ANC January 8 Statements and the 40th Anniversary of the Year of the Cadre

The first January 8th statement of the African National Congress (ANC) in exile was issued in 1972, which signified the 60th Anniversary of the founding date of the Movement. This statement outlined the organisation’s programme for the year, but was unlike the Statements that followed afterwards, which had a theme for each year. The next January 8th statement was issued in 1979, “The Year of Isandlwana”, following a hiatus of six years, wherein the ANC issued statements related to major events or issues, and those became known as Special Statements. From 1979, the January 8th Statements were largely prompted by efforts towards People’s War, and these resulted in the following 10 years being declared the Decade of Liberation. During the Decade of Liberation, which began from 1980, “The Year of the Freedom Charter”, the President of the ANC and Commander-in-Chief of Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), then President Oliver Tambo, declared the period as a “a great decade – great in the new victories that our efforts shall surely bring, in the noble struggle against imperialism and reaction”. Accordingly, marking the anniversary of the founding of the Movement with a January 8th statement that had a central theme became a tradition over the years, particularly as analysis of the previous years provided a foundation for new orders to be issued for the oncoming year and this became a buildup towards final victory. 1980, “The Year of the Freedom Charter” was fo