Walter Sisulu

thumb|Walter Sisulu Walter Max Ulyate Sisulu (18 May 1912 – 5 May 2003) was a South African anti-apartheid activist and member of the African National Congress (ANC). Between terms as ANC Secretary-General (1949–1954) and ANC Deputy President (1991–1994), he was Accused No.2 in the Rivonia Trial and was incarcerated on Robben Island where he served more than 25 years' imprisonment for his anti-Apartheid revolutionary activism. He had a close partnership with Oliver Tambo and Nelson Mandela, with whom he played a key role in organising the 1952 Defiance Campaign and the establishment of the ANC Youth League and Umkhonto we Sizwe. He was also on the Central Committee of the South African Communist Party. Quotes What is new is the political consciousness. Even in the ordinary kid in primary school. The quality of the young people who are now handling the situation is very high. When we were running things, we never reached that stage. Sisulu said this shortly after his release from prison in 1989, reflecting on the political awareness he observed among young South Africans. Now we are not talking about black domination, we are talking of non-racial democracy. We are not counting faces, saying this is dark, this is darker, this is light. We are counting the merits of each person. Sisulu was discussing the government's proposals for a political settlement and rejected the idea that majority rule should be characterized as black domination. There is no liberation without women. When asked about the role of women in the liberation struggle, Sisulu emphasized their importance and recalled the mass women's campaigns of the 1950s. The women are the backbone of the movement. Sisulu was discussing women's participation in the anti-apartheid struggle and their history of organizing against the pass laws. Mineworkers have a crucial role to play in the liberation struggle. In his 1989 interview with NUM News, Sisulu discussed the historical role of mineworkers and their importance to the broader liberation movement. The people are driving forward to freedom. I am quite confident that liberation will come! At the end of his 1989 interview, Sisulu was asked whether he expected to see liberation in his lifetime. He said that while it did not depend simply on his wishes, he was confident that liberation would come. It had a tremendous impact! The Nordic countries have got one aspect which perhaps now we understand. From the point of view of humanity, I think that they are among the greatest. I think that the part they have played in international politics is beyond understanding. Sisulu was discussing the impact of Nordic support for the ANC and the liberation struggle, particularly the political and humanitarian significance of that relationship. We began to look at them and realized what a tremendous advance we were making, having good relations with the Nordic countries. Its importance was beyond our understanding. Sisulu recalled how ANC leaders imprisoned on Robben Island came to understand the importance of Nordic support and international relations. No doubt. It was a tremendous move to have such a relationship. O.R. Tambo did great work, particularly in that field. He was able to analyze the situation. He was a diplomat and a politician. Sisulu credited Oliver Tambo with developing the ANC's relationship with the Nordic countries and described Tambo's diplomatic and political abilities. It was fantastic! Amazing! Just to cope with that relationship and to consolidate and improve it. It was our task. It had a tremendous impact on me. Sisulu was recalling his visit to Sweden after his release from prison and his reaction to the relationship that Oliver Tambo and the ANC had developed with the Nordic countries. We have a greater job to do and this time not for a particular country, but on a global basis. Sisulu was reflecting on the changing responsibilities of the ANC after apartheid and the transition from a specifically South African liberation struggle toward broader international responsibilities. Yes, more difficult, because it involves by and large the question of non-racialism. We now have to lead other countries in this direction. We have difficulties in getting people to understand it at home and yet it is the greatest task that we must work for. Sisulu described non-racialism as one of the major challenges facing South Africa after apartheid and argued that advancing this principle would be a continuing task. External links Category:1912 births Category:2003 deaths Category:Xhosa people Category:Activists from South Africa Category:African National Congress politicians Category:Anti-apartheid activists Category:Prisoners