This poster was one of a set of four published in January 1990 for the launch of the AAM’s ‘South Africa Freedom Now!’ campaign. The decision to launch the campaign was taken against the background of changes in South Africa and the build-up to the release of Nelson Mandela. The poster highlighted the need for an end to all repression in South Africa before meaningful negotiations could take place.

This poster was one of a set of four published in January 1990 for the launch of the AAM’s ‘South Africa Freedom Now!’. The decision to launch the campaign was taken against the background of changes in South Africa and the build-up to the release of Nelson Mandela. The poster highlighted the need to maintain sanctions until an agreement had been reached on a transition to democracy.

This poster was one of a set of four published in January 1990 for the launch of the AAM’s ‘South Africa Freedom Now!’. The decision to launch the campaign was taken against the background of changes in South Africa and the build-up to the release of Nelson Mandela.  The poster flagged up the aim of any negotiations as being the achievement of a united democratic non-racial South Africa.

This poster was one of a set of four published in January 1990 for the launch of the AAM’s ‘South Africa Freedom Now!’. The decision to launch the campaign was taken against the background of changes in South Africa and the build-up to the release of Nelson Mandela. The poster highlighted the need for an end to all repression in South Africa before meaningful negotiations could take place.

The Southern Africa Coalition brought together a wide range of organisations, including trade unions, churches, overseas aid agencies and the AAM. In Tyneside, north-east England, local branches of the organisations that made up the coalition organised a week of anti-apartheid events in February 1990.

Early in 1990 the AAM joined with the ANC and other organisations to set up a British Nelson Mandela Reception Committee, convened by AAM President Trevor Huddleston. As well as celebrating Mandela’s freedom, the Committee called for the release of all South African political prisoners and the creation of conditions for negotiations for a new democratic constitution. This leaflet publicised a demonstration at the South African Embassy to coincide with President de Klerk’s expected announcement of the date of Mandela’s release.

Thousands of people gathered spontaneously outside South Africa House in London on 11 February 1990 to celebrate Nelson Mandela’s release.

All over Britain people celebrated Nelson Mandela’s release on 11 February 1990. These two young women were taking part in a vigil on the steps of Sheffield Town Hall.

Hundreds of people gathered at College Green, Bristol on 11 February 1990 to celebrate Mandela’s release.

More than 4,000 people asked their MPs to support the maintenance of sanctions against South Africa on 27 February 1990. The lobby achieved a record coverage, with constituents lobbying 495 of 523 MPs sitting for English constituencies and a majority of Scottish and Welsh MPs. The day before Nelson Mandela’s release, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher announced that Britain would end its limited restrictions on new investment and tourism. The lobby was organised by the Southern Africa Coalition, a broad-based grouping of church organisations, trade unions, overseas aid agencies and the AAM.

Four thousand people from nearly every parliamentary constituency in Britain lobbied Parliament on 27 February 1990 calling for a ‘fundamental change in British policy’ towards South Africa. The lobby was organised by the Southern Africa Coalition and was the biggest ever parliamentary lobby on Southern Africa.

Leaders of the mass movement against apartheid within South Africa were the main speakers at a meeting held at the parliamentary lobby organised by the Southern Africa Coalition on 27 February 1990. The lobbyists asked their MPs to support the maintenance of sanctions against South Africa. The day before Nelson Mandela’s release, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher announced that Britain would end its limited restrictions on new investment and tourism.

After the release of Nelson Mandela in February 1990 the AAM continued to campaign for a boycott of South African goods. It argued that economic pressure was necessary to force the apartheid government to agree to genuine majority rule. This leaflet quoted Mandela, ‘Take whatever action you can to isolate apartheid’.

In 1990 the AAM focused on gold jewellery as part of its consumer boycott campaign. South Africa’s main trading partners banned sales of Krugerrands in the mid 1980s. As a result of the campaign, the jewellery chain Ratners agreed to remove identifiable South African gold from the jewellery sold in its shops. This leaflet was one of a series published after the release of Nelson Mandela arguing that continued economic pressure was necessary to force the apartheid government into negotiations.

In 1990 the AAM made tourism a major part of its consumer boycott campaign. It wrote to major British holiday companies about their policy on selling trips to South Africa. Local AA groups campaigned to persuade local travel agents to stop promoting South African holidays. In London local activists held a sit-in next to the South African Airways stall at the World Travel Market in the Olympia exhibition centre. This leaflet was published after Prime Minister Thatcher lifted Britain’s voluntary ban on encouraging tourism to South Africa. It was one of a series published after the release of Nelson Mandela.

After the release of Nelson Mandela in February 1990 the AAM continued to campaign for a boycott of South African goods. It argued that economic pressure was necessary to force the apartheid government to agree to genuine majority rule. This leaflet quoted Mandela, ‘Take whatever action you can to isolate apartheid’.

This memorandum from the Liaison Committee of the Anti-Apartheid Movements of the European Community expressed concern about the EC’s plan to send a high-level troika of government ministers to South Africa. It proposed terms of reference for the mission. The Liaison Committee was set up in the late 1980s to co-ordinate anti-apartheid action in the European Community.

Nelson Mandela’s release from prison on 11 February 1990 was celebrated by opponents of apartheid all over the world. But it was only a first step towards ending apartheid. This T-shirt was part of the attempt to ensure that anti-apartheid campaigners kept up their pressure on the South African government. The image of Mandela was an artist’s impression based on photographs taken before he was imprisoned in 1962.

After the release of Nelson Mandela in February 1990, the AAM campaigned for a democratic South African constitution under the slogan ‘South Africa Freedom Now!’. This mug was produced for the campaign.

After the lifting of the bans on the liberation movements and the release of Nelson Mandela in February 1990, the AAM argued that the British government should press President de Klerk to create a climate conducive to negotiations. This submission to the Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee called for the maintenance of sanctions and the recognition of the central role of the African National Congress.

In the immediate aftermath of the lifting of the bans on the liberation movements in February 1990, the AAM accused the British government of allowing President de Klerk to dictate the scope and pace of change. This memorandum showed how Britain was encouraging the apartheid government to hold out for a constitution that fell short of universal suffrage in a united South Africa. It argued that the lifting of the State of Emergency and release of political prisoners were essential to create a climate conducive to genuine negotiations.

