National Union of South African Students
Encyclopedia
The National Union of South African Students (NUSAS) was an important force for Liberalism
in South Africa
in the latter part of the last century. Their mottos included non-racialism and non-sexism.
This inevitably brought them in conflict with the Apartheid regime, which was arguably their most important political role in the organisation's almost seven-decade history, a feat that eclipsed the life of the racist National Party
.
NUSAS was founded in 1924 under the guidance of Leo Marquard, at a conference at Grey College by members of the Student Representative Councils (SRC) of South African Universities. The union was made up mostly of students from English-language South African universities. Afrikaans-speaking leaders walked out between 1933 and 1936. In 1945 the students from "native college" at Fort Hare were admitted as members confirming the commitment to non-racialism after a period of indecision.
Early presidents of the organisation included Phillip Tobias elected in 1948, who presided over the organisation's first anti-apartheid campaign. The effort was mounted to resist the racial segregation of South African universities. Ian Roberston, president in 1966, was instrumental in inviting Senator Robert Kennedy to address South African Students http://www.rfksa.org/right.php?main=/documents/index.php. Other presidents included, Jonty Driver, Paul Pretorius, Charles Nupen, Neville Curtis
and Auret van Heerden.
Though the organisation stood for non-violence in their opposition to Apartheid, some former senior members were associated with the first violent anti-apartheid resistance group, the African Resistance Movement.
Despite their liberal resistance to racially separate organisations, its members, and in particular its leadership, supported the breakaway in 1969, of black student leaders, led by Steve Biko
and others, to form the South African Students' Organisation
(SASO), a Black Consciousness Movement
student grouping.
This change left NUSAS somewhat marginalised in the political struggle of the 1970s, which was seen by many as a fight for the freedom of black South Africans. At this time there were many students at the so called "white" universities who supported the organisation because of its anti-apartheid campaigns. Most of the English language universities (Wits, UCT, Rhodes, UND, UNP) remained affiliated to NUSAS, which by the mid 1970s was the strongest body of white resistance to apartheid.
NUSAS having adopted the Freedom Charter
, involved its members in non-racial political projects in education, the arts and trade union spheres. This confronted Apartheid on the streets and in both the local and international media, infuriating the Nationalist Party Government who cracked down on the rising student revolt on several fronts, in the mid-1970s. This in turn drew the battle lines, with liberals backing the non-racial, African National Congress
(ANC) in their campaign against the repression in the country.
By the early 1990s South African students began to see the need to consolidate their efforts to finally rid South Africa of racist controls and to re-focus on education issues. NUSAS was merged with black controlled student movements into a single non-racial progressive student organization, the South African Student Congress
, SASCO, in 1991.
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
in the latter part of the last century. Their mottos included non-racialism and non-sexism.
This inevitably brought them in conflict with the Apartheid regime, which was arguably their most important political role in the organisation's almost seven-decade history, a feat that eclipsed the life of the racist National Party
National Party (South Africa)
The National Party is a former political party in South Africa. Founded in 1914, it was the governing party of the country from 4 June 1948 until 9 May 1994. Members of the National Party were sometimes known as Nationalists or Nats. Its policies included apartheid, the establishment of a...
.
NUSAS was founded in 1924 under the guidance of Leo Marquard, at a conference at Grey College by members of the Student Representative Councils (SRC) of South African Universities. The union was made up mostly of students from English-language South African universities. Afrikaans-speaking leaders walked out between 1933 and 1936. In 1945 the students from "native college" at Fort Hare were admitted as members confirming the commitment to non-racialism after a period of indecision.
Early presidents of the organisation included Phillip Tobias elected in 1948, who presided over the organisation's first anti-apartheid campaign. The effort was mounted to resist the racial segregation of South African universities. Ian Roberston, president in 1966, was instrumental in inviting Senator Robert Kennedy to address South African Students http://www.rfksa.org/right.php?main=/documents/index.php. Other presidents included, Jonty Driver, Paul Pretorius, Charles Nupen, Neville Curtis
Neville Curtis
Neville Wilson Curtis was an anti-apartheid activist and leader of the National Union of South African Students.Curtis' parents John and Joyce were active against apartheid as well...
and Auret van Heerden.
Though the organisation stood for non-violence in their opposition to Apartheid, some former senior members were associated with the first violent anti-apartheid resistance group, the African Resistance Movement.
Despite their liberal resistance to racially separate organisations, its members, and in particular its leadership, supported the breakaway in 1969, of black student leaders, led by Steve Biko
Steve Biko
Stephen Biko was a noted anti-apartheid activist in South Africa in the 1960s and 1970s. A student leader, he later founded the Black Consciousness Movement which would empower and mobilize much of the urban black population. Since his death in police custody, he has been called a martyr of the...
and others, to form the South African Students' Organisation
South African Students' Organisation
The South African Students' Organisation was a body of South African students who resisted apartheid through political action. The organization was formed in 1968, spearheaded by Steve Biko, and played a major role in the Black Consciousness Movement....
(SASO), a Black Consciousness Movement
Black Consciousness Movement
The Black Consciousness Movement was a grassroots anti-Apartheid activist movement that emerged in South Africa in the mid-1960s out of the political vacuum created by the jailing and banning of the African National Congress and Pan Africanist Congress leadership after the Sharpeville Massacre in...
student grouping.
This change left NUSAS somewhat marginalised in the political struggle of the 1970s, which was seen by many as a fight for the freedom of black South Africans. At this time there were many students at the so called "white" universities who supported the organisation because of its anti-apartheid campaigns. Most of the English language universities (Wits, UCT, Rhodes, UND, UNP) remained affiliated to NUSAS, which by the mid 1970s was the strongest body of white resistance to apartheid.
NUSAS having adopted the Freedom Charter
Freedom Charter
The Freedom Charter was the statement of core principles of the South African Congress Alliance, which consisted of the African National Congress and its allies - the South African Indian Congress, the South African Congress of Democrats and the Coloured People's Congress...
, involved its members in non-racial political projects in education, the arts and trade union spheres. This confronted Apartheid on the streets and in both the local and international media, infuriating the Nationalist Party Government who cracked down on the rising student revolt on several fronts, in the mid-1970s. This in turn drew the battle lines, with liberals backing the non-racial, African National Congress
African National Congress
The African National Congress is South Africa's governing Africanist political party, supported by its tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party , since the establishment of non-racial democracy in April 1994. It defines itself as a...
(ANC) in their campaign against the repression in the country.
By the early 1990s South African students began to see the need to consolidate their efforts to finally rid South Africa of racist controls and to re-focus on education issues. NUSAS was merged with black controlled student movements into a single non-racial progressive student organization, the South African Student Congress
South African Student Congress
The South African Student Congress was formed in September 1991 at Rhodes University in Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, through the merger of the South African National Student Congress and the National Union of South African Students...
, SASCO, in 1991.