COSAS HISTORY

COngress of South African Students (COSAS) History
             

COSAS was established in 31
May 1976. It was preceded by the
South African Students
Movement (SASM), which was
banned in 1977. Like SASM,
COSAS was initially inspired by
Black consciousness, but during
the 1980 school crisis It
initiated a shift towards
Charterism. The organisation
concentrates on what it terms
"medium level" educational
institutions such as secondary
schools, technical and training
colleges.
The COngress of South African
Students devotes itself to
informing its members about
the history and struggle of the
"oppressed". Ephraim Mogale,
the first President of COSAS,
played a leading and pivotal
role in this respect. After being
sentenced to Robben Island, he
was appointed President of the
Northern Transvaal Youth
Congress. COSAS also devotes
itself to the principles of non-
racism and democracy. In its
capacity as a student
organisation, it has
endeavoured to introduce a
"free, compulsory and
dynamic" educational system in
a non-racial South Africa. It
mobilized students concerning
grievances in the schools and
demanded that schools exercise
democratic student
representation.
The frustration caused by lack
of facilities at schools, together
with other related issues,
including poorly trained
teachers and corporal
punishment, led to COSAS
orchestrating a country-wide
school boycott. Hardly in
existence for a year, the entire
COSAS corpted national leaders
and numerous members were
arrested. Mogale was accused
and convicted of promoting the
aims of the ANC and SACP, and
was subsequently incarcerated
on Robben Island. Numerous
other protest, campaign and
boy-cott actions were initiated
and launched by COSAS. An anti-
Republic Day campaign, centred
around the slogan "Forwards to a
People's Republic", was
organised in 1981. A national
boycott of “Wilson Rowntree”
and “Fattis & Monis” corporate
products was embarked upon in
sympathy with and concern for
the poor treatment of workers
at these factories. Issues such
as "education for liberation"
and "students and workers in
the struggle" were discussed
and deliberated under the
banner of "student worker
action" at the 1982 COSAS
congress. Whilst COSAS
remained devoted to and never
neglected its wider political
role, it focussed on broadening
its student base. The essence of
its theme for 1983 was "United
Action for Democratic
Education". In the same year
COSAS played a pivotal role in
the founding of the UDF,
constituting one of the latter
organisation's strongest
affiliates. At the time COSAS
was involved in an incessant
and unrelenting struggle with
the Department of Education
and Training. COSAS further
played an invaluable role in
promoting the notion of a
"people's education".
In and during 1984 and 1985,
hardly any school days were
devoted to school-related
education in urban black and
coloured schools. The black
education system in particular
was completely disrupted.
Although the government
prohibited and clamped down
viciously on school boycotts in
March 1985, hundreds of
schools throughout the country
remained empty in revolt.
Slogans like "Liberation Before
Education" were the order of
the day. Against this
background it came as no
surprise when State
restrictions were imposed on
COSAS a few weeks after the
partial state of emergency was
declared. Despite and in spite
of the restriction order, the
organisation's 150 odd branches
countrywide continued to
participate in planned action
aimed at achieving its
objectives.
If anything, COSAS furthermore
proactively initiated the
founding of the South African
Youth Congress (Sayco) in 1987.
During the resistance campaign,
launched by extra-
parliamentary groups under the
auspices of the Mass
Democratic Movement (MDM)
in August 1989, COSAS unbanned
itself. On 02 February 1990 the
restrictions on COSAS were
lifted, along with the
unbanning of 33 other anti-
apartheid organisations. In May
1990 the organisation was
officially reinstated at a
ceremony held at Orlando
Stadium, Soweto. During the
course of the ceremony, Rapu
Molekane, general secretary of
Sayco, proposed that COSAS
support the process of
negotiation in South Africa.
According to Molekane, the
concept of "peoples’ education"
could only be translated into
practise by the transfer of
political power to the people.
He supported the ANC's
request for the exercise of
discipline during that stage of
the revolutionary struggle. The
publicity secretary of COSAS,
Mike Dube, followed up with an
exposition of the organisation's
rebuilding process. In October
1990, two members of the COSAS
management committee joined
the Provisional National Youth
Committee, which was
established to reactivate the
ANC Youth League. It is
expected that COSAS will find a
home within the ANC Youth
League.