A student studies in a tent at Dakawa, Tanzania, 1980s

A student studies in a tent at Dakawa.

Following the SOWETO Uprising in South Africa in 1976, thousands of young people arrive in exile unaccompanied by parents or adults. In response the ANC establishes two major projects in Tanzania, SOMAFCO at Mazimbu and the ANC Development Centre at Dakawa. SOMAFCO is built on a 250 Ha former sisal farm called Mazimbu in Morogoro, which the Tanzanian Government gives to the ANC. In 1980 the Tanzanian Government gives another farm near Morogoro called Dakawa. The 300 Ha property is used to establish the ANC Development Centre.

The main goal of the ANC Development Centre is to establish a reception and orientation centre in Tanzania to provide asylum-seeking young South Africans with housing, remedial education, and vocational skills to regain self-respect, independence, and ultimately contribute to their country's development. Unlike SOMAFCO, which is conceived as a school, the ANC Development Centre is to serve as a community settlement, with plans for eight self-sufficient villages focusing primarily on agriculture and small-scale industry.

The Development Centre encompasses various activities and facilities, including agriculture, construction projects, educational centres such as the Ruth First Educational Orientation Centre and the Institute of South African Studies, vocational training, adult education, and plans for a political education school.