I- NATIONAL_ COUNCIL OF AFRICAN WOMEN.

GENERAL SECRETARY'S REPORT.

1958 V V

GENERALSince the beginning of the year 1956, after the 20th Annual General Conference which was held at Bloemfontein in December 1958,all branches looked forward the 21st Annual General Conference when this council w-i-Ift be celebrating its 21st birth­day. Much was planned to make this occasion a feal success.

MEMBERSHIP""At' the beginning of the year, two old branches in the Eastern Cape were revived viz. Grahamstown and Port elizabeth. Later in the year, two new N.C.A.W. babies were born in the Transvaal viz. the Chiawelo and Diep Kloof branches^ A new branch was started in Christiana just a few weeks sdp?*' n^Rqepihof, which V&-an old branch, was revived. Up to date w^^ave-oO active branches. Nevertheless there 4^ still much room for expansion.

ACTIVITIES.Trora the information received from the branches, some have had a very busy year doing organisational work either in the brandies or assisting the Child Welfare Society in running the creohes, nursery schools and aiding the old age homes.The Newsletter the chief organ by which branch activities ca^be made known. Three copies of the newsletter have been released this year and a fourth c i r c u l a t e d at the commencement ofconference owing t M delay,tiiat has boeft-caxreEcTunavoiaaulyr-- From the reports received from the different branches, it is- quite obvious that some branches cibing very we^l^^As— ye«r knew-^ka^fhe N.C.A.W. ha^l no roneo machine ue-Jege very grateful to the fi3jj^o/ A. David & Co., a local firm who undertook toroneo ear1-master free of charge.An Executive Meeting of the Board of Officers was held in Kimberley on the 3lst May this year in order to plan tki^conference with the coming of age celebrations. A report of this meeting was sent to all the branches. Many important decisions were made and carfied out. The Provinces represented were Transvaal, Western Cape, and the Orange Free State. The Eastern Cape and Natal unfortunately could not attend.Brochure - The compilation of the brochure was taken over by the executive due to Miss Soga's intention to go to the United States. Adverts were obtained from different firms viz. United Tobacco Co., Lever Bros., A David & Co., Hendry Bros., J. Sacks & Co., Chamberlains Firm etc.Pin - The pin caused this council a lot of thinking and planning owing to lack of funds. be v y g e -af-despa.ir, asolution- eamg-. It i ^ n o w in the making^tmfortunately ^ could be ready for conference.

REGINAL CONFERENCES.^ The Transvaal and Orange Free State held their reginal conferences

which were very successful. The reports on these'bonferences will be founfl in the last issue of the newsletter. These reginal conferences stre very important, -they act a-s a— rpvi-val to tho . fl branches. ^ o »

CORRESPONDENCE" *Letters of condolence were written to Lady Oppenheimer, Mr. Harry Bppenheimer and Mrs J. Nhlapo. The replies of these letters have been filed. The N.C.W. and N.C.A.W. kept in touch with one another by regular correspondence. The General President represented the N.C.A.W. at the Rustenburg Conference of the N.C.W. Of the three typewriters owned by N.C.A.W., one was sold for an amount of £12 ( twelve pounds). The Rustenburg Branch of N.C.A.W. received a message of congratulations from the Rusjt^n^rg N.C.W. on mother-body's 21 st birthday and this message hae-^e-!&e- conveyed to the general conference. A congratulatory message was received from the N.C.W. Headouarters in Cape Town.

- CELEBRATION PREPARATIONSShis year, being a special year due to the 21st birthday of this eeuae; council, extra work was involved in preparing for the occasion and in order to meet the big expen<9e involved, a mock court was arranged in order to raise funds. Other activities like the braaivleis & folksongs intended to give the delegates a good time and put them In a celebrating mood. We wish to thank all friends who so co-operated with us /to make these things possible.

The 21 st birthday key you- seeH^ginf:-^n^the hal4-here,has. t\HV=»b©€rrhorrowed te—us* £v"the Coloured Rugby Union, That—was-iadeedr

a very kind gesture on their part. Owing to the very big work undertaken by the Galeshewe Village Branch to entertain conference, the Green Point branch of N.C.A.VT. has lind&^fcaken fo run the f Cabaret on behalf of headouarters on the night ee§ of the I8th Dec. I95S.

Branches had to pay a sum of £hi?ee two guineas towards their celebration fund.The Mock Court - Summonses have been 1 ssued to several members of the community and other interested individuals outside Kimberley.The fines are varied and we hope that our well wishers will appreciate our position and respond accordingly. Much as this game is a fund raising project, it provides great"fun to the participators and the onlookers.

RECOMMENDATIONS -(aJThat this council, in an attempt to write things, should critieise

constructively and spend less time on trivial matters that do not in anyway upset the machinery of the council.

06)That we should work together for the betterment of our race in spite of all the differences that exist among t£. Those should not hinder the progress of our work. The kinder v/e are in our criticisms the better the results#

(c)That branch reports to conference should not be discouraged as *ee regijial reports do not convey to this conference the activities of the branches individually. The present system encourages the lesshard working branches to rest under the shadow of the hard working ones. This present system was introduced to save time, but the shortest way home is not necessarily the safest.

