Oliver Tambo Speaks. Oliver Tambo

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      Over the following two decades substantial military assistance came from the socialist countries of Europe, from Cuba and from several African countries. Close links were established with the Conferência das Organizações Naçionalistas das Colónias Portuguesas, an alliance of Frelimo, MPLA and the Guinean PAIGC.

      Over the same period representations were made to the United Nations on the evils of apartheid. Tambo appeared as petitioner before the Special Political Committee and in 1963 tangible diplomatic success was achieved when the United Nations Security Council appointed a group to examine the crisis in South Africa. In June 1964 the Security Council passed a resolution condemning the conduct of the Rivonia Trial two days before sentence was handed down. Soon after, a Special Committee Against Apartheid was set up and from early 1967 was serviced by its own Unit on Apartheid within the Section for African Questions in the Security Council. However, the South African government retained formal representation at the United Nations.

      Between 1963 and 1965 thousands of suspected ANC members were arrested in the Eastern Cape, Transvaal and Natal, severely damaging the internal movement. In early 1963 Tambo was joined in the external mission by Moses Kotane, Treasurer-General of the ANC and General Secretary of the South African Communist Party, Duma Nokwe, the ANC Secretary-General, and J B Marks, a veteran of the ANC and trade union movement. From this point on the most important Congress Alliance leaders were either in gaol or in exile and the internal movement severely battered.

      In 1963 the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) was established and the Pan-African Freedom Movement was incorporated as the African Liberation Committee, presided over by the Tanzanian Foreign Minister, Oscar Kambona. Tanzania now became the most important supporter of the ANC and Dar es Salaam the centre of its external organisation. Over the next few years four guerrilla training camps were set up and at one of them, Morogoro, the ANC headquarters were based. It was from these bases that Umkhonto recruits were later moved to Zambia. Early in 1967 they undertook their first joint military campaign into Rhodesia and continued to infiltrate thereafter. In the same year Chief Luthuli died and Tambo became Acting President-General.