Umkhonto we Sizwe

Umkhonto we Sizwe (or MK), translated into French by " spearhead of the nation" of the African National congress of South Africa was the military branches which then acted as collaboration with the Communist party of South Africa against the mode of Apartheid to the capacity in this country of Southern Africa.

Umkhonto we Sizwe did not count with its apogee not more than 11.000 members scattered mainly in camps of drive in Angola, in Zambia, even in the USSR and in the countries of the Warsaw Pact. Its deterrent force in South Africa was primarily made up of bombs and Kalachnikov. If she never managed to create a sufficient logistics to hold an urban Guérilla with broad scale, she became nevertheless a reference symbol for those which fought against apartheid.

History

The foundation of Umkhonto We Sizwe (MK) is partly the consequence of the Massacre of Sharpeville in March 1960 by the South-African police force. Albert Luthuli, the president of the ANC, was reticent with its creation because it marked a turning in the policy of the ANC who had up to that point refused to resort to the Violence and with the armed struggle. It had however given its agreement to the organization of this military wing of the ANC whose command was entrusted to Nelson Mandela (ANC) and to Joe Slovo (Communist party).

MK launched its first armed attack the December 16th 1961, festival national of the Afrikaner S called Jour of the Wish in reference to the Bataille Blood River. The organization was consequently regarded as a Terrorist organization by the South-African government.

Between 1961 and 1964, MK made 134 acts of sabotage causing minor damage however.

In 1963, following the discovery by the police force of document concerning to the existence of Umkhonto we Sizwe, Mandela and several other leaders of the ANC and MK were stopped and shown plot aiming at reversing the government by violence.

At the time of its lawsuit which proceeded October 9th 1963 with the June 12th 1964, Nelson Mandela explained the reasons of its engagement in the ANC and charged the creation of Umkhonto we Sizwe to police repression and the violence of the government.

Following the imprisonment of the majority of its regional chiefs, MK was completely disorganized within the South-African territory. The military organization, directed by Joe Slovo, was composed then of 800 trained guerillas, based in Tanzania, where was located the General headquarter MK or in camps of drives of Czechoslovakia or Odessa in Soviet Union.

In 1967, the organization organized its first action of scale against the South-African military forces present in Southern Rhodesia where they were in support for the armed forces rhodésiennes. The majority of the combatants were killed or imprisoned. Some succeeded in passing by again the border of the Zambezi.

In 1969, redefined MK its military strategy.

In 1975, it installs its base camps in Angola.

After the riots of Soweto in 1976, MK accepted the reinforcement of many new recruits which were built-in the battalion of the June 16th. The actions of sabotage, more or less targeted, then started to develop in South Africa against the infrastructures civilians and soldiers. Starting from 1977, for the first time, they caused the death of civilians, sometimes during exchanges of shots with the police force. In 1980, a commando of MK, intercepted by the police force, took several hostages with Silverton of which three were killed at the time of the attack of the police force.

In 1981, MK did not organize successfully less than 90 sabotages on industrial or military targets. Starting from 1983, more and more of civilians are the victims of bomb attacks perpetrated in full street by the activists of MK whereas a terror campaign is organized against the white farmers in the rural areas of the Transvaal. The South-African army then intensifies the bombardment of the camps of MK, the Botswana as far as Tanzania.

After the massacre of Amanzimtoti, members of the American Congrès supported by members of the administration of Ronald Reagan ask that the ANC and MK must be listed as being terrorist organizations.

The major part of the actions of MK however took place during these years against the police stations, in particular those located in the Township S or against those shown of Collaboration with the mode of apartheid, the such black city council men.

In 1987, Joe Slovo leaves the post of head of staff of MK with Chris Hani. Starting from 1988, this last preaches the intensification of the armed struggle whereas this one is disputed by Thabo Mbeki, in favor of the dialog with the government of Pretoria considering that the actions of sabotage and the attacks were not very conclusive to make evolve/move the policy of the government and did nothing but reinforce repression.

MK suspended its armed actions in August 1990.

Starting from 1994, the first government South-African of the era post-apartheid carried out the unification of all the paramilitary organizations of the old movements of guerilla (MK, popular army of release of Azanie-APLA) under a common authority by incorporation of those within the new national force of South-African defense (SANDF) or by the demobilization of those declared inapt to be useful in the new army. This process concerned 85.000 soldiers and 20.000 civilians of the South-African defense force (SADF), 28.000 civil or military members of MK, 6.000 combatants of the APLA, 11.000 soldiers of the armies of old the Bantoustan S. In 1998, 16% of the soldiers of the South-African national army resulted from the rows from MK (either nearly 12 thousand people) and 53% of the old SADF.

Starting from 1995, the persons in charge of MK testified in front of the Commission truth and reconciliation to be explained not only on the attacks made on its behalf but also on the purgings practiced in its camps of formation.

Outstanding actions of MK

MK is responsible for several actions symbolic systems, in particular of the Sabotage S against civil, industrial or military infrastructures, sometimes resulting in the death of civilians (starting from 1977) but also of Attentat S, more murderers, clerk in particular with the beginning of the year 1980. Its most spectacular actions were:

the attack against the complex of refinement of the Sasol group in 1980,
its " tentative" of sabotage of the Nuclear plant of Koeberg close to the Cape, in January 1982,
the attack of Church street to Pretoria the May 20th 1983 (19 people killed, 217 wounded),
the car bomb attack the June 14th 1986 with Durban in front of Magoo' S Bar (3 killed, 69 wounded).
the attack with the court of Johannesburg in 1987 (3 died, 10 wounded)
the attack against the Standard bank of Roodepoort in 1988 (6 people killed, 18 wounded)

The ANC and MK also recognized their responsibility in the attack for Amanzimtoti to Christmas 1985 (5 died, 40 wounded) and in death dune family for tourists Afrikaner S close to Messina in December 1985 within the framework to a campaign which made 23 dead between 1985 and 1987 in the rural areas of the north and the east of the Transvaal.

MK also took part in military actions abroad against the South-African forces in particular starting from 1967 in Southern Rhodesia at the side of the guerilla of the ZAPU, in 1988 at the time of the Bataille of Cuito Cuanavale at the side of the innate forces Cuba and Angola ises or to the Mozambique at the side of the forces of FRELIMO against the rebels of RENAMO.

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