I wish this conference a very happy birthday, may the i future bring you joy and prosperity.

L.S. Masuabi. General Secretary.

OPEMIKG: In welcoming the jte^pgates. the President said that she f,hoped that we w4r^lto into our work with zeal, j The minutes of the last executive were read and accepted.

DISCUSSIONS. *------------------Tanga. Shilling Drive: Nothing had been done about it.

STANDING~T3MTTOBS.---------H^aHdirH^-eeffpi^^eeea ojjj)

!To standing committees were elected last year^ as a result there was no report on the conditions governing the awarding of bursaries to cants by the Mendi Manorial Scholarship Fund. It was agreed that in future should elected members fail to attend these committees/ others should be chosen to do so.Bursaries.: The Durban Branch felt that the reason why branches were reluctant to^ contribute towards the Mendi Memorial Fund was that they not benefit much from it. These bursaries were only awarded to post matric students who were ready to go to the University. If ihe standard was lowered to J.C. more pupils would benefit and it would interest the people better. 1

It was decided that headquarters should find out whether bursaries were awarded by merit or whether to nuoils who tddtiS-

afford to further their education and that when a reply i-e received, the information should be inserted in the newsletter for the branches.

-MSQAL Medal:A renort was given by Mrs Caswell re her investigation abouT the proposed medal. Owing to the fee tttat was charged for the making of the pin, headquarters felt that it would not be wise to continue without the anprova1 of conference.When a satisfactor?/ offer did cone, it was too late tg have the pin ready for conference. Nevertheless the pin themaking.Pivisign of Provlnees : The Langa branch felt that the Western "Cape 5¥*foo big a province for one Re/ ifnal President »taking into consideration the amount of work that has to be'done and suggested that another regi*hal president be elected to share the work. *

The house accented the principal but suggested, that regfhal organi qer? be elected rather than another regfnal pre­sident. After a long discussion it was decided that this" matter be left to the region concerned. The branches were asked to get together andl discuss the matter with their regional president and bring their decision to conference before it closest-

having the same problem, war authorised by mother ^ody to have regUfrial organisers.Brochure: \ renort on the brochure venture was given by the General President, the details of which would be discussed in the general conference.

The Firm of Chamberlains in Johannesburg was responsible "or the printing of the btochure but it was more interested in the awarding of bursaries. ;ave the Council cosmeticsto the value of ^252 for sale. Of this amount they'Expect «*3* £150 and the orofits fro to N.C.A.W.funds

The .Bantu Welfare Trust Fund ca a -rant of ^200which ,:a$L stil] to ^ome. There, .ad^cfer tain conditions which govern^the future receipt of money from the Bantu Welfare Trust Fund. Thejoetailed renort on this no i tit w44-l be given :n onen conference. MwflJ

NATIONAL C0U1TCIL OF AFRICAN WOMEN.

MINUTES OF GENERAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

SOCIAL CENTRE, KIMBERLEY.

14th DECEMEER 1958.

The Provinces wanted to know what share of this money wouldreceive from mother "body to further their nrojects. The

President nointed out that there were certain conditions on which this money was "iven and that she would take all the corresnodence to conference so that the delegated could :?e enlisht ened or the facts.

After a tons discussion the matter v r s closed in order to be resumed ^t conference.

MEETING CLOSED.

MINUTES OF THB TWENTY-THIRD ANNUAL GENERAL CONFERENCE

HELD AT PRETORIA

FROM 16TH PEC. - 19TH DEC. I960.

Devotions were led by Rev. Uoane. Psalm 24.

OFFICIAL OPENING.

The conference was opened by Mrs. Findlay representing the City Council of Pretoria. She was introduced by Mrs. Pyper. After the intro­duction Mrs. Pyper remarked that the Afrioan Women do not give their vrork enough publicity so that the N.C.W. should know what they can do. She also introduced Mrs. van der Westhuizen the immediate past president of the local branch and a member of the international standing committee of N.C.W.

ADDRESS BY MRS. FINDLAY.

Mrs. Findlay expressed her pride in being associated with the N.C.A.W. and the N.C.W. She congratulated the N.C.A.W. for bringing women together to discuss tneir various problems and make suitable plans for the future. She also found it a real privilege to work with N.C.A.W. women of Pretoria.

These women all worked towards the moral betterment of society. Our women have a right to claim respect due to a developing people and there is a great need for approach to Race Relations# She drew the attention of con­ference to very many things that women have done since they got the vote.The poverty spur has driven them to take up work and has made them to be conscious of many things that were a result of their rising from their tra­ditional habits for the upliftment of their people.

Mt 3. Masekela passed a vote of thanks. She congratulated the members of N.C.W. who were present for their bravery in showing their presence in our midst and thanked them for the respect they showed to the uprising African. Mrs. Masekela said that we are leaders of our people and as such we are trying to encourage them to look after their children. We should try and let our European friends know more about us in order that we should get the necessary help and encouragement from them.

