Number of identified external meetings between the ANC and South Africans 1983–2000

1983 - 4 meetings

1984 - 9 meetings

1985 - 19 meetings

1986 - 27 meetings

1987 - 23 meetings According to Dr Barnard they started the process in 1987, it is obvious a lie. What else is a lie?

1988 - 32 meetings

1989 - 39 meetings

1990 - 14 meetings

TOTAL - 167 meetings before the unbanning of the ANC. It was an Trinity operation: Businesses, SISA, and liberation collaborators (most of those who did not cooperated were killed-revisit the role of Vlakplaas and CCB)

A CHRONOLOGY OF MEETINGS BETWEEN SOUTH AFRICANS AND THE ANC IN EXILE 1983–1990

1983

1983 Charles Villa-Vicencio met with the ANC. “There were several important off-the-record meetings with Thabo [Mbeki], [Alfred] Nzo, Mac [Maharaj] and others during 1983 and 1984 ”¦ I also saw records of these and related meetings in the NIA/S files during the TRC days.”

(Personal communication, Charles Villa-Vicencio, 30 May 2012)

1983 Archbishop Denis Hurley, President of the SA Catholic Bishops Conference, met with President Oliver Tambo of the ANC for three hours at a Paddington hotel, London, at a meeting organised by Ishmael Coovadia of the SACP. (AC)

1983 African American Institute meeting at which the “ANC was heavily represented” and John Dugard and Johnny Makatini were present, in Harare (JD)

1983 Alan Boesak, Simon Gqubule, Bishop Philip Russell, John Thorne and Charles Villa-Vicencio met with members of the ANC during a World Council of Churches assembly, in Vancouver, Canada.

August 1983 The United Democratic Front was launched at Mitchells Plain in Cape Town.

1984

8 January 1984 Max du Preez, together with a member of the Argus Africa News Service, met with those members of the ANC attending the organisation’s annual birthday party, in Lusaka.

March 1984 South Africa forces the government of Samora Machel to sign the Nkomati Accord; MK expelled from Mozambique.

August 1984 H.W. van der Merwe (Director, Centre for Inter-group Studies, UCT) began his mediating initiative to encourage dialogue and contact between the ANC and the SA government by meeting with the ANC (Alfred Nzo, Thabo Mbeki), in Lusaka. (AduT)

This initiative included meetings with Mandela first at Pollsmoor Prison (on 8 October 1984) then later at Victor Verster Prison, meetings with the ANC in Lusaka, Harare, Dar-es-Salaam, London, and Stockholm, and meetings with SA Cabinet members Louis le Grange and Kobie Coetsee. Documentation on the initiative exists in his papers in UCT Archives, in his book Peace Making in South Africa: A Life in Conflict Resolution and in the ANC Archives housed at the University of Fort Hare.

February 1984 Cassim Saloojee, National Treasurer of the UDF, met with the ANC (Oliver Tambo, Thabo Mbeki & Thomas Nkobi) at a meeting arranged by Trevor Huddleston, in London. (GG)

August 1984 H.W. van der Merwe met with the ANC (Alfred Nzo, Florence Mophosho, Gertrude Shope), in Lusaka.

10–12 September 1984 H.W. van der Merwe met with the ANC (Thabo Mbeki and Alfred Nzo) at the Anglo American Corporation offices, in Lusaka

September 1984 “The NIS is reported to have made ‘tentative contact’ with the ANC in Geneva.”

(James Sanders, Apartheid’s Friends: The Rise and Fall of South Africa’s Secret Service, p. 234.)

November 1984 Largest political general strike in South Africa’s history occurs as an estimated 800,000 workers stay home for two days in the Transvaal.

25–28 November 1984 H.W. van der Merwe and Piet Muller (Deputy Editor, Die Beeld) met with the ANC (Sipho Makana, Thabo Mbeki, Alfred Nzo), in Lusaka. (AduT, HG)

H.W. van der Merwe and Muller each published articles on this meeting in the summer 1985 issue of Die Suid-Afrikaan (H.W. van der Merwe “Skadubeeld van Afrikaner-nasionalisme” p. 20–1). Muller also published two articles based on an interview with Thabo Mbeki in Die Beeld.

