The African National Congress and the South African Communist Party - Essay Example

The relationship between the African National Congress and the South African Communist Party South Africa has a long history of the struggle for independence. The liberation struggle of South Africa as a country is very unique, compared to many other countries in the African continent that were colonized by the western powers, owing to the existence of the concept of apartheid, which was one of the most extreme nature of racism ideologies that were mooted on the Africans during the colonialism. Owing to the complexity of the struggle for independence in South Africa, the country was late in obtaining its independence, with the colonialists lasting in the country for many more years, after other countries got their independence. Both the South African Communist Party (SACP) and the African National Congress (ANC) were instrumental in both the liberation history of South Africa and the current running of the post-independent country. However, the nature of the relationship between these two parties has been a controversial issue, with some perceiving their relationship as that of using each other. Therefore, this discussion seeks to analyze the relationship between the African National Congress and the South African Communist Party, with a focus on the liberation struggle period, as well as the post-independence periods. The relationship between the African National Congress and the South African Communist Party was not always close, especially in the periods starting 1940 to 1950, when the ANC started considering the SACP as a party advancing foreign ideology (SAHO, n.d. web.)1. This feeling strongly emanated after Nelson Mandela made a tour throughout Africa, meeting various leaders from different countries in the African continent, whose countries had achieved independence by then (Mandela, 2008 p49). The African leaders perceived the communist ideology, as advocated for by the SACP as anti-African, and more of a foreign ideology, which was perceived to be incongruent with the African ideology of democracy and total independence from the colonialists. Therefore, most of the African leaders were confused by the association of the ANC with the SACP, which they considered unusual, since the SACP was constituted by most foreigners, and its ideologies were not perceived as purely African (Mandela, 2008 p102). Another issue that strained relationship between the African National Congress and the South African Communist Party is its perceived relations with the USSR. Most of the members of the ANC were highly skeptical about working with the SACP, due to the fact that it was not regarded as based on the African ideology, thus raising concerns among the members of the ANC regarding how the other African countries would perceive the working relationship between the ANC and the SACP. Secondly, there was the issue of concern regarding how the western countries would relate with South Africa, through the consideration of the working relationship between the ANC and the SACP, which was perceived to be USSR oriented, thus creating suspicion that the western countries would not want to work with such a party. Such members of the ANC suspected that the western countries would withdraw their support for South Africa, due to its association with communism (Mandela, 2008 p87)2. Thus, some members of the ANC would cause conflict, to ensure that the two parties did not work together. Therefore, there has been a long deal of strained relationship between the ANC and the SACP, which ranges from the liberation struggle period, to the post-independence and modern day relationship. Nevertheless, the relationship between the African National Congress and the South African Communist Party has not always been strained and suspicious. There are times when the two parties have had long periods of cordial working relationships, both in the liberation struggle period, and the post-independence period. The cordial and strong positive relationship between the African National Congress and the South African Communist Party was especially established and strengthened in 1960, after both parties were banned by the then colonial government. This productive and cordial relationship between the two parties date back to the 1950s, after the SACP was banned in 1950, for advocating for the rights of the white mine workers (Freeman & Flanagan, n.p.)3. The ANC and the SACP became allies in 1955, after the formation of the South African Congress of the People Alliance, which consisted of the two parties and many other anti-apartheid parties, which eventually adopted the freedom charter, a document that stated the core principles of all the parties fighting for the freedom of South Africa from the apartheid regime (Mandela, 2008 p202). Through the radical activities of the ANC, it was eventually banned in 1960, together with the Pan Africanist Congress, joining the SACP in the list of the parties that had been banned by the apartheid regime (SAHO, n.d. web.). The banning of these parties gave the ANC and the SACP a new lifeline, through renewing their commitment to fight against the ills of the apartheid regime. Starting 1960, the ANC and the SACP forged a close working relationship becoming strong allies, which would now starting working together as a single unit. Through the renewed spirit of commitment to become allies and work together in the fight against the Apartheid regime, the members of both ANC and the SACP managed to organize for a joint meeting in Kwazulu Natal area, in 1961, where they laid down the strategies for an attack against the government, through turning their actions from merely advocacy to armed struggle, which would be more effective in seeing the government yield to their demands (Freeman & Flanagan, n.p.)4. Consequently, the joint conference of the ANC and the SACP members launched Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), a separate military branch that was different from the mainstream one which had been earlier established by the ANC. The new branch of the military group was to be led jointly by both the ANC and the SACP. Consequently, the Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), launched a homemade bomb explosion mission in 1961, in a two-year sabotage campaign that the parties had planned over the apartheid government (Mandela, 2008 p159) In launching the bomb attacks, the Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), targeted at property and not lives, in line with the new approach adopted by the new found alliance of the ANC and the SACP, to frustrate the apartheid government without causing more loss of lives. The working relationship and the interaction between the two parties remained cordial during the struggle for liberation of the country, such that in the infamous Rivonia Trial, where the members of the Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) had engaged in Lilliesleaf Farm Raid, a prominent member of the SACP, Bram Fischer, became the lawyer representing the group in the case (SAHO, n.d. web.). In the periods that followed, the relationship between the ANC and the SACP improved greatly, leading to a joint conference in 1969, where the two parties pledged to work together. In the periods following this conference, there were no major differences in the ideologies of ANC and those of SACP, and many members involved in the liberation struggle became members of both organizations (Mandela, 2008 p47). The ban on the two parties lasted until 1990, when it was lifted, making the parties free to continue undertaking their activities, which they had taken underground for several decades, since they were banned. After the ban on the parties were lifted, the two parties embarked on working together for the negotiations leading to freedom and consequent independence of South Africa, through focusing on the concept of democracy, as opposed to either communism or socialism, which were previously favored by the SACP and ANC respectively (Karis, 1987 n.p.)5. The focus on the system of the South African economy changed in favor of a mixed economy as agreed by both parties. This way, the two parties contributed to struggle for liberation of South Africa mutually, and they are engaged in running the modern day South African government jointly, though the ANC is dominant to the SACP. References Freeman, C. & Flanagan, J. 2012, Nelson Mandela 'proven' to be a member of the Communist Party after decades of denial. The Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/nelson-mandela/9731522/Nelson-Mandela-proven-to-be-a-member-of-the-Communist-Party-after-decades-of-denial.html Karis, T. 1987, South African Liberation: The Communist Factor, Council for foreign relations. http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/41697/thomas-g-karis/south-african-liberation-the-communist-factor Mandela, N. (2008). Long walk to freedom: The autobiography of Nelson Mandela. New York, NY: Back Bay Books/Little, Brown and Co./Hachette Book Group. South African History Online (SAHO), n.d., Move to the Armed Struggle, 1960-1999. http://www.sahistory.org.za/south-african-communist-party-sacp/move-armed-struggle-1960-1999 Read More