But the political climate in South Africa in the 1980s had to be borne in mind, leaders of the former prominent 1980s anti-apartheid organisation said in a submission to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Wednesday.
The UDF, however, disapproved of necklacing and condemned its use on several occasions, former UDF leader Azhar Cachalia told the TRC's human rights violations committee.
Giving evidence to the committee in Cape Town, as part of a delegation of former prominent UDF leaders, Cachalia, now head of the South African Police Services' civilian secretariat, said this was communicated through the media and by discussion among UDF affiliates.
The UDF, however, had very little direct control over the development of the necklacing phenomenon.
The organisation's capacity and ability to intervene was limited due to the negative impact of the state of emergency in the mid-1980s on the organisation, Cachalia said.
"The UDF constantly made public statements distancing itself from such conduct."
Reading the UDF's main submission into the record, North West premier Popo Molefe said state acts of brutality, as well as systematic detention and banning of the UDF and other leaders, created the space for uncontrolled acts of violence by angry mobs of especially youths.
The restrictions imposed on the UDF in terms of the state of emergency confined the activities of the organisation to office administration, and placed most of its leadership in detention.
"This severely hampered the ability of the UDF to moderate, prevent or curtail the activities of angry activists, and supporters of boycotts and work stoppages.
"It is in this context that various gross violations of human rights were committed against suspected opponents of the mass protest action and supporters of the state," Molefe said.
African National Congress national chairman Patrick Lekota, also chairman of the National Council of Provinces, said he wished to pay tribute to patrons the UDF could approach at critical times.
These included Dr Allan Boesak, Dr Beyers Naude, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the late Helen Joseph.
Lekota said the UDF was founded in the hope that the government would listen to moderate voices in the country, in view especially of the fact that other organisations had been driven to arms.
"We did our best to act responsibly as citizens."
In its submission, the UDF said it was known that the ANC was a prominent, but banned, ally.
The UDF was launched in 1983 with the support of about 600 organisations.
Cachalia said the UDF deeply regretted any loss of life or injury that resulted from its quest for justice.
The former organisation's submission stated further: "The UDF was confronted with growing anger and impatience on the ground... in this context it faced the dilemma of seeking to conduct a peaceful struggle under conditions which gave more credibility to violent confrontation on the one hand, and where, on the other hand, the UDF lacked the capacity to exercise the kind of control which is peculiar to command groups or military organisations."