After Morogoro: the continuing crisis in the African National Congress (of South Africa) in Zambia, 1969–1971

Abstract

This article examines the Zambian dimension in the calling and aftermath of the Morogoro Conference of 1969. After the failure of the Wankie and Sipolilo campaigns, Chris Hani and six other members of MK produced a memorandum, which constituted a devastating attack on the ANC’s exile leadership. The authors of the memorandum were expelled and were unable to attend the conference, but their memorandum had a strong influence on its deliberations. The conference recommended their reinstatement, but this did not resolve the crisis in Lusaka, which had ‘tribal’ undertones, and was intensified by Zambian government pressure to remove MK from Lusaka and the country. The reinstatement of Hani and his comrades was followed by protests and defiance by about 30 members of a Transvaal group. Attempts to remove MK members from Lusaka to a bush camp resulted in further defiance and the expulsion of 30 members. There were further crises involving the movement of arms and an ill‐fated attempt by Flag Boshielo and three others to return to South Africa through Botswana. It was not until 1971 that stability was restored, though the position of the ANC in Lusaka remained at a low ebb until the inflow of new recruits following the Soweto Uprising in 1976.

Keywords:

• African National Congress
• Morogoro
• Lusaka
• Oliver Tambo
• Chris Hani
• Joe Modise

Notes

1. I am very grateful to the Leverhulme Trust, Professor William Beinart and the African Studies Centre, Oxford University, for supporting me in the research for this article. I am also grateful to Rhodes University, Grahamstown, for the award of Hugh Le May visiting fellowship, which facilitated my work in the ANC Archives at Fort Hare. I am also thankful to Mosa Maamoe, the archivist there, for his unfailing help with this project and to the staff of the library at the University of Cape Town, who facilitated access to the Simons Papers.

2. The other signatories were JR (Jeqe) Mbengwa (Buthelezi), Leonard Pitso (now a general in the South African army), Ntabenkosi Fipaza (Mbali), W. Hempe, Tamana Gobozi (Mikza) and GS Mose (Jackson) Mlenze.

3. For a more detailed account of the background of and reaction to the Hani memorandum and for the memorandum itself, see Macmillan (2009a); for a longer view of the ANC in Zambia, see Macmillan (2009b).

4. T. Makiwane, ‘The bogus letter of expulsion’, October 1975, mss in Simons Papers, University of Cape Town. ANC Archives, Lusaka Mission, 1/14/55, ‘Minutes of the Meeting of the National Executive held in Lusaka from August, 27–31, 1971’.

5. ANC Archives, Lusaka 2/3/3, untitled manuscript notes of discussions at Morogoro Conference, 28 April to 1 May 1969, ff. 1–16. Thami Mhalmbiso told Luli Callinicos that Tambo’s resignation followed a ‘clumsy input’ from one of the delegates; he did not say that the input came from him (Callinicos 2004, p. 333).

6. Tambo Papers, Box 31, ‘Statement on the relationship between the ANC (Africa) and M.K.’, no signature and no date. From internal evidence, the date must be 1971 and the author Tambo.

7. Tambo Papers, Box 37, A. Nzo to T. Nkobi, 30 June 1969.

8. Simons Papers, Jack Simons to Kay Moonsamy in delayed response to a letter of 1 July, c. August 1969.

9. ANC Archives, Lusaka Mission 2/49/19, T. Nkobi to secretary‐general, 13 October 1969; Lusaka Mission 2/90/7 note, possibly of telegram, from Nkobi to Nzo, 13 July 1969. ‘Zambian government wants to remove our men from Zambia to Tanzania because of misbehaviour. As a result the government says that O. R. must return to Zambia as soon as possible’. The MK cadres had apparently been withdrawn from camps that they shared with ZAPU after the end of the Wankie and Sipolilo campaigns in 1968 and were mainly living in residences at Makeni, Lilanda and Kabwata.

10. Tambo Papers, Box 4, undated notebook, ff. 4–5 (my foliation). Some reference is made to this debate in Callinicos (2004, pp. 345–346), but it is wrongly dated to 1972.

11. The speaker is identified only as ‘Joe’ (ibid, f. 6), but, as he spoke first, it is probable that he was Modise.

12. For example, ‘Comrade Fiki’ (ibid, f. 8).

13. ‘Comrade Champ’ (Champion Jack) (ibid, ff. 27–28).

14. Tambo (ibid, f. 19).

15. Illegible name (ibid, ff. 10–11).

16. ‘Comrade Sam’ (ibid, f. 14); ‘Comrade Sparks’ (ibid, f. 21); ‘Comrade (Sam) Modisane’ (ibid, f. 33).

17. ‘Comrade Modisane’ (ibid, ff 30–35). Sam Modisane was the MK name of Grassen Moagi. His hostility towards Xhosa‐speakers in the ANC survived for more than 30 years (see SADET 2008, pp. 295–299).

