South African Communist Party

Explore some of the key moments and events that have helped shape the course of South African Communist Party. Follow the links for more detail.

1870

William H. Andrews, a pioneer of the trade union movement and first General Secretary of the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA), is born in Suffolk, England.

1873

Sidney Percival Bunting, the son of Sir Percy William Bunting, is born in London.

1897

Sidney Percival Bunting wins the Chancellor’s Prize at Magdalen College, Oxford.

1893

William H. Andrews, a pioneer of the trade union movement and first General Secretary of the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA), immigrates to South Africa from England.

1896

Clements Kadalie is born in Malawi.

1900

Sidney Percival Bunting volunteers to serve in the British army in the Second Anglo-Boer War. When the war ends he stays on and settles in Johannesburg where he works as a lawyer.

1902

William H. Andrews, a pioneer of the trade union movement and first General Secretary of the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA), helps found the first Trades and Labour Council in South Africa.

1908

April 23, Abram (Bram) Fischer is born in the Orange Free State.

1909

William H. Andrews, a pioneer of the trade union movement and first General Secretary of the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA), became the first chairman of the South African Labour Party.

1910

Sidney Percival Bunting enters politics by joining theSouth African Labour Party.

1911

Sam Kahn is born in Cape Town.

1912

William H. Andrews, a pioneer of the trade union movement and first General Secretary of the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA), is elected to the South Africa parliament as Labour Party member.

1914

Sidney Percival Bunting is elected Labour Party member in the Transvaal Provincial Council.

1915

William H. Andrews, a pioneer of the trade union movement and first General Secretary of the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA), is not re-elected to the South African Parliament as a result of disagreements with the Labour Party about the First World War and South Africa's participation in it.

1917

The Russian Revolution takes place after the Bolshevik Revolution of 1914.

1919

Clements Kadalie forms the Industrial and Commercial Worker's Union (ICU).

1920

The The Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA) and African National Congress (ANC) forge a close working relationship.

William H. Andrews, a pioneer of the trade union movement and first General Secretary of the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA), turns to organising the anti-war International Socialist League.

Brian Percy Bunting, son of Sydney Percival Bunting, is born in Johannesburg.

1921

July 30 - August 1, The founding conference of the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA) takes place in Cape Town.

The anti-war International Socialist League, under the leadership of William H. Andrews, joins other organisations to form the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA), of which Andrew is elected as first General Secretary.

1922

William H. Andrews, a pioneer of the trade union movement and first General Secretary of the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA), is elected to the Executive Committee of the Communist International and spends most of 1923 in Russia.

Sidney Percival Bunting travels to Moscow, Russia, to attend the Congress of the Communist International. On his return he became the Secretary of the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA).

1924

William H. Andrews, a pioneer of the trade union movement and first General Secretary of the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA), is elected as the first General Secretary of the South African Association of Employees' Organisations, which later becomes the South African Trade Congress.

Sidney Percival Bunting is elected as Party Chairman of the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA).

1925

The Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA) has a majority of Black members.

William H. Andrews, a pioneer of the trade union movement and first General Secretary of the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA), partially withdraws from party politics.

1928

The Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA) calls for Black majority rule in South Africa.

Sidney Percival Bunting visits Russia again, this time to argue against the new Comintern decision that South African communists are to support a “Native Republic” at the 6th Comintern Congress.

1929

Sidney Percival Bunting takes part in the general elections as the Communist candidate for Tembuland in the Transkei, as nearly half of the eligible voters are black.

The Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA) engages in struggles across South Africa and publishes various newspapers including Umsebenzi, The Worker and The Guardian.

William H. Andrews, a pioneer of the trade union movement and first General Secretary of the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA), is expelled from the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA).

1930

The African National Congress (ANC) rejects Communism.

Sam Kahn joins the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA).

1931

Bram Fischer begins his studies at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar after completing his studies in South Africa.
Sidney Percival Bunting is expelled from the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA) as a result of disputes with colleagues.

1932

Sam Kahn ears an LL.B degree from the University of Cape Town.

1933

Sidney Percival Bunting produces a pamphlet called “An African Prospect and Appeal to Young Africa, East, West, Central, South” calling for the creation of a socialist order across the continent.
Dennis Goldberg is born.

1935

Sam Kahn is an organiser of the National Liberation League.

1936

May 25, Sidney Percival Bunting dies from a stroke in Johannesburg.

1938

William H. Andrews, a pioneer of the trade union movement and first General Secretary of the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA), is readmitted into the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA).

