Mr. Tambo explained that the Lusaka communique was issued when the Smith regime was trying to give the impression that the clashes in Rhodesia were with ANC guerrillas only, not with the Rhodesian Africans. This, of course, was announcing not the formation, but the existence of a military alliance.
Military alliance is a big word.
But it is not as if we sat down and signed a great big document with clauses and terms. We have had close political relations with ZAPU, and these developed into relations at the military level until we were in a position to fight together. This close alliance is the first of its kind one can recall in the liberation movement. In no previous instance has there actually been fighting by freedom fighters drawn from different territories. In the case of South Africa this is important, because the South African and Rhodesian racist regimes have been working very closely, with an undeclared alliance.