The reason for their actions is not my concern. The Administrative arrangements they make to achieve their purpose are not my concern either. But I do want to be convinced by a Court of law that the rights I have referred to can be reconciled with such restriction. And it is not unavoidable, this delay, Benjie. I have been a convict, as you know. And I never had reason to complain about mail delays.
I, therefore, want you to please to take up the matter with Ernie [Wentzel] and get his opinion. My intention is to appeal to court for a “definition of rights.” I don’t know how one presents that in court. But the idea is to remove the caprice and whim that appear to define my relations here.
Any information you may require about the contents of the Minister of Justice’s notices to me, my wife will, I am sure, be able to supply. And should you require an affidavit from me, on whatever aspects of my stay here you consider relevant, I shall of course, be only too happy to oblige.
I read that Ernie intended to leave the country but I believe it should be possible to get the services of somebody else equally good.
We have to establish the purpose of censorship and in the case of so-called subversive material, who is to decide whether words are subversive or not – a Court of Law or a civil servant? Has that civil servant a right to withhold my letter because he thinks it contains subversive material? These are but some of the questions one would like settled by a court.
I shall not comment on the events in Europe.68 I want this letter to deal specifically and exclusively with a “definition of rights!”
Well, cheerio Benjie,
Yours sincerely,
BOB
P.S. Now that the Socialists are in Britain I am almost sorry I cancelled subscriptions for “Time and Tide.”69 It would be a pleasure to read their sputtering fulminations against Callaghan!70
P.P.S. I received the watch – thanks. BOB.
Robert Sobukwe
to Nell Marquard,
28 October 1964 (Bd1.8)
Dear Mrs Marquard,
In my last letter I numbered you among mind-readers. In the light of later developments I am afraid I’ll have to remove you from that company. Mind-reading and telepathy are out of it. You receive messages. That’s the only explanation I find satisfactory. What I still have to decide is whether these messages come to you as “guidance” from God or whether they come through plain African witchcraft.
All the foregoing is to clear the ground for a sincere “thank you” for the hoard from which I still continue to draw and to tell you that I received the parcel the very week I had decided to give up smoking!! See the reference to witchcraft? I haven’t told my wife the good news yet. I want to keep it as a pleasant surprise to spring on her when she comes down in December. She has, unfortunately, never believed that a pipe gave me a dignified and intellectual look. She has missed the poetry of it altogether and has stubbornly persisted in viewing the ancient briar from the Hippocratic angle.
Thank you for the latest batch of plays. I was quite thrilled the other day to see a picture of Arnold Wesker71 in the “Cape Times”, I think it was.
I know I haven’t read enough of modern drama to be able to make a reasonable generalization. But would you agree that with many of these young writers it is as it was with “Westerns” – the characters were different but the ingredients of the plot came from the same pantry! Wesker’s three plays72 were clean and yet written in the tradition of “socialist realism”. What does beat me is why realistic plays or novels must of necessity depict the seamy side of life. After all our pruderies and attempts at decency, even our notions of decency, are as realistic as the things we are ashamed of. I have read that Osborne’s latest play73 has been severely criticized for the occurrence of four letter words which do nothing to advance the play.
To turn to more mundane things. May [I] again, please, presume upon your kindness and ask you to send me some D.D.T.74 I have planted some cucumber and squash seeds and the packet containing the latter exhorts the gardener to “control fly infestation and sucking bugs”. It doesn’t say how this is to be done. But I believe that D.D.T. is as all-purpose as penicillin is in another field.
With best wishes,
I remain,
Yours sincerely,
RM Sobukwe
Benjamin Pogrund
to Robert Sobukwe,
6 November 1964 (Ba2.42)
My dear Bob,
Thank you for your letter of October 20 which reached me on November 3. I was distressed to read about the delays you are experiencing in receiving your letters and I quite understand your concern. I was, frankly, surprised about the delays: as we know, the Robben Island authorities have always done their best to ensure your comfort within the limits of your detention. Holding back letters from your wife seems pointless. At the same time, I recall that you have repeatedly told me about delays in letters reaching you. I assume that you have taken up the matter with the prison authorities, and that you have decided on court action after failing to achieve any satisfactory solution.
In accordance with your instructions, I have written to lawyers in Cape Town and have asked them to act on your behalf. It will be necessary for them to have your Power of Attorney and possibly also to see you. Could you therefore please write direct to Mr. Barney Zackon, Zackon and Birkan, Namaqua House, Burg Street, Cape Town.75 He is a good friend of mine.
I have discussed the matter also with Ernie and he is drawing up an Opinion immediately. This will be sent to Barney Zackon.
My trip to Natal and Basutoland was a fiasco. A couple of days after reaching Durban I became ill, and had to leave my car there and fly back to Johannesburg. It was found that I had glandular fever and I have just got up after spending the last few weeks in bed. I am feeling much better but am still rather weak. I plan to leave again next week and will be away for up to three weeks. Any letters which come from you in that time will be forwarded to me by my office.
As you no doubt know, your wife was refused a passport to attend the Zambia independence celebration. I am sorry I could not give her any assistance in this. She telephoned me shortly after I returned to Johannesburg, but I was so ill that I was barely able to talk to her coherently.
In your letter you omitted two matters about which I had written to you: the non-delivery of the weekly fruit parcels to you, and the “Reader’s Digest” renewal (I asked you to send me the subscription form). The subscription to the London “Observer” has been taken out anew and copies should start reaching you shortly.
There is little else to tell you. My work has taken a heavy knock because of this illness and I am trying to get on with it again.
I hope this letter finds you in better heart.
My warmest good wishes to you.
Sincerely,
Robert Sobukwe
to Veronica Sobukwe,
13 November 1964 (Bc21)
Hullo Darling,
Thank you for your letter dated 27th October. You thank me in your letter for my “last telegram and letter”. You’ll have to be more specific, child. I have written you over six letters, anyone of which could have been my “last letter”.
Before I regale you with “boloton” let me settle a few business points. First of all, any day now, I shall be receiving Examination Entry forms from the British Embassy. I’ll have to fill them and return them