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ANC - African National Congress

The Past of the African National Congress (ANC) ^[ird]

Background on the Party, Alliances and Affiliations, and Policies

The South African Native National Congress was founded in 1912, but renamed the National African Congress in 1923.^[2]  The ANC was the “black nationalist movement.”^[3]  When it was first formed in 1912, the “aim was to bring all Africans together as one people to defend their rights and freedoms.”^[4]  It is most likely when this statement was made that they were talking about the rights of Black Africans, and not the white settlers and their descendants.  From the time Britain defeated the kingdoms of southern Africa, and unified the lands to form what is now known as South Africa, the government that was established only recognized the rights of the white Africans. 

Because of this disparate treatment,  there were huge injustices done to the people.  When gold and diamonds were found, settlers forced people off of their land, and were allowed by law to do so.  “There were laws and taxes were designed to force people to leave their land. The most severe law was the 1913 Land Act, which prevented Africans from buying, renting or using land, except in the reserves.”^[5]  There were other laws passed that prevented Black Africans from leaving their jobs, or striking in an effort to get fair treatment or better working conditions in the mines and on farms, where they were relegated to work because no other job opportunities were open to them.  This is where the ANC found its first cause.  They supported any fight against the government’s racist policies.

In the 1930s, its membership and support wavered because it was “unsuccessful in representing black grievances and was weakened by factionalism and leadership disarray.”^[6]  Its only saving grace was the presence of young leaders who were willing to step up to the plate.  These leaders, “Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, Oliver Tambo and Anton Lembede, were influenced by the pan-African version of nationalism.”^[7]  They were the driving force behind the ANC’s protest against racial discrimination.  They fought against the National Party  (NP), or the white state, which imposed strict apartheid laws against the people by forming the Congress Alliance.  This activism, and protest against the system breathed new life into the ANC and increased their membership. 

In the years following, the ANC split because of disagreements about its “inclusive policies and established the Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC), whose focus was obtaining black political control.”  After this split, the government (whose majority were members of the NP) made the ANC and also the South African Communist Party (SACP) illegal organizations, and both had to flee in fear of arrest or worse.  Two years later, in 1961, these two factions “formed a joint military wing called Umkhonto we Sizwe.  The focus of this group now turned to the overthrowing the NP.”^[8]

While underground, the ANC networked, and “built up support in many Western and Eastern-bloc states.  Financial support came from Scandinavian countries, while logistical support came from the Soviet Union and East Germany.  The United Nations also granted the ANC observer status during the 1980s.”^[9]

The structure of the ANC is very much like that of the government.  It has a president, deputy president, secretary general, deputy secretary general, and treasurer general.  There is a ninety member National Executive Committee, and a twenty-six member National Working Committee that is chosen from the NEC.  There is also a President’s Committee that has seven members.  The national conference is the forum where the majority of representatives get together to elect the NEC and nominate the delegates that will represent them in the National Assembly. 

The membership base of the ANC, consists of all races, even though they “primarily represent the interests of the majority black population.”^[10]  The diversity, or elements of inclusion, of the membership base was also reflected in the party’s platform.  In 1989, they “adopted the Harare Declaration that advocated multiparty negotiations to arrive at a new form of government, giving strong emphasis to the concept of individual rights.”^[11]

In the early years of the ANC, more specifically, during the years of apartheid, they were heavily affiliated with the South African Communist Party.  The support of the SACP allowed the ANC to “secure support of the communist and socialist governments during its period of exile, played important roles in its policy formulation, and helped to consolidate support for the ANC in the labor movement.”^[12] 

Among other allies, the ANC had the support of the largest trade union, which also happened to be nonracial, the Council of South African Trade Unions (COSATU).  “It was the umbrella organization that existed over more than 12 unions, and had more than 1.3 million members.  The largest labor rivals were the National Council of Trade Unions, that was against multiracial membership, and the United Workers’ Union of South Africa, which was affiliated with the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP).”^[13]  In the mid 1990s, union members began to doubt the ANC, and “feared that workers’ interests would be overlooked in the effort to implement economic development plans in the post apartheid era.^[14]

In 1994, when the ANC became the country’s dominant political party, a lot of responsibility came along with it.  “They had to balance the need to co manage (with the NP) the country’s finances to facilitate economic growth against its long-standing affiliation with COSATU.”^[15]

Reconstruction in the post-apartheid era was another big task that the ANC had to take on.  “ANC economists, along with government and private-sector analysts figured out a blueprint to facilitate development in the upcoming years.”^[16]  The plan, called RDP both “proposed ways to improve government services and the basic living conditions of the poor. They wanted to build homes and roads, upgrade the education system, and create jobs in an effort to narrow the gap between the rich and the poor.”^[17]  In order to accomplish their goals, the government was willing to sacrifice, and use revenues from increased trade, the government’s overall economic growth, and international assistance to fund this big move.  In the long run, they also predicted growth and savings for the government by “increasing efficiency and reducing military spending.”^[18]  The ANC facilitated South Africa’s reentry into world financial markets, establishing new trading partners and expanding other trade ties. 

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