Non European Unity Movement

The Non European Unity Movement ( NEUM, sometimes Non -European Unity Movement, from 1964 Unity Movement of South Africa, umsa; German about "unity movement of non-Europeans " or " Unity Movement of South Africa" ​​) was founded by Trotskyists Organization in 1943 against apartheid in South Africa.

History

Foundation

In 1939, the activities of the small Trotskyist Workers Party of South Africa were increasingly suppressed, so they went into the ground. Underpass Isaac Bangani Tabatas the organization Non European Unity Movement was founded in 1943 in order to continue to be politically active can. The ANC Youth League had been founded in the same year, which attracted many activists. The inaugural meeting of the NEUM found along with a meeting which was founded in 1935 instead of All African Convention (AAC ), a broad opposition alliance against the "white" South African government. In addition to the AAC and the Anti- CAD, a group of coloreds against the Coloured Affairs Department of the Government of the South African Indian Congress (SAIC ) should be involved - but the former SAIC- leader Yusuf Dadoo tended to Communist Party of South Africa ( CPSA ). The influential trade unions refused to participate in the NEUM. Some teachers associations, such as the Cape African Teachers' Association as well as groups from Kimberley and the Transkei became a member of Neum. The only group in the province of Transvaal was the small Trotskyist Workers' International League ( WIL) in Johannesburg.

The NEUM gave himself a ten -point program on the basis of socialism. Stalinism, she refused. Unlike the WPSA NEUM became the Pan-Africanism not opposed fundamentally, however, played unlike the same time acting African National Congress ( ANC) only a minor role. A central issue was the distribution of land after a disempowerment of the "White ". The strategy in the fight against racial segregation was to refuse cooperation with the government authorities and to call for boycotts. At first, they advocated a two -stage plan, which provided for a democratic revolution that would provide the Non -Whites on a par with the whites, and in the second step was the socialist revolution to the destination. The NEUM was - unlike the then ANC - open to members of all races.

Leading NEUM politicians were next Tabata Goolam Gool and Magson Benjamin "Ben" gravel.

1946 collapsed the WIL. Formed in 1947 at Witwatersrand University, the group Progressive Forum (PF ); an offshoot founded in Durban the first organization of NEUM in Natal. In 1950 the South African government has captured the activities of all communist groups that NEUM was not banned. They also did not protest against the ban for the CPSA. In 1952 the NEUM grouping Society of Young Africans ( SOYA ), which should appeal to young people.

Cleavage and exile

In 1958, the NEUM split over the issue of land. Tabata preferred a possible sale of the land to blacks, gravel pleaded against the private ownership of land and left beside some sub- organizations such as the SOYA the NEUM, which was almost inactive in the sequence.

In 1961, Tabata as SOYA spare the African People's Democratic Union of South Africa ( APDUSA ). After the downcast revolt in Pondoland 1959-1960 and the Sharpeville massacre in 1960, the leadership of the NEUM assumed that the mood for a revolution was favorable. The goal was to APDUSA to make the mass organization. In April 1962, she was officially founded in Cape Town. Tabata was president of NEUM and APDUSA while the AAC President Nathaniel Honono APDUSA vice president. The APDUSA ignored racial barriers, and campaigned for both farm workers as well as for urban disadvantaged. She saw herself as a national liberation movement. While there were organizational problems in the Eastern Cape because of the state of emergency has existed since 1960, several APDUSA groupings were established in Natal. In Johannesburg, the APDUSA won numerous members among the workers.

And thus the NEUM - - In January, the APDUSA opted for armed struggle against the government. In addition to the training of guerrillas continue should focus on the mobilization of the masses. In Eastern Pondoland and Sekhukhuneland APDUSA grew particularly fast, so that the followers there several hundred people involved. Also thanks to the mediation of former PF member Joel Carlson could be gained more followers in the Transvaal. The state has captured the ANC and PAC, but not the NEUM and APDUSA as a whole. Instead, several leaders were occupied with spells and imprisonment, so that some leaders went into exile. Also Tabata went into exile in 1963 in several African countries such as Zambia and Tanzania. During this time, the leadership sought to the Organisation of African Unity ( OAU ) to a recognition as a liberation movement. However, ANC and PAC spoke out against the competition. In the spring of 1964, the application was rejected.

The APDUSA taught offices in Maseru in Basutoland and Bechuanaland in Lobatse one. In Lobatse she had many supporters among the local Bafurutse. Over the border of South Africa could be illegally obtained.

1964 NEUM in Unity Movement of South Africa ( umsa ) was renamed because the previous name did not appear contemporary because of its reference to skin color. 1964 and 1965 a number supporters were arrested in Pondoland. Tabata finally reached that the Ghanaian President Kwame Nkrumah agreed to be trained umsa fighters. However, he was overthrown shortly afterwards. The Belgian Marxist Ernest Mandel successfully lobbied to ensure that Cuba offered military training. So five umsa fighters were trained in Guinea by Cubans. In 1969 said to the ALC to be trained fighter. An attempt to recruit 200 fighters in South Africa, but beat almost failed - only nine residents from Eastern Pondoland reached abroad. Around 200 APDUSA-M embers were arrested under the Terrorism Act. Many members were sentenced to eight to 21 years in prison on Robben Iceland. This umsa and APDUSA were largely shattered in South Africa. 1981 moved the umsa their headquarters to Harare in Zimbabwe. Died in 1990 Tabata, who remained president until his death, in Harare.

After the end of apartheid

1994, with the abolition of apartheid in South Africa, the umsa disbanded. The APDUSA persists. With the document The Transitional programs they explained that they like to pursue a socialist revolution.

Others

The NEUM given numerous other publications ( " The Torch " ) out the newspaper, The Torch.

The Director, appointed in 1994 after the first free elections in South Africa Minister of Justice and later Minister of Transport Abdullah Omar was previously a member of the long NEUM, but defended as a lawyer also accused of ANC and PAC.