Documents - Part One: The All Africa Convention

Document 10. Resolution of the Executive Committee of the AAC, February 15,1936

Whereas the All-African Convention, held at Bloemfontein on December 16, 1935, had resolved that it was opposed to the abolition of the Cape Native Franchise and had reiterated its firm conviction that the Cape Native Franchise was a matter of such vital importance to all the African people of South Africa that it could not bargain or compromise with the political citizenship of the African people by sacrificing the franchise as is proposed in clause one of the Representation of Natives Bill;

And whereas the said Convention had appointed a fully representative execu­tive committee, inclusive of Africans from the four Provinces of the Union, and had empowered this body to investigate and to use all possible methods of persuading the Government and the Hon. Prime Minister and the House of Assembly to refrain from passing this clause of the Bill;

And whereas the members of the executive committee of the Convention had assembled in Cape Town since the opening of Parliament in January to initiate and negotiate with the Hon. the Prime Minister, the members of the Senate and the Parliamentary representatives most concerned with the native vote;

And whereas the result of the interview of the All-African Convention executive with the Hon. the Prime Minister on February 15, 1936, was the absolute refusal of the Prime Minister to withdraw Clause One of the Bill and the substi­tution of an offer by him to retain the Cape franchise in an atrophied form of separate rolls for native voters and the right to elect three members for the Assembly and two European members for the Cape Provincial Council and an additional two European Senators;

And whereas the Hon. the Prime Minister had refused our pressing request to refer the Prime Minister's new proposal to our people in convention; now, therefore, we have no alternative but to adhere to our mandate to oppose any alteration of the present Cape native franchise.

The All-African Convention Committee feels that the blame for the deadlock thus created must not be placed on them for any national repercussions that may result from the indiscretion of ill-conceived and one-sided legislation.

The executive committee is convinced that the fundamental principle of full political equality hitherto entrenched in the Cape native franchise will be wil­fully and unjustly violated by the passage in Parliament of Clause One of the Bill, a violation that would perpetuate the discrimination against the natives of South Africa by reason of their colour, throughout all future legislation by Parliament.

Further, the executive committee is convinced that this differentiation in electing the law-makers of the country of which the natives form an integral part, cannot, in any circumstances whatsoever, receive their support, sanction or ratification.

The committee is firmly convinced that the policy of common citizenship, as expressed in the Cape Native franchise, is the only one that would ensure harmony between the races and make South Africa the palladium of racial peace in Africa.

The committee further considers that the proposal embodied in Clause One of the Bill constitutes a departure from the spirit of the Treaty of Vereeniging in which provision was made for the consideration of the granting of the franchise to natives in the north after the introduction of self-government to the Orange Free State and the Transvaal.

The committee is convinced that the only safe form of franchise would be one which, regardless of race or colour, is based upon a common form of qualification.

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