2–5 December 1984 H.W. van der Merwe met with ANC (Alfred Nzo, Florence Moposho), in Lusaka.

1984 Kobus Jordaan, of the Department of Constitutional Development (formerly a Bantustan official and previously a denominational missionary in Zambia) at the request of Chris Heunis (Minister of Constitutional Development) met “in secret” with the ANC, in Lusaka.

1985

January 1985 David Willers of the South African Foundation met with the ANC (Seretse Choabi and Solly Smith [pseudonym of S.S. Khunyeli]), probably in London.

(James Sanders, Apartheid’s Friends, p. 235.)

8 January 1985 Max du Preez, together with a representative of the Argus Africa News Service, met with the ANC at the organisation’s annual birthday party, in Lusaka.

28 January 1985 Barry Streek (journalist with the SA Independent group, and political activist) met with the ANC, in Lusaka.7

15 August 1985 P.W. Botha delivers his so-called Rubicon speech to the National Party Congress.

September 1985 Gavin Relly (Chair, Anglo American Corporation), Zach de Beer (formerly Progressive Federal Party MP and AAC Board member), Tony Bloom (CEO, Premier Milling), Peter Sorour (Director, SA Foundation), Hugh Murray (Editor, Leadership magazine), Harald Pakendorf (Editor, Die Vaderland), Tertius Myburgh (Editor, Sunday Times) met with the ANC (Oliver Tambo, Thabo Mbeki, Chris Hani, Mac Maharaj, Pallo Jordan, James Stuart [pseudonym of Hermanus Loots]), at Mfuwe Lodge, in eastern Zambia. (HM, TB).

(Tony Bloom’s 30 page typed memo of this meeting is lodged in UCT’s Manuscripts & Archives, and the ANC memorandum on the meeting is Document 126, pp. 577–80 in Gerhart and Glaser [2013].)

6–9 September 1985 H.W. van der Merwe met with the ANC (Thabo Mbeki, Jacob Zuma and Victor Moche), in Lusaka.

September 1985 Dries van Heerden (journalist on Die Vaderland) met with the ANC, in Lusaka.

27 September 1985 Peter Gastrow met with ANC in Lusaka to prepare for the meeting with a PFP delegation.

11 October 1985 PFP delegation led by F. van Zyl Slabbert, with Colin Eglin, Alex Boraine and Peter Gastrow (PFP MPs) met with the ANC (Alfred Nzo, Thabo Mbeki, Mac Maharaj, Thomas Nkobi, Gertrude Shope), in Lusaka.

30 October 1985 Tony Heard (Editor, The Cape Times) met and interviewed Oliver Tambo, in London.

(Heard published this interview in The Cape Times four days later on 4 November 1985.)

November 1985 Nico Smit of NGK met with the ANC representative Neo Mnumzana, in New York. (GG) (A planned meeting between the ANC and the NGK was called off during 1985.)

November 1985 Eight University of Stellenbosch students met with the ANC youth department, in Harare.

December 1985 Delegation from the Soweto Parents’ Crisis Committee (led by its founder Rev Molefe Tsele) met with the ANC, in Harare.

December 1985 A delegation led by Jay Naidoo from the newly formed COSATU met with the ANC (Joe Slovo, Mac Maharaj and others), in Harare.

1985 Chairmen of leading corporate groups (Sir Timothy Bevan (Barclays Bank), Lord Barber (Standard Bank), Evelyn de Rothschild (Chair of Rothschild’s), George Soros, with representatives of Shell, Courtaulds, BP and Gold Fields and (from SA) Tony Bloom (Premier Group) and Chris Ball (Barclays), invited by Anthony Sampson to lunch at the Connaught Rooms, London, to meet with Oliver Tambo, in London.

(Anthony Sampson, The Anatomist, p. 228).

1985 Centre for Contextual Hermeneutics, University of Stellenbosch (Profs Johann Kinghorn, Bernard Lategan, Lourens du Plessis, and Etienne de Villiers) met to discuss their document “The Option for an Inclusive Democracy” with the ANC, at Cold Comfort Farm, Zimbabwe.

December 1985 Anglican Church delegation led by Bishop Philip Russell, of Natal, met with the ANC, in Lusaka.

