South Africa 1917: The Birth of the ANC and the Fight for Land
The Story of South Africa: Empire, Apartheid, and Transformation — Fexingo HistoryPlay episode
Show notes
In the aftermath of the 1913 Natives Land Act, which stripped black South Africans of land ownership, a new generation of African leaders gathered in Bloemfontein to form the South African Native National Congress, later the African National Congress. This episode examines the founding congress in 1914, the key figures—John Dube, Pixley ka Isaka Seme, Sol Plaatje—and the early strategies of petition and delegation. It also explores the parallel growth of the Industrial and Commercial Workers' Union under Clements Kadalie, and the tensions between educated elites and grassroots workers' movements. A look at the 1919 anti-pass campaign and the 1921 Bulhoek Massacre shows the limits of peaceful protest. The episode ends with the 1923 Native Urban Areas Act, which codified urban segregation, setting the stage for decades of struggle. #ANC #SANNC #NativesLandAct #JohnDube #PixleykaIsakaSeme #SolPlaatje #ClementsKadalie #ICU #Bloemfontein #1914 #BulhoekMassacre #AntiPassCampaign #NativeUrbanAreasAct #SouthAfricanHistory #ApartheidOrigins #Resistance #FexingoHistory #History Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
