The Morogoro Consultative Conference of the African National Congress

The Morogoro Consultative Conference of the African National Congress

(Merged extracts of articles from Sechaba, July 1969 and July 1979)

“CLOSE RANKS! This is the order to our people; our youth; the army; to each Umkhonto we Sizwe militant; to all our many supporters the world over. This is the order to the leaders; to all of us. The order that comes from this conference is: Close Ranks and Intensify the Armed Struggle!”

With these stirring words, O.R. Tambo, the Acting President, summed up the historic Consultative Conference of the African National Congress of South Africa held at Morogoro, Tanzania, from April 25 to May 1, 1969. The Conference was attended by over 70 delegates from various centres representing Umkhonto we Sizwe – the ANC’s military wing, leaders of the Indian and Coloured peoples and the revolutionary working class movement and was formally opened at a public session by Mr George Magombe, Executive Secretary of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) Liberation Committee.

The battles of Wankie and other places in Zimbabwe were still fresh in the minds of the cadres of Umkhonto we Sizwe and indeed of all the members of the liberation movement. The ANC met to assess the enemy and its own strength. The liberation struggle in Angola and Mozambique was at its peak and the comrades in Namibia and Zimbabwe were harassing the enemy from all sides.

It discussed at length and adopted resolutions on the need to integrate all oppressed national groups and revolutionary forces and individuals under the banner of the ANC, the provision of intensive political education for all sectors of the Movement; the urgent task of organising the Trade Union Movement at home and to assist the South African Congress of Trade Union (SACTU) abroad and to release personnel for this purpose.

All the discussions were conducted in the light of that particular period of the armed struggle and the revolution for the overthrow of imperialist-backed white domination in South Africa. Conference adopted far-reaching plans for the intensification of the armed struggle focussing attention on the central task: organisation and leading the South African NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC REVOLUTION.

The principle of the Zimbabwe African People’s Union (ZAPU)-ANC Alliance was fully analysed and enthusiasm was expressed by all present at the achievements of the ZAPU-ANC guerrillas in their stirring battles against the joint forces of the Smith and Vorster regimes in Zimbabwe. Conference resolved to strengthen the Alliance further and to take steps to form alliances with other liberation movements in Southern Africa, namely, Mozambique Liberation Front (FRELIMO), People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO) and African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC).

Conference condemned the continued imprisonment, detention and persecution of thousands of the gallant Freedom Fighters by the Vorster fascist regime. It saluted its gallant leaders that were languishing in Robben Island and other prisons. In a moving ceremony, Conference paid tribute to the memory of Chief Albert J. Luthuli, the late President-General, and honoured the dead who fell in the battlefields and elsewhere in the South African freedom struggle.

Another remarkable aspect of the Conference was that it took place in an atmosphere of complete frankness and at no stage was the unity and comradeship of all present ever impaired as a result. Conference took important decisions; decisions which later had a bearing on the physical composition of the ANC and the development of the political and military theory of the movement.

New officials were elected to office. Conference unanimously re-affirmed its confidence in and support for the Acting President-General, Oliver Reginald Tambo. Alfred Nzo was appointed Secretary General with J.B. Marks as Chairman of the National Executive and Moses Kotane as Treasurer-General. In sweeping structural changes, a Presidential Council and a Revolutionary Council were established under the Acting President with Joe Matthews as Secretary. Dr Yusuf M. Dadoo became the Vice-Chairman of the Revolutionary Council. Since then, the movement had taken practical steps forward; even the enemy was forced to admit that “the ANC is everywhere”.

The stage was set for an intensification of the armed struggle and for the consolidation and strengthening of the underground forces at home. The ANC, as the Acting President put it at the closing session of the Consultative Conference, had set itself a new standard of unity – unity among all revolutionaries; unity on all fronts – both internal and external. This unity was to permeate into the solidarity movements abroad.

On the international front, the object, apart from rallying the forces of progress into the solidarity movement, was the urgent task of getting all democrats drawn into direct commitment to the ANC and the armed struggle. The Conference committed itself to intensify the armed struggle and to eliminate the fascist-racist hierarchy in South Africa and to urge all those who believed in true democracy, progress and world peace, to express their solidarity with the fighting peoples of South Africa by taking practical steps as suggested therein.

There were lessons that were learned from the struggle: “The revolution needed a new man, a dedicated, self-sacrificing revolutionary whose vision went beyond immediate gains and benefits and quick victories. Patient, persistent and painstaking mass political work accompanied by continuous and consistent armed struggle and ideological firmness were the component elements of the protracted struggle which, how long it took, was going to be victorious.” The Conference call was: “Let us rise to the occasion and confront the enemy on all fronts – Ours is a bright future!”

WE SHALL WIN! AMANDLA NGAWETHU! POWER TO THE PEOPLE!

Sources:
Commentary, “Close Ranks! A Call from the Consultative Conference of the African National Congress”, Sechaba, Vol. 3 No. 7, July 1969.
Editorial, “Remember the Morogoro Conference”, Sechaba, July 1979.

Castro Khwela
Good day fellow Compatriots!