Eddie Funde was the first Chief Representative of the ANC in Australia. He was given the task of setting up the mission. Funde arrived in Perth on 5 December 1983 and was met by Glen Mashinini, a South African émigré and member of CARE (Campaign Against Racial Exploitation) an organisation that remained supportive of the mission. He found an active anti-apartheid group in Perth and his arrival was given extensive media coverage. The mission was to be established in Sydney where he arrived on 7 December, met by a newly formed ANC Support Group. In a six-page report, written on 12 January 1984, Funde describes in detail the organisations and personnel with whom he immediately made contact. (The report is in Box 11 of the Lusaka collection). The first problem to be dealt with was the SACTU intention of opening an office. Funde felt it was a mistake to open the office before the ANC mission had been established. There was, however no money available to set up the mission. Ernie Boatswain of the Building Workers Union gave him a room in the Trades hall, the Seaman's Union paid for the telephone installation and the desks came from the Miners' Union. Before long he found that he was dealing with organisations beyond Australia - New Zealand, neighbouring islands etc. and his office was named ANC Australasia and Pacific Mission. He gathered some willing volunteers to help him build the mission. With the firm foundation that Funde established, the mission grew apace. Campaigns such as, Stop Sport with South Africa, attempts to encourage the imposition of sanctions on the Apartheid regime, and fundraising for scholarships and medicines entailed a volume of correspondence with government departments and a variety of other organisations. Eddie Funde was an assiduous collector of political journals, newspapers, records and videos. (He taped programmes such as the History and Status of the Aboriginal People from Australian television.) The result is a valuable collection of the bound copies of Sechaba, New Nation, South and Weekly Mail for the years of his appointment as Chief Representative. The National Days, such as South African Women's Day on August 9, and Soweto Day on June 16, were marked by celebratory gatherings to which all supporters as well as minority groups were invited. In 1991 Ndumiso Ntshinga was appointed Deputy Chief Representative for a few months until Eddie Funde left Australia for South Africa. Ntshinga then took over Funde's post. A letter of interest to the University of Fort Hare was written by Ntshinga to the Vice Chancellor, Prof. S. M. E. Bhengu, on 26 January 1993 when the former was visiting his family in Zwelitsha. He wanted an appointment with Prof. Bhengu but was unable to reach him on the telephone. By that time most missions had closed their offices in anticipation of elections to elect a democratic government whose President would be Nelson Mandela
The strengths of this collection spring from the organized fashion in which the Australian Mission kept its records. Both Photographs and News Clippings contain rich and valuable items documenting the recent past within South Africa, the effect of international offices on the world's perception of the ANC and Apartheid.
The series in this collection are Correspondence Series I, Subject Files series II, News Clippings Series III, Publications Series IV, IDAF Posters Series V, Photographs VI, Memorabilia VII
Correspondence Series I consists of four boxes it ranges from box one to box four, this is arranged mainly by the sender, topic, or event around which the correspondence is centred. Where senders and recipients are mixed, the folder is given a general name. Like other missions, this mission contains a preponderance of evidence of the planning of events; the receipt by the ANC of supportive overtures from dozens of agencies, unions, countries and NGOs; and an increasing support from external forces, the harvesting of which was key to the success of the ANC. See also Series A1 - Correspondence for additional material.
The Subject Files Series II, has thirty-one boxes, attest to the level of activity the Australian office maintained, both within the country of Australia and in interactions with other nations' movements. The strength of the ANC abroad has been in tactfully garnering support for the movement while maintaining a firm sense of its mission. The organizations, countries and events which this series documents are witness to the extent to which the Australian office committed itself to outreach and involvement as a part of its daily business. This has been reorganised by combining folders with the same subject matter and titles. Box 36 is additional material that was processed later and added to the record group.
News Clippings Series III, this consists of sixteen boxes, it is a combination of news clippings and runs of important newspapers and magazines interspersed with relevant clippings.
An important front on which the Anti-apartheid battle was fought was the Sports industry, where the threat of cricket boycotts was a steadily debated topic during the prison years. The clippings from Sport give an extensive, thorough focus on this contentious issue.
Publications Series IV, consists of four boxes, these show a reflection of the organisations that supported the ANC. These were also used to offer the version of the ANC on Apartheid as opposed to the one provided by the South African embassy in Australia. Various periodicals and publications have been removed and will be added to the ANC Special Collection section.
IDAF Posters Series V (0.1 linear meters) are a collection of awareness posters that were used internationally to publicise the conflict in South Africa. These have special meaning in demonstrating to the researcher how important it was during the Apartheid regime to continually remind the world that South Africa was in need of change, that the Apartheid government would not relent without external pressure, and that the success of the Anti-apartheid forces depended on continual and insistent support from outside South Africa.
Photographs Series VI (0.48 linear meters) contains an impressive array of 8 x 10 inch photos of all phases of the Anti-Apartheid movement, ranging from early shots of Mandela from his student days, to scenes of violence during the prison years, to the glorious victory over Apartheid and the smiling victors of the ANC leadership. Several conferences, anniversaries and celebrations are documented and catalogued, while other photos contain no description. The researcher may appreciate them for their breadth of scope, for they attest to the dizzying heights and the desperate lows that South Africa has experienced over the last 40 years.
ANC Memorabilia Series VII, (0.6 linear meters), contains materials of non-office origin, that appear to have been distributed widely for the purposes of publicity. Banners, flags, and posters commemorating various events and milestones in ANC history are featured.
Arrangement of Additional Material
These are records that were found long after the Australian mission records were processed. The material is housed in box 1 - 43 of additional boxes and the box numbering system need not be confused with the first that of the first material. It consists of five series:
Correspondence, boxes 1 - 25 Discussion Documents / Minutes, boxes 26 - 30 Reports, boxes 31 - 39 Statements, boxes 40 - 42 Publications / Memorabilia / Photographs, box 43
The folders are arranged alphabetically by folder title.
ACCRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS
ACTU - Australian Council of Trade Unions ADAB - Australian Development Assistance Bureau AFSAAP- Annual Conference of African Studies Association of Australian and Pacific AIDAB - Australian International Development Assistance Bureau APHEDA - Australian People for Health Education and Development Abroad AUSCARE - Australian Care for Refugees AUSTCOA - Australian Committee on Africa CARE - Campaign Against Racial Exploitation CPA - Communist Party of Australia DEP - Department of Economic and Planning DIA - Department of International Affairs DIP - Department of Information and Publicity DMD - Department of Manpower Development ICFTU - International Confederation of Free Trade Unions MERG - Macro Economic Research Group MUSAA - Maritime Union Socialists Activities Association NAMDA - National Medical and Dental Association NSW - New South Wales PMC - Political Military Council SAAEP - South African Advanced Education Project SACTU - South African Congress of Trade Unions SAHWC - South African Health Workers Congress SAPSAN - Special Assistance Programme to South Africans and Namibians SWAM - Sydney West Anti-Apartheid Movement SWAPO - South Western Africa People Organisation YWCA - Young Women's Christian Association
University of Fort Hare, ANC Archives, ANC Australia Mission, Box no.[], file no. []