From: South Africa's Radical Tradition, a documentary history, Volume One 1907 - 1950, by Allison Drew
Document 29 - Letter from S. P. Bunting to E. R. Roux, 5 December 1928
Box 1915|-|
5 Dec 1928
Dear Roux,
I don't suppose you will hear much party news from anyone else, though Kalk & Danchin no doubt gave you their story to date. When we got here we found the party split sideways and endways with quarrels, intrigues, backbiting etc to incredible lengths. The difference over the slogan had led to general bad blood. Woltons and La Guma17 versus all the rest, but some of the rest also versus Thibedi; the branches also bewildered at this excess of partisanship at head office, and the Trade Unions quite paralysed especially by disagreements belween La Guma & Thibedi. As far as l can judge, everybody concerned is to blame, and not least the Woltons for announcing, in the middle of all the trouble, that they are retiring to England at the end of the year.
This they did about 10 days ago. We left them last June, despite differences of opinions, on the best of intimate terms, but in our absence they have worked up a case against us to make you shudder and try as we will to ignore it it has destroyed all the real confidence between us. What letters have been sent to Moscow all these months from them and La Guma we can only guess; we see now that our very unpleasant experiences there were the result of a violent secret preparation in the shape of reports which as you know Bennett & Co never showed us, but the contents of which we can imagine from the contents of another missive to Moscow which it seems was read, before despatch by Baker & Thibedi, cutting us & others to pieces - so that we feel we have been unwittingly dealing all this time with some very deep customers. Well, it is all very depressing, and will take a lot of liquidating, but there is meanwhile a smaller staff than ever to do the work. To replace Wolton La Guma is spoken of, but he has just come into a small fortune near Cape Town, and possibly will not [leaved] anyhow. When he was here (he hadjust retumed to C.T. when we landed) he was on bad terms with several, so one can't be sure he would be a success as secretary. The Woltons are very keen, after they leave, to have non Europeans at the Head office. Well, Silwana is also [-aitable], though none of us know quite enough about him to feel sure whether he is up to it. Another complication is that Hamson is only half hearted about his Cape Flats campaign, and in fact is going to England too this month end. If Wolton had stayed, I should love to have jumped into the breach, though where subsistence is to come from I don't know; but as it is I may have to take Wolton's place in one form or another. Anyway, I have given up the idea of restarting legal practice for a good many months to come, and am quitting the oftice at the end of this month. We also don't know what to do with the children, the prospect ofcontinued [rations?] during the holidays is terrible; and if l go to the Cape, what to do with the rest of the family, & the home, is also a problem.
On the boat I wrote a pamphlet on Imperialism & S Africa of which I sent Rathbone a copy last week. It was the best formulation I could think of for the "slogan". We landed in S Africa to find a regular hurricane fire of alarmist newspaper scares about Moscow & S African natives, but we were not searched at Cape Town. We were [pestered?] for [-] about "Mrs. Rebecca Bunting's opposition to the slogan", and to clear the air I wrote a letter on that subject to the Star of Nov 17, which you may have seen. [-----,-- -] reported in the Star & Mail of Nov 19 which you may also have seen. We were threatened or warned of arrest, but although we have made a number of speeches since, always dogged by crowds of detectives (eg at Evaton, a new branch) nothing has happened beyond Chinese crackers thrown at an indoor meeting at the Trades Hall last Sunday, by a woman in tow with Stewart, the man we spotted at the CapeTown Conference 3 years ago, and now openly connected with the C.I.D. Stewart who is boasting of having got [Weinstock] & [Kentridge] in trouble over a lottery, is now giving out that Bunting will be the next - he [-] 1/3 ) of the [-].
Since Nov 19, the Press has been carefully silent about us, evidently on instructions. We advertised a meeting specially for white Trade Unionists, but I don't think any came, the hall was full of miscellancous whites. Tinker is hot against us. I gather this is the attitude of such trade Unionists as bestir themselves to take any interest at all. Andrews says he certainly is not going to have anything to do with a Black Republic. Tramwaymen, indicating me, shout to each other "kill him." Of course, none of this is new, but the white working class can only be won by very patient propaganda of imperialism, and even then they prefer to be apathetic. The SATUC has turned down an invitation to the Anti-Imperialist League, I could see that Andrews was against accepting, though the ostensible reason I believe was lack of funds - as if they'd forgotten that Colraine's expenses were paid!
