Molvi Cachalia, you were asked by the Crown whether you conducted your business in English or Urdu, and your reply was that you conducted it in English. In which of these two languages are you more proficient? - In the Indian language.
You were also asked to explain why Communists were elected as the first volunteers during the Defiance Campaign of 1952 and your answer was that Mr. J.B. Marks was President of the African National Congress, Transvaal, Dr. Dadoo was President of the SAIC and the rest of them were leading members of the Congress movement. Now, was the Suppression of Communism Act one of the unjust laws against which the Defiance Campaign was conducted? - That is so.
Do you know who the first victims of the Suppression of Communism Act were? Who were the first people to be banned? - The first people who defied...
The first people who were banned under the Suppression of Communism Act? - Those who defied.
Oh, were they the first people to be banned? - Yes.
In other words, the leaders whom you have named? - That is right.
Do you know when the Suppression of Communism Act was first applied against the Congress leaders? - In 1952. As far as I remember it was after the case where leaders were arrested under the Suppression of Communism Act...
Now do you know how many Communists there were on the Executive Committee of the Transvaal Indian Congress? - My Lords, the Communists among the Indian people in the Transvaal who were members of the Congress. As far as I can remember - the working committee that was composed of 80 members who were elected in the general meeting - there were three Communists on that committee who were elected, and apart from that there were two Communists, as far as I remember, in Pretoria; and apart from that there was another gentleman who was a Communist, and a member of the Communist Party; then there was a doctor who was a Communist Party member, who left this country but he did not take any part whatsoever. This man and the other Patel whom I have referred to have taken no part since 1952. And apart from those there may have been one or two Communists whom I may not know; but apart from that the entire Indian community, the entire Indian membership of the Indian Congress - there were no more Communists than those few I have mentioned.
You were also asked by the Crown as to why the Congresses failed to call off the Defiance Campaign when there were disturbances in Port Elizabeth. You remember there was some reference to riots in Port Elizabeth and East London. Now did these riots have anything to do with the Defiance Campaign? - No, not to my knowledge...
You told the Court that you met the editor of Die Transvaaler, or something to that effect? - Yes, that is correct.
Do you remember who the editor was at the time? - Yes, the Hon. the Prime Minister was the editor at the time...