NORE eI hcrmedins a a Pre I FT RE Eg Pee

Neo Mnumzane, African National Congress observer a

X

t the Socialist International congress, told Satur-

day’s rally at the Vancouver courthouse that the ANC “is still open to constitutional means for change

where they exist.’ But, he stated, the Vorster regime

has closed all legal channels in South Africa.

—Fred Wilson photo

Probe investment |
1 in South Africa P
s urges SAAC call

Some 50 people demonstrated
outside the Vancouver courthouse
Saturday to voice their con-
demnation of the bombing raids by
Rhodesia against refugee camps in
the neighboring conuntries of
Zambia and Mozambique.

The demonstration, sponsored
by the Southern African Action
Coalition in conjunction with the
B.C. Federation of Labor and other
organizations, was addressed by
Patriotic Front representative
Basker Vashee and Neo Mnum-
zane of the African National
Congress of South Africa, both
observers’ at the Socialist In-
ternational congress in Vancouver
Nov. 3-5.

SI pressed on southern Africa struggle
‘The time for action has arrived’

“Apartheid rests on two pillars,”’
former Swedish prime minister
Olaf Palme reminded delegates to
the congress of the Socialist In-
ternational in Vancouver Saturday
— “on the continued exploitation
as cheap labor of the African
population and on the continued
support from abroad, from what
leaders of the racist regimes
usually refer to as the free world.

‘Without these two pillars,
apartheid would crumble,” he
declared.

Palme’s hard-hitting address,
affirming his own long standing
support for the southern Africa
liberation struggle, coincided with
a significant development for the
SI which, for the first time ever,
extended invitations to attend the
congress to the Patriotic Front of
Zimbabwe, the African National
Congress of South Africa and the
South West African People’s
Organization(SWAPO).

The Swedish Social Democratic
Party leader’s remarks, which
called for a halt to economic
support “from our countries to
apartheid,”’ also pointed to the
continuing contradiction within the
SI—that, despite the condemnation
of racist regimes, SI member
parties in governmént, notably in
West Germany and Britain, con-
tinue to provide substantial in-
vestment in South Africa.

Hans-Juergen Wishchnewski,
delegate from West Germany,
whose Social Democratic Party
government holds significant in-
terests in corporations operating in
South Africa, also faced the same
contradiction but he joined with
Palme in declaring his unequivocal
support for program pledging
opposition to the racist regimes in
Rhodesia, South African and

Namibia and giving assistance to

the liberation movements in those
countries.

Among the points called for by
the two leaders were:

e A ban on all arms exports to
South Africa and on military
cooperation with the regime;

e Work towards a prohibition of
new investments and export of
capital to South Africa and
Namibia;

e Subjection to ‘‘public and
international ostracism’”’ of every
state and every company that
supplies arms to South
Africa; | :

e Increased support to the front
line states;

e Political support and

humanitarian aid to the ANC(SA),

the Patriotic Front of Zimbabwe
and SWAPO;

e Action to stop the flow of
mercenaries to the racist regimes
and introduction of legislation to
end the recruitment, financing and
training of mercenaries “‘from our
own territories.”’

e Government assistance to
trade unions and_ other
organizations seeking to support
liberation movements;

e Intensification of the economic
boycott and political isolation of
the Smith regime in Rhodesia;

Wischnewski stressed also in his
address that in. the case of
Namibia, ‘‘the following non-
negotiable principles must apply:”’

e Free elections supervised by
the UN with the participation of all
political groups;

e An end to the South African
administration and withdrawal of
all South African military units;

e The release of political
prisoners; :

e The abolition of
discrimination.

In welcoming the stand taken by
the introductory speakers on the
issue of Southern Africa, Patriotic
Front representative Basker
Vashee called on the Socialist
International to ‘‘give ‘sole
recognition to the Patriotic Front”
and “reject the so-called ‘internal

Front.

racial

settlement’ ”’.

He told the congress that the
Smith regime had in recent months
intensified its campaign of terror
against the PF and “‘is now seeking
the physical annihilation of the
Front.

“All leaders of Zimbabwe
African National Union(ZANU)
and the Zimbabwe African
People’s Union(ZAPU), the
component organizations of the
Front, have been arrested — and
not only them but, in many cases,
their families,’’ he said.

