Fighting Talk was initially a publication of the Springbok Legion of ex-servicemen and women, until in February 1954 when the "Fighting Talk Committee", in Johannesburg, took over the responsibility for publishing. Appearing monthly, the periodical was edited over a period of several years in the mid-1950's by Ruth First. The focus of the content was largely on resistance by South Africans to the suppressive actions and legislation which the National Government steadily introduced prior to the formation of a Republic in 1961 and immediately thereafter. Extensive coverage is also given to the path of emancipation taken by several African countries, such as Sudan, the Congo, Tanganyika, Nigeria, Guinea and Algeria in their quest for independence from western control. Publication of Fighting Talk ceased in February 1963.
Archive record
Fighting Talk
- Origin date
- February 1989
- Updated
- 27 Aug 2019
South African History Online. (2016, February 22). Fighting Talk. South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/R-0106591
South African History Online (2016) 'Fighting Talk', South African History Online, 22 February. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/ref/R-0106591 (Accessed: 30 September 2026).
South African History Online, Fighting Talk [website], https://sahistory.org.za/ref/R-0106591, (accessed 30 September 2026).
"Fighting Talk." South African History Online, 22 Feb. 2016, https://sahistory.org.za/ref/R-0106591. Accessed 30 Sept. 2026.
South African History Online. "Fighting Talk." South African History Online. February 22, 2016. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/R-0106591.
Further reading
DISA Archive
Letter from Barney Pityana to Neville Curtis
Cape Town Civic Centre and the CBD of Cape Town
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