A NEW statue of South African revolutionary Oliver Tambo has been unveiled as a tribute to the man who kept the “flame of hope burning” against apartheid.

The monument is in Albert Road Recreation Ground, north London, near to the house of the longstanding president of the African National Congress (ANC).

The event was attended by ANC veterans and the South African embassy, as well as Labour MPs Bambos Charalambous, Catherine West and shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry.

South African British High Commissioner Thembi Thambo — who is Mr Tambo’s daughter — gave an in-depth biography of her father’s upbringing and social beliefs.

She also read a message from South African President Cyril Ramaphosa which said: “Although he is no longer with us, we continue to celebrate Oliver Tambo’s birthday in honour of his unparalleled role in the struggle for the oppressed people of our country.”

Ms Thornberry paid tribute to Mr Tambo for coordinating the ANC’s struggle in exile, saying: “As [Nelson] Mandela was in prison, Tambo had to maintain the intellectual vision that had held the ANC together, and to keep flame of hope burning.

“We had the ANC headquarters in my constituency — we have a plaque, but we also want to do more. We want to create a place of learning in the constituency, a centre for anti-racist struggle.

“We also need to use this as an opportunity to stop and think about the future — and to think about the future of South Africa.

“This is a future that has extraordinary potential and we should maintain our close relationship to South Africa.”