The 'African National Congress' (ANC) has been
South Africa's governing party, supported by its
tripartite alliance with the
Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and the
South African Communist Party (SACP), since the establishment of majority rule in May 1994. It defines itself as a "disciplined force of the left".
[1] Members founded the organization as the 'South African Native National Congress' (SANNC) on
January 8,
1912 in
Bloemfontein to increase the rights of the black South African population.
John Dube, its first president, and poet and author
Sol Plaatje are among its founding members. The organization became the ANC in 1923 and formed a military wing, the
Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation) in 1961.
It has been the ruling party in South Africa on the national level since 1994. It gained support in the
1999 elections, and further increased its majority in
2004.
Origins
Formed initially on
January 8,
1912 by
John Dube,
Pixley ka Isaka Seme and
Sol Plaatje along with chiefs, people's representatives, and church organizations, and other prominent individuals to bring all Africans together as one people to defend their rights and freedoms, the ANC from its inception represented both traditional and modern elements, from tribal chiefs to church and community bodies and educated black professionals, though women were only admitted as affiliate members from 1931 and as full members in 1943.
The formation of the
ANC Youth League in 1944 by
Nelson Mandela,
Walter Sisulu, and
Oliver Tambo heralded a new generation committed to building non-violent mass action against the legal underpinnings of the white minority's supremacy. In 1947 the ANC allied with the
Natal Indian Congress and
Transvaal Indian Congress, broadening the basis of its opposition to the government.
Opposition to Apartheid
The return of an
Afrikaner-led
National Party government by the overwhelmingly white electorate in 1948 signaled the advent of the policy of
apartheid. During the 1950s, non-whites were removed from electoral rolls, residence and mobility laws were tightened and political activities restricted.
In June 1952 the ANC joined with other apartheid organizations in a
Defiance Campaign against the restriction of political, labour and residential rights, during which protesters deliberately violated oppressive laws, following the example of
Mahatma Gandhi's
passive resistance in KwaZulu-Natal Province|Natal and
India. The campaign was called off in April 1953 after new laws prohibiting protest meetings were passed.
In June 1955 the
Congress of the People, organised by the ANC and Indian, Coloured and White organizations at
Kliptown near
Johannesburg, adopted the
Freedom Charter, henceforth the fundamental document of the anti-apartheid struggle with its demand for equal rights for all regardless of race. As opposition to the regime's policies continued, 156 leading members of the ANC and allied organisations were arrested in 1956; the resulting "
Treason Trial" ended with their acquittal five years later.
The ANC first called for an
academic boycott of South Africa in protest of its apartheid policies in 1958 in
Ghana. The call was repeated the following year in
London.
[1]
In 1959 a number of members broke away from the ANC because they objected to the ANC's reorientation from
African nationalist policies. They formed the rival
Pan Africanist Congress (PAC), led by
Robert Sobukwe.
Protest and banning
The ANC planned a campaign against the
Pass Laws, which required
blacks to carry an
identity card at all times to justify their presence in White areas, to begin on
31 March 1960. The PAC pre-empted the ANC by holding unarmed protests
10 days earlier, during which 69 protesters were killed and 180 injured by police fire in what became known as the
Sharpeville massacre.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, both organisations were banned from
political activity. International opposition to the regime increased throughout the 1950s and 1960s, fueled by the growing number of newly independent nations, the
Anti-Apartheid Movement in Britain
and the
civil rights movement in the
United States. In 1960, the leader of the ANC,
Albert Lutuli, won the
Nobel Peace Prize, a feat that would be repeated in 1993 by the next leader of the ANC,
Nelson Mandela, and F.W. de Klerk jointly, for their actions in helping to negotiate peaceful transition after Mandela's release from prison, which was a great step towards better rights for blacks.
Violent political resistance
Underground or in exile, the ANC leadership concluded that the methods of non-violence such as those utilised by
Gandhi against the
British Empire during their colonisation of
India, were not suitable against the apartheid system. It was decided that violent tactics had to be used, which primarily involved targeting and
sabotaging the government's resources, with an initial wish to minimise the bloodshed of civilians.
In spite of the initial good intentions, the ANC eventually mostly targeted civilians with terror attacks such bomb explosions in restaurants, shopping centres and entertainment complexes. Examples of these include the Amanzimtoti bombing
[2], the Sterland bomb in Pretoria
[STERLAND THEATRE COMPLEX; LION BRIDGE FEEDS AND VAN ASWEGEN BROTHERS: BOMBINGS], the Wimpy bomb in Pretoria
[3], the Juicy Lucy bomb in Pretoria
[ and the Magoo's bar bombing in Durban.[4] The few ANC acts of sabotage aimed at government institutions include the bombing of the Johannesburg Magistrates Court, the attack on the Koeberg nuclear reactor and the rocket attack on Voortrekkerhoogte in Pretoria. The Church Street bomb in Pretoria was claimed to be an attack on the South African Air Force but in reality the bomb was placed in front of civilian buildings during rush hour and most of those injured and killed were civilians. Other attacks on civilians included the systematic murder [5] [6] of hundreds of people in Black townships who refused to take part in consumer boycotts or strikes and who were regarded as sell-outs. The preferred method of murder was to put a burning tyre around the neck of the unfortunate victim]
The fact that the ANC mostly targeted civilians led to it being classified as a terrorist [7] organisation by the South African government and by most Western countries including the United States of America and the United Kingdom.