Mrs. Moerane seconded the vote of thanks by expressing our wishes to become part of the world and not only a subject race which has to remain marking time. A part of the home cannot develop on its own lines but it must deve­lop as a whole.

A message was read from Mrs. Ida Newton, General President of N.C.W. This message was given over by Mrs. van der Westhuizen. Watch out for it in the newsletter.

»

Miss Tsengiwe passed a vote of thanks to Mrs. Newton's message. She ex­pressed the interest of our Council on the Guide movement in S.A. She ex­pressed the need for more to be trained as guides. Leadership was lacking as far as boys were concerned. More Scout masters were needed not only for scout work but also for various youth movements. Girls who left school needed some other kind of youth movement to keep them occupied. There was a great need for sooial centres in the villages. It is a great problem to cater for age groups in as far as occupation is concerned.

Mrs. van der Westhuizen was asked to throw light on the subject of occupa­tion for youth and she intimated that this subject needed really careful thinking* She further suggested that our N.C.A.W. branches should try and contact the IT.C • W .S .A . branches in their respectful localities and give them time to investigate from people who run these youth clubs for advice. Everybody must think about it and get together as women and form some plan of recreational facilities for the youth.

Mrs. Findlay explained how in some areas community centres were run and how manners were taught to young boys and girls.

MINUTES:

Minutes of the previous conference were read and accepted.

DISCUSSIONS;

Governor General1 s War Memorial Fund - The President explained how difficult it was to find women who were entitled to benefit from this fund. Miss Tsengiwe substantiated this fact. Most of the people who could be found were those who were disabled during the war. Mrs. Moabi suggested that bran­ches should contact the B.E.S.L. for the necessary information on which to work. Still no report had been received from Nurse Hlahle on the disability grants.

Mrs. Masekela who happened to have the full information on disability grants, explained to conference how they are obtained in the area where she works*

Mrs. van der Westhuizen appealed to N.C.A.W. TO SUPPORT THE N.C.W. on the point of the establishment of women police. She gave various reasons for taking this step. Branches were asked to go into the matter and seek enough information from their local authorities and forward whatever information they can get to the general secretary for recording*

Audited Statements - Branches had not submitted audited statements as was decided in the two last conferences. An appeal was again made to the bran­ches to try and abide by the decision of conference and have their statements audited. The President explained how this matter of unaudited statements is holding up the work of N.C.A.W. particularly in as far as the Bursary Fund is concerned.

Newsletter - It was explained to the branches how they oould keep their newsletter going for the rest of the year. Four copies were expected during the year and if branches have no news to send for publishing, suitable articles from individual members or interested persons would be highly appreciated.

Conference decided that branches be sent at least five copies of the news­letter. Should branches need more they should apply for them to the General Secretary in good time. A fee of 6d is expected for each copy.

18 DECEMBER I960.

Devotions were led by Rev. Matlapeng.

ADDRESS BY MR. J.C. MBATA. Subjects The Women of Africa - What of the Future? Mr. Mbata pointed out that from observations, the authorities are interested in finding out how to consolidate Native Law and give it full recognition.

He stressed the following points

(a) Ante-nuptial Contract - Africans do not make use of this opportunity.

3/

(b) At the cei-emony in the Native Commissioner’s Court the position is not clearly explained to the woman. If the marriage is by community of property, it must be stated so. If the parties concerned are silent on this matter community of property is excluded. Then in this case the property will be administered according to Native Law. This state of affairs has given rise to considerable hardships to many families. Women should insist that marriage officers should explain to couples that marry.

(c) African women should go into this matter and give it wide publicity if the facts are true. We have to know how these things affect the lives of our people. There are different codes in different provinces as far as Native law is concerned.

A vote of thanks was passed by Mrs. Kgware. In her remarks she said that women cannot cling to their traditions if Africa has to go on. We have already started to aim high and nothing will hold us back.

The world is no longer as God created it, we should be positive in what we do and not just sit on benches.

She was seconded by Miss Direko who said that African women are gaining some recognition in society. Mr. Mbata's address was most inspiring. Women had to start from bottom to keep on the right track.

Special Committee - The general executive accepted the findings of the special committee which was elected to go into the financial statement.After the matter was gone into, and certain errors were revealed the executive felt that the Council was entitled to a refund of the money that could not be accounted for then.

The special committee further recommended that there should be both a savings and a current account opened by the Council and that all payments be made by cheque. The committee further recommended that payments be made through the secretary.

The house decided that the financial statement should be re- audited owing to the errors that were reflected on it.

Executive Report - Find attached.

General Secretary's Report - Find attached.

Presidential Report - Find attached.

Memorial Service

Evening Entertainment - Film.

19th DECEMBER I960.

Devotions were led by Rev. Koza. Psalm 121. Luke Chap. 11.

Provincial Reports to appear in the Newsletter.

