South Africa —economic sanctions aid
anti-apartheid struggle

By ANVER SALOOJEE

South Africa, due to the recent mas-
Sive wave of strikes by the non-white
workers, the shocking shooting at
Carletonville, and the growing anti-
apartheid offensive by progressives
around the world, has been forced
into adopting a dual and seemingly
contradictory policy. On the one hand
she has to appear to humanize apart-
heid and make it palatable to the ex-
ternal world and on the other hand she
has to still maintain the repressive
apartheid state sructure.

It is in the light of the former that
the developments in Southern Africa
have to be analyzed. Undeniably, the
events in Guinea-Bissau and Mozam-
bique, and the success of the national
liberation struggle. there have led to a
revision of South Africa’s policy of
hegemony in Southern Africa. In an ef-
fort to contain the impact of liberation
of the Portuguese colonies outside her
borders, South Africa is now vigorously
pursuing a policy of “mini-detente” in
Southern Africa, such as proposing an
end to her illegal domination of Nami-
bia. The solution advocated does not
include constitutional reform, the ac-
ceptance of ‘“‘one man, one vote” as a
working principle or active participa-
tion by the only true and popular rep-
resentative of the people — The South
West African People’s Organization’
(SWAPO).

Thwarting Pressure

What the Vorster government hopes
to create in Namibia is a multi-racial
80vernment whose objectives would co-
Incide with their on all major issues.

Y co-opting a significant portion of
Blacks at “the decision-making level’
South Africa hopes not only to effec-
tively thwart the pressure building in
the United Nations for UN intervention
in the internal affairs of Namibia, but
also to blunt the thrust of SWAPO
whose popularity in Namibia is un-
challenged,

South Africa is declaring that Rho-
desia too would have to actively pur-
Sue a solution to the “Rhodesian ques-,
tion.” Accordingly the Ian Smith regime
has released “‘on parole” the leaders. of
Zimbabwe African People’s Union
(ZAPU) and Zimbabwe African Na-
tional Union (ZANU) — Joshua Nkomo
and Rev. N. Sithole. The two leaders,
along with negotiators of the Rhode-
sian government, Presidents Kaunda of
Zambia and Nyerere of Tanzania, and
Prime Minister Seretse Kama, held
talks in the Zambian capital of Lusaka,
aimed at formulating proposals to put

‘to Rhodesian PM Ian Smith to end the
country’s constitutional deadlock.

«

As expected, the talks broke down
when the Rhodesian delegation refused

to consider the principle of ‘one man,
‘one vote.” The South African govern-

ment meanwhile has announced that

"as soon as a Ceasefire between ZAPU-
ZANU guerrillas and the Rhodesian:

government is enforced, then all of

their “2,000 police” will be withdrawn

from active duty in Rhodesia.
Legitimate Representative

South Africa included in its last UN
delegation three non-whites — an Afri-
can, an Indian and a colored person.
Again the obojective was not only to
demonstrate to the outside world the
so-called effort at integration in that
country, but also to counter any move
by socialist and third world countries
to transfer the South African UN seat
to the only legitimate representative of
the people—the African National Con-
gress (ANC). Fortunately, the progres-
sive countries saw through the South
African facade and proceeded to have
the country removed from the current
sitting of the General Assembly.

The criterion by which to judge the
liberalizing trend in South Africa is
not whether there are changes in “petty
apartheid” (for example the removal. of
discriminatory park benches), but
whether there are fundamental struc-
tural changes. The latter would have to
include as a minimum, granting of un-
conditional franchise, Black and white
workers being paid equal wages for
equal work, allowing non-whites to
form trade unions, upgrading health
and educational facilities for all non-
whites, abolishing the pass system and
all other repressive laws, renouncing
the Bantustan scheme, (reserves for
Bantu peoples), and in general, abol-
ishing racial discrimination in all forms
and manifestations.