18. For the earlier political career of Flag Boshielo, see Delius (1996). Personal information on his role at Morogoro Conference from John Nkadimeng. Tennyson Makiwane allegedly said that people ‘at home’ would never accept open membership. Boshielo responded by asking Makiwane what gave him a greater right than anyone else to speak for people ‘at home’.

19. Tambo notebook (see note 10), ‘CPO’, Chief Political Officer, ‘Comrade Mokgomane’ (Flag Boshielo), ff. 41–42. There is some ambiguity in the notes; it is possible that these words are Tambo’s own.

20. ANC Archives, Lusaka Mission 2/49/19, T. Nkobi to secretary‐general, 13 October 1969.

21. ANC Archives, Lusaka Mission, 2/49/19, Tambo to Nzo, 9 August 1969; Tambo Papers, Box 60, incomplete copy of secret letter to ANC and other liberation movements from an unnamed ministry, probably, the Ministry of Provincial and Local Government, 25 September 1969.

22. Tambo Papers, Box 46, TT Nkobi, ‘Memorandum by the ANC (SA) on the implications and consequences of disciplinary action taken against some party members in Lusaka Zambia’, 14 December 1970.

23. Tambo Papers, Box 29, ‘Report of the secretariat covering the last two years’, part 2, probably produced for the NEC meeting held in Lusaka in August 1971.

24. Nkobi, ‘Memorandum’ (see note 22).

25. ANC Archives, Lusaka Mission, 2/53/6: ‘List of ANC (SA) cadres who have chosen to defy Party orders to leave Lusaka in terms of government directives’ (26 out of 30 names), together with the ‘List of ANC (SA) cadres for whom permission to remain in Lusaka is requested’ (20 names) and the ‘List of ANC cadres most of whom are already out of Lusaka and the rest of whom will have left by the evening of Friday 4 September’ (55 names), with Tambo to Nzo, 16 September 1970; J. Buthelezi, ‘The Struggle for Liberation Still Continues’ (mss); ANC Archives, Lusaka Mission, 1/14/55, ‘Minutes of the Meeting of the National Executive held in Lusaka from August, 27–31, 1971’.

26. Tambo Papers, Box 33, Special Committee minutes, 11, 12, 17, 24 November, 8 December 1970.

27. Tambo Papers, Box 60, record of speech by Vice‐President Simon Kapwepwe to representatives of liberation movements, no date.

28. Tambo Papers, Box 60, BD Kalwani, permanent secretary, Ministry of Provincial and Local Government to Chief Representative, ANC, 11 November 1970, acknowledging letter giving list of expelled members of 28 October 1970.

29. Nkobi, ‘Memorandum’, 14 December 1970 (see note 22).

30. Zambia National Archives, MHA1/6/33, ‘African National Congress’, L. Manga to Assistant Commissioner, CID, 11 September 1970. Author’s conversations with Ray Simons (see Macmillan, unpublished memoir). Interview with Ray Simons by ‘M.V.’, 27 November 1997, Simon Papers. In the same source, Ray Simons states that Jack Simons was detained on 9 August and released on 16 August 1970 (c.f. Zembe and Leeson 1996, pp. 95–96). On the structure of MK command and the establishment of the Special Committee, see minutes of NEC meeting, 27–31 August 1971 (see note 4), as above and ‘Statement on the relationship between the ANC and M. K.’ (see note 6).

31. ANC Archives, Lusaka Mission, 2/29/20, Tambo to Nzo, 16 September 1970, enclosing commission’s terms of reference, 29 August 1970 and ‘Office of the President, Information Bulletin no. 1’, 29 August 1970. The latter document reads like a press release but is headed as ‘for restricted circulation only’. Simons Papers, John Pule to Tambo, 23 August 1971. Only three copies of the report were produced. Tapes and transcripts of evidence were said in 1971 to be in the possession of one of the members of the commission, Dr Randeree. See also JP Motshabi, mss biography in the Simons Papers.

32. Tambo was referring to ‘Operation J’, a plan to land armed men on the coast of Pondoland. This had to be abandoned when a ship chartered for the purpose broke down off the coast of east Africa (Shubin 1999, pp. 101–111).

33. ANC Archives, Lusaka Mission, 2/49/20, ‘Confidential interim report to RC members’, undated and unsigned, but probably by Tambo, with Tambo to Nzo, 16 September 1970.

34. Information in this and subsequent paragraphs in ‘Interim report’, as above. According to John Motshabi, Chris Hani was one of those who dropped out at an early stage. ‘Awololowo’, who was later in charge of logistics or supplies in Lusaka, was the man who dropped out at the last minute and returned to Lusaka. See JP Mosthabi, mss biography in the Simons Papers.

35. Interviews with Ray Simons (see Macmillan, unpublished memoir).

36. ANC Archives, Lusaka Mission, 1/14/55. Minutes of NEC meeting, Lusaka, 27–31 August 1971.

37. August 1971; Tambo Papers, Box 46, Special Committee minutes, 1971–1973

38. Mayibuye Centre, Kodesh collection, MCA6‐284, Chris Hani, interview with Wolfie Kodesh, 1 April 1993.