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- 1976 - (Creation)
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opportunity for political expression and develpment in all fields.
Chief Luthuli was the next defence witness. At that time his blood pressure was troubling him and the court agreed to sit only in the mornings whilst he was giving evidence. His evidence in chief lasted several days and he was cross examined for almost three weeks. He outlined the policy of the ANC and the evolution of its policy from its formation right up to the period of the indictment. His position as former teacher and chief enabled him to put things simply and systematically and on the living conditions of Africans in the rural areas and on our political disabilites he sounded authoratative. The fact that he had served on the Native Representative Councli made him the ideal man to discuss its limitations as well as those of other government insittutions. A devout Christian and a modest man who sincerely strove for racial peace in the country, he made a great impression on the court and the judges were beginning to learn that the fight for the right to determine our own future was not the monopoly of the Afrikaners or other whites as the government's handling of our grievances and demands suggested. They were learning that police files and the electioneering speeches of white politicians were not the most reliable source of information for those who wished to make a serious study of the probelms of race relations in South Africa. Perhaps for the first time in their lives they were listening, not to their domestic servants who expressed views they knew their masters would like to hers, but to independent and articulte Africans outlining their political beliefs and how they hoped to realise them. The Chief was cross examined by Advocate Trengove, now judge of the Supreme Court, who battled to get the Chief to concede that the ANC was dominated by communists and that it had a dual policy of non violence intended for the public and