The Individual, Auto/biography and History in South Africa

During 1949 and 1950, amid mounting organisational work, Tabata spent some time
researching and framing this history. In August 1949, he presented a lecture to the
Forum Club on the history of the AAC, 112 and a week later, he wrote to senior African
leaders to ask for assistance with information and chronology. 113 At the same time,
Tabata and Dora Taylor started to write a narrative of the AAC’s history, sometimes
writing for almost 15 hours per day. 114 At the AAC Annual Conference held in
Bloemfontein in mid‐December 1949, it was recommended that the history that Tabata
was preparing be taken over by the Convention and published by them. 115 By April
1950, the manuscript was completed, and Tabata made an entry in his pocket diary to
mark the significance of this moment. “On this day, at 10.20 pm”, he wrote, “we finished
the magnum opus, the history of the AAC”. 116 The manuscript was presented to
Wycliffe Tsotsi, the AAC president, who expressed his appreciation. However, the AAC
could not be expected to meet the steep costs of publication and printing, and Tabata
agreed to take this financial responsibility on his own shoulders. Both Tsotsi and Tabata
nevertheless wanted the book’s cover to make it clear that it had been published by the
AAC. This would serve “to “enhance the prestige of Convention”, and create an
association between the ideas and positions taken in the book and the politics of the
AAC. 117
In planning the manuscript’s publication, Tabata also had to address the issues of
political and financial risk. Through Ben Kies, Tabata sent a copy of the manuscript to
asked Tabata for information so that his study circle could make themselves “perfectly clear” about
the AAC’s history. See E.J. Vawda to I.B. Tabata, 12 July 1949, I.B. Tabata Collection, BC 925.
112 I.B. Tabata, Pocket Diary, entry for 23 August 1949, I.B. Tabata Collection, BC 925.
113 See I.B. Tabata, Circular letter to selected African leaders (including D.D.T. Jabavu and Z.R.
Mahabane, 1 September 1949; D.D.T. Jabavu to I.B. Tabata, 6 September 1949; Z.R. Mahabane to I.B.
Tabata 115 September 1949, I.B. Tabata Collection, BC 925
114 I.B. Tabata, Pocket Diary, entry for 7 December 1949, I.B. Tabata Collection, BC 925; Ciraj Rassool,
interview with Doreen and Michael Muskett, 22 March 1992.
115 Minutes of the All‐African Convention, 16‐17 December 1949, Crowe‐Rassool Papers.
116 I.B. Tabata, Pocket Diary, entry for 21 April 1950, I.B. Tabata Collection, BC 925 (my emphasis).
What was intended to be a “long article” became a book length study. See I.B. Tabata, Circular letter to
selected African leaders, 1 September 1949, I.B. Tabata Collection, BC 925.
117 I.B. Tabata to Rev. Z.R. Mahabane, 1 June 1950, I.B. Tabata Collection, BC 925.
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