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P GSC, SASM

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Minutes of the annual General Students' Council of SASM,
Roodepoort, May 28-30, 1976
Venue: St. Ansgar's Conference Centre, Roodepoort
Date: 28th-30th May, 1976
Theme: Reconstruction towards Self-determination
AGENDA
Interim Executive
President: Vusi TSHABALALA Vice President: Sipho Ciko MBATHA
Sec. General: Nkululeko XELITHOLE
Organising Sec.: Zwelinzima SIZANI
Additional Members:
Themba MAJOKA
Kabelo MOFOKENG
Lesedi B. MASETLHA
Sittings:/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>

28th May, 1976
The President, Vusi TSHABALALA, opened the GSC formally and led the house
in singing "Unzima lo mthwalo" ["This Burden is Heavy"].
He then delivered his official Presidential Address (refer: Presidential
address)
Nadikoe T. [Tom] MANTHATA led GSC in a symposium on Campus Militancy.
The Organising Secretary read the Executive Report and [it] was adopted.
(refer: Executive Report)
GSC broke into three commissions:
a. Education
b. Policy
c. Constitution
a. The Report on Education was adopted as presented.
b. The Commission on Policy presented the Black Students Manifesto of
SASO as its report, which was adopted.
c. A new structure of the Executive Committee was proposed and accepted.
A new portfolio that of Director of Publications was introduced and number
five under "Powers and Duties of the National Executive Committee" was
scraped off./>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>

In a symposium on Black Theology a paper was read by Puso K. KHUTSOANE
[of SASO].
29th May, 1976
GSC sat to listen to a speech on Black Consciousness by Aubrey MOKOENA,
thereafter the house broke into three commissions:
a. Sport
b. Culture
c. Community Development
a. The report on Sport was adopted as presented
b. The report of this commission was in the form of a motion which was
adopted.
c. [words missing] the house and the speaker on Black Consciousness'
points on Community Development were accepted as a guide for the Movement.
30th May, 1976 GSC broke into two commissions:
i. Relations
ii. Operation and Communication
Both these commissions' reports were adopted as presented.
The Commission on Planning sat, then a paper on the "History of
the Struggle" written by Mr. [W. B.] Ngakane, was read by the Organising
Secretary.
Elections:/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>

Puso KHUTSOANE acted as the electoral officer. The following were elected
into the Executive Committee
President: Mzuvukile MAQETHUKA
Vice President: Gosebo MWALE (SHIFT) Secretary General: Tebello MOTAPANYANE
Organising Sec.: Zwelinzima SIZANI Director of Publications: Similo MABHEKA
(DESMOND)
GSC closed its deliberations by singing the National Anthem: "Nkosi
Sikelel' i-Afrika."
MOTIONS
The following motions on current issues were tabled and were unanimously
adopted by GSC
Afrikaans Strikes That this GSC noting:
1. The recent strikes by schools against the use of Afrikaans as a medium
of instruction is a sign of demonstration against schools' systematized
producing of "good Industrial boys" for the powers that be,
2. The national implications of these strikes,
Therefore resolve:
1. To totally reject the use of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction.
2. To fully support the students who took a stand in the rejection of
this dialect.
3. Also to condemn the racially Separated Educational system.
MOVER: MOTAPANYANE T.
SECONDER: HLATSHWAYO T.
Transkei:
That this GSC noting
1. the "independence" of the Transkei is "given" so
as to "frustrate" and "divert" our struggle for national
liberation,
2. the Transkei "independence" is a show case to the world
by the Pretoria regime to serve its interest of catalyst ideology, Therefore
resolve:
To totally reject the independence of the Transkei and any other thing
pertaining to it.
MOVER: MWALE G.
SECONDER: THEMBISA M.
Leslie SEHUME:
That this GSC noting,
1. the "famous flying object of Sport," Leslie SEHUME, will
undertake his treacherous adventures in New Zealand [to publicise reforms
in sports policy]
2. the warm "exposing" article in the Vaderland, "Ons
stuur Swartman na N-Seeland" [We send Blackman to New Zealand] on
the 30/5/76.
Therefore resolve,
1. to condemn intorte [in toto?] his mission as Anti-Black cause actions,
2. to inform him that his Judas Iscariot's actions won't in any way deter
the struggle.
MOVER: SIZANI Z.
SECONDER: MATSHI S.
Culture:
That this GSC noting
1. our culture has been good to meet our needs all the times,
2. our culture has been polluted by Western Culture, Therefore resolves,
1. to organise rural camps wherein urban students will have to live with
rural families,
2. to encourage people to wear African garbs.
MOVER: NGEMA V.
SECONDER: HLATSHWAYO T.
Internal Security Bill:
That this GSC noting,
1. the provision of the I. S. [Internal Security] Bill and the likes
are mere intimidatory laws planned by the powers that be to maintain
the status
2. Black people of Azania have been victims of these draconian laws from
time immemorial,
Therefore resolve
1. to totally reject all such draconian laws,
2. to maintain blacks dignity and convictions irrespective of what the
Pretoria regime legislates.
MOVER: MOTAPANYANE T.
SECONDER-. MAQETHUKA M.
Presidential Speech
Black Brothers and sisters of Azania. Rightful owners of the fertile
soil. Our issue at hand is one of the greatest of its nature, if not
the greatest in the whole world. This means that we are the people mostly
directed to the issue as opposed to other people. We are second to none
towards changing South Africa into Azania. If we are second to none change
won't come unless brought by us./>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>

