Mandela and Sisulu
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MANDELA AND SISULU EQUIVOCATION, TREACHERY, AND THE ROAD TO SHARPEVILLE Written to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the Sharpeville Massacre 21 March 2010 Izwe Lethu UNIVERSITY OF AZANIA PRESS ISBN 978-9980-85-005-8 [email protected] SEQUENCE OF EVENTS 1940 The African National Congress (ANC) revives its fading fortunes by electing a cautious but modernizing president, Dr Alfred Bitini Xuma 1944 Radical young Africans associated with Anton Muziwakhe Lembede decide to form the ANC Youth League (ANCYL) rather than a more militant separate party 1945 John Beaver “J. B.” Marks revives the Communist Party’s reputation in the Miners Strike but consequent repression makes it impossible to utilize miners for political agitation for decades 1947 Lembede dies and is replaced by the ineffectual theorist Ashley Peter Mda 1948 The Purified National Party of Dr Malan wins the national election and, despite its slim majority, ignores its own economic advisers to implement apartheid 1949 The ANCYL succeeds in having a compromise strategy The Programme of Action adopted as ANC policy, which imitates Gandhi’s Nkrumah’s examples of peaceful mass protests but without due consideration for counter measures against the possibility of White regime extreme retaliation. Dr Xuma is replaced by Dr Moroka as ANC president 1950 Kwame Nkrumah’s Positive Action campaign in Gold Coast (Ghana). Nelson Mandela is appointed leader of the Defiance Campaign volunteers Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA) dissolves to avoid prosecution 1951-2 Inspired by Nkrumah’s February 1951 election victory in Ghana thousands of ANC volunteers and affiliated minority ethnic organisations defy the pass laws and other race-based restrictions. Basutoland African Congress (BAC) founded in Basutoland against ANC wishes. P. K. Leballo heads most powerful (Transvaal) BAC branch. March 1952 Nkrumah becomes prime minister in Ghana. Dec 1952 The ANC leadership calls off the Defiance Campaign, frightened by escalating violence and impeding legislation. Dr Moroka is sacked and replaced by Chief Albert Lutuli 1953 The Criminal Law Amendment Act and Public Safety Act deter political activists from professional classes from confrontational activities. Growing anger from lower class ANC activists against leadership’s perceived cowardice. Communists secretly form South African Communist Party (SACP) and gain control over Congress of Democrats, Indian Congress, SACPO, and SACTU. ANC secretary general Walter Sisulu secretly visits Soviet bloc without Lutuli’s knowledge 1954 Mangaliso Robert Sobukwe and P. K. Leballo take over the leadership of the Africanist Movement from Mda and lead campaign against clandestine communist control of ANC 1955 Walter Sisulu secretly joins the SACP and manipulates The Congress of the People and the Freedom Charter events, taking advantage of Lutuli’s lethargy and isolation, to reduce the ANC to the position of a mere equal in a five man SACP executive committee in charge of the Congress Alliance: ANC, SAIC, SACPO, COD and SACTU. 1956 Inept blanket arrests of past and present activists and subsequent Treason Trial give international publicity to Congress Alliance leaders but exacerbates corruption and mismanagement in the Transvaal ANC. Africanist strength escalates 1957 Oliver Tambo alters the ANC Constitution to entrench elitist undemocratic structure of Congress Alliance. Nkrumah’s Ghana independent 1958 Basotho leader Ntsu Mokhehle elected to AAPC (“African Comintern” Steering Committee but British government imposes adopts new constitution on Basutoland 2 similar to Congress Alliance. Oliver Tambo closes ANC Transvaal Province Conference to prevent election of Robert Sobukwe in place of Nelson Mandela. Mokhehle advises Sobukwe, Leballo and Madzunya to form a new party backed by the AAPC of Kwame Nkrumah. BAC become Basutoland Congress Party (BCP) 1959 April formation of the PAC Africanist Congress. Sobukwe becomes president with Leballo as secretary-general. Rapid recruitment of young male lower class activists with considerable assistance from Mokhehle’s BCP. December ANC and PAC conferences both plan for national demonstrations in 1960. Challenged by ANC, the PAC decides to launch a major campaign rather than gain experience first 1960 Ntsu Mokhehle wins 36 out of 40 seats in the Basutoland election but 40 additional nominated members relegate him to a minor role. However, BCP controls eight out of nine local government district councils. March 21 PAC demonstrations commence with significant support from Basotho communities in the Transvaal and Cape. Main PAC leaders arrested before shooting at Sharpeville kills over 69 protestors. Pass laws suspended March 30 Colonel Terblanche disobeys orders to save Cape Town from probable police-PAC carnage. State of Emergency declared. PAC and ANC banned. Verwoerd survives assassination attempt and believes he has divine mission. Pass laws reinstated. May 4, PAC leaders jailed – Sobukwe for three years. 