Student Christian Movement - History

The late 1970's saw visible initiatives by the former SCA and SCM to explore the possibility of unity talks, which continued for 15 years or so.

Talks continued and the fruit of these was a joint National Student leadership conference of the former SCA and SCM, which was held at University of Transkei in November 1995, and the ultimate decision was taken to unify the SCA and SCM into one organisation.

The commitment to merge was resolved officially at the joint SCA/SCM National Conference in July 1996 at Indumiso College at Kwa Zulu-Natal. The great moment was the merger at a merger conference between SCA and SCM at the University of Fort Hare, Alice on July 1997, the SCO was born.

The SCO started on 3 June 1896 and was known as the students' Christian Association (SCA). The first student conference was held in Stellenbosch, attended by 400 delegates.

In June 1951, the constitution was amended to make provision for five sections along racial lines within on organisation. (The move was enforced by the apartheid government), later these sections became independent of one another and were known as:

Afrikaanse Christenlike Studente Vereening (ACS) (Afrikaners) 

Student's Christian Association (SCA) (English Students) 

Student's Christian Movement (SCM) (Blacks)

Association of Christian Students (ACS) (Coloureds)

The Indian section diminished