Local authorities

Nelson Mandela was awarded the Freedom of the Borough of Islwyn in South Wales to mark his 70th birthday in 1988. In the photograph Neil Kinnock MP presents a scroll to Mandela’s lawyer Ismail Ayob with Beyers Naude and Imam Esack looking on. The presentation was one of hundreds of honours conferred on Mandela by British local authorities and other institutions in the 1980s.

This booklet was produced by the London Borough of Lambeth in south London. It gave advice to Lambeth residents on how to check if goods on sale in local shops came from South Africa or Namibia. It was carefully worded so as not to break new laws restricting the powers of local authorities to support consumer boycott campaigns.

As part of Glasgow’s 1990 European City of Culture celebrations, Mandela Club Nights showcased bands from Southern Africa. The Sechaba Festival brought 60 South African poets, musicians, actors and dancers to Glasgow in a two-week programme of events. The Festival included a five-day international conference on cultural resistance to apartheid, and performances, exhibitions and films. The Club and the Festival were organised by Sechaba Festivals Ltd., established by the Scottish AAM Committee and the STUC with support from Glasgow City and Strathclyde Regional Councils and individual trade unions.

This Declaration was adopted by the Borough of Barrow in Furness, Cumbria in June 1990. It called on the South African government to lift political restrictions so that negotiations for a new constitution could take place following the release of Nelson Mandela. It was based on a model declaration circulated by Local Authorities Against Apartheid. Altogether 42 councils adopted the declaration.

This Declaration was adopted by the London Borough of Hackney in June 1990. It called on the South African government to lift political restrictions so that negotiations for a new constitution could take place following the release of Nelson Mandela. It was based on a model declaration circulated by Local Authorities Against Apartheid. Altogether 42 councils adopted the declaration.

This Declaration was adopted by the City of Stoke-on-Trent in June 1990. It called on the South African government to lift political restrictions so that negotiations for a new constitution could take place following the release of Nelson Mandela. It was based on a model declaration circulated by Local Authorities Against Apartheid. Altogether 42 councils adopted the declaration.

This Declaration was adopted by the North East Derbyshire District Council in June 1990. It called on the South African government to lift political restrictions so that negotiations for a new constitution could take place following the release of Nelson Mandela. It was based on a model declaration circulated by Local Authorities Against Apartheid. Altogether 42 councils adopted the declaration.

Poster advertising a concert by South African musician and political activist Mbuli Mzwakwe at Lambeth Town Hall, south London on 7 December 1990. Concerts featuring music from Southern Africa played a big part in attracting support in Britain for the Southern African liberation struggle in the 1980s and early 1990s. This concert was one of many such events sponsored by the London Borough of Lambeth.