Oliver Tambo: Explains the Struggle

Oliver Tambo: Explains the Struggle

(Extracts of an Interview with ANC President Oliver Tambo in Luanda after Summit Meeting of Presidents of Frontline States and Southern African Liberation Movements, 01 March 1977)

Question: How did the Luanda summit go?

TAMBO: This summit was also important because there is a very obvious attempt to treat the situation in South Africa not only as being different from that in Zimbabwe and Namibia, but even as a settled situation that calls for no radical change except “improvements” here and there in the area of human rights, fundamental human rights. This line is being pursued by the imperialists with very great vigour, and the objective is to isolate the oppressed in South Africa, to perpetuate the status quo and to focus world attention on Zimbabwe and Namibia as being the final problems that await resolution. But in fact, the situation in South Africa is inseparable and is not different from the situation in the other two territories.

So, all in all we think it has been a great achievement. It certainly underlines the fact that the Frontline States must now regard and place South Africa firmly on their agenda. But we’ve also sought to make the point that there are two frontlines, as I have indicated. And the frontline at which we are involved is not less important than the frontline that involves the independent States. The independent States don’t expect us to look to them for leadership. They expect us to give leadership. We intend that this point should be emphasised as we develop the struggle towards the attainment of our objectives.

Question: It looks as though the Western strategy is to say to Vorster, “See reason over Namibia and Zimbabwe and we’ll leave you in peace”?

TAMBO: Precisely. It has always been like that and is still the Western thinking. But it is not true at all that Vorster is actually pressuring Smith. We have been fed this story, but it is not true. At the beginning it may have been that they had consultations, and the most Vorster probably did was delay his opinion on what was in the best interests of the Smith regime and the South African regime. They have worked together for a long time. UDI was declared, so said Smith, on Vorster’s assurances that he would stand by him and support him – and he did.

There has never been any quarrel among them. There is no reason why Vorster should want to persuade Smith to grant majority rule when there is a demand in his own country for majority rule. The arrangement is therefore precisely as you put it – if Vorster is seen to be among the States which are seized of this problem of Zimbabwe and they, all of them together with him, reach “majority rule”, Vorster is entitled as one of the participants in this great achievement to expect some consideration for his role.

We’re not surprised by this of course. We except the traditional allies of the South African regime to continue to protect the status quo, to defend apartheid in spite of their speeches to condemn racism and apartheid itself. In practice we know they have gone out of their way to insure there will be no meaningful change in South Africa and no undue pressures on Vorster. By their calculation, there will be no majority rule in South Africa.

We do not accept that our country just belongs to white people. On the contrary, the ANC says South Africa belongs to all who live in it. We would have been excused for saying it is a black man`s country. It would have made a lot of sense. But we don’t think that kind of thinking serves the interests of the future. We deliberately say it belongs to all the people who live here. And therefore, the retention of political power and the arrangement whereby the wealth of the country is owned and benefits only the white people cannot conceivably be acceptable to us.

So, what the ANC is doing is to make the position abundantly clear that we want political power in our country to be placed in the hands of the majority of the people, and we are careful to say that majority is not just all black. We don`t talk about races, least of all tribes. We are also clear that it is a wealthy country; thus, when the people have their political power, we will ensure that the wealth is distributed fairly. This is the very least we can do. But there will be no racism.

Source:
Oliver Tambo: “ANC President Explains the Struggle”, Vol. 11, Fourth Quarter 1977, pp. 7 – 14.

Castro Khwela
Good morning fellow Compatriots!🙏🏾✊🏾👊🏾