CI and SACC offices are raided

On 27 November 1976 the offices of the Christian Institute (CI) and the South African Council of Churches (SACC), two religious formations considered to have links with the Black Consciousness Movement (BCM) were raided by security police. This was part of a campaign following the outbreak of the Soweto Revolt on 16 June 1976. Dr. Beyers Naude, founder and Chief Director of CI, was arrested a month earlier on 28 October 1976. Dr. Naude had been ordered to give evidence to the Schlebusch Commission of Enquiry and he refused. The Schlebusch Commission was established to investigate the CI, the National Union of South African Students (NUSAS) and the South African Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR). Security Police believed that these formations, even though made up predominantly of White members, were nevertheless giving support to the rioting students and to the BCM. It is not clear what the search yielded, but the police were probably looking for any materials that could link these formations to the BCM and the Soweto Revolt.   A year later, in October 1977 the then Minister of Justice, Jimmy Kruger, banned all organisations associated with BCM. The list of organisations banned included the CI.