page 264 - Long Walk Original Manuscript [LWOM_264.jpg]

Socialist countries to see Marxism in practice and that all his information on the subject was gained from literature he had read and that his acquaintance with the classical works of marxism was sketchy. He also considered that the blacks, especially the African people, suffered political disabilities, that they had no vote, could not be members of parliament, the provincial councils and local authorities. He admitted the hardships cause by the application of the Pass System and the evils of racial discrimination and appreciated the struggle of the black man for equality of opportunity. The rest of the Crown evidence consisted of police officials handing in books and documents seized from the accused during the numerous raids that took place between 1952 and 1956 as well as notes taken by the police at Congress meetings during the same period.

For some time before the opening of the defence case the press had been spreading the story that Chief Luthuli would be our first witness and the Crown apparently believed the press reports. There was consternation on the part of the Crown team when a few minutes before the opening of our case Parkington formally told them that Dr. Wilson Conco would be our first witness. The whole Crown team immediately left the Court and returned later. Natalians are noted for peculair bonds that unite people from that province and the strong sense of attachment amongst them can sometimes ever transcend colour differences. When Wilson Conco gave his background with his brilliant academic record at the University of Witswatersrand where he obtained his medical degree, I got the distinct impression that to the Natal judge Kennedy we were no longer just mischievous agitators bent on stoking up trouble for the whites. He was beginning to see in Wilson Conco and his colleagues men with worthy ambitions and who could be a credit to their country if given proper