The Individual, Auto/biography and History in South Africa

certain tendencies … to see themselves first and then the
struggle as something merely attached to them. The
movement then becomes a magnifying mirror in front of
which their little egos strut their little hour. 65
Dissent, discipline and biographic contestation
One of the earliest expressions of dissent against Tabata’s leadership occurred as early as
1948 after Tabata’s arrest. His old WPSA comrade, Cadoc Kobus, had expressed
resentment at Tabata for criticising his involvement in an Eisteddfod, and for “shooting
[his] mouth saying I am doing no work”. Kobus wrote to Tabata: “you do not have to do
me down in order to prove to them what a glutton you are for hard work”. 66 Tabata
denied spending his time “touring the country … for the sole purpose of ridiculing
[Kobus] for [his] singing”, but questioned Kobus’ capacity to focus on his political work:
“Each time I have asked you for a detailed report of political activities in the Transkei (as
one who is on the spot), you were not able to tell me because of your inability to move
around”, Tabata asserted. He followed this up by suggesting that the Eisteddfod was a
means “to amuse the children and divert their attention from more serious things”. 67
Later, in 1953, when Kobus accused Leo Sihlali of having “muzzle[d]” him at a
Convention meeting, and of having treated him “as an opposition”, these tensions about
Tabata resurfaced, and Kobus expressed a concern that “we are witnessing the incipient
stages of a ‘Leader’ cult”. 68 This was the same accusation presented about Tabata in 1956
by Hosea Jaffe, and repeated in 1959 by Kies, Kobus and others in the document ‘What
Has Happened in the Non‐European Unity Movement?’ 69
65 I.B. Tabata to Leo Sihlali, 25 August 1953, I.B. Tabata Collection, BC 925.
66 Cadoc Kobus to I.B. Tabata, 12 November 1948, I.B. Tabata Collection, BC 925. Interestingly, when
asked about these tensions and disagreements, Kobus denied all knowledge of them in spite of being a
key protagonist. He did admit, perhaps tellingly, that while they had been “very close” and had found
their “way into liberation politics together”, Tabata “progressed faster” because “he had more time”. See
Cadoc Kobus to Ciraj Rassool, 15 April 1993 (In my possession). See also Ciraj Rassool, Interview with
Cadoc Kobus, Qumbu, 19‐20 July 1993.
67 I.B. Tabata to Cadoc Kobus, 20 November 1948, I.B. Tabata Collection, BC 925.
68 Cadoc Kobus to Leo Sihlali, 10 April 1953, I.B. Tabata Collection, BC 925.
69 Statement by Hosea Jaffe, 2 October 1956, I.B. Tabata Collection, BC 925; R.E. Viljoen, S.A. Jayiya, C.M.
Kobus and B.M. Kies, ‘What Has Happened in the Non‐European Unity Movement?’, February 1959,
Baruch Hirson Papers.
460