Documents: Part Two - The failure of the natives' representative council, 1946-1947

Document 33. Statement on the Prime Minister's Proposals, by Dr. A.B. Xuma for the ANC, May 11, 1947

We have examined the tentative proposals of General Smuts as appeared in the press on the native policy as presented to the six invited members of the Native Representative Council at Cape Town on the 7th [sic] May, 1947, and find them vague and disappointing in that the Prime Minister seems to have side-stepped the main cause of the deadlock--namely--the demand of the Native Representative Council for the repeal of the discriminatory colour legislation against the Africans and the consequent council resolution to adjourn indefinitely until such demands have been complied with. The country has been waiting for a direct reply to the Council's resolutions which has not been forthcoming in the Prime Minister's statement.

To the uninformed the Prime Minister's reported proposals might appear to be generous and to be an improvement on the present political status of the Africans, but in fact it is a retrogressive step in that as long as the present discriminatory legislation remains on the statute book, the Africans are being in effect asked by the Prime Minister in his proposals to administer their own domination, discrimination and oppression under the cloak of giving Africans responsibility and participation in the administration of their own affairs. We wish to submit that this is a false position created, because there is no such thing as native affairs apart from South African national affairs. In fact there can be no truly representative Government or Parliament within any state in which all members of the state are not directly represented. In other words, we do not accept any proposal that does not provide for direct representation of all sections of the community in all legislative bodies.

The proposed Bill dealing with the so-called Recognition of African Trade Unions is unacceptable because it maintains the principle of racial and colour discrimination and domination as well as excludes the African mineworkers, the largest working group of Africans. The presence of African workers from outside territories should not be used to deprive African workers of their industrial rights. The proposal gives the workers or their Trade Unions no active part in settlement of industrial disputes in which they are concerned and denies them the fundamental right of workers, namely, collective bargaining and the enforcement of the workers' demands by means of the strike weapon.

My Working Committee supports the Council's resolutions to adjourn indefinitely until their demands have been complied with and submits as evidence of earnestness and sincerity on the part of the Government the following [virtually identical with the program set forth in Document 40, a flyer issued by Dr. Xuma on March 21, 1947];

1. Removal of the political colour bar in the South Africa Act, and direct representation of Africans in all legislative bodies, national, provincial and municipal.
2. Abolition of the Pass Laws.
3. Removal of land restrictions against Africans in urban and rural areas.
4. Recognition of African Trade Unions under the Industrial Conciliation Act, and adequate wages for African workers including African mineworkers.
5. Adequate Housing facilities for Africans and adequate mass training facilities for Africans as builders and in other trades with outlets for employment as skilled workers.
6. Extension of the system of free, compulsory education to all African children of school going age.
7. The re-establishment of the status of the African chiefs in our national affairs.

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