Potlako Leballo

**Potlako Kitchener Leballo** (19 December 1924 – January 1986) be one Lesotho Africanist wey lead de Pan Africanist Congress till 1979. Leballo be co-founder of de Basutoland African Congress for 1952, he be World War II veteran plus headmaster for primary school.

## Early years
Dem born Leballo insyd Lifelekoaneng, Mafeteng, Lesotho (wey dem dey call Basutoland den times) insyd 1915, he be de last born outta fourteen kiddies, but he talk say he born insyd 1925. Ein poppie no dey around, but he be catechist for Anglican Church wey dey teach for St. Paul's Mission for Tsikoane, so na two of ein poppie ein senior brothers raise am. One of dem, Motsoasele, be strong nationalist wey keep ein traditional religion till he die for 1947. De oda uncle, Nathaniel, be Anglican pastor, so Potlako come get Christian education, first for St. Saviour's for Hlotse, den later for Masite Institution for Morija. As he dey St. Saviour's, Uncle Motsoasele carry am go force am take part for traditional Sesotho rite of passage wey dem dey call *lebollo*. Dis *lebollo* no be wetin St. Saviour's dey agree, so dem come sack am from de school.

## Move to South Africa
Insyd 1940, Leballo turn student for Lovedale College wey dey near Alice for Eastern Cape, South Africa.

He active insyd African National Congress Youth League till dem sack am plus some radical leaders like Robert Sobukwe from de ANC, den dem go form de PAC, wey be more radical Africanist group. He get one big recognition say na he nominate Chief Albert Lutuli for 1952 den Mangaliso Robert Sobukwe for 1959 to lead African National Congress (ANC) den Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) respectively. Later for 1984, he talk say he feel say to comot from ANC (even though Kwame Nkrumah plus Basuto leader Ntsu Mokhehle encourage am) be mistake, say ein "Africanists" for fight inside to take control of de party instead of forming new one. Dem elect am as Secretary General of de PAC, den inside one year, de new party start challenge de ANC serious.

## Pan Africanist Congress of Azania
Afta de anti-pass campaign den de Sharpeville massacre wey PAC supporters dem shoot for 1960, Leballo chop prison sentence for incitement, den wen dem release am for 1962, dem deport am go Basutoland (now Lesotho), wey be ein own country. For there, he help bring de PAC back again. Under ein leadership, dem form Poqo, de PAC ein military wing, wey later turn Azanian People's Liberation Army (APLA). De Poqo uprising between 1962–1964 fail partly sake of say de arms wey dem dey expect from Ghana den Egypt to land for Transkei coast no come — dem talk say some corrupt PAC officials sell am — but mostly sake of say dem expel Leballo from Basutoland due to pressure from South African government. Leballo come set up PAC headquarters for Ghana den Tanzania. He lead de party go take big ideological shift towards Maoism, but till 1976 he no fit get majority support from de external refugees, as plenty of dem lose zeal for militant activities, yet still dey want big role inside party matters. Even though he be successful demagogue for rural areas den townships, he no get de kind diplomatic character wey exile leaders need. De people wey dem dey call "reformist-diplomats" inside de external PAC always dey challenge de PAC leadership, but dem too face challenge wen 178 Basutoland Congress Party refugees arrive exile for 1974, come begin train as PAC APLA guerrillas for Libya. De reformist-diplomats dem face more challenge wen 500 Soweto den Cape students join de Basotho for Libya.

