Pan Africanist Congress of Azania
Pan Africanist Congress of Azania | |
---|---|
Abbreviation | PAC |
President | Mzwanele Nyhontso |
Secretary-General | Apa Pooe |
Founder | Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe |
Founded | 6 April 1959 |
Split from | African National Congress |
Headquarters | 2nd Floor, The Main Change Bld, 20 Kruger Street, Johannesburg, Gauteng[1] |
Student wing | Pan Africanist Student Movement of Azania |
Youth wing | Pan Africanist Youth Congress of Azania |
Women's wing | Pan Africanist Women's Organisation |
Paramilitary wing | Azanian People's Liberation Army (POQO) (formerly) (integrated into SANDF) |
Ideology | Black nationalism Pan-Africanism African socialism[2] |
Political position | Centre-left to left-wing[citation needed] |
Slogan | Izwe Lethu!! Our Land!! |
National Assembly | 1 / 400 |
National Council of Provinces | 0 / 90 |
Pan-African Parliament | 0 / 5 |
Party flag | |
Website | |
www | |
|
The Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (known as the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC)) is a South African national liberation Pan-Africanist movement that is now a political party. It was founded by an Africanist group, led by Robert Sobukwe, that broke away from the African National Congress (ANC), as the PAC objected to the ANC's "the land belongs to all who live in it both white and black" and also rejected a multiracialist worldview, instead advocating a South Africa based on African nationalism.[3][4]
History[]
The PAC was formally launched on 6 April 1959 at Orlando Communal Hall in Soweto. A number of African National Congress (ANC) members broke away because they objected to the substitution of the 1949 Programme of Action with the Freedom Charter adopted in 1955, which used multiracialist language as opposed to Africanist affirmations. The PAC at the time considered South Africa to be an African state by right an "inalienable right of the indigenous African people" and refused to support equal rights of the oppresed and oppressor, exploiter and exploited, the land dispossessor and landless Africans "the dispossessed". Historic Mission of the PAC of The People of Azania is "The complete freedom, liberation and independence of Afrika." This entails political, social, economic and military independence. Robert Sobukwe was elected as the first president, and Potlako Leballo as the Secretary General.[5][6][7][2]
On 21 March 1960, the PAC organised a campaign against pass laws. People gathered in the townships of Sharpeville and Langa where Sobukwe and other top leaders were arrested and later convicted for incitement. Sobukwe was sentenced to three years and Potlako Leballo to two years in prison. Sobukwe died in Kimberley, Cape Province, 1978 of lung cancer. Immediately after the Sharpeville massacre the National Party Government banned both the ANC and PAC on 8 April 1960. The PAC responded by founding its armed wing, the Azanian People's Liberation Army.
Ideology[]
The PAC followed the idea that the South African Government should be constituted by the African people owing their allegiance only to Africa, as stated by Sobukwe in the inaugural speech of the PAC:
"We aim, politically, at government of the Africans by the Africans, for the Africans, with everybody who owes his only loyalty to Africa and who is prepared to accept the democratic rule of an African majority being regarded as an African."[8]
It is Pan Africanism with three principles of African nationalism, socialism, and continental unity. Its body of ideas drew largely from the teachings of Anton Lembede, George Padmore, Marcus Garvey, Martin Delany, Kwame Nkrumah, and W. E. B. Du Bois.
The PAC initially advocated for a form of "Africanist Socialist Democracy", based on African and Black Identity, with the aim of creating a South Africa (which they would rename Azania) for Black South Africans, to the exclusion of other nationalities or ethnicities.[3][9] Unlike the African National Congress' view on socialism, the PAC was stated to have rejected the concept of class oppression, instead focusing exclusively on national liberation.[9] Nevertheless, their initial manifesto lists the "black working class" as the "driving force in the struggle" against white capitalists and "reactionary" middle-class groups. These socialist elements were strongly toned down by the 1990s, instead adopting a more "conservative" stance that sought not to restrict market forces and a commitment not to implement socialism "for the sake of it". The Pan Africanist Youth Congress of Azania described the new program as the "work of an element which is on the CIA payroll".[10] However, by April 1992, the PAC's party leadership in the Annual Congress no longer showed opposition to taking part in the multiracial negotiations to end the apartheid.[11]
The PAC historically rejected Marxism, opposed communism (though it itself had borrowed from some Maoist tenents) and the inclusion of ethnic minorities within the liberation struggle, instead advocating black liberation exclusively within a Black nationalist concept.[5][6][7][2]
Leadership struggles[]
The PAC has been beset by infighting and has had numerous changes of leadership since its transition to a political party. In 1996, Clarence Makwetu, who led the party in the 1994 elections, was removed on the basis of "bringing the party into disrepute'.[12]
In August 2013, the PAC elected Alton Mphethi as president, after previous leader Letlapa Mphahlele was expelled in May amidst allegations of attempting to cause division in the party, financial impropriety and poor quality leadership.[13][14]
A faction of the PAC continued to regard Mphahlele as leader. The matter was resolved in the courts, with Mpheti eventually being confirmed as party leader for the 2014 election.[15][16]
Mpheti has since been charged with murder for the death of a Swazi national, Mthunzi Mavundla.[17]
Luthando Mbinda was elected president at the 2014 congress in Botshabelo, while Letlapa Mphahlele was elected in July 2015 in Manguang. Mbinda claimed that Mphahlele's election was not valid, as he was not a valid member, while Mphahlele challenged his expulsion in court.
