When I first began studying the life of Rick Turner (over twelve years ago now), what first intrigued and inspired me was Turner's independence, his unwavering commitment to a utopian vision of socialism, his stubborn refusal to align himself with any of the ‘vanguards’ of the liberation struggle (such as the African National Congress [ANC] and the South African Communist Party [SACP]). I continue to believe that Turner has yet to be granted full pride of place amongst struggle heroes on account of the fact that he was never a party loyalist, of any kind. Still, there is another layer to the unique contribution of Rick Turner, which both I and other scholars have yet to adequately grapple with. Even though Turner's most active years in the anti-apartheid struggle overlapped precisely with the development of the armed struggle, Turner remained steadfastly separate from the turn to violent resistance.

How should we understand Turner's persistent unwillingness to align himself with the armed struggle? Is it simply that he was a pacifist, morally opposed to violence in all its forms? There are some that knew Turner well who would certainly insist that this was the case. However, I believe that his rejection of the armed struggle reflects a more complex and nuanced stance than ‘merely’ being a non-violent person. Turner's reticence to participate in the armed underground, I argue, stemmed from a deep critique of the structures of clandestine activity that armed movements required and reproduced. Therefore, an investigation into Turner's thinking and choices in response to the armed struggle will not only offer insights into the level of tactics (for example, which forms of resistance are most effective?) but also provide a larger critique of the entire project of seeking revolutionary transformation through violence. In what follows, I summarise the few occasions when Turner reacted directly to the armed struggle, and analyse the broader lessons we might draw from these fragments.

THE AFRICAN RESISTANCE MOVEMENT

Rick Turner's first connection to the armed underground happened largely without his knowledge – and certainly without his consent. Turner's undergraduate years were spent in the predominantly white liberal atmosphere of the University of Cape Town in the early 1960s.