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…
African Giant Pixley ka Isaka Seme Passes On
African Giant Pixley ka Isaka Seme Passes On Seventy-five years ago, on 7 June 1951, a colossal figure in the anti-colonial struggle and founder of the African National Congress (ANC), died of natural, age-related causes in Johannesburg, at the age of 69. His later years were marked by significant personal hardships, including severe financial difficulties and the curtailment of his legal career. Contemporary historical accounts point to a quiet death amid these ongoing struggles rather…
Tiro’s ‘Turfloop Testimony’ Speech Raises Vorster’s Ire
Tiro’s ‘Turfloop Testimony’ Speech Raises Vorster’s Ire On 6 June 1972, the Johannesburg newspaper, the Rand Daily Mail, wrote the following in its first page, “… we have policemen who … may well have to believe that every baton blow they strike is a blow against communism.” This was in reaction to the banning of public meetings and demonstrations through a proclamation issued by the apartheid Prime Minister B.J. Vorster following students’ protests in universities…
SA Capitalists Issue a “No Work, No Pay, No Penalty” for 16 June 1986 Stay Away Call
SA Capitalists Issue a “No Work, No Pay, No Penalty” for 16 June 1986 Stay Away Call On 5 June 1986, the Association of Chambers of Commerce (ASSOCOM) and the Federated Chamber of Industries (FCI) released a statement of “no work, no pay” to workers who stayed away from work on June 16. The statement was released after the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), the United Democratic Front (UDF) and the National Education…
Vlakplaas Murderous Cross-Border Raid into Swaziland
Vlakplaas Murderous Cross-Border Raid into Swaziland On 4 June 1986, a senior African National Congress (ANC) and Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) operative, Philip Ngwana Makau Edward Khuto (aka “Pansu or Pantsu Smith”), and two other ANC members, Busi ‘Mzala’ Majola and Sipho Dlamini, who was a key figures in Angola intelligence structures, were killed in a raid on a house in the Dalraich section of Mbabane, Swaziland. Pansu was believed by the apartheid security police…
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…