Two hundred and sixty kilometres north of Port Elizabeth is the small Karroo dorp of Cradock. Despite its isolation Cradock has a long history of struggle. To this day the people in Cradock's township maintain their militant tradition.

Thirty-two years back, in August 1953, the ANC (Cape) held its annual conference in Cradock. It was at this conference that it was resolved to send forward to the ANC National Executive the idea of a Congress of the People, and a Freedom Charter. The rest is history ….

Out here now, in Cradock's dusty township, Mrs Sibanda and Mrs Calata both remember those times well. In the 1950s Mrs Sibanda was very active in the ANC Women's League and in the Federation of South African Women. Mrs Calata is the daughter of the late ANC leader, Canon James A. Calata. She was also in the Women's League, but her main involvement was in her father's famous Congress Choir.

Q: Mrs Sibanda, were you here in Cradock in 1955?

Sibanda: I was here.

Q: Do you remember this campaign to get demands for the Freedom Charter?

Sibanda: I was one of the people who collected demands. But we felt that before we did that, we should go and defy the laws. The demands of the people at that time were this question of passes, and not being allowed to go out at night.

The historical records show that in Cradock no fewer than 53 volunteers were arrested for defying unjust laws like the curfew.

Q: When you collected demands did you write them down?

Sibanda: Well, volunteers would go and discuss the conditions under which people lived, and as people voiced out their grievances, the volunteers would write them down.

Q: Were there women volunteers? Did women play a part in this campaign?

Sibanda: Yes. The women were very strong here in Cradock. We used to be arrested!

Conditions in the countryside were often much worse than in the towns. When we asked old volunteers in the towns if they ever had difficulties, most said there were no major problems, but there were sometimes people who were rude, or who refused to cooperate.