28 October 1982
Beyers Naudé was born into a family that was fully committed to the preservation of  Afrikaner nationalism. His father was a minister of the Dutch Reformed Church (DRC) and was a founding member of the Afrikaner Broederbond, a secret society aimed at promoting Afrikaner nationalism. Although joining the Broederbond himself at the age of 25, and serving as a minister for the Dutch Reformed Church for twenty years, Naudé began to question the justifications of the apartheid system. The Sharpeville Massacre was a turning point in Naudé life, as it was this event that inspired him to end his support for the policies of the DRC. Three years later he founded the Christian Institute of Southern Africa (CI), which was aimed at promoting inter-racial dialogue. Simultaneously, he resigned from the DRC and the Broederbond. These decisions would lead to his isolation from the Afrikaans community. Naudé progressively became an outspoken critic of the apartheid regime, particularly with regard to the role that the DRC played in furthering the system of oppression. In 1970, he openly agreed with decision of the World Council of Churches to financially support liberation movements in southern Africa. Following constant harassment by the Security Forces, Naudé was forced to close the CI. In 1977, he was banned for the first time, and on 28 October 1982, he was banned for a further three years. This order was the first to be served under the comprehensive security law, the Internal Security Act of 1982, and the order could not be questioned in court of law. Naudé was eventually unbanned in 1985, and was succeeded by Desmond Tutu as the head of the South African Council of Churches (SACC).Having witnessed the contribution that he made to securing freedom and democracy in South Africa, Naude passed away in 2004. References: Beyers NaudÁƒÂƒ© [online] Available at: anc.org.za [Accessed 22 October 2009] Beyers NaudÁƒÂƒ© [online] Available at: en.wikipedia.org [Accessed 22 October 2009] Kalley, J.A.; Schoeman, E. & Andor, L.E. (eds) (1999). Southern African Political History: a chronology of key political events from independence to mid-1997, Westport: Greenwood