Poster publicising a march and rally from Hyde Park to Trafalgar Square on 25 March 1990. The AAM campaigned throughout the 1980s to pressure Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher into dropping her opposition to sanctions against South Africa. Thatcher declared her intention to lift UK voluntary bans on new investment and tourism promotion on 10 February 1990, the day before Nelson Mandela’s release.

The AAM organised a mass demonstration on 25 March 1990 calling for the maintenance of sanctions and the release of all South African political prisoners. It warned that British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and South African President de Klerk were advocating a constitution based on ‘group rights’ – apartheid under a different name. The main speaker at the demonstration was Rivonia trialist Andrew Mlangeni.

Over 20,000 demonstrators packed Trafalgar Square on 25 March 1990 in the first big anti-apartheid demonstration in Britain after the release of Nelson Mandela. Former Robben Island prisoner Andrew Mlangeni told the crowd ‘We were never alone. You continued to inspire us from outside our prison walls’.

Over 20,000 demonstrators packed Trafalgar Square on 25 March 1990 in the first big anti-apartheid demonstration in Britain after the release of Nelson Mandela. Former Robben Island prisoner Andrew Mlangeni told the crowd ‘We were never alone. You continued to inspire us from outside our prison walls’. Left to right: Abdul Minty, Rivonia trialist Andrew Mlangeni, AAM Chair Bob Hughes and AAM President Trevor Huddleston.

Over 20,000 demonstrators packed Trafalgar Square on 25 March 1990 in the first big anti-apartheid demonstration in Britain after the release of Nelson Mandela. Former Robben Island prisoner Andrew Mlangeni told the crowd ‘We were never alone. You continued to inspire us from outside our prison walls’.

Poster celebrating Nelson Mandela’s release and calling for the release of all other South African political prisoners. Mandela visited Britain in April 1990 and spoke at a concert held in Wembley Stadium, London.

Nelson Mandela at the Wembley concert held on 16 April 1990.

Handwritten letter from Nelson Mandela ‘to the British public’ thanking them for their ‘overwhelming generosity’. The letter was written on the day Mandela attended the 16 April 1990 Wembley concert held to celebrate his release from prison on 11 February.

At the concert held in his honour in Wembley Stadium on 16 April 1990, Nelson Mandela asked the people of Britain and the world to maintain sanctions against South Africa until a democratic constitution was in place. He also appealed for people to join the Anti-Apartheid Movement. This AAM membership leaflet reproduced parts of his speech.

South African President de Klerk held talks with British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher on 19 May 1990, during a three-week tour of European capitals. The day before, the AAM held a rally protesting against the talks. It warned that de Klerk wanted to negotiate a new South African constitution that would fall far short of majority rule. Protests were held in every country de Klerk visited, co-ordinated by the Liaison Group of the Anti-Apartheid Movements of the European Community.

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.

From 1989 the AAM held an annual sponsored Freedom Run and free concert in Brockwell Park, south London. The event raised funds for the AAM and publicised anti-apartheid campaigns. This leaflet advertised the 1990 Freedom Run.

After the unbanning of the South African liberation movements in 1990, the AAM launched a ‘Call to Freedom Declaration’ on 26 June. The declaration called for an elected constituent assembly to agree on a new constitution for South Africa. Left to right: TUC president and NALGO officer Ada Maddocks, TUC General Secretary Norman Willis, Ron Todd, General Secretary of the transport workers union and Barbara Switzer, Deputy General Secretary of the supervisory workers union MSF sign the declaration at the 1990 TUC congress.

AAM demonstrators lined the entrance to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s country residence, Chequers, when South African President F W de Klerk arrived there in July 1990.

Supporters of Southern Africa the Imprisoned Society (SATIS) asked Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to intervene on behalf of the Upington 14, sentenced to death on 26 May 1989. Thirteen men and a woman, 60-year old Evenlyn de Bruin, were sentenced to hang because they were present at a demonstration during which a black policeman was killed. The sentence was overturned in May 1991.

Demonstrators blocked the entrance to the South African Airways office at Oxford Circus on 3 September. In 1990 the AAM campaigned stepped up its campaign to persuade holidaymakers to not to visit South Africa. One of the few sanctions Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher agreed to was a voluntary ban on the promotion of tourism to South Africa or Namibia, but the British government did nothing to put this into practice.

On 11 October 1990, designated as UN South African Political Prisoners Day, Southern Africa the Imprisoned Society (SATIS) held a vigil outside the British Foreign Office calling for the release of all South African political prisoners. SATIS asked the British Prime Minister to press President de Klerk to implement his pledge to free the prisoners.

The AAM held a conference for anti-apartheid activists in October 1990 to discuss how the international solidarity movement could help promote negotiations for genuine majority rule. The keynote speakers were Max Coleman from South Africa’s Human Rights Commission and former South African Council of Churches staff member Saki Macozoma. 

Representatives of British local authorities joined a protest against the inclusion of South Africa and Bophuthatswana in the World Travel Market at Olympia in November 1990. One of the few sanctions Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher agreed to was a voluntary ban on the promotion of tourism to South Africa and Namibia, but the British government did nothing to put this into practice.

Submission to the Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee showing Britain’s failure to enforce the limited restrictive measures it had placed on trade and investment in South Africa.

Southwark AA Group supporters picketed a Shell garage in South London in 1990. After Nelson Mandela’s release, the AAM kept up its campaign for a boycott of Shell and for sanctions to pressure the South African government to agree a genuinely democratic constitution.

Members of Notting Hill AA Group asked shoppers to boycott South African gold in Kensington High Street, West London, as part of the AAM’s Month of Action against apartheid gold sales in December 1990.

ANC president Oliver Tambo accepts a message of solidarity for the ANC’s consultative conference from AAM President Trevor Huddleston in December 1990. Also in the picture are the AAM’s Chair Bob Hughes MP and Executive Secretary Mike Terry.

Many people assumed the release of Mandela and the lifting of bans on the ANC and PAC meant an end to apartheid. This AAM recruitment leaflet stated that the pillars of apartheid were still in place. It argued that democracy meant one person one vote in a unitary South Africa and that free political activity was a prerequisite of negotiations for majority rule.

