It was established in July 1987 by an East Rand businessman, John Gogotya. It had its origins a cultural organisation called Operation Advance and Upgrade. Gogotya would later claim his organisation had 600,000 members. Gogotya made statements that the organisation was opposed to Apartheid but willing to talk to the government. Some of the statements made by the organisation included supporting the state of emergency declared by the government in the mid-80's and opposed Western disinvestment imposed on the country. Other policies included supporting the homeland system, a federal system that would replace the provincial system and included the existing homelands at the time and opposed a "one man, one vote" as a political solution.