ADDRESS BY MISS MACKENZIE - Miss Mackenzie pointed out that in the new children's act there was something special for African children. Magistrates and Native Commissioners were given special training in children's work. If a child was found wandering about or badly treated and such a child was brought before the Child Welfare Commissioner, he must decide whether such a child needed special care and whether he or she needed foster parents or should be sent to an institution.

There were Bantu youth camps established, for older children. If the child lives in a city and the mother is a widow, such a child could he given a maintenance grant. Such a child could also he put with an aunt or a grandmother with the supervision of the Child Welfare Society.

Adoption of children - It does happen that the father does not always acknow­ledge the child. In that case, for the interest and well-being of the child, adoption takes place. The Commissioner must then make sure that the people who adopt the child can maintain and look after it well.

There can he three ways hy which a child can he reared e.g.:-

(a) Child in its own home.(b) Child with foster parents.(c) Child brought up by other people.

In the third case the order of the court must be obtained. If children have to be removed to institutions they may be kept at a place of safety wnilst arrangements or enquiries are being made.Thex*e are not enough places to keep the difficult children.

There are many services available for children but the subsidy for nursery school teachers is not enough. The big difficulty in creche work was to get a good staff. Women must know what is worthwhile for their children Services for children needed leadership. Do not hesitate to give over your job to the government department as they have the money. Let the voluntary organisations take up the other jobs. Miss Mackenzie congratulated the 1J.C.A.W. for the work they have started.

Vote of thanks was passed b.y Mrs. Moerane - She said that the government has helped a great deal to pass the act of children's courts. She quoted an instance where they had to ask for the release of 13 children in Queens­town who had to go for trial and the parents were made responsible for taking care of these children whilst they were waiting for trial.

There were not enough nursing schools and creches to keep the children whilst the parents were at work. Not every parent is fit to have a child; it is therefore a wise step to have laws of adoption fixed. African women tried to do things for themselves but there are no funds. The question of econo­mics is a great strain.

Vote of thanks was seconded by Mrs. January - The care of children is a very difficult task and it needed love and devotion. The N.C.A.W. is doing quite a lot in this direction.

Report of findings of special select committee - A report on the financial statement was given by Miss Tsengiwe and the following recommendations were made by this committee

(a) That in future monies should be paid to the Treasurer through the secretary.

(b) That in future all monies be kept by the treasurer.

The financial statement was discussed in full. Miss Direko proposed that the firm of Braganza Tea which donated a sum of £17 instead of £20 as promised should be asked to pay the balance of £3» Conference accepted this proposal.

DISCUSSIONS - Mrs. Caswell insisted that she be written a letter in the event of any claims that are made on her. Conference decided that the financial state ment be re-audited and corrected before any claims could be made from Mrs. Caswell.

20TH DECEMBER I960.

Devotions were led by Rev. Molebatsi. Eph. Chap. 3sl4.

Discussions continued - The following amounts were allocated to officials for their allowances:-

Secretary - £10 Treasurer - £3 President - £2.10.0.

Dr. Nkomo bid the delegates farewell.

Greetings by Professor Kgware. Professor Kgware expressed his pleasure in attending the conference and congratulated the women for showing their abili­ty to challenge the times. He further threw light on the resolutions that were discussed and pointed out that it is not the automatic promotion of pu­pil-? that causes the child to suffer in as much as it is the big numbers that the teacher is confronted with. The teacher can only manage to maintain discipline all the time and finds very little time to teach.

The solution of the problem will lio in the limitation of the numbers and additional staff.

Unfinished business - The question of Miss Soga’s pin rose again and it was explained why the pin was not yet ready.

Mrs. Mapanzela suggested that resolution 4 (a) and (b ) should be taken by the branches to their school boards and see what response they can get.

RESOLUTIONS.

1. That the department be requested to review the position regarding thesystem of education in lower primary schools with special reference to:-

(a) The number of pupils per teacher.(b) The employment of additional staff.(c) The desirability of discontinuing the double session system.(d) The provision of adequate accommodation.(e) Generally the creation of optimum conditions to justify the au­

tomatic promotion of pupils.

2. (a) Children who fail Std. II are on the average about 13 years ofage and therefore too young to be sent out into the world to seek employment.

(b) As there is no provision for the occupation of these children,they become vagrant and become delinquents, therefore, this con­ference requests that the children who fail Std. II even twice should be allowed to stay longer in school.

3* (a) That wherever possible children in rural areas where there areno amenities for higher primary and secondary education who seek admission into higher primary and secondary schools in urban areas, should be allowed to do so until provision for similar schools has been made in their areas.

4* (a) Experience and constancy of married female teachers is indispen­sable for the proper education of our children.

(b) This system of employing married teachers temporarily may dissuade marriageable girls from marrying, and may encourage them to in­dulge in unchristian practices for fear of losing their posts. Therefore, this conference pleads for permanent employment of married female teachers>

5« This conference respectfully requests the government to appoint a commission to inquire into the legal status of Bantu women.

6. This conference respectfully requests the Department to have Voca­tional training for Bantu girls for the following reasons:-

(a) Not all girls who pass Std. VI may he admitted into Secondary Schools because they may have passed Std. VI in the third class.

