Jehovah Witnesses breaking racial barriers 50 years on
Over the years, South Africa has hosted many conventions, some of which include international delegates and have attendance figures of over 60 000 people, as was the case in 2019.
In many countries, racial unity is a vital, though at times elusive, goal.
This January, Jehovah’s Witnesses in South Africa look back at a landmark moment in their history in which that goal was on display.
Jehovah’s Witnesses are known for their annual regional conventions in cities around the world, including many parts of South Africa.
These large-scale events bring together Jehovah’s Witnesses of all backgrounds as well as the public. The convention of 1974, held in the Rand Stadium during the time of apartheid, was the first time that Witnesses from different races were given permission to meet together in the same venue. Over 33 400 people attended.
The exceptional convention was held from January 2 to 6, 1974, making this year the 50th anniversary of the event. The theme was ‘Divine Victory,’ and the social unity on display was certainly a victory.
“This was a unique and special moment for Jehovah’s Witnesses and the country at large. It was a large-scale event in which people from different races could unite for the common goal of learning about the Creator,” said Mzamo Goloda, National Spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses in South Africa.
For the first four and a half days of the convention, attendees met in smaller groups in separate venues, based on race and language. However, permission was granted to invite all the races to assemble together for the final session on Sunday afternoon.
Alfred Phatswana, who is now in his 60s and attended the convention, recalls:
“During the apartheid era, it was rare to see people of different races meet together. Everything in South Africa, including public transportation, was classified as ‘blacks only’ or ‘whites only.’ It was wonderful to see the contrast among this group of people.”
Keith Wiggill, who is now in his 70s, recalls: “It was an unbelievable occasion to see different races united by faith. We were very grateful that we were allowed an exemption to the segregation laws so that we could gather together as a large family of faith.”
Over the years, South Africa has hosted many conventions, some of which include international delegates and have attendance figures of over 60 000 people, as was the case in 2019.
Jehovah’s Witnesses make sure that people of all races have access to information about the Bible.
They have developed the most widely translated website in the world, jw.org, which is now translated into over 1,080 languages.
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