Speech by Oliver Tambo on behalf of the Liberation Movements, at the twenty-third session of the assembly of Heads of State and Government of the Organisation of African Unity, 27 July 1987, Addis Ababa

Mr. Chairman,

Your Excellencies, Distinguished Heads of State and Government,

Esteemed delegates,

Comrades, ladies and gentlemen,

On behalf of the national liberation movements, I have the honour to extend our sincere thanks to His Excellency Chairman Mengistu Haile Mariam for his warm words of welcome. We are happy to be in Addis Ababa once again, attending this premier event in the African political calendar, the OAU Summit Meeting of Heads of State and Government.

We have been highly inspired by what His Excellency Chairman Mengistu Haile Mariam has said because during his brilliant presentation, he has dealt in a frank and realistic manner with the problems facing our continent. Not least among these is the situation in southern Africa which correctly continues to preoccupy the peoples of Africa and the rest of democratic and progressive humanity.

We are very grateful for the traditional fraternal welcome with which we have been received since we returned to this historic African city. We thank the government and people of socialist Ethiopia for this. We have come to expect the hospitality that has been extended to us since we arrived. This however does not reduce our appreciation of its warmth and genuineness; rather, it enhances our conviction that in this ancient land, we have a second home which we can truly call home.

Coming from southern Africa, we cannot but recall that this is the first Summit of the OAU held since the untimely and lamentable death of that outstanding African revolutionary, patriot and statesman, Samora Moises Machel. Since then, and as we do now, we have missed his engaging personality, his friendship and his wisdom in the continuing struggle to liberate South Africa and Namibia and to bring peace and development to the entire region of southern Africa.

We are however certain that the results of this Summit will show that Samora Machel is not dead but lives on among us, inspiring us to continue his life`s work and to realise his vision of a prosperous and happy mother continent of Africa that will be respected by the nations of the world for its genius and its humanism. The racist enemies of Africa who plotted and carried out his murder had hoped that their heinous deed would set us back by blotting out this vision. They will be proved wrong.

As we speak, we are also acutely conscious that just over a week ago, Samora`s motherland, the People`s Republic of Mozambique, experienced a terrible massacre, carried out by people who have no right to be called human.(2)

These crazed villains were the bandits who are the offspring and extension of the equally murderous Pretoria army of repression and aggression, the instrument of State terrorism whose criminal activities have resulted in the death of hundreds of thousands of people throughout southern Africa.

We also heard this morning that one of our compatriots, a functionary of the organisation which helped to organise the recent meeting between ourselves and a group of white South Africans, has been assassinated brutally and in cold blood.(3)

Those who carried out this and other crimes against the people of South Africa are the same enemies of humanity who conspired to kill Samora Machel and planned the Homoine massacre. They are responsible also for the occupation of Namibia and the merciless campaign of terror against the sister people of that country.

We speak of course of the Botha regime which continues to conduct an undeclared war against the People`s Republic of Angola and refuses to leave the peoples of our region at peace, including those of the Frontline States of Zimbabwe, Zambia and Botswana. As this organisation has said before, it is clear that there can be no peace in southern Africa until the apartheid system is destroyed and uprooted in its entirety.

The peoples of Namibia and South Africa, under the leadership of their national liberation movements, SWAPO and ANC, continue to be engaged precisely in this struggle to end the apartheid system as soon as possible and to secure their emancipation. Fighting under conditions of extreme repression, highlighted by the imposition of permanent states of emergency and the use of mercenary terror and murder squads, our people remain firm in their determination to achieve victory through their own heroic efforts and sacrifices.

In this, we are greatly encouraged and strengthened by the firm positions taken by the Frontline States against the apartheid regime and in support of the struggle for the total liberation of our continent, despite the cost to themselves in terms of losses in human lives and property. At this point in time, and since the illegitimate whites-only elections of the 6th of May, when the Pretoria regime has been increasing its campaign of terror and aggression, we are certain that this august Summit will agree to new measures aimed at the total isolation of the apartheid regime and extending further political and material support to the liberation movements. It is also a matter of strategic importance that assistance be extended to the Frontline States as well.

May we also take this opportunity to extend to you Mr. Chairman, to our host, Chairman Mengistu Haile Mariam, and to all the African leaders gathered here the greetings of our embattled peoples, our combatants and political workers and the thousands of leaders and activists who are detained and imprisoned in South Africa and Namibia. Together with us, these struggling masses are convinced that victory is certain. By their efforts and with your support and involvement, they have driven the apartheid system into a deep crisis from which it cannot extricate itself.

Together with us, they are convinced that the stronger the bonds of unity among the people of Africa in the common struggle to end the apartheid crime against humanity, the sooner will this goal be achieved. The wise words spoken earlier today by His Excellency Mengistu Haile Mariam are an important contribution to this process and will, we are certain, inspire this Summit once more to vindicate the confidence which our people have in the OAU as their ally in our sacred struggle.

Thank you.