South African History Online

Keynote address of the President of the ANC, Nelson Mandela, to the Umkhonto we Sizwe National conference

Eastern Transvaal, 3-4 September 1993

Members of the National Executive Committee,
Members of the Military
Headquarters,
Officers and combatants of Umkhonto We Sizwe,
Comrades,

It is with great honour that I stand here before you at this critical
juncture in the history of our country. You, the combatants of our peoples army,
Umkhonto We Sizwe, have left an indelible mark on the history of our struggle
for freedom and democracy. We are gathered here today to look back on that
history, to acknowledge both our strengths and weaknesses and more importantly
to consolidate our gains in order to face the challenges ahead.

I am confident that you will display the commitment and discipline that has
always been an outstanding quality of our heroic army, when you debate and
discuss the significant issues and problems we are confronted with.

Together we have travelled a long and difficult road to freedom and even
though we have come a long way we have in no way reached our destination, in
fact if we are not vigilant the end point may be much further than we would like
to think it actually is.

It is also with great sadness that we are gathered here today, if democratic
elections materialise in April next year, MK will cease to exist as we have come
to know and love it. I must however point out that in as much as this will
represent an end of an important chapter in our history, it is at the same time
a consolidation of our collective effort to eradicate the oppressive system of
apartheid.

MK - THE EMBODIMENT OF OUR QUEST FOR FREEDOM

MK from its inception has played a significant role both politically and
militarily in the process of liberating our people from apartheid oppression and
economic exploitation. MK was and is the embodiment of the fighting spirit of
our people and came to represent the highest aspirations and ideals of our
struggle. It was by way of example that MK inspired generations of our fighting
youth to swell the ranks of our army and the African National Congress.

The history of MK has not been an easy one. The ANC has had to operate under
the most difficult operational conditions compounded by insufficient resources.
Throughout this MK proved itself capable of mustering all the resources at its
disposal, it displayed creativity and initiative which became a hallmark of its
operations. The heroic examples of many of our combatants, those who have fallen
in the line of duty and those still amongst us today, sent a clear message to
the racist regime - that MK was capable of inflicting the most telling blows on
the regime and its infrastructure.

It must also be noted, lest we forget, that MK played as valuable a role in
the political arena as it did in the military field. Many of our combatants were
outstanding political activists who fully understood and internalised the
dialectical relationship that exists between our political and military
struggle. In fact many of our combatants laid down their lives and were captured
by the enemy for the political struggles they were engaged in. The period of
armed propaganda was a clear manifestation of this dynamic understanding of the
relationship between political and armed struggle. It was MK's commitment to the
political objectives of the ANC that ensured its political and moral legitimacy
as a genuine peoples army. This understanding translated itself into
increasingly sophisticated military operations against the apartheid regime and
its structures. Over the decades MK was transformed into an effective political
and military force.

It was within this context that MK was tempered and steeled into the
revolutionary army that it is today.

NEGOTIATIONS AND ARMED STRUGGLE

It must be acknowledged that the post February 1990 period did affect the ANC
organisationally at different levels in an adverse way. MK was no exception to
this process of reorganisation and restructuring. The reality is that any period
of transition is characterised by change, and it is inevitable that this process
will be accompanied by some degree of uncertainty and requires adaptation to the
new situation.

The most important point to note in relation to negotiations and its
relationship to other forms of struggle is that they are not mutually exclusive.
Negotiations must be viewed as the culmination of all our collective efforts on
different levels, through the use of a variety of methods, under different
conditions to achieve our strategic objective - the transfer of power from the
minority to the majority.

The decision to suspend armed activity did not mean an acceptance on our part
of the irreversibility of the process of negotiations, but rather a genuine
commitment to the process of peace and democracy. The African National Congress
has more than any other organisation or political party, blazed the trail of
democracy in this country. The suspension of armed activity should also not be
viewed as a sign of weakness on our part, it should be viewed as a process of
strengthening our position at the negotiating table and our commitment to
creating the most favourable conditions for the democratisation process to
succeed.

The most significant point in relation to the suspension of armed activity is
that it in no way negates either the existence of MK nor the need to strengthen
and build our army for the future. In fact, it places greater responsibility and
poses new challenges for our army.

It is also important to recognise that negotiations are an advance for our
struggle. It is the combined efforts of all our people and that of MK in
reinforcing the mass struggles of our people which forced the regime to engage
in the negotiations process.

What needs to be done and what you need to deliberate at this conference, is
how best MK can contribute positively and constructively to the process of
democratisation.

CHANGES IN THE REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL BALANCE OF FORCES

As you are aware we all have lived and are living in historical times. Who
would have thought that we would be living witnesses to the collapse of the
former Soviet Union ? Who would have speculated the swiftness with which the
United States of America would consolidate its hegemony over the world ? Suffice
to say that we are living in a world in which the project of revolutionary
transformation has become a much more difficult one. To recognise these changes
does not for one moment imply that the prospects for and the commitment to
democratic transformation has diminished, the reality is that there are millions
of oppressed and exploited people the world over who continue to struggle for
freedom and liberation. The struggling people of our own country bear testimony
to this.

In the Southern African region we have witnessed the decolonisation of
Namibia. Old regimes have been replaced by new ones through democratic elections
and multi - party democracy has become synonymous with political and economic
change. The optimism which many individuals across the political spectrum have
expressed should not be without caution. What is happening in Angola and
Mozambique is the most pertinent example of the disregard that forces of
reaction have for democracy. In our own country similar forces of reaction are
doing their utmost to derail the democratisation process. Our people
collectively need to safeguard and consolidate the process of democracy less we
find ourselves on the road to anarchy and destruction.