This open letter was published after crisis talks between President de Klerk and the ANC on 12 February 1991. It asked Prime Minister John Major to press de Klerk to agree to the setting up of a constituent assembly and interim government as key steps towards a democratic constitution.

Leaflet distributed by Notting Hill AA Group in west London as part of the national AAM campaign to pressure the South African government to release all political prisoners and stop fomenting ‘black on black’ violence.

This conference series was organised by the AAM to involve grassroots activists in discussing the AAM’s role in the final push to end apartheid. The conferences received first-hand reports from the ANC national consultative conference held in December 1990 and discussed proposals to twin regions of Britain with ANC branches in South Africa.

Leaflet publicising a conference in Birmingham for the West Midlands region to discuss the AAM’s role in the final push to end apartheid. The conference was one of a series of conferences for local anti-apartheid activists covering every region of Britain. The conferences received first-hand reports from the ANC national consultative conference held in December 1990 and discussed proposals for twinning British regions with ANC branches in South Africa.

Demonstrators told President de Klerk he must honour his promise to free all political prisoners by the 30 April deadline agreed with the ANC, as he arrived for a reception at the South African Embassy in April 1991.

The AAM converted its ‘Boycott Bandwagon’ into a ‘Freedom Bus’ after the release of Nelson Mandela in February 1990. The bus toured Britain in the summers of 1990 and 1991 asking people to campaign for support for genuine democracy in the negotiations for a new constitution in South Africa. The bus was destroyed by arsonists in February 1992 and reduced to a burnt-out shell.

The AAM converted its ‘Boycott Bandwagon’ into a ‘Freedom Bus’ after the release of Nelson Mandela and the opening of negotiations for a democratic constitution in South Africa. The bus was destroyed by arsonists in February 1992 and reduced to a burnt-out shell.

The AAM launched its ‘Vote for Democracy’ campaign at the TUC Congress in Glasgow in September 1991. The campaign called for ‘one person one vote’ in response to the National Party’s constitutional proposals, which gave special voting rights to the white minority. In the photograph are AAM President Trevor Huddleston and railway workers’ union leader Jimmy Knapp.

Liberal Democrat leader Paddy Ashdown and former leader David Steel MP cast symbolic votes as part of the AAM’s ‘Vote for Democracy’ campaign at their party conference in September 1991. The AAM was calling for ‘one person one vote’ in response to the National Party’s constitutional proposals, which gave special voting rights to the white minority.

Local councillors in the London Borough of Lambeth cast symbolic votes as part of the AAM’s ‘Vote for Democracy’ campaign in 1991. The campaign called for ‘one person one vote’ in response to the National Party’s constitutional proposals, which gave special voting rights to the white minority.

Thousands of South Africans were killed in the late 1980s and early 1990s in ‘black on black’ violence instigated by undercover forces. After the signing of a National Peace Accord in South Africa, AAM activists distributed leaflets at London train stations on 13 September asking British commuters to write to the South African government asking it to stop the violence.

In 1990 violence between Inkatha Freedom Party and ANC supporters in KwaZulu spread to the townships around Johannesburg. A third force, linked to the South African Defence Force, fomented the killings. The AAM insisted it was the responsibility of the South African government to end the violence. At the same time it launched a ‘Vote for Democracy’ campaign, holding symbolic voting sessions at the conferences of the Scottish TUC and the Liberal, Labour and Conservative Parties.

In 1990 violence between Inkatha Freedom Party and ANC supporters in KwaZulu spread to the townships around Johannesburg and there were unprovoked attacks on workers travelling on trains from Soweto to Johannesburg. A third force, linked to the South African Defence Force, fomented the killings. The AAM insisted it was the responsibility of the South African government to end the violence. Supporters leafleted commuters at central London stations asking them to protest against the killings.

Throughout the negotiations for a democratic constitution from 1991 to 1993 the AAM asked supporters to maintain the boycott of South African goods. It argued that continued pressure was needed on the South African government to force it to agree to a genuinely democratic constitution. The UN finally lifted the boycott in September 1993 after it was agreed to set up a transitional executive council. 

From 1990 negotiations for a new South African constitution were threatened by violence and repression and the media made much of ‘black-on-black’ violence. The AAM recognised that the responsibility for the violence rested ultimately with the apartheid regime and launched a campaign on the theme ‘Tell de Klerk: Stop the Violence and Repression’.

In February 1992 President de Klerk visited Britain shortly after a whites-only referendum in South Africa on whether constitutional talks should continue. Outside a rugby match at Twickenham, AAM supporters told him the white minority had no right to veto a democratic constitution.

The AAM Freedom Bus was destroyed by unknown arsonists in February 1992. The bus toured Britain asking the British public to support the demand for one person one vote in South Africa after the release of Nelson Mandela from prison in February 1990. In the photo AAM staff member Gerard Omasta-Milsom is surveying the wreckage. 

The AAM argued that de Klerk wanted to establish ‘neo-apartheid’ rather than genuine majority rule in the negotiations that followed the release of Nelson Mandela. In 1991 it launched a ‘Vote for Democracy’ campaign, calling for an interim government and constituent assembly in South Africa. This leaflet was published in the run-up to the 1992 British general election.  

AAM supporters marched up Whitehall to the South African Embassy to protest against the killing of around 40 township residents at Boipatong on 26 June 1992. They asked the British government to support international monitoring of the violence in South Africa. Among those carrying the banner (left to right) are Peter Hain MP, Billy Nair, Patsy Pillay, Bob Hughes MP, Archbishop Trevor Huddleston and Ken Campbell, General Secretary of the Fire Brigades Union. After the march, Walter Sisulu and Trevor Huddleston led a vigil outside the South African Embassy in memory of those who died.

Walter Sisulu led a march up Whitehall on 26 June 1992 to protest against the massacre of residents of Boipatong township in the southern Transvaal. He called for sanctions to continue against South Africa until there was agreement on a new constitution. The protesters later held a vigil outside the South African Embassy.

On the night of 17 June 1992 around 40 residents of  Boipatong township were massacred in an attack by supporters of the Inkatha Freedom Party. The police did nothing to stop the killings and were later accused of complicity. The massacre was part of a pattern of killings by the IFP and undercover forces. Trevor Huddleston spoke at the funeral of the victims on 29 June. In the photograph he is seen with AAM Executive Secretary Mike Terry and Rev Dr John Lamola, Head of the South African Council of Churches Justice and Social Ministries Department.

