[1] Active in the ANC Youth League from his university days (he was its secretary from 1953 to 1958) Nokwe was drawn into political action and served a sentence for entering Germiston location without a permit during the 1952 Defiance Campaign.
During this period, Nokwe continued his political work, notwithstanding the trial, banning orders, frequent arrests on trivial charges and on one occasion a violent police assault.
As one of the leaders of the multi-party committee he helped lay the foundations for the all-in African conference at Maritzburg in 1961, the event that marked Nelson Mandela's reappearance on a public platform after years of banning and restriction.
Facing a long imprisonment under the Unlawful Organisations Act for promoting the aims of the banned ANC, Nokwe was directed by the underground leadership to leave the country.
[3] Duma Nokwe continued to work in exile in the spheres of diplomacy and propaganda, seeking to win for the ANC the recognition and respect of the international community.