Armed Struggle and Democracy

The impact of the concept(s) of armed struggle for the notion(s) of democracy in South(ern) Africa is the focus of this paper. Originally submitted to a conference on (Re-) Conceptualising Democracy and Liberation in Southern Africa, held in Windhoek/Namibia during July 2002, it argues from the point of departure of the personal involvement of the author in the issues raised.

The author was part of a group which criticised the strategy of armed struggle in the ANC. For the articulation of this dissenting view they were suspended from the movement in 1979 and finally expelled in 1985. With this paper he inspires a debate, which can claim relevance for current issues of democracy in South Africa and the Southern African region more generally. Given the degree of personal involvement of its author, this analysis is contemporary history based on personal insights, and provides arguments for a necessary discussion.

This publication is one of the results of the research network on Liberation and Democracy in Southern Africa (LiDeSA), currently coordinated through the Nordic Africa Institute.

Nyckelord: Armed struggle, Democracy, Liberation, ANC, Historical analysis, Political culture, South Africa