The world can not
Say it didn’t know

MONTREAL — ‘‘Women.
Under Apartheid,”’ this theme
brought delegates from through-
out North and South America
representing governments, non-
governmental organizations and
solidarity groups together in a
seminar sponsored by the Ligue
des Femmes du Québec and the
United Nations here May 9-11.

Dr. Lucille Mair, president of
the United Nations Decade for
Women Committee outlined its
purpose in exposing the situation
facing women living under apart-
heid and the responsibility of the
international community to bring
an end to this system.

The findings of this seminar will
go to the international conference
being held in Helsinki, Finland,
beginning May 19. ‘‘After this;’’
said Dr. Mair, ‘‘the- world will
never again be able to say it did
not know of the disease of apart-
heid and the response of Black
South African women to their
lives of horror.”

This regional seminar is signi-
ficant, she said, not only to bring
public attention to the grave
threat the South African system
poses to world peace but because
all Blacks living in this hemis-
phere today can trace their roots
back to Africa. What is happening
there has clear and direct
relationship on race relations
everywhere.

The true nature of the South
African apartheid regime must be
brought to light, charged Dr.
Mair. ‘‘Itis a regime that exists off
foreign investment and lies. It is
desperate to present an accept-
able image. It will pay the western
press to whitewash the truth, and
these dollars beget dollars, and

dollars beget military hardware,
but no amount of military hard-
ware can stop a people in their
legitimate struggle for libera-
tion.””

The conditions and struggle of
the South African women was
outlined by Florence Mophosho,
head of the women’s section of
the African National Congress.
She described the violence im-
posed on her people through un-
employment, inadequate health
facilities, enforced dislocation to
the Bantustans, substandard edu-
cation and starvation.

‘‘When our people fight back
against these conditions their pro-
tests are met with bullets, jailings,
torture and death. There can be
no peace,’ she charged “‘until the
system which promotes this vio-
lence has been destroyed.”’

Mophosho reported that in the
current campaign to release im-
prisoned ANC leader Nelson

Mandela 60,000 signatures have,

been collected inside the country
demanding his freedom. The fun-
eral of the “‘Mother of Africa’’

Lilian Ngoyi saw thousands ~

marching with ANC banners and
uniforms despite their ban by the
white racist regime.

‘Our people’s army has dealt
the system severe blows,”’ said
Maphosho, ‘‘so now the Botha

government wants to meet with -

Black leaders. But who is he to
meet with — the puppets he has
set up, while our real leaders lan-
guish in his prisons orsare in en-
forced exile.”

*‘No nation has been forever
oppressed’’, Mopusto concluded
to a standing ovation. ‘‘We will
liberate ourselves through armed
struggle. It is not an easy task but
there is no alternative.”

the struggle internationally.

Nelson Mandela,

women living under apartheid,

tem,

e a call to all countries,

laws),

population,
states,

Botha government,

regime,

The seminar met in commissions examining the effects of apart-
heid on the South African women living in both urban and rural
areas, their role in the liberation struggle, and measures to assist

Their conclusions were summarized in the seminar’s declaration
which will be presented this week in Helsinki:

ote SS ee

oe ieidie: (cyt chien Goma wiSSew perce
James Mange the ANC patriot who faces the death sentence, and

e the end to banishment, pass laws, arbitrary trials and tortvx‘es,
e an international research team to investigate the conditions of

set up an appropriate body under the United Nations to investi-
gate conditions in the Bantustans and the use of malnutrition by the
government as a means to eliminate the Black population.

e international condemnation and cessation of the apartheid sys-

organizations
recognize August 9 as South African Women’s Day (on this date in
1956 South African women held mass protests against the pass

e recognition of June 26, 1980 as the 25th anniversary. of the
Freedom Charter.