(b) The only professions open to Bantu girls are teaching and nur­sing, and there is now an influx in these two professions and many of the girls may have talents which may be encouraged in vo­cational training courses.

BOARD OF OFFICERS:

Life President Im. Past President General President

11 Secretary " Treasurer

Miss M.T. Soga Miss J.G. Mdledle Mrs. M. Sesedi Mrs. L.S. Masuabi Mrs. R. Moabi.

REGIONAL PRESIDENTS:

Transvaal Cape Western Cape Eastern Free State Natal

Mrs. P. Masekela Mrs. J. Mokgosi Mrs. H.H. Mdledle Mrs. S. Sedikelo Mrs. E. Tshabalala

Venue of next conference:- Pietermaritzburg.

THE MEETING WAS CLOSED.

GENERAL SECRETARY'S REPORT.

I960.

GENERAL.

Quite unlike last year, the branches of this Council have heen particularly quiet in that no reports of activities were received.I do hope that this silence was not caused by inactivity on the part of the branches.

A very successful conference was held at Graaff-Reinet in December 1959 and the Graaff-Reinet Branch of N.C.A.W. showed wonderful hospitality to the delegates. It was most encouraging to note how this branch did its best to make the delegates as comfortable as possible. It would be very encouraging if all the branches could always put their best foot forward whenever an occasion arises for them to do so. On behalf of conference I wish to thank this branch for everything.

MEMBERSHIP.

No new branches have been reported this year. I have my doubts about the numbtr of branches that are on the register. It does appear that some do not exist any more. In this respect I will need the co-operation of the Regional Presidents and organisers to send me a list of all the active branches annually. Sending correspondence to branches that do not exist is definitely an expense to headquarters and we should try to cut down expenses as much as possible. It is our ardent desire to keep our branches and not lose them. We need as many branches as possible. All branches have received their correspondence for the year.

ACTIVITIES.

I have already commented on this part of the work. No definite reports have been received re the activities of individual branches. I do hope that branches have made at+empts in keeping the fires burning.

Some of the branches in the Northern Cape have been quite busy with fund raising and organisational work. It does appear that this year has been a difficult one throughout. There has been a general unrest in the country which has to a very large extent affected the machinery of N.C.A.W. work.

Besides the elements that are beyond our control, we still have to comh=t some of the evils that make our work difficult viz lack of co-operation between ourselves and personal indifferences which tend to hamper the progress of our work.

NEWSLETTER.

Only two copies of the newsletter were sent out this year.The branches failed to send news. This state of affairs is not very encouraging but maybe there are reasons for it. I shall leave it to the branches to explain the reasons for their silence. I still appeal to the branch secretaries to keep their members well informed of matters published in the newsletter. It will be a great source of inspiration to know what is happening within our Council and branches will learn from one another different methods of organising and raising funds.

W.C.A.W. FILM,

Since the film Yi/ent to the Transvaal no information has "been received about its whereabouts. I do hope that during the coming year, branches will make the necessary arrangements to make it possible for the film to circulate. "Where there is a will there is a way."

BROCHURES.

The sale of the brochures is still in the hands of the branches and no report has yet been made available.

REGIONAL CONFERENCES.

Regional Conferences were held in the Transvaal, Eastern Cape, and Northern Cape. These are very important as they act as a revival to all the branches and that is where each Province has an opportunity of solving its problems.

CORRESPONDENCE.

We have received correspondence from other organisations, like the Child Welfare, the South African Institute of Race Relations, and the National Council of Women.

RECOMMENDATIONS.

(a) Branches should not only be encouraged to send their aff. fees to headquarters but it should be made clear to them the importance of their delegation to conference.

(b) It is still my plea that there should be co-operation between the General Secretary and the Presidents and Organisers of the regions with regard to active and inactive branches. It should be made the duty of each region to ascertain whether a branch exists or not and a list be sent to the General Secretary annually. Otherwise the Council goes to a lot of expense by sending correspondence to individuals instead of branches.

(c) I would that all branches send in reports about their activities so as to feed the newsletter which has to be sent out every quarter. Modesty is a virtue, but in as far as the newsletter is concerned, I would rather you blow your trumpets as long as it is genuine music for then I shall have plenty of news to circularise. I do admit that we despise people who blow their trumpets but we cannot lose sight of the fact that there is nothing that has not a bit of good in it even if the goodness in it can be compared to a drop of water in the ocean.

I wish this conference a very happy Xmas and a prosperousNew Year.

L.S. Masuabi, GENERAL SECRETARY.

MINUTES OF GENERAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

________________PRETORIA._________________

16th DECEMBER. I960.

The meeting was opened with a prayer.

The minutes of the last executive meeting were read, corrected and accepted.

Miss Mdledle intimated that she did not resign the Regional Presidency but she notified all the branches in her region that owing to her having taken up duties in the Transvaal she will not stand for election.

The creche at Rustenburg was not closed down but the health department wanted the proposed creche to have all the facilities required to enable it to start functioning.

