The role of the OAU in fighting Apartheid
The OAU secretariat in Addis-Ababa branded apartheid as an evil against mankind and wrote extensively against it. This helped to arouse world opinion against it.
The OAU secretariat passed a number of resolutions against apartheid.
The OAU setup a liberation committee with its Headquarters in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania. This became a base for nationalists struggling against apartheid.
The OAU sent a diplomatic delegation to South Africa and Namibia to negotiate for the independence of those countries . However, the white minority regimes didn't respect the proposals of the OAU liberation committee. This made the committee to recommend the use of violence.
The OAU member states imposed economic sanctions against South Africa. They cut off all trade links with South Africa so as to cripple her economy.
The OAU member states also cut off diplomatic ties with South Africa
The OAU presented the South African question before the United Nations Organisation. This influenced the UNO to call for international sanctions against the South African apartheid regime.
It recognised and extended financial and technical support to the Liberation Movements in South Africa.
The OAU member states provided the ANC guerrillas with training grounds e.g in Tanzania, Angola and Mozambique.
0AU member states also provided sate havens (political asylum) to the political fugitives from South Africa,
OAU member states also paid their annual subscriptions to the OAU Headquarters and from these, a percentage was sent to help South African Nationalists.
The OAU condemned the brutality of the apartheid regime in South Africa e.g It condemned the 1960 Sharpeville massacres, the unfair trials of Rivonia in July 1963, the 1976 Soweto massacres of unarmed students, the Soweto massacres of 1986 etc.
It condemned the unpopular passbook laws and labour injustices. This helped to exert pressure on the racist regime of South Africa.
It demanded for the release of political prisoners in South Africa and this finally saw the release of Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, Thabo Mbeki and others.
The OAU called for unity between ANC, PAC and the Inkatha Freedom Party.
The OAU provided South African students with quality education within OAU member states. This helped to produce a body of elites who joined the diplomatic and military struggle against apartheid.
In 1968, the OAU- together with Asian countries pressurised the international bodies e.g ILO, the WHO, FAO, FIFA to dismember South Africa. This was subsequently done.
It mobilized the OAU member states to protest against the 1974 tour of South Africa by the British Rugby team.
However, the OAU met a number of problems:
• Financial incapacitation due to failure by some OAU member states to remit their annual contributions.
• Differences in approach whereby some African states preferred dialogue with the South African racist regime while the majority preferred the use of violence.
• The refusal by some OAU member states to cut off ties with South Africa e.g Malawi, Swaziland and Lesotho which argued that most of their revenue was derived from the trade with South Africa.
• The OAU operated without a high military command. This meant that force against the South African racist government wasn't well co-ordinated.
• The economic strength of South Africa made the OAU sanctions against her irrelevant. She could fly her locally manufactured goods to Mauritius and Madagascar and then- pack them. These found market in almost all African countries!
• Gradually however, the OAU managed to internationalize the South African case and this saw the independence of South Africa in 1994 when a government of national unity was formed under Nelson Mandela of the ANC.
The OAU secretariat passed a number of resolutions against apartheid.
The OAU setup a liberation committee with its Headquarters in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania. This became a base for nationalists struggling against apartheid.
The OAU sent a diplomatic delegation to South Africa and Namibia to negotiate for the independence of those countries . However, the white minority regimes didn't respect the proposals of the OAU liberation committee. This made the committee to recommend the use of violence.
The OAU member states imposed economic sanctions against South Africa. They cut off all trade links with South Africa so as to cripple her economy.
The OAU member states also cut off diplomatic ties with South Africa
The OAU presented the South African question before the United Nations Organisation. This influenced the UNO to call for international sanctions against the South African apartheid regime.
It recognised and extended financial and technical support to the Liberation Movements in South Africa.
The OAU member states provided the ANC guerrillas with training grounds e.g in Tanzania, Angola and Mozambique.
0AU member states also provided sate havens (political asylum) to the political fugitives from South Africa,
OAU member states also paid their annual subscriptions to the OAU Headquarters and from these, a percentage was sent to help South African Nationalists.
The OAU condemned the brutality of the apartheid regime in South Africa e.g It condemned the 1960 Sharpeville massacres, the unfair trials of Rivonia in July 1963, the 1976 Soweto massacres of unarmed students, the Soweto massacres of 1986 etc.
It condemned the unpopular passbook laws and labour injustices. This helped to exert pressure on the racist regime of South Africa.
It demanded for the release of political prisoners in South Africa and this finally saw the release of Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, Thabo Mbeki and others.
The OAU called for unity between ANC, PAC and the Inkatha Freedom Party.
The OAU provided South African students with quality education within OAU member states. This helped to produce a body of elites who joined the diplomatic and military struggle against apartheid.
In 1968, the OAU- together with Asian countries pressurised the international bodies e.g ILO, the WHO, FAO, FIFA to dismember South Africa. This was subsequently done.
It mobilized the OAU member states to protest against the 1974 tour of South Africa by the British Rugby team.
However, the OAU met a number of problems:
• Financial incapacitation due to failure by some OAU member states to remit their annual contributions.
• Differences in approach whereby some African states preferred dialogue with the South African racist regime while the majority preferred the use of violence.
• The refusal by some OAU member states to cut off ties with South Africa e.g Malawi, Swaziland and Lesotho which argued that most of their revenue was derived from the trade with South Africa.
• The OAU operated without a high military command. This meant that force against the South African racist government wasn't well co-ordinated.
• The economic strength of South Africa made the OAU sanctions against her irrelevant. She could fly her locally manufactured goods to Mauritius and Madagascar and then- pack them. These found market in almost all African countries!
• Gradually however, the OAU managed to internationalize the South African case and this saw the independence of South Africa in 1994 when a government of national unity was formed under Nelson Mandela of the ANC.
National Movements and New States in Africa