These changes in the balance of forces worldwide has also had an adverse
impact on the support we have enjoyed historically from friendly countries. The
material and financial assistance which we received from traditional sources has
been seriously affected and this has meant that we are operating without
adequate resources. This is precisely why we have experienced such severe
problems in relation to the welfare of our members and in particular that of our
combatants. The African National Congress is well aware of this problem and we
are constantly struggling to rectify this situation. It is not an easy task and
we hope that together we will weather this storm as we have done so admirably in
the past.

THE WELFARE OF MK

One of the primary reasons for convening this MK conference has been to look
into the important issue of the welfare of our soldiers.

The ANC recognises that this issue has become critical in that we have not
been able to adequately address this problem. This conference will hopefully
allow us to understand the real extent of the problem and find the necessary
solutions.

The issue of welfare is not one that can be reduced to the handing out of
money for services rendered. The welfare of our combatants and that of our
returned exiles in general is directly linked to a commitment on the part of the
ANC to recognise the incredible sacrifices and commitment to liberation by
generations of our people who found their way into the ranks of the ANC and MK.
Those of our people who have been denied the opportunity to lead normal lives by
virtue of the commitment to the liberation of our people must be given access to
pensions, health care, housing, education, skills training and employment. It is
imperative that we are committed to redressing the historical injustice of
apartheid and racism.

It is important that this commitment extends even to the families of those
who have fallen in the course of our struggle, to the families of those who have
been disabled and brutalized by apartheid.

I want to state unequivocally that the ANC is committed to ensuring that any
future democratic government will be committed to providing the necessary means
to address this issue.

THE ROLE OF MK DURING THE TRANSITION AND IN THE FUTURE

The key task during the transition period is that of levelling the political
playing field. If we are not able to achieve this we will not have free and fair
elections in April next year. We understand very well why the regime and its
allies are not genuinely committed to the process of levelling the political
playing field, because if they do they will lose their monopoly over the
critical instruments and means of power. It is for this reason that they are so
reluctant to lose control of their security forces and relinquish their monopoly
of force. The regime wants to use these issues as a leverage to assert itself at
the negotiating table.

The greatest threat to democracy in this country are the security forces of
the regime and their supporters in the white rightwing movement. As the ANC we
need to be absolutely unequivocal in our demand for the joint multi - party
control of all security forces and armed formations. We must make sure that no
security force or armed formation can hold the process of democratisation to
ransom.

MK can play a vital role in showing the way forward as regards the issue of
security. MK must be fully committed to the levelling of the playing field and
must lead the way in securing the necessary agreements related to the
establishment of the national peacekeeping force and TEC Sub - council on
defence. I will not elaborate on the details of these issues as I am aware you
will be discussing them at length during the conference.

In addition to addressing the issue of the transitional mechanisms in
relation to security forces and armed formations, as MK we need to look
seriously at our preparations for participating in the future national defence
force. If we are ill prepared and have been unsuccessful in our attempts at
converting our guerilla forces into regular conventional ones we will not be
able to play a significant role in the integration process. Again I am confident
that this conference will look into these issues as matter of urgency and one of
significant importance.

MK - THE WAY FORWARD

I am conscious of the fact that since the MK conference in Venda we have
faced numerous problems related to organisational restructuring and the issue of
adequate resources. It is necessary to identify the problems related to the non
implementation of those resolutions and develop mechanisms to ensure that from
this conference we emerge stronger and better equipped to face the challenges
ahead.

During this critical period we need to draw on our commitment, our collective
skills and resources, our desire for freedom and democracy and our unity which
has been forged in battle in order to move forward to freedom and liberation.

If we allow our difficulties to drive a wedge between us the only victors
would be those who have oppressed, exploited and brutalised us for so many
decades. This conference needs to soberly assess our weaknesses and our
strengths, to be open and frank in our discussions in a constructive way without
losing sight of the primary contradiction in our society - the existence of the
apartheid regime and the need to rid our country of it as speedily as possible.

You are going to be important participants in the future of this country. You
have a great historical responsibility and do not for one moment detract from
that less you allow yourselves to be marginalised from the very process which
will determine your future and that of our country as a whole.

There is a need now to develop our ideas and positions on a broad range of
issues ranging from education and skills training to demobilisation and the
future training needs of our soldiers. This responsibility should not rest on
the shoulders of a few individuals but all of you who are gathered here today.

You are also aware that we have launched an MK national fund. Your
deliberations should also look at how best to utilise these funds.

CONCLUSION

As I have mentioned earlier, December 16th this year may be the last
anniversary of MK that we will celebrate. We need to look at how best to
celebrate this anniversary so as to highlight the great historical role of MK in
our struggle and to honour those of our martyrs who have made the supreme
sacrifice. We must never forget the memory of our fallen comrades and here we
remember Chris Hani, Cassius Make, Paul Dikeledi, Barny Molokoane, Obadi, Mary
Mini and many others who have made the supreme sacrifice.   I want to
once again reiterate that I am confident you will emerge stronger and clearer as
to the tasks you have identified for yourselves.

We must end the violence, the death and destruction, the oppression and
exploitation and build a secure future for us all in peace and democracy.