Historical Organization
South African Communist Party
South African Communist Party
Also known as: SACP
Details
Organization Timeline
Umkhonto we Sizwe begins its sabotage campaign
📅 16 December 1961After peaceful political activity was outlawed and repressed, MK announced itself through attacks on state installations. Its early strategy sought to avoid loss of life.
Bram Fischer is arrested after months underground
📅 11 November 1965Fischer had gone underground while on trial for Communist Party activity. His arrest removed an important strategist and lawyer from active resistance.
Bram Fischer is sentenced to life imprisonment
📅 9 May 1966Fischer was convicted of sabotage and Communist Party activity. His statement defended his decision to resist apartheid rather than accept racial privilege.
Ruth First is assassinated
📅 17 August 1982A parcel bomb sent by apartheid security agents killed the scholar and activist at Eduardo Mondlane University in Maputo.
Govan Mbeki is released from prison
📅 5 November 1987After twenty-three years in prison, the Rivonia veteran became the first of the senior ANC political prisoners to be released.
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 begins an open-ended mass-action campaign
📅 16 June 1992Rallies and work stoppages demanded an interim government and an elected constituent assembly.
A forty-eight-hour general strike begins
📅 3 August 1992The Tripartite Alliance used mass action to demand an interim government, majority rule and effective measures against political violence.
Chris Hani is assassinated
📅 10 April 1993A far-right gunman murdered the SACP general secretary and MK leader outside his home, bringing the country close to widespread conflict.
Mandela addresses the nation after Hani's assassination
📅 13 April 1993In a nationally televised appeal, Mandela called for unity, discipline and rejection of racial revenge.
A mass funeral is held for Chris Hani
📅 19 April 1993More than 150,000 mourners gathered at FNB Stadium, demonstrating Hani's popularity and public determination to complete the transition.
The ANC adopts the Reconstruction and Development Programme
📅 21 January 1994The RDP connected political democracy with housing, services, jobs, land reform and social transformation.