October declared O.R Tambo month

Benoni resident Oliver Reginald Tambo would have celebrated his 102nd birthday on October 27.

O.R Tambo died on April 24, 1993, at the age of 75 after suffering complications following a stroke, his death came 14 days after Chris Hani’s assassination, one year prior to the 1994 general election in which Nelson Mandela became the president of South Africa.

Tambo was born in Bizana, a town in the Eastern Cape Province, he earned a scholarship to attend the University of Fort Hare which was the only university open to black citizens in the country.

He studied education and science and in 1941 he received his bachelor’s degree.

Tambo became increasingly moved to the forefront of ANC political activity agitating against apartheid, the caste system enforced upon the native black population by the white-controlled government.

He and other party members were arrested in 1956 for treason, though later cleared.

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During this period, Tambo married Adelaide Tshukudu, a nurse and member of the ANC’s Youth League; the couple would go on to have three children.

After the Sharpville demonstration massacre where dozens of citizens were killed or injured, the ANC adopted the method of using violent, militant tactics to overthrow apartheid rule.

The party was banned by the government and Mandela would be sentenced to life imprisonment. Tambo was appointed to become the head of the ANC while in exile by the party’s president, Chief Albert Luthuli.

Tambo became the acting party president in 1967, upon Luthuli’s death.

Tambo established residences in Zambia and in London, England, among other locales and received party aid from select European countries, including Holland, East Germany and the Soviet Union. From abroad Tambo coordinated resistance and guerrilla movements and despite internal organizational struggles were able to keep the multi-racial ANC intact.

During the 1980s, with the unrest in South Africa reaching chaotic heights under the P.W. Botha regime, Tambo increasingly found Western support for the plight of the people, including in the form of economic boycotts.

Though steadfast in his resolve, Tambo was noted for his grace, warmth and affection. He was able to return to his native country in 1990 after the ban against the ANC was lifted by new South African President F.W. de Klerk.

Struggling with his health after having suffered a stroke, Tambo turned over party presidency to Mandela in 1991 and became chairman of the party.

The O.R. Tambo Cultural Precinct in Wattville, where the Tambo’s resided during their fight against apartheid, attributes to the legacy of Tambo and his stature as a leader.

The precinct is close to O.R.- and Mama Adelaide- Tambo’s gravesite at Tamboville Cemetery and has been declared a National Heritage Site by the South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) in October 2012.

The precinct was developed in recognition of O.R. Tambo’s national and international status and the significant historical context of his residence in Wattville.

The precinct comprises the O.R. Tambo Narrative Centre; interpreting the life and legacy of O.R. Tambo through exhibitions, a Craft Centre, an Amphitheatre for live cultural events, an Environmental Education Centre and a Craft Trail between the O.R. Tambo Precinct and Tamboville Cemetery.

The O.R. Tambo Education and Narrative Centre is not just a dedication to the life’s work of one man but is also about educating children and adults on caring for the environment while encouraging sustainable living and providing jobs, right on the banks of the Leeupan Wetland.

In celebration of his life, the renaming of Johannesburg International Airport to O.R. Tambo International Airport in 2006 was a milestone for the memory of this great man, particularly as it is South Africa’s gateway to the continent.

Information taken from : https://www.portfoliocollection.com/visit/ekurhuleni-o-r-tambo-cultural-precinct

https://www.biography.com/political-figure/oliver-tambo