Yesterday marked the 100th anniversary of the African National Congress (ANC), one of the best organised and most militant liberation movements ever, which successfully won the battle against the abhorrent and degrading apartheid system through a long and epic  struggle led by the iconic Nelson Rohliha Mandela. He became South Africa’s first post-apartheid President.  Notably, when he joined the struggle his words were: “The struggle is my life.”
The ANC is somewhat unique as it is in an alliance with the South African Communist Party (SACP) and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU). Each Alliance partner is an independent organisation with its own constitution, membership and programmes. The Alliance is founded on a common commitment to the objectives of the National Democratic Revolution, and the need to unite the largest possible cross-section of South Africans behind these objectives.
Initially, the ANC had launched a peaceful struggle but as the then rulers became more brutal and repressive, it was forced to move towards armed struggle and so it took up arms against the South African Government in 1961. The massacre of peaceful protestors and the subsequent banning of the ANC made it clear that peaceful protests alone would not have forced  the regime to change. The ANC went underground and continued to organise secretly. Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) was formed to “hit back by all means within our power in defence of our people, our future and our freedom”
In 18 months MK carried out 200 acts of sabotage. But the underground organisation was no match for the regime, which began to use even harsher methods of repression. Laws were passed to make death the penalty for sabotage and to allow police to detain people for 90 days without trial. in 1963, police raided the secret headquarters of MK, arresting the leadership. This led to the Rivonia Trial as the leaders of MK were charged with attempting to cause a violent revolution.
Some ANC leaders – among them Oliver Tambo and Joe Slovo- avoided arrest and left the country. Other ANC members left to undergo military training.
The apartheid system was perhaps the most inhumane and degrading system in the modern era of mankind’s existence. It is unbelievable that one race would declare itself superior to another and on that basis virtually enslave another and enforce segregation by law. What should be recalled is that many of the countries who portray themselves as the guardians and bulwarks of democracy and human rights remained silent on the brutal and rapacious apartheid system
In fact, many of them actually helped prop up the apartheid regime through both overt and covert means. But yet they have the audacity to portray themselves as the beacon of democracy and human rights.
But history has taught that injustice does not last as long as people are united, organised and are prepared to struggle to bring an end to it. And this is what the ANC was able to do for the people of South Africa. It cost the loss of many lives but they did not go down in vain as eventually the people triumphed over injustice.
Eventually after a long and hard struggle, free and fair elections were held in 1994 and the ANC won these first historic elections with a vast majority as 62.6% of the more than 22 million votes cast were in favour of the ANC.
On the 10th of May 1994, Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as the President of South Africa and  the ANC has been in power ever since, even though he has now resigned himself to that of elderly statesman and President Jacob Zuma is now head of state.