December 1985 Student leaders from Stellenbosch, UCT and UWC met with ANC, in Harare. (This meeting was facilitated and attended by H.W. van der Merwe, who was attending a World Council of Churches conference in Harare at which three ANC NEC members were present.)

1985 Soweto Parents’ Crisis Committee met with the ANC, in Lusaka. (AduT)

1985 Andrew Boraine of NUSAS met with Thabo Mbeki, in Lusaka. (AB)

1986

8 January 1986 Max du Preez and a representative of the Argus Africa News Service meet with the ANC at the organisation’s annual birthday party, in Lusaka. (MduP)

23 January 1986 United Democratic Front (Arnold Stofile, Valli Moosa, Cheryl Carolus, Hoffman Galeng [Huhudi Civic Association], Sydney Mufamadi, Raymond Suttner) met with the ANC (Oliver Tambo, Alfred Nzo, Aziz Pahad, and Mac Maharaj), in Stockholm. (GG)

28 January 1986 George Bizos and Ismail Ayob met with ANC (Oliver Tambo with others), in Lusaka.

(Bizos, Odyssey to Freedom, p. 420–21.)

1–3 March 1986 Enos Mabuza (Chief Minister of the self-governing KaNgwane homeland) led a delegation of 21 persons, including his entire cabinet, of the Inyandza National Movement and met with the ANC (comprised of 22 person group), in Lusaka. (HM)

5–6 March 1986 COSATU delegation (Cyril Ramaphosa, Sydney Mufamadi, Jay Naidoo, Chris Dlamini and others) had a tripartite meeting with the ANC (Oliver Tambo, Mac Maharaj, Chris Hani and others) and SACTU (John Nkadimeng, General-Secretary SACTU, and Kay Moonsamy), in Lusaka.

7 March 1986 H.W. van der Merwe and the Norwegian Ambassador Ola Dorum met with the ANC representative in East Africa (Stanley Mabizela ambassador to Tanzania), in Dar-es-Salaam. (GG)

(Mabizela’s account of the meeting appears in Volume 6 of Gerhart and Glasser, From Protest to Challenge, pp. 595–99, Document 132.)

March 1986 UDF leaders attending the funeral of Moses Mabhida in Maputo, met with the ANC, in Maputo. (GG)

March 1986 F. van Zyl Slabbert (after resigning from Parliament) and Dick Enthoven met with the senior leadership of the ANC (including Thabo Mbeki, Pallo Jordan, Mac Maharaj and Joe Slovo), in Lusaka.

March 1986 Delegation from the National Education Crisis Committee met with the ANC, in Lusaka.

31 March–2 April 1986 NUSAS eight person delegation (Brendon Barry – NUSAS President, and the SRC Presidents of UCT – Glenn Moss; Durban – Meryl Plasket; Pietermaritzburg – Bruce Robertson; Wits – Claire Wright; Rhodes – Barry du Toit; the Chair of the Stellenbosch University NUSAS Local Committee – Dave Waddilove, and the South African Student’s Press Union President – Steve Kromberg) met with an eight person ANC group (headed by two NEC members Mac Maharaj and James Stuart [psuedonym of Hermanus Loots]), in Harare. (Andrew B)

(See the 32 page report back booklet NUSAS Talks to the ANC published and distributed by NUSAS in 1986.)

15–17 April 1986 Delegation of the SA Catholic Bishops Conference (led by Archbishop Denis Hurley, with Bishop Wilfred Napier of Kokstad, Bishop Mansuet Biyase of Eshowe, and Father Smangaliso Mkhatshwa [then a prominent UDF leader and a future Deputy-Minister of Education and mayor of Pretoria/Tshwane]) met with the ANC delegation (led by its President Oliver Tambo and including Ruth Mompati, Mac Maharaj, Steve Tshwete, John Nkadimeng and Peter Ramakoa [pseudonym of Joel Netshitenzhe]), in Lusaka. (AC, GG)

(An abridged transcript of the meeting appears as Document 80, pp. 437–47, in Gerhart and Glaser [2013].)

