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END Conscription Campaign (ECC) members and noted political activists met at Uptown Theatres in Port Elizabeth last night to commemorate 25 years since its inception.
The ECC mobilised people in opposition to the conscription of young white men to fight the apartheid war. It was formed in the 1980s, during a period of mass protests and uprisings against the apartheid government.
In 1984, young activists founded the ECC to campaign for the abolition of conscription.
ECC members Mike Loewe and Dominic Souchon said it was important to remember the fight its members put up against an unjust war. Black Sash and United Democratic Front (UDF) members also attended the evening, which included an address by former ANC provincial chairman Stone Sizani. “These events are important for those of us who were involved, so we never forget and stray away from the cause, and for those who were not there to understand all South Africans can contribute to our democracy,” Sizani said last night.
Former Evening Post reporter Mike Loewe said he had fled to Zimbabwe to avoid his call-up but had been detained for 83 days as soon as he returned.
“The security branch raided a meeting of a lot of UDF members and ECC campaigners and that is when we all were taken. I was banned so they never called me up again.
“I think they thought I was unsuitable material to fight in the war,” Loewe said.
AUDIOS
Interview: Janet Cherry
Interview: Dominic Souchon
Interview: Mike Loewe
Interview: Stone Sizani
Speech by Janet Cherry:
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