Vashee emphasized that the
tactic of the Smith government
was intended to ‘eliminate the
Patriotic Front as a factor in any
elections’’. For that reason, he said
the Front has demanded as a
prerequisite to elections, the
dismantling of the Rhodesian
security forces. ;

In response to some suggestions
from SI affiliates that support for
the Front because of its alliances
with the Soviet Union and other
socialist countries, Vashee told
delegates: ‘‘Our alliances are
made because there are govern-
ments and solidarity movements
which have supported and continue

upport our struggle.
Beer on the Socialist In-
ternational to do the same,” he
declared.

~“BASKER VASHEE . . . calls for full support for struggle of Patriotic
? —Sean Griffin photo

Ne

without sup-
port from abroad, apartheid
would collapse.

OLAF PALME...

African National Congress
spookesman Neo Mnumzana also
welcomed the program of support
particularly that outlined by Olaf
Palme but stressed, ‘‘The world
has spent a lot of time denouncing
apartheid — but the time for action
has arrived.”

That action must be directed
against the multinational cor-
porations ‘‘which provide the
foreign support for apartheid’, he
said, citing paricularly the case of
General Motors which recently
signed an agreement with the
South African government for the
formation of a commando unit to
be used in the event of upheaval in
the country.

Mnumzane who received a
standing ovation, said in an in-
terview following the congress that
the first-ever invitation to the
meeting and the opportunity given
to address the delegates was
“clearly an expression of interest
in the work of the ANC.

“Tt is only a first step but it is a
signigicant one,” he said, noting
that, in the past, some affiliates to
the SI had taken the position of
supporting both the ANC and the
Pan-African Congress, a
divisionist movement which
recently was faced with the
desertion of its commander-in-
chief.

Mnumzane addressed that the SI
and its member parties could play
a significant role in working
towards comprehensive economic
sanctions against South Africa—
which would be upheld by all
countries, ‘‘including those which
now allow capital to be invested in
the apartheid regime.”

Patriotic Front spokesman
Basker Vashee charged that most
of those who had been massacred
in the Rhodesian bombing raids
against the camps “were not
combatants — a fact which has
since been verified by the United
Nations High Commission on
Refugees.”

Prior to Staturday’s demon-
stration, the Coalition issued a
statement aimed at the Socialist
International Congress calling on
participants, particularly those
whose parties constituted the
government in their countries, to
examine ‘‘certain pertinent
questions. :

“The British and West German
delegates should answer pertinent
questions regarding trade and
investment by the hundreds of
British and West German com-
panies operating in South Africa,”
the statement said. ‘“‘They should
explain why their governments are
themselves’ shareholders in
several of these companies.

“In view of the often declared
opposition to apartheid and to
white minority rule in southern
Africa by the British and West
German companies, it is essential
that these delegates deal with this
important matter, not only to reply
to allegations of inconsistency, if
not hypocrisy, on the part of their
governments, but also to have this
policy changed,”’ it declared.

SAAC cited particularly the
instance of violations of economic
sanctions against Rhodesia by
Shell and British Petroleum, the
latter 51 pe-ceni controlled by the
British government. The oil
companies provided the minority
regime of Ian Smith with vital oil
supplies despite the call, voiced by
the British government in 1965, for
international sanctions.

“The Bingham Report issued in
Britain in September,’’ the
Coalition noted,’ not only con-
firmed long standing violations of
sanctions by Shell and BP, but also
made it clear that British govern-
ment officials must have been
aware of what was happening
during the Labour governments of
1964-70 and 1974-76.”

The statement also pointed to the
involvement in South Africa of
corporations controlled by the
British government as well as
corporations in which with either
the British or West German
governments hold significant in-
terests.

It cited the British Steel Cor-
poration and British Leyland
which holds a considerable share
of the heavy vehicle market in
South Africa through its subsidiary
British Leyland of South Africa.

In the case of West Germany, the
Coalition pointed to rapid ex-
pansion of investment by German
corporations in the 1960’s and 70’s
and noted that the Social
Democratic Party government
maintains a 20 percent interest in
the largest automotive firm in
South Africa, Volkswagen.

The Coalition also called on
Canadians to ‘‘look close to home’’
and press for government action to
curb the operations in South
African of such Canadian cor-
porations as Alcan, the Canadian
Development Corporation,
Falconbridge Hudson’s Bay
Company, Massey-Ferguson,
Noranda Mines, Seaboard Lum-
ber, Seagram’s, Sun LIfe
Assurance and George Weston Ltd.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—November 10, 1978—Page 5