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2.1. The Turning Point

Under the brutal system of apartheid, the initial response from the Black majority was one of peaceful protest. However, the seeds of a more confrontational approach had been planted long before the struggle turned violent. In 1944, a new generation of leaders, including Dan Tloome, Nelson Mandela, and Walter Sisulu, formed the ANC Youth League (ANCYL), establishing a foundational radicalism that openly debated moving beyond passive resistance. This intellectual shift reached its breaking point in March 1960 at the Sharpeville Massacre. When police responded to a peaceful protest against pass laws with lethal force, it became devastatingly clear that non-violent methods were no longer viable. The state’s aggression proved that a new, more forceful language was required.

2.2. Reclaiming the Date

In direct response, a new generation of freedom fighters launched an armed struggle. On December 16, 1961, they formed Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), the “Spear of the Nation.” The choice of date was a profound and deliberate political act. By launching their campaign on the Day of the Vow, they directly challenged the Afrikaner nationalist narrative. They transformed a day celebrating conquest into a symbol of liberation, with one of the emerging fighters making the defining declaration for the new movement: “Let us use the language they seem to understand, it is time to use force!”

2.3. The Armed Struggle

Umkhonto we Sizwe began a campaign of sabotage, targeting important government buildings and territories. Their actions signaled a new phase of disobedience and self-advocacy in the fight against apartheid. The state responded with force, and on July 11, 1963, police raided MK’s safehouse at Liliesleaf Farm in Rivonia. This led to the arrest of key leaders and the infamous Rivonia Trial, a pivotal moment in the history of the struggle.