Introduction
Umkhonto we Sizwe, which is usually written in short as MK, means “Spear of the Nation.” It was co-founded by the likes of Nelson Mandela after the Sharpeville massacre as the armed segment of the African National Congress, (ANC). After the Sharpeville massacre, ANC realized that it could not only use non-violent means against the South African government, but also violent attacks towards the government in order to ensure constitutional reform and increase of rights. For this reason, it was declared a terrorist group and banned, (Cherry 98-99).
The headquarters of Umkhonto we Sizwe, (MK), were in Rivonia in Johannesburg. However, this almost came to an end later in July 1963 when most of its key members were arrested such as Walter Sisulu and Arthur Goldreich were arrested at a farm in Rivonia. The ANC and MK members were tried in a trail which was called the Rivonia trial. (Cherry 98-99).
Reasons for formation of the MK
In his famous speech, “I am prepared to die”, Nelson Mandela outlined the reasons why he and other ANC members had to form the MK. He said that in June 1961, after keenly considering the situation in South Africa, he and his other colleagues who were members of the ANC had to use force and violence because the government always responded to their peaceful demands with force and violence, (Williams, pg. 5).
In addition, Nelson Mandela also mentioned in his speech that starting the Umkhonto we Sizwe was not what he and his colleagues had desired to do but was had to do since the government had left them with no other choice. MK’s manifesto stated that there would be a time that the life of a nation would only two choices, to fight or submit; and since the time was then, Mk would not submit but fight for its people’s freedom. In short, the government policy made violence by Africans inevitable and there was no way that the war against White Supremacy would be worn without violence.
The Military Campaign
The military campaign by the MK took various forms such as bombings, landmine attacks and executions and tortures. Just before the military campaign had begun, Nelson Mandela sent a letter to the South African Newspapers warning of military attacks if the government did not call for a national constitutional convention. When the government did nothing, the military campaign began.
Bombings
The first bomb was on a church street which was close to the headquarters of the South African Air Force. 19 people died while more than two hundred people died. Several more bomb attacks were also happened which were mostly by MK.
In 1985 in the Natal South Coast, the Amanzimtoti bombing occurred. The bombing was done by an ANC cadre known as Andrew Sibusiso Zondo and resulted in the death of five civilians while forty other people were injured. Later on when the ANC did a submission to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the ANC stated that Zondo’s act was against the ANC policy as much as it was understandable as a response to a recent raid by the military.
In 1986, the 1986 Durban beach-front bombing or as it commonly came to be as the ‘Magoo’s Bar bombing’ happened. A bomb was detonated in a bar and eventually three civilians were killed while sixty nine more people were injured. Although Robert McBride was given a death penalty for the bombing, he was later given amnesty and also became a senior police officer.
The Landmine Campaign
The land mine campaign involved placing land mines on tanks but it was soon abolished because of the high rate of deaths by civilians. Both the government and the ANC submitted totally different figures for the explosions and deaths. The ANC recorded 30 explosions resulting in 23 deaths while the government reported 25 deaths resulting from 57 explosions.
Executions and Torture
The ANC would also use torture and executions at some of its camps. This was majorly during the ten years between 1980 and 1990. Executions and torture happened although they were not an official policy of the ANC.
Works Cited
Cherry, Janet. Umkhonto we Sizwe. Jacana Media, 2011.
Williams, Rocky. “The other armies: A brief historical overview of Umkhonto We Sizwe (MK), 1961–1994.” Military History Journal 11.5 (2000): 8.
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