## Chairman of de PAC
Insyd 1978, wen PAC ein leader Sobukwe die under restriction for Kimberley, Leballo take over as Chairman of de PAC. But ein position no strong. Nkrumah sef wey be ein big backer no dey again, den Mao Zedong die for 1976. De PAC come dey forced to consider some allies wey no get good name, like Pol Pot, Saddam Hussein den Idi Amin. But de main threat come from de US Carter administration wey decide say dem need South Africa make e stable so dem fit settle de Zimbabwe matter well. Dem begin tell ANC den PAC make dem stop guerrilla war den rather accept détente plus dialogue. Andrew Young, wey be de American ambassador to de UN, plus de Nigerians, dem say dem dash hundreds of thousands of dollars give David Sibeko, wey be de PAC ein rep for UN, make he take use ein people dilute Leballo ein revolutionary ideology by putting ein own supporters for de new PAC executive. Sibeko succeed well (na why dem call Leballo "Chairman" instead of "President") but he no give attention to de newly recruited Azanian People’s Army (APLA), wey already beat de old APLA under Templeton Ntantala den dey demand bigger share for de money. By 1979, Leballo go England for medical treatment, den Sibeko, Vusi Make den Elias Ntloedibe announce say dem be de new PAC leadership afta dem talk say Leballo resign. APLA commanders reach Dar es Salaam from Itumbi Camp, Chunya near Mbeya, den dem get quarrel plus Sibeko. That same evening, dem shoot am dead. Vusi Make then be declared as de new PAC leader, but APLA no gree accept am. For de standoff wey follow for Chunya, Tanzanian soldiers kill four APLA soldiers wey no carry arms, injure forty more, den scatter de rest. Forty APLA soldiers wey de PAC leadership talk say dem be dangerous were sent go detention camp for Mgagau, Iringa. By 1980, Leballo reach Zimbabwe den open new PAC headquarters. But he no get money, so one white APLA intelligence officer be de one wey dey support am financially. Even though Edgar Tekere, wey be ZANU (PF) ein Secretary General, plus some oda leaders welcome am, Prime Minister Robert Mugabe plus some others keep demma distance. De intelligence officer advise Leballo make he strengthen ties plus North Korea, since demma ambassador dey very supportive and even help buy house items for Leballo. De officer reason say even though de party be Pan-Africanist, African governments no dey trustworthy so dem for secure safe base for North Korea. But Leballo no agree, he talk say de party for rely on Africa, no matter how treacherous politicians dey. He get hope from Libya ein government promise to support one exiled University of Azania wey dem plan build for Zimbabwe.

## Deportation
Insyd February 1981, John Nyati Pokela, wey be senior member for PAC, get release from detention for South Africa den he replace Make as leader for de “reformist-diplomat” PAC. Leballo write give am suggest make dem meet, den he talk privately say he go gree make Pokela be PAC President or Chairman if only he, Leballo, go fit control APLA. But Pokela no reply am. Dem both show for de first anniversary celebration of independence for Rufaro Stadium, but dem only wave give each other from far. Some Tanzanian people wey support am from Tanzanian High Commission warn Leballo say Tanzania ein president, Julius Nyerere, plus de secretary general of de OAU Liberation Committee, Hashim Mbita, both talk say make Zimbabwe sack am. Next day, as Leballo dey wait to meet government minister Edson Zvobgo, dem arrest am, put am for prison, den deport am de following day. As dem rush put am for plane, ein intelligence officer give am small money. After dem push am around for different Middle East countries wey make he lose all ein luggage, Leballo finally reach Libya.

## Later years
From 1981 go reach ein die for 1986, Leballo dey work for Ghana under President Jerry Rawlings ein People’s Committees, but most times he no get money for London. Dem revoke ein Ugandan den Tanzanian diplomatic passports, but he take ein Liberian passport connect plus de Rwandan Tutsi people den Museveni ein Ugandan resistance movement. After Pokela die suddenly for 1985, Leballo start dey make progress reunite de PAC, but he too die suddenly for January 1986 insyd Greenwich, London. Dem bury am for Lifelekoaneng, Lesotho. De Basutoland Congress Party, wey he help start den train dem military wing, talk say Leballo play big role for collapse of Leabua Jonathan Molapo ein regime for 1986.

## Summary
Even though most people no dey remember am again for South African politics, Leballo na de man wey turn PAC small from semi-fascism go Maoism between 1966 to 1979. He see say de Poqo slogan wey talk say “drive de whites insyd sea” no dey make sense again (na dis same idea dem later bring back as “one settler one bullet” wey come bring wahala for elections – 1.2% vote for 1994, then 0.7% after dat). Sibeko ein attempt take power for 1979, de Chunya killing, plus how dem push Leballo go sideline no be just end of one man ein political life – e be like say dat one na de end of any serious left wing alternative to de ANC/SACP group.

## References

## Read further
* Leeman, Bernard (1992) *Lesole la Mokhehle – Soldier for Mokhehle*, PAC Office Canberra.
* Leeman, Bernard (1999) *Lesotho and the Struggle for Azania*, Roma, Lesotho – updated 1985 Bremen University PhD Thesis.
* Leeman, Bernard (1995) *The Pan Africanist Congress of Azania*, Australian National University, Canberra.
* Mphanya, Ntsukunyane (2004) *A Brief History of the Basutoland Congress Party 1952–2002*, Morija, Lesotho, pp. 95–98.
* Godfrey Mwakikagile, *Nyerere and Africa: End of an Era* (Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: New Africa Press, 2010), pp.&nbsp;368, 372.
* Kevin Shillington, ed., *Encyclopedia of African History* (New York: Taylor & Francis Group, 2005), p.&nbsp;1394.
## External links