- Also called (1959–64):
- Pan-Africanist Congress
- Date:
- 1959 - present
- Areas Of Involvement:
- equality
- Related People:
- Robert Sobukwe
Pan-Africanist Congress of Azania
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What is the Pan-Africanist Congress of Azania?
The Pan-Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC) is a South African organization and political party that advocates for "Africanist" policies, prioritizing black South Africans. It emerged from a faction within the African National Congress (ANC) in the 1940s, led by figures like Robert Sobukwe, who believed South Africa should belong to its indigenous inhabitants. This contrasted with the ANC's nonracial approach.
The PAC was officially formed in 1959 under Sobukwe's leadership. It initially employed methods like strikes and boycotts, notably organizing a protest against apartheid pass laws on March 21, 1960. This led to the Sharpeville massacre, where police killed 69 people. The government subsequently banned the PAC and the ANC. The PAC established an external base in Tanzania and formed a military wing, Poqo, aiming to overthrow white rule, though it had limited success. Despite internal divisions and a decline in support during the 1980s, the PAC, along with its military wing (APLA), re-emerged with more militant stances after the unbanning of political parties in 1990. The PAC has participated in South African elections, though with limited electoral success.
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When and why was the Pan-Africanist Congress of Azania formed?
The Pan-Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC) was formed in April 1959. It emerged from an Africanist group within the African National Congress (ANC) that advocated for "Africa for the Africans" and opposed the nonracial policies of the ANC and the Freedom Charter. This group, led by figures like Robert Sobukwe, broke away from the ANC in 1958 to establish the PAC with the goal of returning South Africa to its indigenous inhabitants.
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What does the word 'Azania' represent in the group's name?
The word 'Azania' represents a historical and political name for South Africa, particularly favored by African nationalist movements. The Pan-Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC) adopted this name to signify their vision of returning South Africa to its indigenous inhabitants, embodying the slogan "Africa for the Africans". This contrasts with the nonracial or multiracial policies of other organizations like the African National Congress (ANC). The PAC's "Africanist" policies prioritize Black South Africans and their claim to the land.
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How did the beliefs of the Pan-Africanist Congress differ from those of the African National Congress (ANC)?
The Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC) differed from the African National Congress (ANC) primarily in their approach to race and rights in South Africa. The PAC advocated for "Africanist" policies, emphasizing the return of South Africa to its indigenous inhabitants and rejecting equal rights for all races. This stance contrasted with the ANC's commitment to nonracial or multiracial policies, as outlined in its Freedom Charter.
The PAC emerged from a faction within the ANC that desired a South Africa for Black Africans. This group broke away in 1958 and formed the PAC in 1959 under Robert Sobukwe. While both organizations were banned by the government in 1960, the PAC's military wing, Poqo, aimed to overthrow white rule through violence, a more militant approach than the ANC's earlier focus on sabotage. The PAC's slogan, "One settler, one bullet," further highlighted its more aggressive stance compared to the ANC's eventual transition to a political party focused on social democracy.
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What important actions or events has the Pan-Africanist Congress been involved in?
The Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC) of Azania, a South African organization, has been involved in several significant actions. Emerging from a faction within the African National Congress (ANC) in 1959, the PAC advocated for "Africanist" policies, prioritizing black South Africans.
Key events include:
* 1960 Pass Laws Protest: The PAC organized a nationwide demonstration against apartheid's pass laws, leading to the Sharpeville massacre where police killed 69 protesters. This event resulted in the government outlawing the PAC and ANC.
* Underground Operations and Poqo: Following its banning, the PAC operated underground and established an external base in Tanzania. Its military wing, Poqo, aimed to overthrow white rule through violence, though it had limited success.
* Azanian People's Liberation Army (APLA): In the 1990s, the PAC's military wing, APLA, gained notoriety for perpetrating massacres, with slogans like "One settler, one bullet."The PAC participated in South Africa's first universal suffrage elections in 1994, securing a small percentage of the vote.
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How did the Pan-Africanist Congress impact South Africa’s fight against apartheid and its politics today?
The Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC) emerged from the African National Congress (ANC) in 1959, advocating for "Africanist" policies distinct from the ANC's nonracial approach. The PAC's protest against apartheid pass laws in March 1960 led to the Sharpeville massacre, after which the government banned the organization.
