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External Mission: The ANC In Exile
New edition of the late Stephen Ellis' meticulously researched book that penetrates the secrecy of the ANC in exile for the first time.
After the ANC was banned by the apartheid government in 1960, many of its leaders and members were forced to leave the country. During the next three decades, it had to operate in exile and underground. Yet the real history of this period remains shrouded in mystery.
Some events, such as the Rhodesian campaign of 1967–1968 and the Kabwe conference of 1985, are well known, but lesser known are the intense factional struggles within the organisation, recurring pro-democracy protests and the creation of a security apparatus that inspired widespread fear. Some networks within the exiled ANC became heavily involved in corruption, even colluding with elements of the apartheid security police and secret services.
External Mission aims to provide a full account of the ANC’s years in exile, penetrating the secrecy the organisation erected around itself and testing the myths that emerged from that period. It is based on an exceptionally wide range of sources, including the ANC’s own archives and foreign archives such as those in East Germany, where the movement’s security personnel were trained.
Incisive and revealing, External Mission is key to understanding South Africa today.
After the ANC was banned by the apartheid government in 1960, many of its leaders and members were forced to leave the country. During the next three decades, it had to operate in exile and underground. Yet the real history of this period remains shrouded in mystery.
Some events, such as the Rhodesian campaign of 1967–1968 and the Kabwe conference of 1985, are well known, but lesser known are the intense factional struggles within the organisation, recurring pro-democracy protests and the creation of a security apparatus that inspired widespread fear. Some networks within the exiled ANC became heavily involved in corruption, even colluding with elements of the apartheid security police and secret services.
External Mission aims to provide a full account of the ANC’s years in exile, penetrating the secrecy the organisation erected around itself and testing the myths that emerged from that period. It is based on an exceptionally wide range of sources, including the ANC’s own archives and foreign archives such as those in East Germany, where the movement’s security personnel were trained.
Incisive and revealing, External Mission is key to understanding South Africa today.
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First published April 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 15, 2021
Somewhere deep in the undergrowth of apartheid's dying days, the tentacles of the ANC's security apparatus and that of the regime touched and then intertwined to form the nervous system and then the backbone of the criminal enterprise that has tried to profit over the last 20 years. A great book by a man gone too soon.
January 10, 2013
Was surprised at some of the revelations I read. But as a good ANC Cadre I will not go into it here.
Unfortunately this book was money badly spend. Now that I know what kind of books CNA stocks, I will never buy there again. By the way CNA, why are you stocking "Zuma Exposed" by that dastardly Adriaan Basson? I must organize some boycot.
The author (back to "External Mission") has some lingering grudge against the ANC and SACP. Nelson Mandela, Joe Slovo and Samora Machel also got some snide remarks. Why mention that Samora Machel arrived in a Rolls Royce at in 1984 for the Nkomatic Accord was totally beyond snide. Machel may have arrived in a Rolls, but the Apartheid Regime stooges also showed off, while most people in South Africa was living in poverty.
The other day on television, the lone PAC Member of Parliament had the cheek to talk about President Zuma as the State President. The last State President of South Africa happens to be FW de Klerk. Stephen Ellis, why if you are writing a historical book, do you also pull a plonker on yourself?
Furthermore Zimbabwe-Rhodesia did not become Zimbabwe. It was Southern Rhodesia that became Zimbabwe. Also mentioning that they had one free and peacefull election is laughable.
Solomon Mahlangu was not busy with some evil deed when the police tried to apprehend him. He, Mondy Motoung and George Mahlangu were minding their own business, when the police decided that 3 black men constituted a danger to society. When they tried to apprehend these fellows, 2 civilians died.
On page 122 you say and I don't quote that he was in some clandestine operation that lead to the death of the 2 civilians. I have just proven you wrong.
I however did enjoy the photos.
Stay with me. I am still ranting on...
It is a pity that you have a grudge against the ANC and the SACP (of which I am not a member). The ANC is the party that will rule until a certain saviour comes.
Unfortunately this book was money badly spend. Now that I know what kind of books CNA stocks, I will never buy there again. By the way CNA, why are you stocking "Zuma Exposed" by that dastardly Adriaan Basson? I must organize some boycot.
The author (back to "External Mission") has some lingering grudge against the ANC and SACP. Nelson Mandela, Joe Slovo and Samora Machel also got some snide remarks. Why mention that Samora Machel arrived in a Rolls Royce at in 1984 for the Nkomatic Accord was totally beyond snide. Machel may have arrived in a Rolls, but the Apartheid Regime stooges also showed off, while most people in South Africa was living in poverty.
The other day on television, the lone PAC Member of Parliament had the cheek to talk about President Zuma as the State President. The last State President of South Africa happens to be FW de Klerk. Stephen Ellis, why if you are writing a historical book, do you also pull a plonker on yourself?
Furthermore Zimbabwe-Rhodesia did not become Zimbabwe. It was Southern Rhodesia that became Zimbabwe. Also mentioning that they had one free and peacefull election is laughable.
Solomon Mahlangu was not busy with some evil deed when the police tried to apprehend him. He, Mondy Motoung and George Mahlangu were minding their own business, when the police decided that 3 black men constituted a danger to society. When they tried to apprehend these fellows, 2 civilians died.
On page 122 you say and I don't quote that he was in some clandestine operation that lead to the death of the 2 civilians. I have just proven you wrong.
I however did enjoy the photos.
Stay with me. I am still ranting on...
It is a pity that you have a grudge against the ANC and the SACP (of which I am not a member). The ANC is the party that will rule until a certain saviour comes.