A military wing was formed in 1961, called Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), meaning "Spear of the Nation". However, Mandela, as its first leader, was arrested for terrorism in 1962 and sentenced to life imprisonment in 1964 on Robben Island, along with Sisulu and other ANC leaders after the Rivonia Trial.
During the 1970s and 1980s the ANC, under the leadership of the exiled Oliver Tambo, engaged in a variety of militant attacks within South Africa, usually from bases in Botswana, Mozambique or Swaziland. One such attack was the 1983 Church Street bombing which killed 16 and wounded 130. Murder was occasionally used for political purposes. Tactics included car bombings as well as targeted assassinations. It has been alleged that people were tortured and detained without trial in ANC prison camps.[ ][8] During this same period, the South African military routinely engaged in a number of raids and bombings on ANC bases. Dulcie September, a member of the ANC who was investigating on arms trade between France and South Africa was assassinated in Paris in 1988.
As the years progressed, the ANC's attacks, coupled with international pressure and internal dissent, increased in South Africa. The ANC received most of its financial and tactical support from the USSR, which orchestrated military involvement with surrogate Cuban forces through Angola.
In 1985 a group of businessmen led by Dr. Theuns Eloff met with the ANC in Lusaka and again in Dakar in 1987 but they returned empty-handed with the ANC immovable in their demand that there be a total capitulation of the government.
However, after the fall of the USSR and the end of the Cuban exercise, which also brought an end to the ANC's funding, a more conciliatory tone from the ANC resulted in peace talks in the early 1990s, which ultimately resulted in a negotiated constitution, which has since been upheld by the courts.
After the ANC showed a willingness to work with the white government on a constitutional settlement rather than total, unconditional capitulation, State President F.W. de Klerk unbanned the ANC and PAC on 2 February 1990, and announced a referendum in March 1992 to end apartheid, which white voters approved, well before the constitution was finalized. President De Klerk served as President Mandela's deputy during a power-sharing period after the ANC won 62% of the vote in the first democratic elections in 1994.
Coming to power
In April 1994, in a tripartite alliance with the South African Communist Party and the Congress of South African Trade Unions, the ANC won a landslide victory in the 1994 general election, and Nelson Mandela was elected the first black President of South Africa.
In Kwa-Zulu Natal, the ANC maintained an uneasy coalition with the Inkatha Freedom Party after neither party won a majority in the 1994 and 1999 provincial elections.
In 2004 the party contested national elections in voluntary coalition with the New National Party (NNP), which it effectively absorbed following the NNP's dissolution in 2005.
After the 1994 and 1999 elections it ruled seven of the nine provinces, with Kwa-Zulu Natal under the IFP and the Western Cape Province under the NNP. As of 2004, it gained both the Western Cape and Kwa-Zulu Natal after a combination of the NNP's electoral base being eroded by the DA and a poor showing by the IFP.
By 2001 the tripartite alliance between the ANC, COSATU and SACP began showing signs of strain as the ANC moved to more liberal economic policies than its alliance partners were comfortable with. The focus for dissent was the GEAR program, an initialism for "Growth, Employment and Redistribution."
In late 2004 this was again thrown into sharp relief by Zwelinzima Vavi of COSATU protesting the ANC's policy of "quiet diplomacy" towards the worsening conditions in Zimbabwe, as well as Black Economic Empowerment, which he complained benefits a favoured few in the black elite and not the masses.
As of 2005 the alliance was facing a crisis as Jacob Zuma, who was fired from his position as Deputy President of South Africa by Thabo Mbeki, faced corruption charges. Complicating the situation was the fact that Zuma remained Deputy President of the ANC, and maintained a strong following amongst many ANC supporters, and the ANC's alliance partners[9]. In October 2005, top officials in the National Intelligence Agency, who were Zuma supporters, were suspended for illegally spying on an Mbeki supporter, Saki Macozoma, amid allegations that ANC supporters were using their positions within organs of state to spy on, and discredit each other [10]. In December 2005, Zuma was charged with rape [11] and his position as Deputy President of the ANC was suspended but has since been reinstated. [12]
The ANC also faced (sometimes violent) protests in townships over perceived poor service delivery, as well as internal disputes, as local government elections approached in 2006.[13][14]
Party list
Politicians in the party win a place in parliament by being on the ''Party List'', which is drawn up before the elections and enumerates, in order, the party's preferred MPs. The number of seats allocated is proportional to the popular national vote, and this determines the cut-off point.