White bourgeois are generally hostile but more ready I think to admit that what we say is true, though they want to cling to Empire, not Black Republic. Benson the lawyer said "All of us would be with you if you were not a Communist & and in tow with Moscow."A parson said "That's the stuff we ought to be preaching at St Mary's". And Marks of Markel St said "I agree withevery word" -i.e. of my speech of Nov 18. Well, if we can even split Ihe while bourgeoisie a little, even though the Trade Unionists hold aloof and the bar loalcrs are hostile & the Dutch murderous, it is something.
As for the natives. Wolton has reeled off the 100-word slogan at them several times, but I couldn' l see that it caught on like that. He has presented it too much as a new incantation fresh from Moscow, but it hasn't appealed like that. We shall see whether there is anything in it, as a "trumpet call, later on. Becky went to Potohefstroom to a woman's meeting, with Molly & Coloured Mrs. Bhola, a new chum for the Af. Nat Congress, & when Molly spouled the magic formula, a member of the branch said "Nothing new in that, it is what we Communists have been always hammering at, and we must go on hammering".
Despite Moscow's malignant obstinacy, I notice both the Woltons and I have presented the slogan as a matter of majority", in the sense ofyour amendment: equality, liberty etc; these are the simpler cries that tell. Even so, the ICU has been inclined to repudiate the Black Republic, and the ANC has been silent. Many of our black members & trade unionists are against it, & I have to champion it, (with rather bad grace I confess, for though il is challenging - to whites - it doesn't seem to me inspired or inspiring as regards blacks). try saying: "Well, the wording is a bit harsh, but after all, we have always told the natives they have got to rule;" and I think they will settle down as the October drought gives place to rain. [--] asked a queslion. "Won't your black republic fall under Imperialist influence?" The answer is, that this language about "stages" represents sociological rather than chronological sequences (though I think it was dictated by the analogy of a bourgeois democratic native revolution in China, but of course I couldn't say that as really no black republic in SA could be achieved without overthrowing capitalist rule. And in fact I think the "stage" part of that formula is verbiage. My idea is to carry on as best we can with the slogan and see how it goes, emphasising about the "minorities" so as to escape the N. Au Act, but to concentrate rather on agitation and indignation as heretofore. and, at the Cape election, to concentrate mainly on the Cape vote and the 101 degradations/disabilities etc. There is something not quite inlelligible to the crowd about "Independent Black Republic" - they [-] ask "look, if that doesn't mean driving the whites into the sea, what does it mean?," and they don't want something that involves a lot of explanation - Gumede, I heard at Capetown, has been engaged by the SAP to canvass for them in the elections, but says he can also support the C.P. At Cape Flats ihe Creswellite is A Z Berman, the Independent, D Haggar, & the SAP I don't know- SAP will be our most formidable opponent,
I am hoping that perhaps the Woltons will get out of their huff and decide to remain after all, though they have sold their furnilure & given up their (half share of a) house. If they will stay, I should like the party to second me to fight Cape Flats, though how to meet the expense, I have no idea. [-] promised support before we went to Europe, but now I think he will ret'use it on the ground that he doesn't like a Black Republic. I have still to try and [-] up a [fundfor – purpose] for the party is £100 in debt.
I am sending this letter by hand, and perhaps you will be able to send some sort of reply also by hand in a month or two's time. By the middle of this year you will be coming yourself. We have made no progress regarding students, but may do so shortly. The Woltons have so far declined to give reasonsfor their departure. but the chiefone seems to be that the office holders in the party should all be black. But why therefore desert the party & this country)'?
The trade unions are suffering for want ofa Secreiary-Organiser: the right [-] can't be found. I lost the addresses you & Rath gave me. [-]
S P Bunting
Pass this letter on to Col. C[-J & CI - or rather, send them the substance of it - if possible.