1950’s rural tensions in the Transkei escalate and coalesce into Poqo movement. ANC, Unity Movement and PAC all claim leadership but PAC eventually takes over. 1961 March 25-26, All In Conference Mandela announces formation of All Action Council. Police respond in May by arresting over eight thousand suspects. Mokhehle attacked for criticising Mandela. November 1961 formation of ANC military force, Umkhonto we Sizwe led by ten SACP members and Mandela and ostensibly modelled on the Israeli Irgun movement but emphasizing sabotage not combat. 1962 Mandela secretly leaves South Africa for other African states and obtains basic military training in Ethiopia. Urges an end to Alliance domination of ANC. Arrested in August after probable SACP betrayal and sentenced to five years jail. Leballo escapes to Basutoland from Tongaland detention and takes over as acting PAC leader. PAC violence in the Cape. 1963 Poqo/PAC Mbashe River bridge murders and other violence leads to severe White criticism of NP regime. Leballo warns that the coming war will cause widespread White civilian deaths. The British police raid PAC HQ in Maseru. Leballo evades capture for six months. Sobukwe detained after completing his sentence and sent to Robben Island. MK high command captured at Liliesleaf farm, Rivonia along with Mandela’s incriminating diary. “Rivonia Trial” begins. PMU formed in Protectorates. 1964 Mandela receives life sentence. Leballo expelled from Basutoland. Royalist-ANC oriented Marematlou Freedom Party (MFP) support plummets following Rothe murders. Shift in anti-BCP forces from MFP to NP-OMI backed BNP. Nkrumah declares one party state and himself as president for life. 1965 Overconfidence, neglect of eastern mountains, and SACP funding costs BCP election win. BNP government derided as NP-OMI puppet-“government of herd boys.” Leabua Jonathan becomes prime minister after bye-election. Traditional chiefs replace elected district councils. 1966 Leabua Jonathan meets Verwoerd in Pretoria. Vorster becomes prime minister after Verwoerd’s assassination. October independence for Lesotho. Thaba Bosiu violence – the Lesotho King attempts to become executive monarch and BCP tries to swamp government offices and seize power. King signs “suicide clause” and becomes a 3 restricted recluse. February, Nkrumah overthrown by coup. 1967 Albert Lutuli killed on railway line. Oliver Tambo becomes acting ANC president. 1968 Leballo, with Sobukwe’s support, reorients PAC towards a synthesis of Africanist thought with Maoism. Attempts to militarise exiles fiercely opposed by PAC exiled reformists. 1970 Ntsu Mokhehle wins the January general election but is denied power by a British mercenary led coup with links to rogue South African intelligence operatives. 1974 Following release from detention BCP activists launch an unsuccessful rising. Refugee Basotho are recruited by Leballo and Mokhehle as Lesotho Liberation Army (LLA) ostensibly as APLA guerrillas and trained in Libya. Portuguese coup enables Moscow –allied movements to take power in former colonies but Machel permits PAC’s ally ZANU to establish bases after ZAPU ineptitude 1976 Refugees from the Soweto and Cape rising solve the ANC/SACP and PAC recruitment problems. 1977 ANC/SACP ally to Leabua Jonathan to thwart BCP and PAC. Steve Biko, designated PAC deputy leader, murdered in detention 1978 Former CIA deputy director Ray Cline, funded by international extreme right wing Anti-Communist League, establishes office in South Africa to fund Inkatha, UNITA, RENAMO and other organisations. The Carter administration pressures PAC to adopt detente and dialogue. Massive American and Nigerian bribery buys support for American and Tanzanian backed David Sibeko’s reform faction. LLA quarantined in Tanzania. Leballo elected chairman (not president) of PAC and Sibeko seizes power when Leballo leaves for England. APLA officer funds LLA escape from Tanzania to begin war in Lesotho. Sibeko assassinated by angry APLA leaders. 1979 Guerrilla war begins in Lesotho. Zephaniah Mothopeng, senior PAC member inside South Africa and clandestine APLA recruiter, imprisoned 1980 11 March Tanzanian troops kill, wound, detain and split up ALPA for refusing to follow Vus Make and accept Nyerere’s decision that it is too dangerous to fight Pretoria. Zimbabwe becomes independence. Leballo arrives in Harare. LLA asks him for help since Mokhehle had disappeared. 1981 Tanzania installs Pokela as PAC leader and demands Mugabe expel Leballo when APLA troops in Tanzania reject Pokela. Leballo arrested and deported