Oliver & Adelaide Tambo Foundation

13/05/2026

Repost from :

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“We might fail. But at the end of the day, we must be able to say that we have destroyed the apartheid system.”

Oliver Reginald Tambo (1917-1993) served as President of the African National Congress from 1967 until 1991, leading the organisation through three decades of exile after leaving South Africa following the 1960 Sharpeville massacre. He co-founded the ANC Youth League in 1944 alongside Nelson Mandela and Walter Sisulu, and later established Mandela & Tambo, the first Black-owned law practice in South Africa. From headquarters in Lusaka, Zambia, he directed the ANC’s international campaign to isolate the apartheid state, securing support from the Soviet Union, African states, and the global anti-apartheid movement.

This interview, conducted by Gill Nevil and first broadcast in November 1985 for Thames TV, was recorded three months after P.W. Botha’s government declared a State of Emergency across parts of South Africa, as township uprisings intensified and Umkhonto we Sizwe (the armed wing of the ANC) escalated operations inside the country. Mandela remained imprisoned. Earlier that year, Botha had offered his release on the condition he renounce violence. Mandela refused. Tambo speaks from Lusaka, twenty-five years into exile. Apartheid would not formally end until the elections of April 1994.

Oliver Tambo died on 24 April 1993.

24/04/2026

As we commemorate the 33rd anniversary of the passing of , watch the full "Oliver Tambo: Have You Heard From Johannesburg" documentary by Connie Field here:
https://youtu.be/jZdsjXxAKJE?si=zmGXbGPKTIfd_cXn

24/04/2026

“The whole of Africa lost something when he died. was in a class of his own. We have lost a truly great man."
- President Kenneth Kaunda

Today marks the 33rd anniversary of the passing of , who, after dedicating his life to the struggle for South Africa's liberation, passed away one year before the first democratic elections.

Clip: Oliver Tambo: Have You Heard From Johannesburg | Connie Field

24/04/2026

“Let all of us who live say that while we live Oliver Tambo will not die. May he, for his part, rest in peace. Go well, my brother and farewell, dear friend.”
- President Nelson Mandela (1993)

On this, the 33rd anniversary of his passing, we remember the incredible legacy of .

21/03/2026

66 years ago, apartheid police used live ammunition on peaceful, PAC protesters in and Langa, 69 people in Sharpeville and 2 people in Langa, and injuring over 200 people combined.

On this Human Rights Day, we remember the Sharpeville Massacre — a turning point that illuminated the brutal cost of oppression and the urgent demand for freedom, dignity, and justice for all.

spoke of active action in the face of injustice, and the reality of that moment showed how state violence aimed to quell the cry for rights. The passage of time does not soften the pain, but it strengthens our resolve to safeguard human rights, advance equality, and honor those who stood up for justice.

Today, we recommit to building a future where the tragedies of the past propel us toward ensuring enduring human rights for all.

01/03/2026

Oliver Tambo initially wanted to study medicine, but at the time, no tertiary medical school accepted Black students in that field. He opted to study the sciences at the then-named College of Fort Hare. It was there that he first met Nelson Mandela, where both were members of the Students Christian Association (SCA). From his first year Tambo taught Sunday school. He was also part of a group of eight students whose singing was broadcast by the local radio station in Grahamstown, Eastern Cape. At this time Tambo was stricken with asthma, a condition that he endured throughout his life.

In 1941, a White person in charge of the university kitchen assaulted Black women working there. An enquiry into the issue exonerated the man involved. The students convened a meeting and following intense debate, influenced by Tambo’s guidance, staged a boycott of classes in protest. In 1942, he was unanimously elected chairperson of the Students' Committee of his residence, Beda Hall. After three years, Tambo graduated with a B.Sc. degree in mathematics and physics from Fort Hare. He then enrolled for a diploma in higher education.

During this period Tambo led an initiative for students to rebuild a disused tennis court on the campus in order to pass the time on Sundays. When the tennis court was completed, the students scheduled an opening ceremony, which Tambo reported to the warden. The authorities declined permission for the students to play tennis on Sundays, as they believed it was a breach of the faith.

The students then embarked on a policy of non-cooperation with the university authorities. As a consequence, Tambo, who at the time was secretary of the Students Representative Council, together 45 other students, was expelled. All but 10 of them were readmitted after two or three weeks.

After his expulsion, Tambo went back to his home in Kantolo. He then applied for teaching jobs but was turned down when prospective employers learnt that he was expelled from university. Fortunately, he was offered a position as a teacher in physics and mathematics at his alma mater, St Peter's, where he spent five years. Former students taught by him recalled his engaging style of teaching and consider him an outstanding teacher. During this period Tambo became part of a small network of the young African elite in Johannesburg. Source: SAHO/Beyond The Engeli Mountains/Wikipedia/ANC Archive

21/02/2026

May the soul of the indomitable Reverend Jesse Jackson rest in eternal peace.

Oliver Tambo, Rev Jesse Jackson and Father Trevor Huddleston at anti-Apartheid Protest in Trafalgar Square, London, on 2nd November 1985. (Photo by Richard Baker)

21/02/2026

The standard 7 class at St Peter's, c 1935, with class mistress and headmaster, Mr Shearsmith. Oliver Tambo is in the front row, second from right. Oliver Tambo would go on to be the top Maths and Science student in South Africa, prompting the government to probe his marks and order him to rewrite both subjects alongside Joseph Mokoena. Even after rewriting, both Tambo & Mokoena still topped the matric class of the year (1938). Source: Beyond The Engeli Mountains by Luli Callinicos/SAHO

21/02/2026

Oliver R Tambo with Nelson Mandela at Jan Smuts Airport, December 1990. Photo Credit:
Siphiwe Mhlambi

21/11/2025

“Today, we gather for the women who never made it back home.

For the sisters, daughters, and mothers whose voices were stolen too soon.

We gather for those who are still here with us.

To every survivor suffering in silence:
We do this for you. We see you.

We do this for our children, our sisters, and our brothers - for every life that deserves safety and freedom.

Today we rise so women in South Africa can finally live free

(Words by )