The U.S. & South Africa on the Centenary of the African National Congress (ANC

Presidents Zuma & Obama
Nuclear Security Summit, Washington, DC
April 11, 2010
Photo by AP

By Frederick Nnoma-Addison

January 9, 2012

The African National Congress (ANC) marked its100th anniversary this past weekend, a milestone for the liberation movement that helped end apartheid in South Africa. As many as 46 heads of state attended the closing ceremony of the three-day long celebrations of Africa's oldest liberation movement. Ailing former president Nelson Mandela did not attend due to his ill health. He has not been seen in public since the 2010 closing ceremonies of the World Cup in South Africa. The events were held in Bloemfontein where the ANC was formed on January 8, 1912.

The movement, which later transitioned to a political party, is credited with sparking years of protests that took the liberation struggle to new heights and invigorated workers, students and other civilians to demand an end to racism. Apartheid was a system of racial segregation enforced by the National Party government of South Africa between 1948 and 1994, under which the rights of the majority 'non-white' inhabitants of South Africa were curtailed and white supremacy and Afrikaner minority rule was maintained. Apartheid was developed after World War II by the Afrikaner-dominated National Party and Broederbond organizations and was practiced also in South West Africa, under South African administration under a League of Nations mandate (revoked in 1966), until it gained independence as Namibia in 1990.

Apartheid sparked significant internal resistance and violence as well as a long trade embargo against South Africa. Since the 1950’s, a series of popular uprisings and protests were met with the banning of opposition and imprisoning of anti-apartheid leaders. As unrest spread and became more violent, state organizations responded with increasing repression and state-sponsored violence. Reforms to apartheid in the 1980’s failed to quell the mounting opposition, and in 1990, President Frederik Willem de Klerk began negotiations to end apartheid, culminating in multi-racial democratic elections in 1994, which were won by the African National Congress under Nelson Mandela.

U.S. relations with South Africa dates back to 1799, when she first established an official consulate in Cape Town. The two currently maintain embassies in Pretoria and Washington, DC, (U.S. & South Africa respectively) and there are Consulates General in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town (U.S.). Americans and South Africans also have many non-governmental ties to boast about. Black and white American missionaries, for example, have a long history of activity in South Africa while many ANC leaders also acknowledge support from and ties to the anti-apartheid movement in the U.S. Although not always consistent with her foreign policy, U.S. played an important role in abolishing apartheid. South African Ambassador to the United States, Harry Schwarz, played a significant role in convincing many Americans that the F.W. de Klerk government was committed to ending apartheid and to returning normal relations in the early 1990’s. During the tenure of President Bill Clinton, South African ambassador, Schwarz negotiated lifting the remaining U.S. sanctions off South Africa.

Since 1994, the United States has enjoyed an excellent bilateral relationship with South Africa although there were differences in position regarding Iraq, for example. Bilateral cooperation in counter-terrorism, fighting HIV/AIDS, and military relations has been particularly positive. Through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the United States also provides assistance to South Africa to help her meet her developmental goals. Peace Corps volunteers began working in South Africa in 1997.

By the mid-1990’s more than 500 American companies had more than US$5 billion in direct investments in South Africa reflecting a steady increase in bi-lateral trade between the two countries. In March 1995, Washington and Pretoria established a United States-South Africa Binational Commission to improve communication and cooperation in agriculture, business, environment and water resources, human resources and education, science and technology, and sustainable energy resources. The U.S. esteems South Africa’s role in helping resolve the political crisis in Zimbabwe. In April 2010, Presidents Obama and Zuma held a bilateral meeting in Washington, during the Nuclear Security Summit, Washington, DC which reaffirmed the bonds between the two countries.

In June 2010, First lady Michelle Obama visited Pretoria, Johannesburg and Cape Town with her daughters, during an official trip to discuss education and other subjects, meet youth leaders of the ANC and Nelson Mandela.

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