Wales Anti-Apartheid Movement held this vigil in the aftermath of the massacre at Boipatong in June 1992. It called for international monitors to go to South Africa to help stop the violence and for the setting up of an interim government as a first step to a new democratic constitution.

In June 1992 negotiations for a new constitution broke down after a massacre of township residents at Boipatong in the southern Transvaal. At least 7,000 people died in political violence between 1990 and 1992. The killings were carried out by undercover units of the South African police and army and Zulu supporters of the Inkatha Freedom Party. This leaflet endorsed the ANC’s demands for specific actions to end the violence.

Anti-apartheid movements in Western Europe worked together in the 1990s to pressure the European Community to support democracy in South Africa. This leaflet publicised a march to lobby a meeting of EC Foreign Ministers held in September 1992, in Welwyn Garden City, near London.

In the first three years of F W Klerk’s presidency, at least 7,000 South Africans were killed in political violence perpetrated by the Inkatha Freedom Party and undercover forces. In its September 1992 Month of Action for Peace and Democracy, the AAM called on de Klerk to take measures to stop the killings.

TUC General Secretary Norman Willis with shopworkers leader Garfield Davies and Rodney Bickerstaffe, General Secretary of the public sector workers union NUPE, at the AAM’s stall at the 1992 TUC annual congress.

These women were part of the Europe-wide demonstration outside a meeting of European Community Foreign Ministers held at Brocket Hall, Hertfordshire on 12 September 1992. They asked the EC to press de Klerk to take measures to end the violence in South Africa, so that negotiations for a democratic constitution could go ahead.

In September 1992 the AAM asked its supporters to take part in a month of action to press the de Klerk government to agree to an interim government and constituent assembly. It called for the maintenance of international sanctions and boycotts.  On 1 September the London AA Committee picketed Sainsbury’s headquarters, because Sainsbury’s sourced its ‘own label’ wines from South Africa. During the month AAM supporters distributed thousands of leaflets outside supermarkets asking shoppers to boycott South African goods.

In September 1992, in the aftermath of the massacre at Boipatong, the AAM organised a month of events calling for international support for negotiations for peace and democracy in South Africa. It argued that the consumer boycott must continue until the apartheid government agreed to a democratic constitution. This leaflet advertised a picket of the head office of Sainsbury’s supermarket chain.

At least 7,000 people died in political violence in South Africa between 1990 and 1992. Some of the most brutal attacks took place on trains carrying commuters from the Johannesburg townships. The killings were carried out by undercover units of the South African police and army and Zulu supporters of the Inkatha Freedom Party. The AAM distributed this leaflet at London train stations. It asked British commuters to press the British government to support an international peace monitoring group in South Africa.

Every year in the late 1980s and 1990s the AAM held a prize-winning raffle to help fund its campaigns. In the photo AAM Chair Bob Hughes MP draws the winning ticket in the 1992 raffle, with staff members Mamta Singh, Vanessa Eyre and Gerard Omasta-Milsom looking on. The AAM depended on fund-raising initiatives like this to pay for its campaigns. It received no government grants and no significant funding from grant-giving bodies.

ELTSA (End Loans to Southern Africa) and the AAM insisted that there should be no new loans to South Africa until there was firm agreement on a democratic constitution. In 1992 the parastatal electricity company ESCOM tried to float a new bond issue on international money markets. It was forced to withdraw in the face of reluctance to lend and protests like this one organised by ELTSA.

Exeter AA Group held a vigil in the main shopping centre on 20 March 1993 to ask the British government to help end the violence in South Africa. It said Britain should support the sending of international peace monitors. It forwarded 500 letters to Foreign Secretary Douglas Hurd from local people urging him to take action

Around 50 British local councils were represented at the sixth biennial conference of Local Authorities Against Apartheid in Manchester 25–26 March 1993. Moses Mayekiso, President of SANCO (South African National Civic Organisation) briefed the conference on plans for a new democratic local government system in South Africa. Councils pledged practical support in training observers for the April 1994 election. They pledged post-apartheid solidarity with all the countries of the Southern African region.

After Chris Hani’s murder on 10 April 1993, the AAM held a vigil outside South Africa House. At a march and rally on 19 April supporters pledged to support the ANC in its efforts to stop the killing from derailing the negotiations for a new constitution in South Africa.

Chris Hani was the General Secretary of the South African Communist Party (SACP) and chief of staff of the ANC’s armed wing Umkhonto we Sizwe. His assassination on 10 April 1993 by a far-right Polish immigrant threatened to derail negotiations for a democratic constitution. Negotiations were resumed Nelson Mandela appealed for calm. Two men were later convicted of Hani’s murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Nelson Mandela visited the family of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence on his visit to London in May 1993. Stephen was stabbed to death by a white racist gang when he was waiting at a bus stop in Eltham, south-east London, on 22 April.

Memorandum prepared for a meeting with Lynda Chalker, Minister of State at the Foreign Office, in May 1993. It asked the government to put more pressure on the Pretoria government to end the violence in South Africa. In the aftermath of the murder of Chris Hani, it urged the government to press for a breakthrough in negotiations and to stress that the only acceptable outcome was a universal franchise in a united South Africa.

The AAM launched its ‘Peace, Freedom and the Vote’ campaign in June 1993. It called for international pressure on the de Klerk government to drop its demand for permanent power sharing and for a white veto on constitutional change. It insisted that the transitional executive council should have a supervisory, rather than advisory, role in the run-up to the elections, and that the new constitution should be agreed by an elected assembly, rather than by a multi-party negotiating body. The campaign culminated in the AAM’s last major rally in Trafalgar Square on 20 June.

A conference organised by the AAM in London in June 1993 discussed post-apartheid solidarity and mapped out a new agenda of support for the people of Southern Africa. The conference was convened by AAM President Trevor Huddleston and the former President of Tanzania, Julius Nyerere, with the support of the UN Special Committee against Apartheid. The main speakers were Walter Sisulu and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Left to right: Graca Machel, Desmond Tutu, Abdul Minty, Trevor Huddleston, Julius Nyerere and Walter Sisulu.