Again, Brothers and Sisters; though we are directly involved in this
cause as Black people: We are much more involved as students. By so saying
I am trying to pinpoint the slight difference of the level of engineering
change as students and as laymen. The student has all the capacity to
build and after to lead our cause with all the necessary diplomatic strategies
at hand.

So, we are here today as a
student, not to come and question or to come and ask the Executive
of SASM about what is to be done; but to fulfill
the obligation ofAzanian students by jointly contributing in our struggle
towards bringing the necessary change. Let us not take this conference
as [a] most talked about social gathering where people meet one another
for mere furthering of introductions or "popularity." Let us
direct our thinking towards our cause as one organisation. By so saying
I merely appeal to you to contribute as far as our brains can carry us.

Let us remove all the fear
which might act as a stumbling block towards our obligatory task. I
want to assure you that one must really fear nothing
in doing the right thing. For the truth we shall stand irrespective of
any bitterness encountered. For justice we shall stand irrespective of
any evil spirits prevailing. For freedom we shall stand irrespective
of any amount of torture involved. We shall not allow ourselves to be
turned from our God who is not armed with a gun; our God who is armed
with justice, truth and love; only to be incorporated to evil. We shall
not allow ourselves to be separated from Him irrespective of the amount
of money or partial freedom promised us by our oppressors. We shall rather
die in His hands if death becomes the only alternative from sticking
to the truth. Any way, death is the necessary end for human life. That
is why our leaders decided to stay in Robben Island rather than coming
to perform duties for Satan operating his hell at the Transkei, KwaZulu,
and you name them. We shall not ignore them (leaders) in our daily struggle
because they pioneered a great way for us. Leading us to freedom. Should
they have decided to do nothing; they should have landed on the "safe" side;
getting Honorary doctoral degrees coupled with daily trips to America,
like our pseudo-leaders, Gatsha Buthelezi, Matanzima and all who try
to show us that the Bantu Homelands are here to stay.

Sons and Daughters of the soil; we are not here because we volunteered
for the struggle to freedom; but because we are obliged by the thirst
or need to struggle. The word itself (struggle) shows that no one must
expect tortureless nursing or luxury like our pseudo-leaders. We have
seen people getting paid for their traitorship, we have seen people being
turned into dogs to bark and bite their own nations. That is why we (students)
are daily barked at or threatened that we shall lose our Bantu education
and rot in prisons if we involve ourselves in the task for liberation.
Most unfortunate, some little number of students, who do not have objective
and/or independent thinking minds have accepted this venom. They will
thus tell you that they suspend the struggle for a while; until they
complete their studies. This view is out. Every step of a Blackman is
suffering. I wonder whether this student who suspends the struggle changes
to the phase of freedom during the period of suspension; or he still
suffers, but he does not want to respond because he is in the phase of
suspension; non-involvement. Our struggle is not a part-time hobby.

