Mandela plan

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The Mandela Plan ( M-Plan for short ) was an opposition organization of the African National Congress (ANC) developed secretly in 1952 and part of the anti- apartheid movement in South Africa . It was named after its founder, Nelson Mandela , who was then a resistance fighter and later President of South Africa . The main features were a fragmented, geographical hierarchy and a popular, local educational offer.

backgrounds

Since the 1950s, the apartheid regime in South Africa subjected the political work of groups critical of the government, including the ANC, to increasing restrictions with legal measures. These included restrictions on freedom of assembly . Political events were partially broken up by the police. Leading ANC politicians, such as Nelson Mandela, were imprisoned or put under a ban on the basis of the Suppression of Communism Act , which permitted a change of whereabouts only with prior approval, severely restricted public activities and could contain contact and citation bans. At this point it was to be expected that the government could declare the ANC illegal as a political organization and stop official party work altogether, as actually happened a few years later.

In this situation Nelson Mandela urged the Executive Committee of the ANC to develop a plan that would allow the mass organization to make decisions and spread news without central gatherings. The connection between the functionaries and the political base should also persist in the expected illegality. In particular, banned functionaries who work underground should be given the opportunity to lead. The plan also served the purpose of recruiting new members and being able to react unanimously to local and national problems.

structure

Rows of houses in a township (here Soweto ) formed the basic units in the Mandela plan.

A key feature of the plan was the multi-level system , which on the one hand took into account individual and local conditions, but on the other also enabled higher-level executions. In detail, Mandela named the following levels:

  • Cell : smallest unit that consisted of around 10 houses on a street in townships , for which a cell leader was responsible
  • Street : consisting of several cells on a street with more than ten houses, for which a street manager was responsible
  • Zone : consisting of several streets for which a senior manager was responsible

The heads of the respective level were obliged to report to the next higher head, so that the cell leader reported to the street leader, who in turn reported to the head manager. The head leader was also responsible for the secretariat of the local group. The secretariat was a subcommittee of the local branch executive that reported to the district secretary, etc.

Mandela's intention was that the cell and street leaders get to know the people and families in their area so well that local networks of trust would develop. The cell leaders had to arrange meetings, hold political seminars, and collect contributions. They should act as an anchor in the people.

Due to the social density in the lowest levels, the plan was designed for urban structures. But it should also be transferable to rural areas.

implementation

Mandela discussed the main features of the plan in secret meetings with officials from the ANC and SAIC (Organization of the Indigenous People of South Africa). Implementation was made more difficult, as particularly remote outposts rejected the plan on the grounds that it was centralized .

The ANC then provided nationwide political education for simple party members and sympathizers . Three courses were developed with the following main topics:

  1. The world we live in
  2. How we are governed
  3. The need for change

The courses dealt with different political and economic systems worldwide ( capitalism and socialism ) as well as the social situation in South Africa with a special focus on racial segregation . Mandela herself often gave evening lectures. In addition to promoting anti-racism and criticism of capitalism , the aim was to maintain party discipline and maintain contact with the ANC. The participants were asked to pass the material on to their family and friends.

According to Mandela, the plan was implemented with little success. Although the plan was used as a means of resistance in individual parts of the country and cities of South Africa (such as the Eastern Cape and Port Elizabeth ), according to Mandela, it was not sufficiently communicated to the members. This is due to the lack of employed organizers as well as differences of opinion within the group. Regional officials had resisted the plan because they thought it would take away local political power. Other functionaries were not aware of the danger and scope of the upcoming ANC ban.

See also

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Mandela: The Long Road to Freedom . P. 189
  2. ↑ Mandela: The Long Road to Freedom . P. 190f.

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