This document presents the findings of a comprehensive study of community organizations in Greater Cape Town from the 1960s to 1988 and the role of those organizations in the struggle for democracy in South Africa. It is divided into four sections. Section 1 presents background information on community organizations in South Africa, defines the term "voluntary association," and characterizes South Africa's voluntary associations. In section 2, selected South African community organizations are characterized from the following standpoints: membership, leadership, authority, accountability, motivation, and educational practices. Section 3 consists of two case studies. The first is a case study of selected community organizations in Greater Cape Town from the late 1970s to 1984, whereas the second focuses on Cape Town's community organizations from 1985 to 1988. Section 4, which constitutes more than two-thirds of the document, is an extensive table characterizing a total of 362 existing and defunct community organizations in Greater Cape Town. The organizations are listed by the following categories: civics; community work agencies; cultural; education, research, resource, and information; political; student and youth; and women. The following information is provided for each organization: name, life span, aims, main activities, and contacts/addresses. Contains 250 references. (MN)