JEFFREY THAMSANQA RADEBE
The main reason why Self Defence Units were established, was to counter the violence that was being perpetrated by the Security organs of the State at that time, more particularly the South African Police, the South African Defence Force and all its surrogates who were operating in Southern Natal.
	The authority to establish these Self Defence Units, emanated from the policy positions of the ANC and its allies, and if one can just mention a few, that even before 1990, the unbanning of the ANC, there was violence in many parts of Natal as it was then called.  So the ANC Headquarters in Lusaka had always took resolutions for the defence of our people, but during this period, we had a National Consultative Conference that took place in 1990 in Johannesburg and a National Conference that took place in Durban.
	All these resolutions, empowered the structures of the ANC to establish the people's Self Defence Units.