The ANC has also gained members through the controversial floor crossing process.
Key personalities within the ANC
★ Before 1948: John Dube, Sol Plaatje, Pixley ka Isaka Seme, Alfred Bitini Xuma
★ 1948 to 1994: Chris Hani, Ahmed Kathrada, Albert Lutuli, Nelson Mandela, Govan Mbeki, Thabo Mbeki, Raymond Mhlaba, Thomas Nkobi, Cyril Ramaphosa, Walter Sisulu, Joe Slovo, Tatamkulu Afrika, Robert Sobukwe, Oliver Tambo, Dulcie September
★ After 1994: Nelson Mandela, Sydney Mufamadi, Thabo Mbeki, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Tokyo Sexwale, Jacob Zuma
Presidents of the ANC
★ 1912 - 1917 John Langalibalele Dube (1871 - 1946)
★ 1917 - 1924 Sefako Mapogo Makgatho (1861 - 1951)
★ 1924 - 1927 Zacharias Richard Mahabane (1881 - 1970)
★ 1927 - 1930 Josiah Tshangana Gumede (1870 - 1947)
★ 1930 - 1936 Pixley ka Isaka Seme (1882 - 1951)
★ 1937 - 1940 Zacharias Richard Mahabane (2x)
★ 1940 - 1949 Alfred Bitini Xuma (1890 - 1962)
★ 1950 - 1958 Albert Lutuli (1898 - 1967)
★ 1985 - 1991 Oliver Tambo
Criticism
During its days in exile, the ANC was often criticised by western governments who shared the South African government's characterization of the group as a terrorist organization. Several high-profile anti-Apartheid activists such as Archbishop Desmond Tutu criticized the ANC for its willingness to resort to violence, arguing that tactics of non-violent resistance, such as civil disobedience were more productive. The ANC's willingness to ally with Communists was also the subject of both foreign and domestic criticism. A Pentagon report of the late 1980s described the ANC as ''"a major terrorist organization"''. Several hardline black nationalists were also critical of the ANC's willingness to embrace whites as equals, even allowing them to serve on the group's executive committee.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu criticized the ''Party List'' system in a speech given in 2004 as discouraging debate and encouraging patronage within the ANC. He also singled out business deals that favour the "recycled few" in Black Economic Empowerment deals instead of the poor majority.
Another accusation frequently levelled against the ANC is that they protect their high-ranking members in the face of controversy, and as such are seen as supporting criminal behaviour. Recent issues of this nature include the Schabir Shaik fraud trial linked to former Deputy President Jacob Zuma, the sexual misconduct and criminal charges of Beaufort West municipal manager Truman Prince,[15] and the Oilgate scandal, in which millions of Rand in funds from a state-owned company were allegedly funneled into ANC coffers.[16] Links between factions in the ANC, specifically the ANC Youth League leadership, and businessman Brett Kebble gained media attention following Kebble's murder in September 2005.
References
1. Building the Academic Boycott in Britain, Hilary Rose, Resisting Israeli Apartheid: Strategies and Principles, An International Conference on Palestine, London, 5 December 2004
2. five people are killed and over sixty injured in an explosion at an Amanzimtoti shopping centre in December
3. An explosion at 14h00 injures 16 people at a Wimpy Bar
4. TRC TO HEAR MCBRIDE MAGOOS BAR BOMBING AMNESTY APPLICATION
5. http://www.rhodesia.nl/trurec1.htm [Truth and Reconsiliation Commission Documents]
6. South Africa: The Lost Generation
7. US National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism web site
8. Torture Allegations Bedevil ANC Leadership
9. Alliance cracks widen as Zuma goes for broke ''IOL''
10. New ANC spy vs spy bombshell''Sunday Independent''
11. Details of the Zuma rape allegations ''iafrica.com''
12. Jacob Zuma's ANC duties suspended ''BBC''
13. ANC says more cities to be run by women ''Mail & Guardian''
14. ANC poll rebels 'have as good as resigned' ''Cape Argus''
15. Action against Prince 'a farce' Ronel Bester
16. Special Report: Oilgate
See also
★ Africa Hinterland (Arms smuggling operation)
★ Anti-Apartheid Movement
★ Azanian People's Organisation
★ Congress of South African Trade Unions
★ Henri Curiel
★ Pan Africanist Congress
★ Radio Freedom
★ Shell House Massacre
★ Socialist Party of Azania
★ United Democratic Front (South Africa)
External links
★ African National Congress official site
★ Response by the ANC General Secretary to COSATU's assessment, 2004
★ "Today it feels good to be an African" - Thabo Mbeki, Cape Town, 8 May 1996
★ Interview with Nimrod Sejake, an ANC dissident, "The ANC has sold out!" Interviewed by Laurence Coates Offensiv 385 (10 February 2000)
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