Violence, Only When There is Nothing Else

• Explain the reasons behind the creation of Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK). Do you think adopting violence as a method strengthened or weakened the anti-apartheid movement?

Umkhonto we Sizwe was created to combat, literally, apartheid and to be military support for the ANC. Nelson Mandela in his “I am prepared to die” speech states that “as a result of Government policy, violence by the African people had become inevitable, and that unless responsible leadership was given to canalize and control the feelings of our people, there would be outbreaks of terrorism which would produce an intensity of bitterness and hostility between the various races of this country which is not produced even by war”. I feel that the formation of MK was unfortunately necessary for the equal treatment of the people in South Africa. Violence is a nasty way to deal with any issue and should only be used when it is absolutely needed and only as a last coarse of action. In the case of the anti-apartheid movement it got to the point where the only coarse of action that could be taken was to take to arms. Mandela and his followers have done a great deal for human equality and did the majority of it in a non-violent manner but at times that will only take you so far. The formation of MK helped the anti-apartheid movement and has the only way to deal with many of the issues that non-violence could not.