Archbishops Desmond Tutu and Trevor Huddleston at the ‘Making Hope a Reality’ conference held in London, 14–15 June 1993. The conference discussed post-apartheid solidarity and mapped out a new agenda of support for the people of Southern Africa. It was convened by Trevor Huddleston and the former President of Tanzania, Julius Nyerere, and organised by the AAM in co-operation with the UN Special Committee against Apartheid. The main speakers were Walter Sisulu and Desmond Tutu.

The AAM launched its ‘Peace, Freedom and the Vote’ campaign in June 1993. It called for international pressure on the de Klerk government to drop its demand for permanent power sharing and a white veto on constitutional change. It also insisted that the transitional executive council should have a supervisory, rather than advisory, role in the run-up to the elections. It called for the new constitution to be agreed by an elected assembly, rather than by a multi-party negotiating body. The campaign culminated in the AAM’s last major rally in Trafalgar Square on 20 June.

Report of a conference convened in London in June 1993 by AAM President Trevor Huddleston and former Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere. The conference discussed a post-apartheid agenda of support for the people of Southern Africa.

A big crowd in Trafalgar Square heard Walter Sisulu demand immediate agreement on an election date on 20 June 1993. The rally was the climax of the AAM’s campaign to win support in Britain for one person one vote elections and a unitary constitution for South Africa. Also on the platform in Trafalgar Square was Bill Morris, General Secretary of the British transport workers union, Lorna Fitzsimmons, President of the National Union of Students, and MPs Michael Meacher and Simon Hughes. In a dramatic breakthrough two weeks later, on 2 July, it was agreed that an election would be held on 27 April 1994.

A big crowd in Trafalgar Square heard Walter Sisulu demand immediate agreement on an election date on 20 June 1993. The rally was the climax of the AAM’s campaign to win support in Britain for one person one vote elections and a unitary constitution for South Africa. Also on the platform were Bill Morris, General Secretary of the British transport workers union, Lorna Fitzsimmons, President of the National Union of Students and MPs Michael Meacher and Simon Hughes. In a dramatic breakthrough two weeks later, on 2 July, it was agreed that an election would be held on 27 April 1994.

A big crowd in Trafalgar Square heard Walter Sisulu demand immediate agreement on an election date on 20 June 1993. The rally was the climax of the AAM’s campaign to win support in Britain for one person one vote elections and a unitary constitution for South Africa. Also on the platform were Bill Morris, General Secretary of the British transport workers union, Lorna Fitzsimmons, President of the National Union of Students and MPs Michael Meacher and Simon Hughes. In a dramatic breakthrough two weeks later, on 2 July, it was agreed that an election would be held on 27 April 1994.

After agreement was reached on 27 April 1994 as the date for one person one vote elections in South Africa, the AAM campaigned to ensure the elections were free and fair. This Manifesto set out ten conditions, including a UN monitoring group. It was launched on 27 July 1993 at a ceremony in the House of Commons.

After agreement was reached in July 1993 on a date for South Africa’s first democratic national election the AAM set out steps to ensure the election was free and fair. These included an end to political violence, voter education and equitable financial resources for the parties contesting the election. 

ANC representative Mendi Msimang with Labour MP John Prescott at the trade union congress in September 1993. The TUC gave its full backing to the ANC’s Votes for Freedom campaign and asked British unions to donate to the ANC’s election fund. It also asked affiliated unions to support their sister unions in South Africa.

Bill Morris, General Secretary of the British transport workers union TGWU, presented a cheque for £20,000 to the ANC’s UK representative Mendi Msimang at the trade union congress in September 1993. The donation was for the ANC’s election fund, which had a £1 million target in Britain. The shopworkers union USDAW, the Fire Brigades Union, civil servants union CPSA, Manufacturing Science and Finance (MSF) and the general workers union GMB all made big donations.

On 24 September 1993 Nelson Mandela went to the UN in New York to ask for the lifting of international sanctions against South Africa. This was after agreement was reached on setting up a Transitional Executive Council in South Africa and an election date, 27 April 1994. Sanctions were formally lifted two weeks later on 8 October. This AAM statement was timed to coincide with Mandela’s UN visit. It looked forward to new trade relationships that would help build a post-apartheid economy.

In October 1993 Nelson Mandela visited Glasgow, the first British local council to present him with the freedom of the city, in 1981. AAM President Trevor Huddleston presented him with a special scroll commemorating the award of the freedom of nine British local authorities.

Nelson Mandela spoke to a big crowd who came to welcome him in spite of heavy rain in Glasgow’s George Square on 9 October 1993. Later he delighted the crowd by dancing with singer Mara Louw in front of Glasgow City Chambers.

Nelson Mandela danced with singer Mara Louw in Glasgow’s George Square on 9 October 1993. Earlier, AAM President Trevor Huddleston presented him with a special scroll commemorating the award of the freedom of nine British local authorities. In 1981 Glasgow was the first local authority to present Mandela with the freedom of the city. Also in the photograph is the Chair of the Scottish AA Committee, Brian Filling.

Report of a seminar on the role of British trade unions in post-apartheid solidarity. The report reprinted the address of keynote speaker Jay Naidoo, former General Secretary of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and a Programme of Action for the British trade union movement.

After agreement was reached on 27 April 1994 as the date for one person one vote elections in South Africa, the AAM campaigned to ensure the elections were free and fair. Its Countdown to Democracy programme focused on voter education. This leaflet asked for donations for a special Education for Democracy in South Africa Fund, supported by the main British teacher unions and the National Union of Students.

Scotland was twinned with the Transkei in the twinning programme set up by the AAM in the early 1990s. This appeal asked the Scottish people to support voter education, literacy, and women’s and arts projects in South Africa, as well as the work of the Scottish AA Committee. In 1994 Scottish AA set up Action for Southern Africa (ACTSA) Scotland, which forged close links with the new Eastern Cape province.

In the run-up to South Africa’s first one person one vote election, the AAM called for a full complement of election observers from Britain and the international community, and asked British local authorities and other organisations to support voter education workshops in South Africa.