Sam Kahn is elected to the Central Executive Committee of the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA), a position he holds almost continuously until the party’s dissolution in 1950.

1939

Brian Percy Bunting graduates from the University of the Witwatersrand.

1940

William H. Andrews, a pioneer of the trade union movement and first General Secretary of the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA), serves as Chairman of the CPSA's Central Committee.

Bram Fischer serves on the Johannesburg District Committee and the Central Committee of the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA).

1943

Bram Fischer helps A. B. Xuma revise the African National Congress (ANC) Constitution.

1943 - 1952

Sam Kahn serves as a member of the Cape Town City Council.

1946

Bram Fischer is charged with incitement during the Mineworkers’ Strike.

1944

William H. Andrews', a pioneer of the trade union movement and first General Secretary of the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA), biography by R.K. Cope, is published.

Edward Roux publishes “S. P. Bunting: A Political Biography” about Sidney Percival Bunting.

1946

Brian Percy Bunting is elected to the Johannesburg District Committee of the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA). He is also arrested after the African Miner's Strike in the same year, but all charges against him are dropped.

1949

Sam Kahn is elected to the South African Parliament by the non-White people of the Cape Western District.

1950

The Suppression of Communism Act is passed by the South African government.Dennis Goldberg becomes an Executive Member of the Congress of Democrats, which is allied to the African National Congress (ANC) in the Congress Alliance.

The South African government introduces the Unlawful Organisation Bill.
1 May: The May Day strike called for by the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA) takes place. The strike is well supported, but turns violent with the police killing 18 people.

June 20, The Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA) is forced to dissolve as a result of the passing of the Suppression of Communism Act. The African National Congress (ANC) takes over the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA) campaign.

June 26, The African National Congress (ANC) declares this day a day of mourning for the 18 Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA) members killed during the May day strike on 1 May 1950.

December: William H. Andrews, a pioneer of the trade union movement and first General Secretary of the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA), dies

1952

Brian Percy Bunting is banned.
Sam Kahn is expelled from Parliament on the grounds that is a Communist.

1952 - 1953

November - October, Brian Percy Bunting is a Natives' Representative in the House of Assembly from the Cape Western District.

1953

A national conference of the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA) is called and the name South African Communist Party (SACP) replaces the old Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA) .

1954

Sam Kahn visits Russia. He is prohibited from attending gatherings and is subsequently convicted of violating his ban, but the conviction was overturned on appeal.

1956 - 1961

Bram Fischer helps defend the leaders of the Anti-Apartheid movement during the Treason Trial.

1960

The African National Congress (ANC) and Pan-Africanist Congress(PAC) are banned and some members go into exile. The two organisations remain banned until 1990.

Brian Percy Bunting is detained by the South African government.

Sam Kahn leaves South Africa illegally and now lives in Britain.

1961

Some South African Communist Party (SACP) and African National Congress (ANC) members manage to meet in Durban. At the meeting they decide to launch Umkhonto we Sizwe, a military branch separate from the ANC, but jointly led by the ANC and SACP.

1962

The New Age, which is published in Cape Town is banned.

1963 – 1964

June-October, Dennis Goldberg is tried in the Pretoria Supreme Court along with Nelson Mandela, Govan Mbeki, Walter Sisulu and others in the Rivonia Trial.

1963

Brian Percy Bunting is prohibited from publishing while writing for Spark.
Dennis Goldberg is served with a stringent banning order from the South African government.

1964

September: Abram (Bram) Fischer is arrested for being a member of the South Africa Communist Party (SACP), an illegal organisation. He had also defended the accused at the Rivonia Trial.

1965

Abram (Bram) Fischer is tried for contravention of the Suppression of Communism Act and receives bail. He goes underground and is recaptured in November.

1966

Bram Fischer is found guilty of violating the Suppression of Communism Act and conspiring to commit sabotage, leading to a conviction of life imprisonment.

1969

Immediately after the Morogoro conference the ANC and SACP met formally to discuss working together.

1967

Bram Fischer is awarded the Lenin Peace Prize.

1969

The African National Congress (ANC) and South Africa Communist Party (SACP) meet formally for the first time to discuss working together.

1974

It becomes known that Bram Fischer is seriously ill with cancer and liberal newspapers and political leaders mount an intensive campaign for his release. They are successful and he is allowed to move to his brother's home in Bloemfontein.

1975

May, Bram Fischer dies.

1993

Chris Hani, Secretary-General of the South Africa Communist Party (SACP) and Umkhonto we Sizwe leader is assassinated.