But with South Africa's first nonracial elections just weeks away, South Africa's "second" embassy in Moscow has been instructed to close its doors.
At a meeting in Johannesburg last week, the ANC leadership told the heads of all its foreign missions to close, because their objectives had been accomplished, said Thembe Thabethe, head of the Moscow office, in an interview Wednesday.
The announcement marks the ANC's evolution to a legal political party in South Africa, and closes the door on its campaign to isolate the nation from the international community.
The offices "were intended to enlighten the international community on the apartheid situation, and to solicit their assistance in the struggle against apartheid," Thabethe said.
At the height of the ANC's struggle, in the late 1980s, there were about 40 such missions worldwide, Thabethe said.
Some, like the one in Moscow, as well as Cuba and Kenya, were granted diplomatic status, and even financed by their host nations. The Soviet Union's Committee on Solidarity With Africa and Asia supported the mission here, said a spokesman for the South African Embassy, Wim Kotze.
Until 1991, the South African government itself had no embassy in Russia. Relations were normalized in 1990.
Thabethe said he, like most mission directors, will return to South Africa following the elections on April 26-28. It will be the first time since he fled 18 years ago that he has gone back to live in his home country.
Thabethe said he left South Africa in 1976 after helping to organize students to protest African education, leading to the Soweto uprising which focused world attention on apartheid.
With the help of the ANC, Thabethe said he fled to Nigeria, until he received a scholarship to attend Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow in 1979. He was named director of the Moscow ANC mission in 1991, he said.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.