ANC ‘lacks the intellectual capacity’ to carry Pan-Africanism

Although the ANC is a force with no clear ideology, the party has managed in the past to steal Pan-Africanism from the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) – although the ANC lacked capacity to sustain the ideology.

This is the view of political analyst Sandile Swana, who delved into the rarely debated topic of Pan-Africanism in the post-democracy period, looking at how the ANC succeeded to elevate itself at the expense of PAC founder Robert Sobukwe and Black Consciousness Movement (BCM) leader Steve Biko by undermining their roles in the struggle and influence in society.

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He linked this to the trend in the former liberation movement in Africa which exerted their hegemony by playing down the roles played by fellow liberation organisations after freedom.

PAC, BCM undermined by ANC

Swana said the PAC and the BCM were undermined by the ANC around the ’80s when it embarked on a programme to eliminate other black political movements in order to emerge as the sole authentic representative of South Africa’s black majority.

“Both the PAC and the BCM were systematically attacked and eventually neutralised. Inkatha [Freedom Party] sought and got protection from the apartheid regime and Western donors,” said Swana.

“The ANC downplayed the sound nonracial beliefs of Sobukwe and Biko and tried to profile itself as the only nonracial movement in SA.”

He said, in terms of historiography, the ANC had in many ways successfully obscured the role of Sobukwe and the PAC on Sharpeville Day and other activities of PAC activists like Philip Kgosana, who led the PAC march in the Western Cape in the ’60s.

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The ANC even deliberately undermined the PAC’s role in the armed struggle. This was to spread to the military roles of the PAC’s military wing, Azanian Peoples Liberation Army, by portraying itself as the sole liberator of the black people.

“Thus, the ANC presents its ideology, voice and activities as the totality of the struggle. In fact any glorious thing about the struggle is presented as of the ANC in the same way Swapo [South West Africa People’s Organisation] and Zanu-PF do in their countries,” he said.

Swapo took over power in Namibia, while Zanu-PF won the first election after a long armed struggle against the Ian Smith regime in the former Rhodesia.

PAC and Pan-Africanism

While Sobukwe championed Pan-Africanism in South Africa as leader of the PAC, the organisation is no longer the ideological leader of Pan-Africanism.

Swana said Pan-Africanism was currently represented by the African Union, the South African Development Community, the Economic Freedom Fighters, Nepad (New Partnership for Africa’s Development) and African Renaissance that was pursued vigorously by Thabo Mbeki.

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“The ANC does not have the intellectual capacity to carry Pan-Africanism, not now. It may happen that within 20 years new serious intellectuals similar to Mbeki and others will emerge, but not right now.

“Pan-Africanism is not in any danger but the PAC is in danger of extinction because of the poor leadership of the past five decades at least.”