Ten thousand volunteers carried the Freedom Charter campaign into homes, factories, compounds, farms and villages of South Africa.

“Whenever we went to people's houses, and they were in trouble, or had problems, we should become mothers of that family, and men volunteers should be fathers.” – Mrs Sibanda, an old Congress of the People volunteer in Cradock.

The idea of a Congress of the People to draw up a document of people's demands had been discussed, off and on, for some years in Congress circles. In August 1953, at the annual Congress of the African National Congress (ANC) (Cape), Prof Z. K. Matthews formally suggested convening a Congress of the People to draw up a Freedom Charter. The idea was soon adopted by the ANC and welcomed by its allies, the South African Indian Congress, the South African Coloured People's Organisation and the South African Congress of Democrats.

The Congress of the People was not a single event but a series of campaigns held in huge rallies, small houses, flats, street and factory meetings, gatherings in kraals and on farms. No doubt the degree of success attained was uneven, yet South Africa has never had any other similar process of democratic discussion and participation.

In March 1954 a National Action Council was established to carry out the campaign. Its job was to gather the people's demands from branches of the various organisations and from communities where there were no branches, and finally, to convene a mass assembly.

The National Action Council called for Freedom Volunteers to serve as “shock brigades” to give impetus to the campaign. In reply to this call men and women all over South Africa offered their services. The task of these volunteers was to collect the people's demands for the Freedom Charter. How were volunteers to conduct themselves? Were they trained for their tasks? What difficulties did they experience?

We asked many people all over South Africa who were volunteers in the campaign. They gave us a very rich picture. In Port Elizabeth, particularly, the volunteer corps was well organised. We spoke to an old man in Kwazakele township.