Historical Organization
Pan Africanist Congress
Pan Africanist Congress
Also known as: PAC
Details
Organization Timeline
The Pan Africanist Congress is founded
📅 6 April 1959Africanists who had broken from the ANC formed the PAC at Orlando Community Hall. Robert Sobukwe became president and emphasized African leadership and anti-colonial liberation.
Robert Sobukwe announces the PAC anti-pass campaign
📅 16 March 1960Sobukwe informed the police that the Pan Africanist Congress would begin a disciplined, nonviolent campaign against pass laws on 21 March.
Police carry out the Sharpeville Massacre
📅 21 March 1960Police opened fire on an unarmed anti-pass gathering at Sharpeville, killing 69 people and wounding about 180. The massacre transformed resistance inside South Africa and international opposition to...
Police shoot anti-pass protesters in Langa
📅 21 March 1960Police violence also struck the anti-pass protest at Langa near Cape Town. Two people were killed and dozens wounded, placing Langa within the same national wave of resistance and repression as...
The government defends police action after Sharpeville
📅 22 March 1960Prime Minister Verwoerd praised the police and denied that the violence reflected opposition to apartheid. Authorities also detained PAC leaders and prepared sedition charges.
PAC leaders are charged after the anti-pass campaign
📅 23 March 1960Robert Sobukwe, P. K. Leballo and eleven others were charged with incitement following the protests. The prosecutions formed part of a rapid state crackdown.
Philip Kgosana leads a mass march into Cape Town
📅 30 March 1960An estimated 30,000 to 50,000 people marched from surrounding townships into central Cape Town. Kgosana negotiated their peaceful dispersal, after which the state intensified repression.
The government bans the ANC and PAC
📅 8 April 1960The African National Congress and Pan Africanist Congress were outlawed. Their members were forced underground or into exile, reshaping the liberation struggle.
Poqo members clash with police in Langa
📅 16 March 1962The confrontation reflected the growth of underground armed resistance after the PAC was banned. A policeman was killed and several others injured.
The Paarl Revolt is suppressed
📅 22 November 1962Poqo members marched from Mbekweni toward Paarl to attack state institutions and free detainees. Police clashes killed activists and led to wide arrests and executions.
The ANC and PAC receive observer status at the UN
📅 26 September 1974The General Assembly's Political Committee recognized the liberation movements as representatives in the struggle, strengthening their international legitimacy.
The government unbans liberation organizations
📅 2 February 1990De Klerk announced the unbanning of the ANC, PAC and SACP, the release of political prisoners and the opening of a negotiated transition.
The ANC and PAC begin a joint conference in Harare
📅 15 April 1991The two liberation movements discussed cooperation under mediation by Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe.
The Patriotic Front Conference opens
📅 26 October 1991Dozens of anti-apartheid organizations called for an elected constituent assembly and an interim government to manage the transition.
Gunmen attack St James Church
📅 25 July 1993Members of APLA attacked a Cape Town congregation, killing eleven people. The attack showed that political violence continued during negotiations.