May 26, 2022
The late Stephen Ellis allowed his partisan political prejudices to cloud his judgement. Like his early screed, "Comrades Against Apartheid", this book is ruined by his obsessive overstatement of his basic thesis, i.e., that the small SACP exercised 'control' and 'domination' over the ANC through all sorts of nefarious manipulation. One does not have to be a blind apologist or fan of the SACP (and I have never been either) to realise that much of this is hopelessly exaggerated if not distorted.
For a much more detailed, balanced, nuanced, non-partisan and ultimately honest account of the SACP's history from before its foundation in 1921 to 2021, see Tom Lodge's masterful "The Red Road to Power"
For a much more detailed, balanced, nuanced, non-partisan and ultimately honest account of the SACP's history from before its foundation in 1921 to 2021, see Tom Lodge's masterful "The Red Road to Power"
January 7, 2021
Tells the story of the ANC in exile. A must-read for all South Africans.
February 6, 2015
This is very much a book for the specialist reader. It assumes a great deal of knowledge which makes it impossible for the general reader to glean much from it. It would probably help if the Appendix: A Note on Method had been at the front of the book as a preface. This would have given a clear indication of what the author was trying to achieve even though it does not say much about the actual method used. It would help even more if the author had stuck to the rules he set himself in this appendix, especially with regard to the use of names, if only for the sake of clarity.
There are also some unfortunate authorial or editorial lapses in the book, of which the most spectacular is the reference to ANC armed cadres infiltrating what was to become Zimbabwe from north of the Limpopo. Given that the whole of Zimbabwe is north of the Limpopo, this is either the wrong river, the wrong country or, much less credibly, the wrong direction and the wrong organisation. Unfortunately, it is impossible to work out what is meant, which reduces the whole section to nonsense.
The bigger difficulty, however, is that the author is forced to rely, as is the case with the history of all clandestine operations, on gossip, rumour, occasional innuendo and memoirs written long after the events being described, as documents either do not exist, are not yet available to historians, or are not specific. Gossip is usually mischievous, even if not downright malicious, rumour is generally inaccurate, innuendo has to be interpreted, and memoirs are generally biassed. The problem with using sources of this kind is that they have to be interpreted with a great deal of caution. Sometimes, what is reported as a rumour at the start of a paragraph becomes established fact by its end. In some cases, this happens within a sentence.
On occasions, I have to question the judgement of the author. The accusation that Oliver Tambo, a man known for his honesty and integrity, lied on the basis of what appears to me to be very flimsy evidence leads me to doubt the author's judgement, and his ability to interpret the evidence before him with the necessary caution.
There are whole sections of the book where I have no method of testing the accuracy of what is being said, except through my own memory as someone who was peripherally involved in these events as a member of the Anti-Apartheid Movement. And my memory is, of course, both biassed in my favour, and may be inaccurate. From what I can judge through my own experience, however, the author is misinterpreting events, on occasion, and sometimes, as in the example quoted above about Zimbabwe, is just plain wrong.
This is a shame, because the subject is deserving of academic treatment. I just feel that it could be done much better than this.
There are also some unfortunate authorial or editorial lapses in the book, of which the most spectacular is the reference to ANC armed cadres infiltrating what was to become Zimbabwe from north of the Limpopo. Given that the whole of Zimbabwe is north of the Limpopo, this is either the wrong river, the wrong country or, much less credibly, the wrong direction and the wrong organisation. Unfortunately, it is impossible to work out what is meant, which reduces the whole section to nonsense.
The bigger difficulty, however, is that the author is forced to rely, as is the case with the history of all clandestine operations, on gossip, rumour, occasional innuendo and memoirs written long after the events being described, as documents either do not exist, are not yet available to historians, or are not specific. Gossip is usually mischievous, even if not downright malicious, rumour is generally inaccurate, innuendo has to be interpreted, and memoirs are generally biassed. The problem with using sources of this kind is that they have to be interpreted with a great deal of caution. Sometimes, what is reported as a rumour at the start of a paragraph becomes established fact by its end. In some cases, this happens within a sentence.
On occasions, I have to question the judgement of the author. The accusation that Oliver Tambo, a man known for his honesty and integrity, lied on the basis of what appears to me to be very flimsy evidence leads me to doubt the author's judgement, and his ability to interpret the evidence before him with the necessary caution.
There are whole sections of the book where I have no method of testing the accuracy of what is being said, except through my own memory as someone who was peripherally involved in these events as a member of the Anti-Apartheid Movement. And my memory is, of course, both biassed in my favour, and may be inaccurate. From what I can judge through my own experience, however, the author is misinterpreting events, on occasion, and sometimes, as in the example quoted above about Zimbabwe, is just plain wrong.
This is a shame, because the subject is deserving of academic treatment. I just feel that it could be done much better than this.
November 19, 2020
Without a doubt the best book I have ever read about the modern ANC and gives an incredibly candid insight into why South Africa finds itself in such a difficult position today. A must read for anyone interested in understanding this tragedy and its origins in the dual corruption and criminality of rival forces fighting for supremacy. It does not bode well for the future.
October 26, 2015
Ellis produces an incredibly in-depth account of the SACP's internal control of the ANC and the overlooked aspects of life for MK cadres in exile. A fact heavy book that bludgeons its readers with names, dates, and figures up until the last, analysis-saturated chapter. A great book, but a slow read for anyone interested in the buried narratives of the ANC's glorified past.
February 18, 2016
an excellent discussion on how the South African police and the ANC and South African Communist Parties mirrored each other in corruption.
This is the tale on how the South was won.
This is the tale on how the South was won.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews