SANNC (ANC) meeting is attended by a large number of people

A meeting in Johannesburg, called by the South African Native National Congress, now African National Congress (ANC), is attended by a large number of people, men and women, from South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, and Swaziland. The meeting was convened to discuss the conditions caused by the Native Land Act of 1913 and to chart a way forward. Also in the agenda of the meeting was a report from a delegation, which was earlier sent to Cape Town to present African objections against the act. The report was a disappointment to the majority of people attending the meeting. Dr Walter Rubusana, presenter of the report, informed the public that the deputation was able to meet with the Minister of Native Affairs and few parliamentarians. They learned that the government would not delay the passage of the act to please the Afrikaner community in the Free State and Lord Gladstone would not agree to withhold his assent to the act because he claimed that it was not constitutional. The act, which was already six weeks old, was read to the meeting and other members shared their hardship caused by the act. As a result of knowing that the South African government would not act to alleviate hardships caused by the act, the decision was also taken to send a deputation to London and meet with Her Majesty's Imperial Government. The Deputy was made up of Solomon Thekisho Plaatjie, Dr Walter Rubusana, and Pixley Ka Seme.