Going Home - Doris May Lessing [106]
And: ‘When the Indians in Broken Hill say that Congressman have threatened customers there is no truth in it. The African National Congress believes in non-co-operation, but without violence. If there have been threats, they have not been by Congressmen. We are not barbarians. To end the boycott is simple: prices must be reduced, and colour discrimination completely abolished by the Government. We are not worried about the Colonial Secretary’s refusal to see Mr Nkumbula…and we shall never see him. All the African beer-halls must be abolished; we want to enter the European bars. The anti-boycott movement will never end the boycott simply by calling us foolish…’
From the Northern News of April 30th: ‘Alex Masala, chairman of the Broken Hill Branch of the African National Congress, was jailed for 9 months here on Friday by Mr Colin Cunningham on a charge of unlawful assembly…’
From Northern News of June 12th: ‘In the Livingstone Magistrates’ Court today, Amon Lungu, vice-secretary of the Libuyu Branch of the African Congress, was sentenced to 2 years’ imprisonment with hard labour on counts arising from speeches he had made at a meeting of Africans at Maramba Market on June 2nd. Lungu was guilty of threatening damage to property for having said: “If you people feel as I do in my heart we should go down and break down the police camp.”’
Northern News, June 12th: ‘Two Africans were today sentenced by Mr W. H. Hannah in the Magistrates’ Court here to 9 months’ imprisonment with hard labour on charges arising out of the boycott of European-owned stores in the African township. The Africans…both mine employees, were convicted of the theft of a threepenny candle and resisting arrest. On the first count they were sentenced to 6 months’ imprisonment each, and on the second count, 3 months’ each.’
June 16th: ‘…At Kitwe, a 25-year-old African, Nondo Mbuwa, was sentenced to six months’ hard labour for stealing 1s. 6d. worth of meat from another African when trying to enforce the shops boycott.’
June 1st: ‘A plea for greater consideration for Africans who have proved themselves was made by Mr John Roberts at a public meeting here. He said: “There is quite a fair percentage of Africans who have stabilized themselves and who are well known to the provincial administration and the Government. They should no longer be required to carry the multifarious papers and passes which are at present required. They deserve exemption.”’
May 26th: ‘Fort Jameson. The Governor, Sir Arthur Benson, warned Paramount and Senior Chiefs at an indaba here yesterday to ignore people who urged them to resist the activities of Government departments. “They are your enemies who want to take away your power,” he told them.’
June 5th: ‘Mufulira. Between twenty and thirty cars were stoned by a crowd of Africans near Mufulira yesterday evening following an accident involving an African and a car driven by a European. The stoning occurred after the car overturned and struck the African. There was no trouble immediately, but later a crowd of Africans threw stones at passing cars and at a lorry which was carrying an African football team.’
African Weekly, May 23rd: ‘Sir, none of the people in the Federation knows the harsh and cruel manner in which Africans from the Federation, particularly Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland, are repatriated from the Union. They are all arrested, even on the streets, bundled into a lorry with little ventilation, and driven to Bulawayo, at times even without the knowledge of their wives in a South African location. This is not the right way to treat people, the more so when it is realized that the South Africans who come to the Federation are not sent back in that manner. I appeal to African Federal MPs to bring this matter up in Parliament with a view to effecting an improvement in repatriation methods.