The first National Consultative Conference of the ANC was held at Morogoro, Tanzania, from 25 April to 1 May 1969. The conference has become known as the `Morogoro Conference`. Oliver Tambo summed up the conference with these words: “Close Ranks! This is the order to our people; our youth; the army; to each Umkhonto we Sizwe militant; to all our many supporters the world over.

This is the order to our leaders; to all of us. The order that comes from this conference is: Close Ranks and Intensify the Armed Struggle!” The Conference was attended by over seventy delegates from various centres representing ANC branches, units of Umkhonto we Sizwe – the ANC`s military wing – leader of the Indian and Coloured peoples and the revolutionary working class movement. The Conference was opened at a public session by GeorgeMagombe, Executive Secretary of the OAU Liberation Committee.

Other speakers at the opening session included: Mr A Swai, Administrative Secretary for External Affairs of TANU, Mr J J Nambuta of NUTA, Tanzania`s Trade Union Federation, Amadou N`diaye, Secretary of the All African Trade Union Federation and revolutionary leaders of FRELIMO (Mozambique), MPLA (Angola), SWAPO (Namibia) and ZAPU (Zimbabwe).