ABSTRACT
The Eastern Cape, including the Ciskei, is the area of the earliest and most intensive contact between white settlers and the African inhabitants. The existence of the Cape franchise, open to Africans who complied with the property and income qualifications, acted as a spur to political consciousness, and political activity. In June 1978 the second general election took place. It was presaged by a wave of detentions and arrests, both by the Republican Security police and the Ciskeian police. Chief Mabandla stated in a memorandum announcing the formation of the Ciskei National Party that ‘the formation of political parties signified the rejection of individuals as an embodiment of proper leadership. In the Ciskei National Party, at one time the official opposition, the branch was also the basic unit and might be established where there were 20 or more members. In rural areas it might be established in a chieftaincy, or a village.
