Oliver Tambo was an influential figure in the African National Congress (ANC). In particular, he is known for working to create the ANC Youth League with Nelson Mandela and Walter Sisulu.

He was born on Oct 27, 1917 in a small town in the Eastern Cape. In the 1960s the ANC had Tambo travel abroad to help further the political party’s goal of obtaining equality for all South African people. The leader spent the next 30 years raising international awareness about the apartheid government.

Tambo finally returned to South Africa in 1991. Tambo died from a stroke in April 1993, one year before fellow ANC party member, Nelson Mandela became the country’s first black president.

The Johannesburg International Airport was renamed OR Tambo International Airport in 2006.

Copyright © ProjectExplorer 2007
Text: Adam Sewall
Image: Courtesy ANC Archives, www.anc.org.za