page 167 - Long Walk Original Manuscript [LWOM_167.jpg]

organisations directly concerned with the history and control of African education, and commanding massive resources and powerful contacts here and overseas, they could have played a crucial role in the struggle against the Bantuisation of African education. The government realised only to well that if they did not break the opposition of the churches, it would be difficult for them to introduce the new system and when therefore the Wsleyans handed over their schools with 200,000 African pupils, Verwoerd must have danced the askoek (Afrikaner dance copied from the Khoi Khoi).

The teachers fared no better than the churches and in spite of individual acts of heroism their collective efforts were hampered by divisions when action was discussed. At the time of the introduction of the Act there were two rival organisations in the Cape, namely the Cape African Teachers Association (CATA) and the Cape African Teachers Union (CATU). The split had occured a couple of years earlier when CATA decided to affiliate to the NEUM. There were many teachers in tdhe organisation who were either members or supporters of the ANC or who were uncommitted and who did not want to be associated with the NEUM. This situation made a united front of all teachers difficult to achieve. The NEUM and its affiliate CATA, could not advance any path for resisting the Act. As it was they condemned the campaign waged by the ANC and in reaction to this campaign advocated the boycott of the school boards and school committees. Though this campaign never really got off the ground, it did not prevent the enemy from striking at them and a large number of teachers who were members of CATA were forced out of the teaching profession.