17 June 1951
Defiance Campaign Executive members meet with the leadership of South African Indian Congress (SAIC) to recommend a massive defiance campaign to their respective annual conferences. The Defiance campaign was adopted by the African National Congress (ANC) in December 1951. The Campaign began with a commitment to militant African nationalism and mass action and to tactics of boycotts, strikes and civil disobedience. It was the largest scale of non-violent resistance ever seen in South Africa and the first campaign pursued jointly by all racial groups under the leadership of the ANC and the SAIC. References: Anon, (n.d.), ‘Defiance Campaign 1952,’from South African History Online, [online] Available at www.sahistory.org.za, [Last accessed: 13 May 2011] Anon, (n.d.), ‘1951,’from O’Malley, [online] Available at www.nelsonmandela.org, [Last accessed: 13 May 2011]