This paper by the AAM’s Hon. Secretary Abdul Minty argued that Southern Africa faced a huge challenge in overcoming the legacy of apartheid. It suggested ways in which the international anti-apartheid movement could be transformed into a new movement of post-apartheid solidarity to help consolidate peace, development and democracy. 

The ANC published a programme for the economic and social development of South Africa just before the first democratic election in April 1994. The programme focused on reducing inequality and lifting people out of poverty. This summary was distributed by the AAM as part of its attempts to involve supporters in ongoing solidarity projects. 

Mug celebrating South Africa’s first democratic election, held on 27 April 1994.

Poster calling for the election of Nelson Mandela as South Africa’s President, produced for the ANC campaign in South Africa’s first one person one vote election in April 1994.

Baroness Barbara Castle and Labour MPs Joan Lestor and Glenda Jackson were among anti-apartheid campaigners who released balloons in Trafalgar Square on 27 April 1994, the day of South Africa’s first ever democratic election. On 10 May, when Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as President of South Africa, ANC and AAM members entered South Africa House for the first time, when they attended a reception to celebrate the inauguration.

After South Africa’s first democratic election in April 1994 there was debate among AAM supporters about future solidarity action in Britain. This leaflet publicised a workshop to discuss future action on 21 May and the AAM’s extraordinary general meeting on 25 June.

AAM members discussed how they could help Southern Africa overcome the legacy of apartheid at a workshop held in May 1994. Leading the discussion were economist Ben Fine, Lewisham Councillor Mee Ling Ng and educationist Gulam Mayet, who put forward practical suggestions for solidarity action. The ideas were carried forward at an extraordinary general meeting of the AAM, held on 25 June, which set up a new organisation, Action for Southern Africa (ACTSA). 

At an extraordinary general meeting of the AAM on 25 June 1994 delegates decided to transform it into a new movement of solidarity with the people of Southern Africa. A draft founding statement pledged that the new organisation would promote new bonds of friendship between people in Britain and South Africa. It also resolved to monitor the policies of international organisations and multinational companies. A further meeting on 29 October dissolved the AAM and set up Action for Southern Africa (ACTSA).

This celebration of the achievement of democracy in South Africa was held on South Africa Freedom Day, 26 June 1994. The day was also the 35th anniversary of the founding of the Anti-Apartheid Movement. The event featured South African music and world dance, the AAM’s annual Freedom Run, a balloon race and bouncy castle, and an exhibition on the ANC’s Reconstruction and Development Programme. 

This celebration of the achievement of democracy in South Africa was held on South Africa Freedom Day, 26 June 1994, in Brockwell Park, south London. The day was also the 35th anniversary of the founding of the Anti-Apartheid Movement. Hundreds of balloons were released in the colours of the new South African flag. The event also featured South African music and world dance, the AAM’s annual Freedom Run and an exhibition on the ANC’s Reconstruction and Development Programme. 

Poster advertising a concert on 9 July 1994 celebrating South Africa’s first democratic election. The concert featured South African artists and was organised by Islington Council in north London.

After the inauguration of Nelson Mandela as President in May 1994, the AAM looked forward to helping South Africa overcome the legacy of apartheid. This postcard was part of this initiative. In October 1994 the AAM set up a successor organisation, Action for Southern Africa (ACTSA).

After the date had been agreed for South Africa’s first one person one vote election on 27 April 1994 the AAM looked forward to the future. It asked its supporters to help build a new South Africa free from racial division and gross inequality. This T-shirt featured the new South African flag.

AA News warned that the unbanning of the ANC and PAC, and imminent release of Nelson Mandela, did not guarantee the end of apartheid. The AAM launched its South Africa: Freedom Now! campaign, calling for the maintenance of international pressure for the establishment of a united, non-racial democracy. COSATU General Secretary Jay Naidoo told of increasing repression of South African trade unionists. AA News reported on the constitution drafted by Namibia’s newly elected Constituent Assembly and on prospects for peace in Mozambique. A special report highlighted apartheid’s environmental impact.

AA News pictured Nelson Mandela walking out of Victor Verster Prison, and reprinted his speech from Cape Town town hall. It reported on the worldwide celebrations of his release. It called for support for the AAM demo planned for 25 March under the slogan ‘Tell Mrs Thatcher to Stop Supporting Apartheid’. In an article heralding Namibia’s independence celebrations planned for 21 March, AA News highlighted Namibia’s abolition of the death penalty. In the first of a series on the ‘Pillars of Apartheid’ AA News featured the Banstustan policy. It reported on the Malibongwe conference on women under apartheid held in Amsterdam.

This issue led on Namibia’s independence, declared on 20 March. It asked the British Government to press South Africa to end its occupation of Walvis Bay. It highlighted continuing repression in South Africa and the ANC’s attempts to resolve violent clashes in Natal. It reported on the Southern Africa Coalition’s lobby of parliament calling for the maintenance of international sanctions. A picture spread featured celebrations all over Britain of Nelson Mandela’s release from prison.

The May issue featured Nelson Mandela’s speech at the Wembley concert held on 16 April. It highlighted the AAM’s ‘South Africa Freedom Now’ campaign, culminating in a Trafalgar Square rally addressed by Rivonia trialist Andrew Mlangeni on 25 March. It reported that formal talks between the South African government and the ANC were forecast to start in May. The issue also featured a visit to Britain by the South African Unemployed Workers Coordinating Committee and SACTU’s merger with COSATU.

The June issue led on the spread of attacks by white vigilante groups in South Africa. It protested against the EU’s welcome for South African President de Klerk on his ‘victory tour’ of Europe and announced an AAM Day of Action on 16 June on the theme ‘Boycott Apartheid – Sanctions Now!' It reported on the talks between the South African Government and the ANC, stressing that their aim was a united, non-racial democracy. Chitra Karve reported back from the AAM’s Black Solidarity Conference in Brixton, London on 3 March. Jean Middleton analysed a South African commission’s report on Inkatha violence in Natal.

Nelson Mandela’s appeal to the European Parliament not to lift European Community sanctions was this issue’s front page story. AA News highlighted Mandela’s call for a democratically elected assembly to draw up a new constitution for South Africa. The AAM announced a September month of action against tourism in South Africa. A centre spread featured the 1990 Glasgow Sechaba Festival of Cultural Resistance to Apartheid, to be held in September, and the Zabalaza festival planned in London’s ICA. AA News warned about far-right white groups in South Africa and of SADF complicity in Inkatha violence in Natal.