Continues Oppression

Since the government is not prepared
to consider, let alone undertake, these
structural changes it becomes apparent
that she continues to pursue the second
part of her policy, the maintenance of
the oppressive apartheid state struc-

ture despite her international offensive
to propagate the myth of change.
Canada has large investments in
South Africa including Alcan, Hudson’s
Bay Mining and Smelting, INCO, Sun
Life, Massey Ferguson, Bank of Mont-
real, the Toronto Dominion Bank and
the Canadian Imperial Bank of Com-

merce,

Characteristically, the Canadian gov-

. ernment, while realizing the serious
‘implications of such investments, has

adopted a very non-committal position
toward that country, for even Trudeau
has said, “It is-not consistent . . . we
should stop trading (with South Africa)
or stop condemning.” Since the Cana-

dian government is not prepared to

take a positive ant-apartheid stand, it
is now up to progressive people in
Canada to express their solidarity with
South Africa’s oppressed people.

In order to expose the atrocities of

the apartheid system and prevent
Southern Africa from degenerating into
an “African Vietnam,” progressive in-
dividuals and organizations should un-
dertake work in the following areas
(1) campaigns to boycott South Afri-
can products, (2) confront Canadian
banks and companies in an effort to
encourage them to disinvest in the
country, (3) urge the Canadian Govern-
ment to sign and ratify the Internation-
al Convention for the Suppression of
the Crime of Apartheid, (4) urge the
Canadian Government to recognize the
national liberation movement — the
ANC — as the only legitimate repre-
sentative of the people of South Africa
(5) encourage all trade unions to im-
plement the resolutions of thé Inter-
national Conference against Apartheid
— held in Geneva in June 973 which
recommended that trade unions give
moral and material aid to Black work-
ers in South Africa (through the South
African Congress of Trade Unions), re-
fuse to handle goods to and from South
Africa, boycott the country’s ships and
aircraft, and organize campaigns for
the release of her political prisoners.

’ In the final analysis, while changes
in South Africa will necessarily result
from the struggles directed by the na-
tional liberation movement, the heavy
reliance of the white regime on its
international support, makes economic
sanctions against those who profit from
apartheid an indispensable adjunct of

the liberation struggles.

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Burns
Sat., Jan. 18 — 6:30 p.m.
Fishermen’s Hall
138 E. Cordova
Adults $4.50
Under 12 — $2.50
Supper, dance program
Tickets at Co-op
Bookstore or
Phone 939-0245/936-4467 :

Recent talks between repre-
sentatives of Ian Smith’s white
minority Rhodesian government

and members of the African Na- *

tional Council (an organization
composed of all the liberation
groups in that country) reflect
the growing isolation of Rhode-
sia and its partner South Africa
as racist governments.

At present, the government is
wholly controlled by the white
minority, which makes up just

5% of the country’s population.
The African National Council is
demanding majority rule, based
upon a one man-one vote gov-
ernment. Obviously, this would

mean that Smith and his racist
cronies would be ousted from
power in the first election under
this system. A peaceful settle-

ment is only possible if continu-

ed isolation and pressure upon

the Smith regime, both within
the country and internationally,
cause that government to dis-
band.

Even when talks aimed at
peaceful settlement of the prob-
lem are taking place, Smith con-
tinues his efforts to ensure the
survival of white minority rule.
He has stated that his policies
will have failed if Africans rule
the country within his .lifetime,
and that he will only accept Af-
rican participation based upon a
limited franchise. “It would be a
tragedy if we got to the stage
where one day we had white
rule and the next day Black
rule,” Smith said.

The African National Council
has demanded majority rule for

the country’s five million Afri-
cans within two years, and im-
mediate parity with whites in
the Rhodesian parliament.

While the Council has agreed
to meet at a constitutional con-
ference with the Smith regime
without preconditions, Black
leaders are aware of the impos-
sibility of reaching a settlement
with the present government.
Rev. Ndabaningi Sithole, head of
the Zimbabwe African National
Union (ZANU) stated, ‘We
cannot reach an accommodation
with the Rhodesian government
because the Rhodesian govern-
ment is determined on minority
rule. Until they change that posi-
tion, I cannot see how we can
reach accommodation.”

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, JANUARY 10, 1975—Page 3