The Motshabi Commission Report
The Motshabi Commission Report On 2 May 1975, the Motshabi Commission delivered an interim report on the condition of the African National Congress’s (ANC’s) existing People’s Army abroad. The “Commission on the State of Affairs in Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) in East Africa” was established by the ANC Revolutionary Council on 17 April 1975, with a mandate to investigate the causes of and possible remedies for the “deterioration of the standard of military life and…
ANC Supports Joint Call for June 16 Stay Away
ANC Supports Joint Call for June 16 Stay Away On 3 June 1986, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), the United Democratic Front (UDF) and the National Education Crisis Committee (NECC) grouped to issue a call for a “One Day Work Stay-Away” on June 16. The call was issued to all South Africans, Black and White, in commemoration of the Youth of 1976, who were killed in the streets of Soweto while protesting…
Mother of the Struggle: Albertina Sisulu Passes On in Johannesburg
Mother of the Struggle: Albertina Sisulu Passes On in Johannesburg On 2 June 2011, mother and stalwart of the liberation struggle, Albertina Sisulu, fondly known as “Mama Sisulu”, the wife of the revolutionary giant, Walter Sisulu, passed on at her Linden home, Johannesburg, at the tender age of 92. Often referred to as the “Mother of the Nation”, she was a nurse and one of the most important leaders of the anti-colonial and anti-imperialist struggle…
June 1 – International Children’s Day and Masupatsela (Pioneers)
June 1 – International Children’s Day and Masupatsela (Pioneers) International Children’s Day is celebrated annually on June 1st in many countries worldwide to honor youth, protect children’s rights, and advocate for their well-being and education. First established in 1925 during the “World Conference for the Well-being of Children in Geneva”, it highlights global commitments to protecting children from exploitation, poverty, and violence. The date traces back to 1925 when the Chinese Consul-General in San Francisco…
Oliver Tambo: “We Congratulate Our People”
Oliver Tambo: “We Congratulate Our People” (Statement by ANC President Oliver Reginald Tambo on the Outcome of the Anti-Republic Day Campaign, Luanda, Angola, 31 May 1981). “… We started this year with a session of the racist Parliament which characteristically excluded any sort of participation by the majority of the people of South Africa, particularly the Blacks. Towards the end of the session, to be precise on the 29th of January (I think the 28th)…
Apartheid Convicts MK Commander James April
Apartheid Convicts MK Commander James April On Sunday, 30 May 1971 (exactly 50 years ago), Duma Nokwe was going through weekend newspaper reports on the conviction of James Edward April, who had on 6 May 1971 been charged under the Terrorism Act. April was convicted on the following counts: that during June 1961 and February of 1971, April – as a member of the African National Congress (ANC) and Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) – was…
Challenges Over the Bechuanaland Route Into South Africa
Challenges Over the Bechuanaland Route Into South Africa Exactly sixty years ago, on 29 May 1966, Mack Futha, an Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) operative, was deported to Zambia, which implied that his mission to establish a pipeline into South Africa through Bechuanaland was proven to be abortive. The day before, on 28 May 1966, Futha, was brought in for questioning in Francistown by a Bechuanaland Special Branch Officer, after he had survived arrest three days…