Prominent figures of the movement included Gert Sibande, Ruth First, Michael Scott and Henry Nxumalo.
His findings after going undercover as a potato farmworker in Bethal were revealed in the New Age/The Guardian with assistance from journalist Ruth First and Michael Scott in 1947.
In 1952, Drum magazines Henry Nxumalo also published an article reporting unsatisfactory working conditions on Bethal farms.
On Friday, 26 June 1959 the South African Congress of Trade Unions, launched the national potato boycott in response to the unsatisfactory working conditions of labourers in Bethal in the Eastern Transvaal now known as Mpumalanga.
[2][1] Setswannung Molefe, an ANC supporter from Alexandra Township in Johannesburg believed that: 'The Boer who farmed with potatoes had the habit of knocking down his 'lazy' labourers with his tractor.
The consumer boycotts in South Africa gained international attention from anti-apartheid groups in Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand who also started boycotting Rembrandt cigarette products.
The statement was co-signed by G M Naicker, the president of the South African Indian Congress (SAIC), and Peter Brown of the Liberal Party.
It stated: ‘Economic boycott is one way in which the world at large can bring home to the South African authorities that they must mend their ways or suffer for them … This appeal is therefore directed to the people of Great Britain to strike a blow for freedom and justice in South Africa.’ The statement and appeal became the founding statement of the Anti-Apartheid Movement.