Archives of the Pan Africanist

Congress of Azania

These relocation programmes have been possible through the relentless efforts of the PAC NEC member for the Eastern Cape Region, Mr. M Gqobose. The processing of the PAC records which comprise books, documents, and audio-visuals, pictures, flags, memorobilia and artefacts commenced early in 1996 soon after the appointment of the trainee archivists. Additional processing, including the creation of finding aids for the collection, was completed by the NAHECSC in the spring and summer of 1998 with the help of several visiting scholars from the University of Michigan.

The list below will take you to the finding aids of the specific missions. Each finding aid includes a history of the collection, a note on the scope and content of the collection, and the box list of holdings.

London Mission
United Nations Mission
Zimbabwe Mission
Electronic Records
Audivisual Records
Publications

Other Digital Materials

The Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) was formed on 6 April, 1959 by young Black South Africans inspired by the Africanist strain within the African National Congress (ANC). Africanist activities were focused in Orlando, the largest African residential area southwest of Johannesburg. Potlako K. Leballo was an outspoken member of the ANC Youth League in Orlando East. He developed a following among Youth League members who supported the call to be "real Africans" and to oppose the extent to which the ANC was willing to go in alliance with non-Black groups such as the Congress of Democrats, the Indian Congress Movement and the South African Coloured Peoples' Movement.

In 1954 Robert Mangoliso Sobukwe took a position in African languages at University of Witwatersrand, and became associated with Leballo and the Orlando Africanists. Leballo was expelled from the ANC in 1958. In April, 1959 an inaugural conference was held for the PAC. Sobukwe was elected President, with Leballo as Secretary-General. The National Executive Committee consisted of Sobukwe, Leballo, Zephaniah Mothupeng, Peter 'Molotsi, S.T. Ngendane, Peter Raboroko, N.D. Nyaose, A.B. Ngcobo, H.S. Hlatswayo, E.A. Mfaxa, N.N. Mahomo, C.J. Fazzie, M.G. Maboza and Z.B. Molete.

In March, 1960 Sobukwe called upon the PAC membership to begin a national, non-violent campaign against the pass laws. Members were instructed to leave their passes at home on March 21 and present themselves at police stations to invite arrest. On the appointed day, crowds gathered in a number of places throughout the country. In Sharpeville, a crowd walking to the police station was fired on by police. Roughly 70 people were killed, and 180 wounded, with women and children among the victims.

In April of 1960 the PAC was banned by the South African government. Most of PAC leadership was arrested, including Sobukwe and Leballo. Others fled the country and continued to operate from exile. In the ensuing years, PAC leaders and members all struggled to define their aims with increasingly limited options. The organization survived a number of attempts to take over the leadership by internal factions with differing attitudes about the importance of armed struggle. By the 1970's, the PAC was committed to violent revolution, but internal conflicts continued. In 1979 David Sibeko, PAC's permanent observer at the United Nations, was murdered by supporters of a more militaristic stance.

In the mid-1980's, South Africa's government was finally forced into negotiations and eventually capitulation. The PAC struggled to re-shape itself from an ex-patriot liberation movement to a South African political party. In the 1994 general election, the PAC won 1.3% of the vote.