THEAPARTHEIDERA
at the University of South Africa and shared a practice in Johannesburg.
Mandela was the dominant personality in the group. A member of the
Thembu ruling family in the Transkei, he was a man of powerful physique,
commanding bearing, sharp intelligence, and deep commitment
to the
cause of African liberation: Three years later, the conference elected Albert
Lutuli as president-general of the ANC. Born in about 1898, Lutuli bridged
the old and new elites. He was the elected chief of a small Zulu community
in Natal, a teacher at Adams College (the leading African high school in
Natal), a polished orator in English and in Zulu, a devout Christian, and a
man of impeccable moral character.P
In 1952, the ANC and the South African Indian Congress, which had
undergone a similar change of leadership, launched a passive resistance
campaign that attracted wide support. Large numbers of volunteers defied
discriminatory laws and eight thousand were arrested. The ANC called off
that campaign early in 1953, however, after rioting had broken out in Port
Elizabeth, East London, Cape Town, and Johannesburg
and Parliament
had enacted severe penalties for civil disobedience.I"
In 1955, the ANC formed a coalition representing a broad spectrum of