The origins and development of the South African student's movement (SASM): 1968–1976

This paper provides a detailed historical account of the South African Students' Movement from its birth to the period just before the 1976 pupil uprising. Stress is laid on the conditions within secondary and high schools as a major factor accounting for its birth. Primary among these were authoritarianism and the absence of channels through which students could either communicate with their authorities or seek redress for their grievances. In it infancy the organisation adhered to no particular ideology, but when Black Consciousness emerged in the early 1970s it was embraced as its philosophy. However, by the end of 1974, it is argued, dissatisfaction with the limitations of Black Consciousness led to the establishment of links with the ANC. Due to state repression this ideological shift went unnoticed by the public, although the the 1976 uprising consolidated the change. Thus when the Congress of South African Students came into existence in 1979, clearly espousing the philosophy of the ANC, the move away from Black Consciousness politics, particularly among secondary and high school pupils, seemed abrupt. In conclusion the impact of closer ties with the ANC is examined.