Azanian People's Organisation


The Azanian People's Organisation is a South African political party and a former liberation movement. The organisation's two student wings are the Azanian Students' Movement for high school learners and the other being for university level students called the Azanian Students' Convention, its women's wing is Imbeleko Women's Organisation, simply known as IMBELEKO.
Its inspiration is drawn from the Black Consciousness Movement philosophies developed by Steve Biko, Abram Onkgopotse Tiro and Vuyelwa Mashalaba, as well as Marxist Scientific Socialism.

History

Azapo was formed out of the prominent black consciousness organisations namely, Black People's Convention, the South African Students' Organisation and the Black Community Programmes. These were three of the 17 black consciousness organisations that were banned on Wednesday, 19 October 1977 for their role in the 16 June 1976 Soweto uprisings. A year after the formation of AZAPO, in September 1979, at its conference in Roodepoort, the national executive was formed with Curtis Nkondo as its president. During 1987, AZAPO was banned by the South African government and forced underground and into exile. It would be unbanned in 1990. In October 1994, AZAPO merged with its sister organisation in exile, the Black Consciousness Movement of Azania.
AZAPO campaigned for the isolation of South Africa during its apartheid years by waging a so-called "cultural boycott" in the country; black people increasingly regained their resolve to fight for their rights and formed trade unions and civic organisations.
The armed wing of AZAPO was the Azanian National Liberation Army which received support and military training in China, Libya, Botswana, Palestine, Syria, Zimbabwe and Eritrea. There was an agreement with Iraq to train AZANLA combatants but that was thwarted by the First Gulf War in 1990. During the 1980s, it was engaged in a bloody internecine feud with the ANC.
AZAPO, along with its youth wing AZAYO were unbanned in 1990, which permitted it to continue its political programs legally. It was invited, but refused to participate in, the negotiations to end apartheid, a decision which led to the resignation of two senior members, Monwabisi Vuza and Imraan Moosa. The party then boycotted the 1994 elections, but has participated in each of the elections since then. On 21 March 1998, a faction broke away to form the Socialist Party of Azania. AZAPO won one seat in each of the 1999, 2004 and 2009 elections, but failed to win a seat in the 2014 general election.
The current leader of the party is Strike Thokoane.
In 2017, Strike Thokoane was elected as the new president of AZAPO, during the party's 39th national congress in Soweto.

Negotiations with SOPA

The party has had regular negotiations with SOPA aimed at merging the two parties, but these broke down in 2004, 2007 and again in 2013.

Election results

National elections

! Election
! Total votes
! Share of vote
! Seats
! +/–
! Government
! 1999
! 2004
! 2009
! 2014
! 2019

Provincial elections

! rowspan=2 | Election
! colspan=2 | Eastern Cape
! colspan=2 | Free State
! colspan=2 | Gauteng
! colspan=2 | Kwazulu-Natal
! colspan=2 | Limpopo
! colspan=2 | Mpumalanga
! colspan=2 | North-West
! colspan=2 | Northern Cape
! colspan=2 | Western Cape
! % !! Seats
! % !! Seats
! % !! Seats
! % !! Seats
! % !! Seats
! % !! Seats
! % !! Seats
! % !! Seats
! % !! Seats
! 1999
! 2004
! 2009
! 2014
! 2019

Municipal elections

! Election
! Votes
! %
! +/–
! 2000
! 2006
! 2011
! 2016