May 1986 National African Federation Chamber of Commerce (NAFCOC) delegation (led by its President, Gabriel Mokgoka, and including Sam Motsuenyane) met with the ANC (Oliver Tambo, Joel Netshitenzhe and others), in Lusaka.

May 1986 Second meeting of NAFCOC with ANC, in Europe.

June 1986 Government declares a national State of Emergency, imposes press curbs and begins a vast wave of detentions.

3 June 1986 Peter Soal and Philip Myburg MPs met with Oliver Tambo and Pallo Jordan of the ANC at the State House, Lusaka.

8 June 1986 Professor Pieter de Lange (Chairman of the Broederbond and Rector of RAU) and Thabo Mbeki were both present at a New York conference organised by the Ford Foundation (ANC members at the conference included Mac Maharaj and Seretse Choabi) also present were Charles Villa-Vicencio, van Zyl Slabbert and Peggy Dulany. During the conference Mbeki and de Lange met alone for five hours at de Lange’s hotel.

(“It is likely that Esterhuyse also facilitated the 1986 meeting in New York between Mbeki and Professor Pieter de Lange ”¦” Maritz Spaarwater, A Spook’s Progress, p. 175)

June 1986 H.W. van der Merwe met with Thabo Mbeki, in Lusaka.

June 1986 Group of Business men from SA (including Chris Ball of FNB and Neil Chapman of Southern Life), from the US (including George Soros) and the UK held talks with Oliver Tambo, in London. Later BBC-TV carried a debate between the business men and the ANC. (The meeting may have been organised by Consolidated Goldfields.)

June 1986 Federation of Industries met with the ANC. (AduT)

July 1986 Delegation from the Association for Sociology in Southern Africa (Blade Nzimande, Elrena van der Spuy, Ivan Evans, Jo Beall and Doug Hindson) met with the ANC education department (also Pallo Jordan) and later informally met Oliver Tambo, in Lusaka. (EvdS)

14–17 September 1986 Delegation of nine persons from UCT (led by Stuart Saunders with George Dall, Jon File, James Leatt, Mamphela Ramphele, Charles Villa-Vicencio, and SRC leaders Glenn Goosen and Carla Sutherland and AZAPO student leader Chris Mzimane) were joined by three UWC leaders (Jakes Gerwel, Jaap Durand and Jairam Reddy) and by Professor Mohanoe of the University of the North and John Samuel, and met with 16 members of the ANC (Alfred Nzo, Thabo Mbeki, Jack Simons, Ruth Mompati, Billy Modise, Vuyiswa Nokwe, H.G. Makgothi, Mendi Msimang, Ivy Matsepe, Barbara Masekela, Mandla Langa, W. Njobe, Sipho Makana, Thomas Nkobi and Andrew Masondo), in Lusaka. (SJS, JF)

26 September–2 October 1986 Conference on “The Southern African Economy after Apartheid”, among those from South Africa attending were Collette Caine, Georgina Jaffee, David Niddrie and Glenn Moss, and among those from the ANC attending were Essop Pahad, Wally Serote and Harold Wolpe. The conference was held at the University of York, United Kingdom. (GM)

20 November 1986 COSATU leaders (Chris Dlamini, Sydney Mufamadi, Alec Erwin, Phumzile John Gomono and Maxwell [Kulu?]) met with the ANC, in Lusaka.

November 1986 Delegation from the SA Council of Churches (led by Dr Manas Buthelezi) and the Lutheran Church (led by Dean Tshenuwani Simon Farisani) that included Beyers Naude, Wolfram Kistner and Charles Villa-Vicencio and the heads of other SACC member churches, and also Paul Boateng (UK MP), met the ANC (including Oliver Tambo, Alfred Nzo), in Lusaka.

December 1986 H.W. van der Merwe met with the ANC representative in Scandinavia, Lindiwe Mabuza, in Stockholm.

1986 Jules Browde (Convenor, National Convention Movement), met with Oliver Tambo, in Lusaka.

1986 F. van Zyl Slabbert and Alex Boraine of IDASA met with the ANC, together with SWAPO members, to discuss concerns about the Southern Africa region, in Lusaka.

1986 Dr Sam Motsuenyane, President of the National Federated Chamber of Commerce (NAFCOC), met with the ANC in Europe.