MATTERS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES - The President explained that before more money could be obtained from the Chamberlains Firm audited financial statements should be submitted because these were public monies. Headquarters could not submit an audited statement as it was not available in time to proceed with the application for money from Chamberlains.

Mrs, Mapanzela appealed to the branches to pull together and affiliate in time to make the work of the treasurer lighter.

SHILLING DRIVE - Mrs. Nkomo reported that nothing had been done re the shilling drive in the Peninsula in spite of the steps that were taken by Headquarters. Mrs. Matheza still refused to hand the book over to the Native Commissioner in Cape Town. Mrs. Nkomo still felt that Headquarters must continue with the matter by having an inter­view with Mrs. Matheza and Mr. Rogers.

After a lengthy discussion on this matter conference decided an interview must be made.

Mrs. Masekela suggested that should Mrs. Matheza still refuse to hand over the money to the Peninsula branches she should be handed over to the Bantu Commissioner who should be asked to deal with the matter. Conference accepted this suggestion and that a Headquarters official be sent to Cape Town by the end of February or early March.

Re the M.M.S.F. Miss Mdledle intimated that according to a report that once appeared in the paper, this fund has been transferred to the Bantu Affairs Department.

The financial statement was read and discussed and the executive decided that a select committee of three with the secretary and the treasurer included should go into the matter and bring the report to the general executive.

The select committee went into the financial statement and discovered certain errors and reported its findings to the general executive. The general executive then went into the matter and reached a decision that the matter be taken to open conference. The report was read and accepted.

A decision on the financial matters appears in the conference minutes.

The resolutions were discussed, and these are also reflected in the minutes.

MEETING WAS CLOSED.

Presidential Address

The 23rd annual conference held at Lady Selborne, Pretoria

l6th-20th December, I960.

Mrs. M. Sesedi.

"DISTANT HORIZONS"

Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen,

My Sisters in struggle,

Allow me to begin this my official address to you on a personal and intimate note, for very obvious reasons.

This year of i960 has terminated for me what I regard as 33 long years of married bliss. In the midst of the suddenturmoil of distress, I felt no longer alone ----- Suddenly, Ibeca.me conscious of multiple-presence. It was as if at that moment,you were all there. You, my sisters ---- Everyone of you. Irealised then as I have never done before, how very worthwhile my very long association with the National Council of African Women had

> become in my life.

I felt then that, in my hour of sore-need, I was encompassed on all sides, by a great host of genuine and very dear friends.

From the depth of my humble and contrite heart, I wish to tender my most sincere thankD to you. May the Almighty bless you all and give you strength and fortitude for the struggles that lie ahead.

I propose to deliver a short address, not because there is nothing to say, but because there are times in life when one's thoughts seem to refuse to stray too far away.

However, you will find in the choice of theme, what I hope will be a clear-cut directive to the Conference. In the depress­ing atmosphere, let not our sense of despondency make us to lose sight of the "Distant Horizons". Our real struggle lies in the distant future. "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us", sayeth the Scriptures. It is on that deceptive horizon therefore, that all the eyes should squarely rest. If the year of i960 has been a year of setbacks for the work of this council, there has also been many a beacon of successful endeavour, in our stride, over the years.

Admittedly, our progress h*=s slowed down very much duringrecent years ---- not because the African women were apatheticabout getting things done, but because her pathway has been strewn

with obstacles, that are not of her own making. In fact, there is confusion in her mind, uncertainty in her existence.

There is however, another angle to our loaded cup of woe.We have our domestic troubles --- that are of our own making. Anorganisation, like a human being, desires to be healthy. Yet, that desire in itself does not help very much, unless the man concerned learns, and knows all about the dangers that breed ill-health, and also observes them.

There are two sources, or origins to all our troubles and worries. The first set of troubles derives its force from the wrong that other people care to inflict upon us. The other category of wrongs derives its impact from the damage and havoc that we bring upon ourselves. The first is like "murder" while the other is like "suicide". Now we must decide which of these two sources of death is the most fatal and the most tragic. Which is thw easier to escape or to avoid?

Though the two lie on different levels, and therefore require different standards of evaluation we may quite confidentially entitle the question at issue:- "Murder versus Suicide". You can not always foresee a murder, whereas a suicide you can always avoid.

There seems to emerge out of the chaos and the ruins ofpresent-day developments, one of Nature's true optimists --- a woman.Although her face wears a look of deep puzzlement, in her heart there is a prayer. She waits for a message from the realms of the unpredictable.

I now wish to turn my mind to those troubles with adomestic background --- those defects that do their killing rightinside the home.

The finger of scorn pointed at another --- which in turnfills us with the feeling of self-righteousness. The human failingsare all too glaring in us --- petty jealousies, small-mindedness,indifference, indolence and often rank insincerity. What about lack of faith in ourselves, selfishness, complacency or even self-pity.Are these not the ants that often kill the elephant?

