It is this tradition which has provided black politics with clearly defined parameters.   Observers of modern black South Africa sometimes fail to understand how deep rooted the country's black tradition is. Events during the last 10 years have tended to obscure the fact that this black political tradition is deeply rooted in black South Africa. During the last decade there has been a flurry of activity by small black groups. The very wide publicity which has been given to them in the media has created the impression that a new political era has dawned on the country for Blacks, and that there are now radical departures from the older political traditions.

Political movements are not created by mass media and the underlying theme of black politics remains a theme rooted in the traditions of the country which are traced back to the formation of the African National Congress in 1912. Those who lose sight of the fact that black leaders in 1912 in turn elected to serve political options which were dictated by a century and a half of experience are incapable of understanding modern black politics. The politics of black South Africa can in fact only be understood in a historical context.