The September issue led on the Pretoria Minute, under which political prisoners would be released and the ANC would suspend armed struggle. ANC representative Mendi Msimang told AA News that sanctions must be maintained and that the KwaZulu police should be disbanded to stop violence in Natal. A special correspondent celebrated the relaunch of the South African Communist Party in Johannesburg. A centre spread profiled South Africa’s trade union movement. Vivien McMenamin analysed the key issues facing the post-apartheid economy.

‘Peace process in distress’ headlined this issue, quoting Mandela’s accusation that apartheid security forces were fomenting ‘black on black’ violence. It reported on TUC support for the AAM’s ‘Call to Freedom’ campaign and on the relaunch of the ANC Women’s League in South Africa. Namibian trade union leader Ben Ulenga described the role of the National Union of Namibian Workers. The first in a new series of articles on the future South Africa argued that the goal of the Mass Democratic Movement was a grassroots democracy, led by workers and street level organisations.

AA News led on an AAM activists conference that launched an emergency campaign in response to the crisis facing the peace process in South Africa. It told de Klerk on his visit to Britain to stop ‘Talking Peace – Making War’. It reported on the EU’s relaxation of sanctions. Elaine Unterhalter described the apartheid education system and the plans for change put forward by South Africa’s National Education Coordinating Committee. Tanzanian High Commissioner John Malecela called for continuing support for the frontline states.

The December issue reported on de Klerk’s concessions in negotiations for the release of political prisoners, but warned against the relaxation of sanctions. Tony O’Dowd analysed key issues in the forthcoming negotiations for a new South African constitution. AA News reported on moves by east European countries to establish ties with South Africa. Its ‘Pillars of Apartheid’ feature focused on land and housing. It called for continued solidarity with the frontline states.

This issue led on the ANC consultative conference held in December 1990, which called on de Klerk to remove the obstacles to negotiations. It condemned the European Community’s decision to lift the ban on new investment in South Africa. It reported on the AAM’s AGM and it emergency campaign ‘Tell de Klerk – Stop the violence and repression’. Namibia’s first high commissioner to Britain told AA News about the issues facing the newly independent country. 

The March issue reported on crisis talks on 12 February between the ANC and the South African Government, which broke the negotiating deadlock. It welcomed the decision by the Commonwealth to maintain sanctions. In the first of a new ‘Peace Process Monitor’ series, AA News set out the key issues for negotiation. It reported on the South African democratic movement’s discussions about new structures for local government and sport. Frene Ginwala told AA News that the ANC must involve more women in the negotiating process.

AA News led on the South African Government’s land reform proposals, which failed to restore land to dispossessed South Africans. It reported on the AAM regional conferences held to discuss current issues and future prospects. Mick Flynn described moves to set up a new South African Interim National Olympic Committee. AA News reprinted an ANC statement on the cultural boycott, calling for links with non-racial South African cultural groups to stay open. It unveiled proposals for twinning areas of Britain and 14 ANC regions in South Africa. Mary Beale outlined the challenges facing the education sector in a future democratic South Africa.

The May–June issue focused on the spiralling violence in South Africa and the South African Government’s failure to meet the 30 April deadline for the release of political prisoners agreed with the ANC. It reported on de Klerk’s visit to Europe in April and Labour MPs boycott of the reception held for him at South Africa House. Sipho Pityana examined the crisis facing South Africa’s Bantustans. Louise Asmal described her visit to political prisoners who were still being held on death row in Pretoria Central Prison.

AA News again highlighted the stalling of the peace process because of the South African Government’s failure to take steps to end violence in the townships. It featured the ANC’s national conference held in Durban in July. It publicised plans for an AAM conference on post-apartheid solidarity action. Marga Holness reported on the situation in Angola and Deborah Ewing on the breakdown of the talks to end the civil war in Mozambique. In a special black solidarity feature, Lela Kogbara argued that after the formal end of apartheid, black South Africans would still struggle against external and internalised racism.

The September issue led on the exposure of South African Government secret funding of anti-ANC groups. It reported on the election of a new ANC leadership at the movement’s Durban conference. In a special trade union supplement, AA News featured COSATU’s conference held in July. A centre spread described the links between British and South African trade unions and the work of the AAM trade union committee. Gerald O’Sullivan reported on continuing repression in the Bophuthatswana Bantustan.

This issue featured the AAM’s ‘Vote for Democracy’ campaign, launched in Glasgow to coincide with the TUC Congress. It examined the role of a future democratic South Africa in the Southern African region. It reviewed the prospects for South Africa’s National Peace Accord and the failure to release political prisoners. A special feature examined the land question in Namibia. AA News reviewed the South African Human Rights Commission’s report on political violence, showingd that over 3,000 South Africans had been killed since July 1990 by vigilantes and the security forces.

AA News led on the two-day stay-at-home by South African workers and the Patriotic Front conference convened by the ANC and PAC. In the last feature in its ‘Peace Process Monitor’ series, it looked forward to the convening of all-party talks. Darkey Africa, founder member of a civic association in the Northern Cape, told AA News about grassroots attempts to democratise local government. AA News reported on the formation of a new South African united students organisation and on plans for a NUS/AAM student conference in Britain.

This issue led on the first meeting of CODESA (Convention for a Democratic South Africa) on 20–21 December. Kader Asmal argued the meeting was a watershed in South Africa’s transition to democracy. A report on the AAM’s AGM recorded that it was dominated by discussion on future solidarity with a democratic South Africa. Jean Middleton reported on the South African Communist Party’s national congress. Basil Davidson emphasised the importance of post-apartheid South Africa’s working for the development of its neighbours in Southern Africa.

‘Yes to Democracy’, proclaimed AA News, reporting on the whites-only referendum on negotiations for a new constitution. The newspaper again exposed the involvement of the South African Defence Force in the violence in KwaZulu Natal. In the run-up to the British General Election, AA News asked political parties about their policy on Southern Africa. It reproduced the AAM’s Black and Ethnic Minorities Committee’s call for the AAM to increase its campaigning against racism in Britain. Glenys Kinnock wrote about the social and economic challenges she had witnessed on her recent visit to South Africa. 

