"Oliver Reginald Tambo" (October 27,1917-April 23.1993)

He was born in the village of Kantolo.His mother,Julia,was the third wife of Mzimeni Tambo,son of a farmer and assistant salesman at a local trading store.Oliver parents were traditionalist,they saw the importance of western education,and he was sent to school.As he grew older,he developed a desire to leave home and gain wider experience and he enrolled at the missionary school at flagstiff,called Holy Cross.Mzimeni could not afford his fees,Oliver displayed such enthusiasm a sponsorship for him for him through two English sisters.One of his oldest brothers,who was working as a migrant laborer in Natal,also sent a part of his wages to cover any additional costs.After five years at Holy Cross he was accepted at St.Peter's,a well known school for black children in Johannesburg.For the time he was exposed to youngest of other traditional African cultures,as well as to institutionalized segregation and white racism.When he was 16,Oliver was orphaned when both of his parents died away within a year of each other.During this time Oliver,achieved an excellent pass,which resulted in the Eastern Cape assembly of chiefs,the Bhunga,him a bursary to further his education at Fort Hare University.He initially decided to study medicine,at the time no university medical school would accept black students.He chose a course in the sciences,and three years later he graduated with a B.S. degree in mathematics and physics.After his election as chairperson of the Students'Representative Council of his residence,the Anglican Beda Hall he organized a student protest and was expelled from Fort Hare.Oliver went back to his home in Kantolo to look for employment in order to support the younger members of his family and was offered a position as Master in Mathematics at his alma mater,St Peter's.At that time Johannesburg was an exciting melting pot of cultures for young,upcoming Africans and Oliver soon became involved with Walter Sisulu,Anton Lembede,Jordan Ngubane,and Nelson Mandela,a fellow student from Fort Hare.The group regularly visited the house of Dr.Xuma,a medical doctor who was also the President of the African National Congress(ANC).Here they formulated a plan to revive the ANC and make it more accessible to ordinary people.In 1944,the ANC Youth League (ANCYL),as well as the Women's League,were established.Anton Lembede was elected chairman of the new ANCYL,with Oliver as its secretary and Walter as its treasurer.In 1948,the National Party came into power and suddenly a number discriminatory laws were were put into place.In order to challenge these laws,Oliver decided to study law through correspondence and in 1952,he joined the law practice of Nelson Mandela,where together they assisted Africans in their struggle against apartheid.In 1953,Oliver was appointed as the ANC National Secretary in place of Walter,who had been banned by the government as a result the Defiance Campaign.During 1955,Oliver became engaged to Adelaide Tskukudu,a Youth League activist and nurse employed at Baragwanath Hospital,and they were married in December 1956;the couple had three children.In the aftermath of the Sharpeville Massacre,Oliver went on a "Mission in Exile" to gain international support for the South African liberation movement.Oliver emerged as one of the foremost advocates of women's rights within the movement.During the 1980,Oliver,as the president of the ANC,was increasingly recognized by the Organization for African Unity as a head of state exile.He also promoted Nelson Mandela as a symbol of worldwide political freedom and resistance to racial intolerance.Oliver led the group that formulated the Harare Declaration and because of the grueling schedule he was subjected to,his health began deteriorating resulting in a stroke in 1982.Disregarding the advice of his medical advisers,Oliver did not ease his efforts,and in 1989,after the presentation of the Harare Declaration,he collapsed and suffered a severe stroke.While he recuperated,Nelson Mandela and other political prisioners were released.In December 1990,Oliver returned home and attended the first ANC Congress to be held inside South Africa since it was banned.Nelson was elected president of the ANC and Oliver its national chairman.The remaining three years of his life,Oliver spent at his sister's house in Kantolo,the home he had longed for during all his long years in exile.In the early hours of the morning of April 23,Oliver suffered a massive & fatal stroke.He was honored with a state funeral.