and have no voice in it. "In your hands," he said, "lies the destiny of your people."

In paying a tribute to Professor Jabavu, he said, that if the Europeans ever had a means of judging the Natives' right to the franchise Professor Jabavu had. supplied the means. Continuing, he said that all the Natives were aware of the expressions of opinion made about them by the political leaders of to-day. General Hertzog was all fire and brimstone and had always been the same. It had been said that the Europeans first duty was to study his own interests and that view still obtained widely. They all knew that General Hertzog daily reminded the country of his opinion that the Native franchise was a menace to its white civilisation, and had urged its abolition. Then there was General Smuts. There were occasions when one had Hobson's choice and had to choose one of two evils. General Smuts had repeatedly postponed the Native question in the past and said today, "Let us leave the Cape Native franchise alone for the time being."

It was now for the delegates to make a choice and their clear considered opinions were wanted as it was their custom to decide at the Convention on a course of action and to abide by what was said there.

A delegate here expressed the opinion that the Natives should vote S.A.P. as there were many reasons against voting for Hertzog's party. They all knew General Smuts' faults but he appeared to be the lesser evil.

Mr. A.M. Jabavu said he knew both Smuts and Hertzog wanted the Natives' votes but they all definitely knew that General Smuts was merely in favour of leaving the matter of the Native franchise in abeyance. He had not been definite as to whether it was to be abolished or not. At a recent S.A.P. Congress he had noted that the matter of white women's franchise was urged while the Native franchise hardly concerned the Congress. Hertzog, on the other hand, had recently in the O.F.S. said that the white women should wait for their vote until the Native question was settled. There was nothing to convince the Native, however, that the S.A.P. would fight for his franchise. The matter was left in abeyance as he considered Smuts wanted to get into power. "Is it not better to kill a cow to-day," he asked, "than to let it know it must be killed and keep it until to-morrow before taking it to slaughter?" (Laughter.)

Another reason why the Convention should not decide yet upon which party it was to vote for was the fact that the Native really had no power. The Natives working in the towns voted as their white masters did and so did those labouring on the farms. They were, in fact, led by the nose by the white people. "Whether we like it or not", he said, "it is the truth. We can't say we'll do a thing and then go and do it." If the employer told his Native employee to vote for the devil he would.

Continuing Mr. Jabavu gave a possible example in the imaginary case of a young Native in the country who owned say £30 to a Jew trader. The Jew would tell him how to vote and might threaten him with suing him for the money he owed if he didn't vote as he had been told. The young man would then vote that way, remembering only the summons and forgetting that the Jew would not know how he had voted as the ballot was secret. (Laughter.)

"So I oppose the proposal to support any certain party," he said. "My conviction is that we should protect our franchise right without consideration for the election." There were Nationalists who supported the retention of the Native Franchise as well as S.A.P. It was wrong for the Natives to choose political parties. Let them rather support those candidates who favoured and would support the retention of the Cape Native Franchise.

The Editor of the Ivwi LaBantu said it might pay them to put their heads in the sand like the proverbial ostrich but as the Bills in connection with the Native question had not yet been discussed, the whole matter might be considered as "sub judice". They should not go to any party yet. The Native question should not be made a political party question. It appeared that certain parties had persuaded the Prime Minister to keep it out of the political arena, and they must remember this. In any case as Mr. AJvl. Jabavu had pointed out the real fact of how a vote was cast was a secret in the ballot box. The Native need not differentiate much between Dutch and English--they were both his rulers and the Convention must find a via media so as to be able to go to both races. The best policy for the Natives was a neutral one.

Mr. Mentoor remarked that if it was decided to give the Natives votes to any certain political party it meant that they might have to vote for any unwise man who was labelled by that party. They wanted as members men of high moral character, men who would make no difference between the black and white races when legislating for the country. He went on to say that the system in New Zealand would suit this country very well. If they were treated like the Maoris the Natives of South Africa would lose nothing and could support the side that had their interests at heart.

Other delegates spoke in support of Mr. A.M. Jabavu and one delegate asserted that General Smuts had definitely declared that he was in favour of the retention of the Native franchise and the Convention should therefore identify itself with General Smuts' Party. He received no support, however, and after a little further discussion, it was moved and carried "that the Cape Native Voters' Conven­tion are not going to commit themselves to support any political party but will vote so the candidates serve, and only for candidates who favour the Cape Native franchise".

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