Our immediate aim should then be to stay the swing of the suicidal hand, and break its poise... We need to wage constant war against these fifth column agencies, because they spread the poisons that not only slow down our branch and domestic efforts, but may actually cripple and totally breakdown the overall organisational Drive. Secondly, these defects have a blinding effect on the members of any corporate body. When I make this call upon conference to rally round and take up this challenge of the "Distant Horizons", I do so with a fervent prayer deep down in my heart "0 Lord, that they may see" .

These weaknesses are like the corpses of dead soldiers in the fighting trench. Not only are they a hindrance at the feet of those still able and willing to continue the struggle ahead, but they are also a source of very present and imminent danger to the whole fighting line.

If you do not beware of the poison in the food, the horizon will shrink and narrow down. The "Distant Horizon" will demand from each one of us a certain amount of energy and drive. Emancipation needs to be striven after. It is something to be won by, and through struggle.

Yes, the mists of doubt will always be there, but above all else rises the sun of hope, and casts against those far-off peaks the silver rays of a new day. Yes, there is hope because there is life. We, who are regarded as a subject race, perhaps in more respects than one, cannot afford the luxury of pettiness and self- indulgence .

If we must die, let it by by murder and not suicide.

MINUTES OF THE TV/ENTY-FQURTH GENERAL CONFERENCE

HELD AT PIETERMARITZBURG

FRO?'. 15TH - 19TI-I DECEMBER, 1961.

Devotions were led by the Rev. Ntuli of the Methodist Church. Genesis Chap, 21 verses 14 — 20.

The Rev. Ntuli explained how the tears of a loving mother quenched the thirst of a dying child. In whatever we do we should not lose hope. We should pity our children on account of their ignorance of the future.

Thanks by General President: She touched on the points that affect our African people most and thanked the Rev. Ntuli for bringing to us the spiritual water to quench the thirst we suffer from. It encouraged us to struggle on.

OFFICIAL OPENING;

The Mayor, Mayoress and company were introduced by Mr.Ben who thanked the house for the honour bestowed on him.

Conference was opened by Kis Worship the Mayor, Mr. Bulmans In his opening remarks he welcomed all the delegates on behalf of the residents of Pietermaritzburg. Ee described his community as being fine and hospitable and assured the delegates a pleasant stay. The Mayor congratulated the conference on the choice of its theme and pointed out that a nation is as great as its mothers make it.

Family unity is very important. Heavy responsibilities were placed on women and we should live up to the golden rule "Do unto others as ye would that they should do unto you". He further wished conference a happy and prosperous New Year,

Remarks by General Presidents It is not in all centres of our Republic that Mayors are willing to open conferences of dark skinned people. We as a race need you and you need us as well.We can only be successful when we get together and work together.

Vote of thanks of Mrs. Mapanzelas After thanking the Mayor for the official opening of conference, she quoted him on the approach towards our problems and pointed out that the Mayor had set a practical example,

AL3RESS BY L'RS. SCHREINER, REPRESENTATIVE OF N.C.W.:

Mrs. Schreiner congratulated the members of the N.C.A.W. on the profound contribution they were making towards the upliftment of their race. She further stated that malnutrition and T.B. were on the increase and that everything possible must be done to educate the masses to try and suppress the spreading of these diseases.

Women are the life blood of the African townships and they recognise the family needs, Thewomen should be able to run their own organisations and institutions with the full knowledge of what they can achieve. Mrs. Schreiner presented a message from Miss Uansi Poliak (National Adviser on African Affairs) which will be included in the first issue of the newsletter.

Miss Lireko passed a vote of thanks and stated that we appreciated the fact that Miss Poliak realised our plight. With the many difficulties confronting us, women are compelled to go and work to assist the family. We have for a very long time relied on others, it was now time to do things for ourselves.

Miss Tsengiwe thanked the N.C.W. for serving tea in such happy spirits. The President advised the branches to get in touch with their local conveners on African Affairs (N.C.W.) if they wanted to know more about the Urban Bantu Councils,

Dinner was served by the Pietermaritzburg Indian Women Cultural Society, the President of which is Mrs. Bundhoo.

Miss Mzazi thanked the Indian Community for their hospitality and also for their presence at the conference,

ADDRESS BY ICRS. BLUMENFELD, REPRESENTATIVE FOR CHILD WELFARE:

She stated that the aim of the Durban Child Welfare Society was to start as many crSches as possible at Kwa-Mashu Village, She stressed how important it was to rear a child in its own home, where it can enjoy a mother's love than to be brought up in a "home". She quoted various disadvantages suffered by children who live and grow away froa their parents,

Mrs. Nkomo passed a vote of thanks and said that poverty and drunkeness created the greatest problem. The hone is neglected and we as mothers have to smile under all difficulties. There is a shortage of Social Workers at Langa, There is a great need for clinics in the rural areas.

Discussions continued; The question of Miss Soga's pin rose again. The President explained that this pin was one of the items the firm of Chamberlain had to do for us, but because of the hold up in our work it had not been done as yet,

Mrs. Caswell questioned Miss Soga's absence from conference for some years. Miss Mdledle explained that the reason was finance, Mrs, Caswell suggested that the conference write her a letter of sympathy. Miss Mdledle appealed to conference to pay Miss Soga's fare to conference so as to discuss with her how to meet her fare in future. Mrs. January suggested that Miss Soga's fare to the Silver Jubilee be offered to her to enable her to attend the Jubilee.Conference agreed.