The Independent Electoral Commission suspended the party's statutory fund’s allocations until there was clarity about who led the party, and in October 2015 the high court confirmed that Mbinda was the recognised leader.[18][19]
Conflict then arose between Mbinda and Chief Executive Officer Narius Moloto. Mbinda was subsequently charged by the PAC and later expelled for bringing the organisation into disrepute. Narius Moloto was elected party leader in December 2017.[20][21]
Infighting continued after the 2019 elections, with leader Narius Moloto unilaterally dissolving the party's structures, a decision which was later set aside by the courts.[22]
In August 2019, in Limpopo, one faction elected Moloto as leader, while a week later in Bloemfontein, another faction elected Mzwanele Nyhontso as leader. In October 2019, the Independent Electoral Commission recognised Nyhontso as the legitimate party leader.[23]
In November 2020, speaker of the National Assembly Thandi Modise received notice that the PAC had expelled Nyhontso, and notified him that he had therefore lost his seat in parliament as the PAC's sole representative.[24] The opposing faction got a court order in December 2020 to reinstate Nyhontso, pending a court order challenging his removal from the party.[25]
In August 2021, the court confirmed that Moloto's election was invalid, confirming Nyhontso as president, and in September 2021 Nyhontso was again sworn in as the party's sole MP.[26][27]
Election results[]
National elections[]
Election | Total votes | Share of vote | Seats | +/– | Government |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1994 | 243,478 | 1.25% | 5 / 400
|
– | in opposition |
1999 | 113,125 | 0.78% | 3 / 400
|
2 | in opposition |
2004 | 113,512 | 0.73% | 3 / 400
|
±0 | in opposition |
2009 | 48,530 | 0.27% | 1 / 400
|
2 | in opposition |
2014 | 37,784 | 0.21% | 1 / 400
|
±0 | in opposition |
2019 | 32,677 | 0.19% | 1 / 400
|
±0 | in opposition |
Provincial elections[]
Election[28] | Eastern Cape | Free State | Gauteng | Kwazulu-Natal | Limpopo | Mpumalanga | North-West | Northern Cape | Western Cape | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
% | Seats | % | Seats | % | Seats | % | Seats | % | Seats | % | Seats | % | Seats | % | Seats | % | Seats | |
1994 | 2.04% | 1/56 | 1.81% | 0/30 | 1.47% | 1/86 | 0.73% | 1/81 | 1.27% | 1/40 | 1.63% | 0/30 | 1.73% | 0/30 | 0.93% | 0/30 | 1.06% | 0/42 |
1999 | 1.14% | 1/63 | 1.15% | 0/30 | 0.73% | 0/73 | 0.26% | 0/80 | 1.41% | 1/49 | 0.66% | 0/30 | 0.74% | 0/33 | 0.66% | 0/30 | 0.49% | 0/42 |
2004 | 1.00% | 1/63 | 1.18% | 0/30 | 0.85% | 1/73 | 0.19% | 0/80 | 0.94% | 0/49 | 0.69% | 0/30 | 0.84% | 0/33 | 0.43% | 0/30 | 0.42% | 0/42 |
2009 | 0.54% | 0/63 | 0.33% | 0/30 | 0.31% | 0/73 | 0.07% | 0/80 | 0.53% | 0/49 | 0.32% | 0/30 | 0.26% | 0/33 | 0.22% | 0/30 | 0.23% | 0/42 |
2014 | 0.44% | 0/63 | 0.21% | 0/30 | 0.26% | 0/73 | 0.08% | 0/80 | 0.29% | 0/49 | 0.23% | 0/30 | 0.14% | 0/33 | 0.11% | 0/30 | 0.17% | 0/42 |
2019 | 0.41% | 0/63 | 0.17% | 0/30 | 0.24% | 0/73 | 0.07% | 0/80 | 0.17% | 0/49 | 0.14% | 0/30 | 0.11% | 0/33 | 0.11% | 0/30 | 0.19% | 0/42 |
Municipal elections[]
Election | Votes | % |
---|---|---|
1995–96 | 104,455 | 1.2% |
2000 | 1.2% | |
2006 | 306,747 | 1.2% |
2011 | 118,822 | 0.4% |
2016[29] | 74,607 | 0.19% |
See also[]
- Azanian National Youth Unity
- Azanian People's Liberation Army
- Freedom Charter
- History of South Africa
References[]
- ^ Pan Africanist Congress of Azania. "Contacts". www.pacofazania.org.za.org.za. Archived from the original on 19 October 2013. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "South Africa – Political Parties". countrystudies.us. Retrieved 2020-06-15.
