Joe+Slovo

Joe Slovo By Jordan Springer Joe Slovo was an activist against apartheid in South Africa. He helped found Umkhonto we Sizwe, which was the armed part of the ANC (African National Congress) and served as general secretary for the South African Communist Party, which, interestingly enough, his wife’s parents founded. Joe was born in Obelai, Lithuania, on May 23, 1926, and was originally named Yossel Masho Slovo. About 1935, Joe Slovo and his parents, Woolf and Ann moved to Johannesburg, South Africa. They moved to escape the harsh anti-Semitism that was taking place at that time, as it could have affected their Jewish family. Attending school until 1940, Joe was a student who enjoyed debates, history, and sports. He also worked as a clerk for a pharmaceutical company. A strong believer in the power of the people, Joe joined the South African Communist Party. During WWII, he enlisted for the Allied forces, fighting in Egypt and Italy. Later, he would serve the Springbok Legion, an organization that fought for the rights of soldiers during and after WWII. After returning, he enrolled at the University of the Witwatersrand in 1946, graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in law in 1950. While studying at Witwatersrand, he met Ruth First, a fellow communist, whom he married in 1949.

In 1950, he was “banned” from public meetings and such because he was a communist. He continued to work for communist organizations despite this. After helping found the Congress of Democrats, a group of whites who shared the views of the ANC, and draft the Freedom Charter, Slovo was arrested, along with 155 other activists, and charged with high treason. After the Sharpesville massacre in 1960, Slovo was held for six months. A year later, he co-founded Umkhonto we Sizwe, the more militant-based wing of the ANC. In 1963, he left South Africa, fleeing to the United Kingdom, and was joined by Ruth First and their three children in 1964. In 1966, he attended the University of London, gaining a Masters degree in law. In ’69, Joe was put on the ANC’s revolutionary council, where he helped the organization strategize. In 1977, he and Ruth moved to Maputo, Mozambique, where Joe helped to establish a headquarters for the ANC where he planned several of the operations of Umkhonto we Sizwe. His wife was killed by a parcel bomb in 1982, and Joe was thought to be involved and was accused, but this later was proved to be false.

In 1984, Joe married Helena Dolny, a woman who he’d previously sent on spying missions to South Africa. That same year, Joe was forced to leave Mozambique and moved to Zambia. The next year, 1985, Slovo was appointed to the executive council of the ANC, of which he was the first white member. In 1986, he became the general secretary of the South African Communist Party, and in 1987 he became the chief-of-staff for Umkhonto we Sizwe. After F.W de Klerk’s announcement to free Nelson Mandela in February 1990, he returned to South Africa. He helped the transition from apartheid by being a negotiator between the National Party and several anti-apartheid organizations. He is credited with creating a compromise between the ANC and the NP known as the “sunset clause” that led to the Government of National Unity, which combined political parties. In 1991, Joe stepped down from his position as general secretary for the SACP due to health problems, serving as chairperson instead. Joe Slovo was elected Minister of Housing in the national government during the famed multi-racial elections of 1994. He died of leukemia on January 6, 1995. Nelson Mandela spoke at his funeral, praising his work. Joe Slovo was very important to the end of apartheid, helping in many ways. He will always be remembered for his work with Umkhonto we Sizwe and his negotiations.