INDEPTH: SOUTH AFRICA
African National Congress
CBC News Online | April 14, 2004
Jan. 8, 1912: The South African Native National Congress is formed to
protect black rights
1913: The Land Act is passed, stripping blacks of their rights to
land they already occupy. The government
gives them the right to certain impoverished lands. This forces blacks
from their rural areas and condemns
them to work in "white" regions. Blacks are told to stay in certain
demarcated areas unless they have
a pass.
1919: The ANC starts a campaign against the pass laws. They appeal to
British authorities
in London for help. Their appeals are ignored.
1923: The congress changes its name to the African National Congress
(ANC).
1944: Formation of the ANC Youth League by Nelson Mandela, Walter
Sisulu and Oliver Tambo. The league
would become a key force in the anti-apartheid movement in the years to
come.
1947: The ANC allies with the Natal Indian Congress and the Transvaal
Indian Congress to broaden
its support against the government.
1948: The Afrikaner-backed National Party wins power, voted in by a
white electorate. It
institutes a system of racial segregation called "apartheid." The ANC
reconsiders its agenda of peaceful
protest.
1952: The ANC joins other anti-apartheid groups in a "Defiance
Campaign." People deliberately
violate laws restricting political, labour and residential rights.
1953: The "Defiance Campaign" is called off after new laws prohibit
protest meetings.
1955 - 56: The ANC, Indian, coloured and white organizations form a
"Congress of the People" and adopt
the Freedom Charter. It demands equal rights for all regardless of
race. As a result, the government arrests
156 leading members of the organizations. It holds a "Treason Trial,"
which ends in acquittal five years later.
1959: A number of ANC members break away, upset by a decision by its
leaders to partner
with whites and Indians whom they consider "settlers." The breakaway
group forms the rival
Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) lead by Robert Sobukwe.
1960: Both the ANC and PAC hold demonstrations against the Pass Laws
requiring blacks to
to carry an identity card at all times. During a peaceful PAC protest
on March 21, police
open fire and kill 69 people. It is known as the Sharpeville Massacre.
Consequently, the government bans several organizations including the
ANC and PAC
and declares a state of emergency. The same year, ANC leader Albert
Luthuli wins
the Nobel Peace Prize.
1961: The ANC decides to launch an armed struggle against the
government. Under its
military wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation or MK), members
carry out more than 200 acts of sabotage
in 18 months. The commander of the unit is Nelson Mandela.
1962 - 63: Several leaders of Spear of the Nation are arrested,
including Mandela. They are prosecuted and sentenced to life in prison. At this point,
the ANC starts to operate in a more covert manner. Some ANC leaders, Joe Slovo and
Oliver Tambo, opt to leave the country.
1969: The ANC holds a meeting in Morogoro, Tanzania. The Morogoro
Conference calls for both an armed struggle and a mass political
struggle, based on building ANC underground structures within the
country. A fourth part of the struggle is the campaign for international
support and assistance from the rest of the world. These four aspects
are dubbed "the four pillars of struggle."
1970s to early 80s: Workers and students take part in a number of
strikes. Workers demand wage increases.
Student anger explodes in June 1976. Tens of thousands of high school
students take to the streets to protest against compulsory use of
Afrikaans at schools. Police open fire at one protest, killing four
students. The uprising spreads leaving more than 1,000 dead, most of
whom were killed by the police. On June 16,1976, the Soweto Riots are
marked by the killings of unarmed schoolchildren by police. As
international pressure steps up, the National Party introduces some
reforms to apartheid, mostly cosmetic.
1985 - 86: The ANC calls on township residents to rise up against
black local authorities that
rule over the townships. The group tells councillors and police to
resign. Municipal buildings and homes of collaborators
are attacked. People establish their own democratic structures to run
the community. Young people pitch battles with
police in townships. A state of emergency is declared over many parts
of the country in July 1985. In June 1986,
a national emergency is declared, lasting until 1990. The states of
emergency are used to detain more than
300,000 people.
1990: The government of F.W. de Klerk lifts the ban on the ANC. Many
ANC leaders are released from jail.
1991: ANC members elect Nelson Mandela as their leader. Oliver
Tambo, who served as President from 1969 to 1991,
is elected National Chairperson. Tambo dies in April 1993.
1993: Nelson Mandela accepts the Nobel Peace Prize.
May 10, 1994: The ANC wins 63 per cent of the vote in South Africa's
first democratic elections. Mandela becomes the
country's first black president. On June 23, the United Nations
Security Council lifts its restrictions on
South Africa. The country takes its seat at the UN General Assembly
after a 24-year absence.
1997: The ANC holds another conference, electing Thabo Mbeki as its
leader.
June 1999: Mandela retires from public life. The ANC wins a sweeping
majority in general elections. Mbeki becomes
the country's second black president.
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