External Mission: The ANC in Exile, 1960-1990

397 Pages·2013·1.57 MB·English

by  Stephen Ellis

External Mission
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External Mission
The ANC in Exile, 1960–1990
Stephen Ellis

One thing the ‘old’ and the ‘new’ South Africa have in common is a
passion for inventing history. History is not seen as a dispassionate inquiry
into what happened, but rather as a part of political mobilisation promoting
some form of collective self-interest.
– Frederik van Zyl Slabbert
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available for this title
Ellis, Stephen
External Mission
isbn 978-0-19-933-061-4 (hardback)
Printed in India
on Acid-Free Paper
Contents
Acronyms and Abbreviations x
Chapter One Call to Arms 1
Resisting apartheid 3
Securing a mandate 11
The formation of Umkhonto we Sizwe 18
Preparing for war 27
Rivonia 36
Chapter Two The External Mission 40
Taking stock 41
Kongwa 51
Security networks 57
The Rhodesian campaign 60
The Hani memorandum 67
Chapter Three The Party Triumphant 73
Morogoro 73
The struggle continues 82
Dissidents 91
Factionalism 103
The frontline emerges 109
Chapter Four New Strategies 113
The ANC’s strategy review 117
Pretoria’s total strategy 129
Sanctions 141
Chapter Five The Grinding Stone 151
Security, bureaucracy, ideology 152
Corruption 161
Shishita 170
Mkatashinga 186
Infiltration 197
Chapter Six War Among the People 205
The township risings 208
Kabwe 216
The new international context 228
Operation Vula 233
The security question 235
Chapter Seven Homecoming 246
Towards civil war 248
Crooks and spooks 253
Unbanning: the war’s climax 263
Reconciliation of a special type 270
Chapter Eight Perspectives 278
Waging war 281
Interpreting the past 293
Explanations 299
Appendix: A Note on Method 305
Acknowledgements 313
Notes 315
Bibliography 359
Index 373