Oliver Tambo returns to South Africa from exile

Witness History

BBC

History, Personal Journals, Society & Culture

4.4 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 26 April 2024

⏱️ 11 minutes

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Summary

On 13 December 1990, the anti-apartheid politician Oliver Tambo returned to South Africa after 30 years in exile.

As the president of the banned African National Congress (ANC), he had lived in Zambia building the liberation movement while other key ANC members including Nelson Mandela and Walter Sisulu were political prisoners.

By lobbying around the world and attracting talented South African exiles such as Thabo Mbeki, he built the organisation into a legitimate contender for government.

When President FW de Klerk unbanned the ANC, Oliver or OR Tambo was finally able to return home where he was greeted by a crowd of thousands at the airport.

Oliver Tambo’s son, Dali Tambo, recalls to Josephine McDermott how his father and other ANC exiles danced in the aisle of the plane as they crossed into South African airspace.

(Photo: Oliver Tambo at Jan Smuts Airport. Credit: AP/John Parkin)

Transcript

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0:00.0	I'm Helena Bonkarter and this is history's secret heroes.
0:07.0	In this series we'll hear stories of daring secret missions and
0:15.0	re-
0:17.0	re-emptic high-ranking codebreaker
0:18.0	and Riemont the escape artist
0:21.0	interned in a German camp.
0:23.9	Tales of danger, dynamism and downright determination.
0:27.8	The new series of history's secret heroes.
0:30.5	Listen first on BBC Sounds. You're listening to the Witness History podcast from the BBC World Service with me Josephine McDermott.
0:46.3	In 1990 the anti-apartheid politician Oliver Tamboe was able to return to South Africa after 30 years in exile.
0:54.6	I've been speaking to his son Dally Tambo.
0:57.6	It's the 13th of December 1990 and thousands of people have gathered at Johannesburg's
1:07.7	International Airport to witness a moment they can barely believe is happening.
1:12.4	Oliver Tamboe, who has led the movement moment they can barely believe is happening.
1:13.0	Oliver Tambo, who has led the movement against South Africa's racist regime for three decades,
1:18.4	is finally returning home.
1:20.6	And the man introducing him to the crowds is the recently freed Nelson Mandela.
1:28.0	We welcome him with open house as one of the greatest heroes of Africa.
1:35.0	Thank you.
1:39.0	So many people were crying and laughing and hugging. This was the ultimate. All of them I'm sure felt that they had
1:48.8	achieved the first step. They were back home. The ANC was intact. The people were there.
1:57.0	Even though the National Party had tried to stop, people come into the airport and blocked roads all over. All the surrounding
	...

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