This book is a long-overdue history of the Pan Africanist Congress of
Azania (PAC) and the rise of the Africanist ideology in South Africa.
From its formation in 1959, the PAC underground inside South Africa and
in exile shaped the dynamics of the anti-apartheid movement and
liberation struggle by framing alternative ideologies. Kwandiwe Kondlo
analyses the radical traditions, the structural contradictions and the
internal conflicts of this rival to the African National Congress (ANC),
South Africa's dominant liberation organisation. The contributions of
some of the PAC leaders, including Robert Sobukhwe, Potlake Kitchener
Leballo, Vusumzi Make and John Nyathi Pokela, are reconstructed as are
the PAC's experiences in exile and the strategies pursued by its
military wing, the Azanian People's Liberation Party (APLA). The role of
the PAC in the power-sharing negotiations leading to the historic 1994
elections in South Africa round off the narrative. The PAC story is a
highly controversial one, as the perspectives are wide and various. This
book seeks to present a balanced picture which includes diverse views in
a comprehensive narrative.