...1959 prompted a split by black nationalists from the ANC to form the militant Africanist, anticommunist PAC." ... "The PAC also opposed the ANC's alliance with the SACP because most PAC leaders rejected Marxist economic dogma.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Pan-Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC) (South African organization)". Encyclopædia Britannica. 2014-05-12. Retrieved 2014-07-06.
- ^ Why the PAC wants South Africa renamed Azania
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Pan-Africanist Congress of Azania | South African organization". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2020-06-15.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Pan Africanist Congress Of Azania (PAC) – The O'Malley Archives". omalley.nelsonmandela.org. Retrieved 2020-06-15.
They feared that the liberation struggle would be taken over by white and Indian communists and rejected the aspects of the Freedom Charter* that protected minority interests rather than those of Africans throughout the continent.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) | South African History Online". www.sahistory.org.za. Retrieved 2020-06-15.
- ^ "Robert Sobukwe Inaugural Speech, April 1959". South African History Online – Towards a People's History. Retrieved 2014-07-06.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Fatton, Robert (1986). Black Consciousness in South Africa: The Dialectics of Ideological Resistance to White Supremacy SUNY Series in African Politics and Society (PDF). State University of New York Press. ISBN 9780887061295.
- ^ "Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) – The O'Malley Archives". omalley.nelsonmandela.org. Retrieved 2020-06-29.
- ^ "Pan Africanist Congress timeline 1959–2011". South African History Online. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
- ^ "SA has moved backwards, says PAC stalwart Makwetu". Mail and Guardian. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
- ^ Ntokozo Sindane (2013-08-11). "PAC Announces New Party President". The Public News Hub. Retrieved 2014-07-06.
- ^ "PAC to plot a new path". The Citizen. 2013-06-09. Retrieved 2014-07-06.
- ^ "PAC hits campaign trail after leadership fight ends". Herald Live. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
- ^ "Pan-Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC)". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
- ^ "I lied about murder to protect my wife's dignity – Alton Mphethi". City Press. Archived from the original on 20 March 2015. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
- ^ Marianne Merten (10 July 2015). "PAC court bid to get its IEC funding". Independent Online. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
- ^ "High Court Ruling". pac.org.za. Archived from the original on 31 March 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
- ^ Naki, Eric (28 April 2017). "Mbinda, Moloto war threatening to tear PAC apart". citizen.co.za.
- ^ Motau, Koketšo. "PAC elects Narius Moloto as new party president". ewn.co.za.
- ^ Ntshidi, Edwin. "PAC leader Narius Moloto dismisses suspension reports". ewn.co.za. Retrieved 2019-07-23.
- ^ "PAC re-elects Mzwanele Nyhontso as president". SABC News. 2019-09-01. Retrieved 2019-10-30.
- ^ Toit, Christelle du. "PAC's sole MP loses his seat in Parliament". The Citizen. Retrieved 2020-12-05.
- ^ "Western Cape High Court Orders Reinstatement of PAC MP – Parliament of South Africa". www.parliament.gov.za. Retrieved 2020-12-05.
- ^ "Mzwanele Nyhontso declared PAC's lawful leader". The Citizen. 2021-08-23. Retrieved 2021-09-09.
- ^ "Return of PAC's voice: New president swearing in a victory for embattled party". The Citizen. 2021-09-04. Retrieved 2021-09-09.
- ^ "Results Dashboard". www.elections.org.za. Retrieved 2019-05-11.
- ^ "Results Summary – All Ballots" (PDF). elections.org.za. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
External links[]
- Website of the Pan Africanist Congress
- Alternative Website of the Pan Africanist Congress
- Pan Africanist Congress Publications Collection 1958-1995
- Archival Information can be found at the Borthwick Institute for Archives, University of York: Congress of South Africa
- Pan Africanist Congress of Azania
- African and Black nationalist organizations in Africa
- Political parties in South Africa