Mrs. Ivfiware was asked to go into the brochure finances and report to conference. The Secretary was asked to contact Nurse LIahle to find out what information she has about the disability grants. With regard to the (R6) that had to be asked from the Braganza Tea Firn, the President explained that this amount was deducted by the firm in order to pay for the blocks which they made themselves.

17TH DECEMBER, 1961,

Mrs. Bundhoo introduced Mrs. Fatima Meer and said she was a great inspiration to all section of women in South Africa.

ADDRESS 3Y MRS. FATIMA M^.R;

Mrs. Meer described how she welcomed Chief Luthuli at the Durban Air Port, The Cslo visit had brought him new life. She also

-3-

explained now little things, when wrongly done, lead to distress in our country, Sne felt that women were not given sufficient chance to oistinguish themselves, they are more or less regarded as appendages of the men in whose homes they live.

There should be no hesitation in appointing married women as teachers. She also intimated that women could be more thrifty than men and therefore they should be allowed to control the purse; what they receive would determine their saving capacity.

The African earning capacity is very low on the average and only a small section is able to stay at Kwa Mashu Village as most could not afford to pay the rents, Africans do not live in urban areas as families but as migrant workers. Children living in the reserves are affected by the absence of their fathers from the homes.

Apart from the legal barriers, African also suffer from customary traditions. It is possible for women to apply for their sexual emancipation, it depends on their educational status. Very few women can apply for such emancipation.

Vote of thanks was passed by Mrs, Masekela; In her remarks she said it was a subject of lengthy discussion. We have no peace in our hearts, humiliation is very distressing to everybody, Non-Europeans very often suffer from humiliation, sometimes in our own homes, but there is hope that with a change of heart and more sympathy things will improve,

PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS;

Find attached.

Vote of thanks was passed by Mrs. L. Motloi, In her remarks she said we should consider the points stressed in the address — anger, hate and revenge. These three destroy all the good that is done in a society. We should try and get rid of them.She thanked the President for her inspiring address.

Miss It.'dledle commented that despair breeds fear and fear breeds resentment and hatred. With hope we could go a long way.Instead of becoming despondent, let the voice of the African woman be heard.

The minutes of the executive meeting were read, accepted and discussed.

^he election of sectional committees, conference decided to aivide them up into the followings—

(a) Constitution and Resolutions,

(b) Education,

(c) Health and Child Welfare.

(d) Disc ipiine and Findings,

(e) Labour Bureau,

18TH DECEMBER, 1951.

Devotions were led by the Rev. Ndlovu, Phillip. Chap.2 Verse II,

Discussion on Labour Bureau; Mrs. January gave an outline of the system intended to be used in Kimberley.

Conference discussed the unruliness of the youth. The Mafeking delegates described how the youth there were divided into two cemps, one fighting against the other,

Mrs. Masekela suggested that the Mafeking Branch should get in touch with the Bantu Authorities to try and solve this problem.The chiefs could also assist to stop these fights, as it happened in Tyume,

General Secretary's Report; Find attached.

The President spoke on the discipline of the branches and explained the procedure to follow with regard to the conference programme.

Address by Professor Nyembezi; Professor Nyembezi was introduced by Mrs. Kunene as author of Zulu literature. His address was based on "Youth11. This subject needed continual emphasis. It required people to put their heads together because this problem of youth is assuming serious proportions.

Professor Nyembezi compared the present way of bringing up children with that of the past and how effective parental control was in the past years. Children realised that there was a difference in the age groups, unlike the child of today.

The children of to-day think that only the parents deserve respect. Tight control is needed in bringing up children and the women's organisations and the churches should try and do something about it. Children have grown into the habit of smoking dagga and inhaling benzine fumes.

The number of children born out of wedlock is increasing.The African is not making enough noise about compulsory education.The bodies that plead for African wages to be increased should be supported.

Vote of thanks was passed by Mrs. Kgwares She thanked Professor Nyembezi and pointed out that the women have congregated in order to try and solve various problems. Parents challenged the teachers through wrongs done by children. The parents themselves do not try to solve the existing problems. Consuming of liquor is one of the greatest evils. Compulsory education could solve the present problem of roaming children,

Si.rht-seeing;

19TH B3C:a:BER, 1961,

Devotions,

Regional Reports were read. These will appear in thenewsletter.

The financial statement was read and accepted.

All organisations wishing to affiliate to Headquarters should pay the seme affiliation and registration fee as N.C.A.W. branches pay.

o/.

Collection Number: AD1715

SOUTH AFRICAN INSTITUTE OF RACE RELATIONS (SAIRR), 1892-1974

PUBLISHER: Collection Funder:- Atlantic Philanthropies Foundation

Publisher:- Historical Papers Research Archive

Location:- Johannesburg

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