Events were breaking above their heads: Socialism in South Africa, 1921–1950

The Politics of Adaptation and Equivocation: Race, Class and Opposition in Twentieth-Century South Africa

“…In the mid-1920s the party shifted its focus to black labour organization, as it continued to debate whether black or white labour could form the most likely working-class vanguard. 2 Then, in 1928 the CPSA adopted the 'Native Republic Thesis', prioritizing the national democratic revolution ahead of the struggle for socialism, only to change direction again when the apparent collapse of capitalism seemed to revive the shortterm prospects of socialism. So, during the great depression the CPSA tried to organize workers across the colour line, but came up against the reluctance of white workers to participate in inter-racial working-class OPPOSITION action.…”

Sociology in South Africa

“…The loss of life and devastation of the countryside during and following the second South African war, which was won by Britain, led to extreme poverty among the defeated Boers. Many of them migrated to towns and settled in racially mixed slums (Drew, 1991). Both their poverty and the dangers of racial mixing -miscegenation and loss of cultural identitywere factors that compelled Afrikaner welfare organizations such as the Afrikaanse Christelike Vrouevereniging [Afrikaans Christian Women's Union] and the Suid-Afrikaanse Vrouefederasie [South African Women's Federation] to campaign for programmes to socially uplift poor white Afrikaners and for legislation to outlaw interracial sexual relations and marriage.…”