AA News recorded the deadlock in negotiations at CODESA II, following de Klerk’s insistence on a white blocking mechanism on a new constitution. It again called for the South African government to take action to end the political violence in the townships. The ANC Women’s League’s Baleka Kgositile told AA News about the importance of international people-to-people solidarity in helping to meet the huge challenges facing a new South Africa. AA News examined the role of the international community in ensuring free and fair elections in South Africa.

This issue led on COSATU’s call for a general strike following the Boipatong massacre and the breakdown of negotiations. Natal rural development worker Thabi Shange told AA News how South African women were shielding their families from political violence. Sadie Forman wrote about women’s attempts to change patriarchal attitudes within the ANC. A centre spread catalogued Inkatha’s township massacres. AA News reported on the civil wars in Angola and Mozambique. It recorded the historic decision by the South African Council of Churches to disobey ‘unjust laws’.

AA News headlined the ANC’s refusal to resume negotiations until the South African Government ended political violence. Gerald O’Sullivan reported on the ICJ’s fact-finding mission on the breakdown of law and order in Natal. British trade union leaders told AA News about their recent visits to South Africa. In an interview, NUMSA General Secretary Moses Mayekiso called for the maintenance of sanctions. A centre spread reviewed ongoing trade union struggles in South Africa.

AA News exposed the South African Government’s renewed support for UNITA, in breach of international agreements on Angola. It reported on British trade union support for an Emergency Fund for Peace and Democracy in South Africa. Dave Craine highlighted the importance of continuing financial sanctions. Mike Terry explained how the impasse in negotiations had been broken by a meeting between Nelson Mandela and Prime Minister de Klerk. Geoffrey Bindman reported on hopes for the release of South Africa’s last political prisoners. 

This issue led on the UN Security Council’s condemnation of UNITA in Angola and the resumption of civil war. It reported on the continued stalling of negotiations for a new South African constitution and on the Goldstone Commission’s enquiry into ‘black on black’ violence. The first in a new series looked at the Bophuthatswana Bantustan. In Britain, AA News featured the Anti-Racist Alliance’s campaign against the Asylum Bill, which would take away the right of appeal for visitors refused a visa at their port of entry.

AA News headlined de Klerk’s admission that South Africa had developed a nuclear bomb. It announced the resumption of negotiations for a new constitution in South Africa. It reported on the ANC international solidarity conference held in Johannesburg in February and publicised an AAM conference ‘Southern Africa: Making Hope a Reality’, planned for June. Sean O’Donovan explained the ANC’s plans for a transition to democracy. The ANC’s Popo Molefe told AA News that voter education was key to ensuring free and fair elections.

AA News listed points of conflict to be resolved before South African elections proposed for 27 April 1994 could go ahead. It reported on the latest developments in the search for peace in Mozambique and Angola. In the third in its series on South Africa’s Bantustans, it looked at KwaZulu and the growth of the Inkatha Freedom Movement.  The newspaper pictured Nelson Mandela’s visit to the family of murdered British teenager Stephen Lawrence and carried tributes to Oliver Tambo and Chris Hani. 

‘Election breakthrough’ proclaimed this issue, announcing 27 April 1994 as the date of South Africa’s first one person one vote. It carried a four-page feature on the AAM’s conference ‘Southern Africa: Making Hope a Reality’. SADC (Southern Africa Development Conference) Secretary Dr Simba Makoni told AA News that regional growth must be a post-apartheid priority. The newspaper reported on the delay in holding elections in Mozambique and on ‘the worst war in the world’ in Angola.

AA News led on the UN Security Council’s condemnation of UNITA for re-igniting the civil war in Angola. It reported on escalating political violence in South Africa in the run-up to the April 1994 election and on the launch of the AAM’s international campaign for free and fair elections. It urged the UN to send a big observer mission to the South African election. Alan Brooks reported on COSATU’s Programme for Economic Reconstruction and Development. COSATU General Secretary Jay Naidoo previewed COSATU’s Special Congress.  

This issue led on Nelson Mandela’s visit to Glasgow, where he received the freedom of nine British cities and appealed for continuing solidarity. It reported on the UN’s historic lifting of economic sanctions against South Africa. MERG (Macro Economic Research Group) economist Cyrus Rustomjee examined the post-apartheid South African economy’s need for new investment, setting out the argument for state intervention. Vella Pillay called for more spending on social infrastructure. AA News reflected the AAM’s new emphasis on combating racism in Britain, reporting on racist attacks in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

AA News led on the ANC’s election manifesto, which promised a wide range of social reforms. Launching the AAM’s ‘Countdown to Democracy’, Archbishop Trevor Huddleston called for international support to ensure South Africa’s election on 27 April was free and fair. John Hughes looked at South Africa’s transitional constitution and analysed divisions in the far-right Freedom Alliance. A centre spread surveyed the ANC’s plans for reconstruction and development. AA News reported on the Women’s National Coalition.

AA News Election Special described the election framework and the make-up of the UN observer mission. It outlined the challenges in ensuring the election was free and fair. It listed the political parties and explained South Africa’s transitional constitution. AA News reproduced a message from Nelson Mandela asking for continued support from the AAM and pledging the ANC to an ‘ambitious programme of reconstruction and development’.

The June/July issue reported on Nelson Mandela’s State of the Nation address to Parliament on 24 May, following his inauguration as President on 10 May. It recorded the lifting of the UN arms embargo and accession to the OAU and the Commonwealth. AAM members who served as election observers told their election stories. A centre spread looked at ANC policies on job creation, land and health. AA News stressed the need for continuing solidarity to help South Africa and the Southern African region overcome the legacy of apartheid.

The last issue of AA News announced plans to set up a successor organisation to the AAM at a conference on 29 October. Its aims would be to campaign for peace and democracy throughout Southern Africa, especially in Angola and Mozambique; to work for reconstruction in the region; and to build ‘people to people’ solidarity. Frank Chikane warned the new South African government against accepting a military culture. Joe Slovo set out plans to confront South Africa’s housing crisis. Margaret Ling reported on the ‘Mozambique Now!’ campaign in the run-up to Mozambique’s October election.