Let our intellectual strongholds be the building pillars of the inevitable
hotting of the struggle; without any cheating. It is undeniable that
change is coming. Everyone hears the strong winds of change unless when
he lacks sensory receptivity. The bells of history toll louder and louder
everyday. They tell us that history will never at one stage come to a
standstill. This is another emphasis of the coming of change. The Great
Roman Empire fell. She thought she [was] too strong to an extent of not
being shaken by anything. America was recently shown by Vietnam that
pride comes before a fall. All these show that the advantages of change
are on our side. We are fighting [a] winning battle, with our God on
the other unused hand.

To our long detained brothers,
I would like to say stick on. To our recently detained brothers and
sisters, I would like to say hold tough.
To our "just to be detained brothers," I would like to say
change not. We want freedom. We shall rather be "free" in prison
rather than serving evil spirits outside. To all the black students;
let us flow with the current of liberation. We are all called. Those
who shall come, or who shall take an opposite direction, shall be known.
What shall happen to them, is not yet revealable. POWER!
Vusi Tshabalala
National Report Interim Committee:
President Vusi Tshabalala
Vice President Ciko Sipho Mbatha
Secretary General Nkululeko Xelithole
Organising Sec. Zweli Sizani
Comm. Members Billy Masetlha
Kabelo Mofokeng
Not much has to be expected from this committee in that they only started
working together from the beginning of this year after the movement's
elected executive had been disturbed by the interference by special branch
members [security police] through detentions, etc.
From the 1975 conference of SASM everything seemed to be working up fine,
there was really co-ordination of work within the movement. The then
National Executive was:
President Vusi Tshabalala (Vaal Complex)
Vice President Zuzile Cindi (E. Cape)
Organising Sec. Nkosiyakhe [Amos] Masondo (Jhb.)
Sec. General Billy Masetlha (Jhb.)
Through the everyday harassments from the Security Police in the eastern
Cape especially on our Vice President we found ourselves having to do
without one for they had forced him into exile. All this did not deter
our Executives' courageous leadership./>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>

The remaining three seemed to be working fine in that no one was co-opted
into the Vice Presidency but this indirectly broke the communication
between the Executive and the Eastern Cape Branch for quite some time.

In September, our Organising Secretary was detained and some of the
Jo'burg branch members were either detained or forced into exile. The
detention of Nkosiyakhe completely broke down the executive in that only
two executive members remained and by then most students were preparing
for their examinations so then not much could have been done. And we
are here today without our Organising Secretary for he is serving a five
year sentence.
The two remaining executive members co-opted four members whose names
and portfolios are stated in the beginning of this year. So far we have
been together./>

Our top most duty was to work towards a GSC which it was agreed the
Transvaal will have to host.
In the Vaal complex, after the President had left for Varsity together
with other members, there was absolutely nothing doing in that area.
Johannesburg branch--we found no student wanted to meddle with it
in view of the arrests and exiles experienced there. Students turned
to sympathize with SASM and though everything was done to co-ordinate
them but in vain
In Natal everything had to be started from the beginning for little or
none was known of SASM and it was only in the last few months that encouraging
contact was made with students in the Pietermaritzburg area
In the Eastern Cape SASM is met with enthusiasm by students though some
tend to avoid it because of the 31 members who were detained and five
of them have been charged under the famous Terrorism Act
In this region we witness the speedy growth of branches established recently,
namely, Tembalabantu High School (Zwelitsha), Nompendulo, Gold, Forbes,
Kuyasa and Sehushe (Transkei). One of the most promising branches in
the Eastern Cape is Healdtown [High School], (where) membership is growing
at a fast rate. This region has undertaken projects jointly with the
local branch of SASO, due to lack of funds. At the moment this branch
is involved in developing the (line illegible]./>/>/>/>

Source
Karis, T.G & Gerhart, G. M (eds)(1997). From Protest to Challenge:
A Documentary history of African politics in South Africa, 1882-1990,
Volume 5: Nadir and Resurgence,1964-1979, Pretoria: Unisa./>