Full Description
South Africa’s oldest liberation movement, founded in 1912. Initially committed to non-violence and constitutional means, the ANC was banned in 1960 after the Sharpeville Massacre and turned to armed struggle through its military wing Umkhonto we Sizwe, co-founded by Nelson Mandela. The ANC led negotiations to end apartheid and won South Africa’s first democratic election in April 1994. Since 1994 it has governed South Africa, but has faced increasing criticism for corruption, economic mismanagement, and the persistence of inequality.
Critical Perspective
The ANC’s post-1994 history is a case study in the challenges facing liberation movements that become governing parties. The transition from apartheid preserved the fundamental structures of South Africa’s racial capitalism — the economy remained largely in white hands, and the ANC’s economic policy was more conservative than many of its supporters expected. The rise of the EFF (Economic Freedom Fighters) under Julius Malema reflects the frustration of younger South Africans for whom political liberation has not delivered economic transformation.
Leave a Reply