The Individual, Auto/biography and History in South Africa

oppressors. We do not intend being engaged in any rough‐
and‐tumble fight with any rival youth organisation. We would
like to see a united youth convention speaking in a united
youth voice…. As … your convention aims at uniting all
organisations we would be very glad if you can assist us
organise all young people to look to the All‐African
Convention for leadership. 27
In his correspondence with Charles Mzingeli of Southern Rhodesia, to cite another
example, Tabata extended the AAC’s call for federal unity and expressed the need to
“link up all the Non‐European organisations from Cape to Cairo”. 28 This wide
correspondence that Tabata engaged in was geared towards spreading the message of
‘the new road’ and encouraging a sense of discipline and consistency in organisational
work, and was also a means of circulating his written political materials as educational
texts. With all this work of communication and networking, Tabata complained about
feeling like a “letter‐writing machine”. 29
Through this work, Tabata also sought to identify potential leaders at different levels of
responsibility. Tabata encouraged the Voters’ Association of Khayamandi in
Stellenbosch, for example, to “fight against any tendencies … towards a self‐contained
entity” and become “linked up within the general struggle of the African people for
liberation” through the AAC. 30 In addition, Tabata encouraged Khayamandi activist, Mr
Mangoaela to see himself as having the potential to take the responsibility of leadership.
“We haven’t got sufficient men who have an understanding of politics to guide the
people through the difficult times we are living in”, Tabata argued. And it was
necessary to have “a staff of trained officers”, each of whom was “capable of filling the
position of any other”. In order to address this “handicap” so that the movement would
“not depend on one or two individuals”, Tabata informed Mangoaela that it was
decided to start a “political study class to train men and women to satisfy the crying
27 S.J. Nhlapo, for The United Youth to The Secretary, The All African Convention, 17 March 1948, I.B.
Tabata Collection, BC 925.
28 I.B. Tabata to Charles Mzingeli, 20 June 1946, I.B. Tabata Collection, BC 925.
29 I.B. Tabata to Cadoc Kobus, 19 July 1948, I.B. Tabata Collection, BC 925.
30 I.B. Tabata to Mr Mangoaela, Khayamandi (Stellenbosch), 20 June 1946, I.B. Tabata Collection, BC 925.
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