The PAC established an external base in Tanzania and formed a military wing, Poqo, aiming to overthrow white rule, though it had limited success. Internal disputes and a lack of international support contributed to the PAC's decline. In the 1980s, their militant stance was overshadowed by the ANC. After being unbanned in 1990, the PAC's military wing, APLA, engaged in violent acts. In the post-apartheid era, the PAC has struggled to gain significant electoral support, consistently winning a small percentage of votes and seats in the National Assembly.
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Pan-Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC), South African organization and later political party pursuing “Africanist” policies in South Africa (which they would rename Azania) for black South Africans, in contrast to the nonracial or multiracial policies of other organizations, such as the African National Congress (ANC).
The PAC has its root in the ANC. During the 1940s an Africanist group led by Anton Lembede, Potlako Leballo, A.P. Mda, and Robert Sobukwe emerged within the ANC. They wanted South Africa returned to its indigenous inhabitants (“Africa for the Africans”) and were unwilling to give equal rights to all races. The latter point was an axiom of the Freedom Charter of 1955, a document calling for nonracial social democracy in South Africa that was adopted by several antiapartheid organizations, including the ANC in the following year. The group broke away from the ANC in 1958 and in April 1959 formed the Pan-Africanist Congress under the leadership of Sobukwe.
The hard-line PAC originally advocated such methods of political pressure as strikes and boycotts. On March 21, 1960, the PAC sponsored a nationwide one-day protest against the apartheid laws requiring blacks to carry passes, during which Sobukwe and others were arrested. (From this point on, Sobukwe was either imprisoned or banned—severely restricted in travel, association, and speech—until his death in February 1978.) During one such demonstration, at Sharpeville in the Transvaal, police fired into a crowd, killing 69 Africans and wounding 180. (See Sharpeville massacre.) In further response to the demonstration, the government essentially outlawed the PAC (as well as the ANC) by banning them as of April 8, 1960.
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Like the ANC, but less successfully, the PAC moved its operations underground and established an external base in Tanzania to bypass its banning in South Africa. A PAC military organization, Poqo (Xhosa: “Pure”), was formed, the aim of which was to overthrow white rule in South Africa by violence. Apart from some incidents in the early 1960s, however, it was largely ineffective, and it eventually disbanded under the pressure of the South African government’s harsh response to its activities.
Quarrels among the PAC leaders, disunity as to objectives (notably, Leballo wished to use Lesotho instead of Tanzania as a base for armed struggle against South Africa), and failure to win widespread international support led to the decline in support for the PAC within South Africa. Also having a negative impact on PAC operations was the weakened and sometimes unclear leadership that existed during its banning. Leballo claimed to be acting president in 1963, although he was constantly engaged in a power struggle with other party leaders and was eventually expelled from the organization in 1979. Vusumuzi Make then briefly led the organization until 1981, when he stepped down in favour of John Pokela, who served until his death in 1985. Some stability returned when Zephania Lekoane Mothopeng was elected president of the PAC in 1986; he would lead the organization until 1990.
During the 1980s the PAC’s militant Africanism was overshadowed by the ANC and the United Democratic Front’s more-practical nonracial politics. However, after the unbanning of both the ANC and the PAC in 1990, the aggressively antiwhite postures of the PAC’s military wing (now named the Azanian People’s Liberation Army; APLA), with its slogan of “One settler, one bullet,” became popular. The APLA perpetrated several massacres between 1991 and 1994, including killings in a pub and a church in Cape Town.
The PAC was equivocal about participating in South Africa’s first elections by universal suffrage, held in April 1994. Under the leadership of Clarence Makwetu (1990–96), the PAC (now a political party) obtained only slightly more than 1 percent of the vote, winning five seats in the country’s new National Assembly. The party was not able to improve its performance in subsequent elections and after the 2009 election had only one National Assembly seat. After Makwetu the party was led successively by Stanley Mogoba (1996–2003), Motsoko Pheko (2003–06), Letlapa Mphahlele (2006–13), and Alton Mphethi (2013– ). In 2013 two different factions in PAC emerged, both claiming the rights to the party’s name: one that continued to be led by Mphahlele and the other led by Mphethi. Mphethi’s faction was ultimately recognized by the Independent Electoral Commission for participation in the 2014 elections under the PAC name. The party won less than 1 percent of the national vote in 2014, garnering one National Assembly seat.
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