Oliver Tambo (1917 - 1993)

Sat Oct 27, 1917

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Oliver Tambo, born on this day in 1917, was a South African anti-apartheid politician and revolutionary who served as President of the African National Congress (ANC) from 1967 to 1991.

In 1943, Tambo, along with Nelson Mandela and Walter Sisulu, founded the ANC Youth League, with Tambo becoming its first National Secretary and a member of the National Executive in 1948. The Youth League proposed a change in the tactics of the anti-apartheid movement, advocating boycotts, civil disobedience, strikes, and non-collaboration.

In 1960, Tambo fled South Africa due to political persecution, living in exile in north London for thirty years. From London, he supported and helped organize the ANC in the fight against apartheid from a distance. On December 13th, 1990, Tambo returned to South Africa and was elected National Chairperson of the ANC.