e a solidarity week with the women and children of South Africa,
e World Health Organization to investigate health conditions of
South African women and children,

e an end to the dumping of unfit drugs on the South African

e an end to attacks by the South African government on its
neighboring
e call to all hemispheric governments to cease all relations with the

e enforcement of the UN resolution calling for the complete,
economic, political and military isolation of the racist regime,

e mass world public education through the media, pamphlets,
seminars, etc., on apartheid conditions,

e withdrawal of funds from all banks who continue to finance the

e call to trade unions to materially assist the liberation struggles
and by not handling any goods going to or from South Africa,
e material aid to the refugees from apartheid. :

and support groups to

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Head of the women’s section of the African National Congress, Florence Mophosho greets the standing
ovation from delegates attending the Women Under Apartheid Conference held in Montreal, May 9-11. —

Women living under apartheid

At the core of South Africa’s
apartheid system lies the need for
a cheap and constant supply of
labor to exploit the country’s

diamonds, uranium, copper,
manganese, platinum and van-
adium make South Africa vitally
important to most of the indus-
trialized countries of the world.

The labor force used to extract
these resources comes from the
African population and the South
African regime exerts total con-
trol overthis labor force. The sys-
tem’s legal, political and
economic structure is firmly
based on racial discrimination.
This ideology provides justi-
fication for, and reinforces, the
extreme inequality that persists in
South Africa.

The South African population
is estimated at 27 million, approx-
imately 20 million are Black, 2.5
million are of mixed race and 1
million are Asian. The remaining
4 million whites are the only ones
permitted to elect government,
which is entirely white and the
whites alone make and enforce
the laws.

Two of the most far-reaching
aspects of apartheid are the sys-
‘em of migrant labor and the

great mineral wealth. Gold,.

establishment of bantustans, or
reserves for Blacks. Only those
Blacks with jobs can live in the
white urban or rural areas. If un-
employed they must return to the
Bantustans. The families of Afri-
can workers are not allowed to
accompany them to the white
areas but must remain on the re-
serves, subsisting on the land. All
totalled, the 20 million Blacks live
on only 13.5% of the worst lands
in the country.

Because it is impossible to live
off the land, which is generally
non-arable, and because of heavy
taxation, African men are forced
to seek work in white areas. This
need is backed by laws that re-
quire every adult male to register
for work with the labor bureau.

Every African, must carry a
“‘pass’” from the age of 16. This
must be in his possession_at all
times or he is liable for arrest.
These pass laws enable the gov-
ernment to regulate the flow of
Africans into white areas.

The list of inequities suffered
by Black South Africans is all en-
compassing. White consumed

60% of the nation’s income, oc-

cupy 86.5% of the land, are eligi-
ble for free and compulsory edu-

cation and participate freely in
government. .

Blacks do not have free educa:
tion. A limited number of schools
are available to the African pop
lation which offer grossly inferior
education. The pupil-teachef
ratio is 50 to 1 for Africans, (wh0
attend school), 20 to 1 for whites
Infant mortality rate for whites iS
21.1 per thousand, for Blacks 426
per thousand and of the childret”
who survive an estimated 657
suffer permanent mental retarda |
tion through malnutrition. The
housing provided for Africans
inadequate, lacking running wé |
ter, sewers or electricity. i

Although the policies of apart
heid affect the entire non-white
population, it is most sorely felt
by the women. A woman cannot
travel alone, nor work without
authorization of her husband of
guardian, because she is nevel
legally considerd to be an adult.
While men constitute the majority
of the cheap labor force; womet!
are relegated to the shadowy posi-
tion, expected to remain in thé
reserves and support theif
families without the help of theif
husbands. For them there is the
triple oppression of sex discrimi-
nation on top of those of class and
race. |

2 p.m.

FORE c=.
Coquitlam

Sunday, June 7

3717 Victoria Dr.

Don't miss the 4th annual
Burke Mountain

Labor Festival

Continuous entertainment for the
whole family, salmon barbecue din-
ner, refreshments, free admission.
All proceeds to the 7ribune drive.

Follow these directions to Burke Mtn. .

Coast
Meridian

3717/ Victoria Dr.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE— MAY 24, 1980—Page 10