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Page 2 - Spelman Spotlight
Southern Africa
By Amanda Seward
Recent and not so recent
events in southern Africa have
culminated causing the
realization of Whites’
precarious existence on the
continent. In an effort to in
crease student awareness and
understanding of the events,
the following is a brief sketch
of the countries that make up
soutehrn Africa and an ac
count of their struggle.
Angola is an independent
Black African country where
internal strives for power have
resulted in its prominence in
periodicals across the world.
The Soviet backed Popular
Movement for the Liberation
of Angola (MPLA) is the
recognized official
government. Agostinho Neto
is the nation’s president.
At a United Nations
Security Council meeting last
March, the South African
government was condemned
for aggression against Angola
and ordered to pay the MPLA
for the damages. The United
States was among six nations
that abstained on the vote.
13 mercenaries were cap
tured during the civil war.
Three Americans were among
them. They were tried in
Luanda for more than 100
crimes against the Angolan
people. The defendants were
able to choose their own
lawyers and invite reporters
and observers to the
international jury trial. All
were found guilty. Nine were
given long prison terms and
four sentenced to death. One
American was among those
executed (Newsweek/ July 12,
1976.).
President Neto said, “Every
Angolan remembers the vile
and cruel behavior of the
mercenaries who have sown
death and despair in African
countries in return for pay, try
ing in this way to put a brake
on the higher interests of
people for a few coins” (Africa
Report / September - October,
1976).
Botswana is an independent
nation surrounded by South
Africa (see map). This has
caused several problems with
Botswana’s efforts to become
less dependent on South Africa
and to increase trade with
other Black African countries.
Minister of External Affairs,
Archie Mogwe, welcomes
foreign investors. In an effort
to secure economic stability,
the government guarantees
the rights of ownership and
complete freedom to transfer
profits from Botswana to
investor’s own country or any
other country that they may
wish with (Africa Report /
July - August, 1976).
Lesotho also lies like an
island in South Africa. Over 40
percent of the country’s work
force works in South Africa,
which also purchases about 90
percent of the nation’s exports.
Because of this, Lesotho
suffers from economic
dependence on South Africa.
In spite of Lesotho’s
dependence on South Africa,
the country’s leader has
spoken independently on the
racial issue. Prime Minister
Chief Leabua Jonathan
declared that the opponents of
majority rule were “swimming
against the tide of history”
(Africa Report / July - August,
1976).
Through armed struggle
Mozambique won its
independence from the 40 year
old Portuguese dictatorship
on June 25, 1975. The Mozam
bique Liberation Front
(FRELIMO) had fought for ten
years mostly under the
leadership of FRELIMO’s
founder and first president,
Eduardo Mondlane who was
assassinated. Samora Moises
Machel took over the
leadership and now heads the
country.
President Machel closed the
nation’s border with Rhodesia
last year and until this day
there has been border
skirmishes. Mozambique is
now in an internal battle to
become less dependent on
South Africa for its economic
survival.
The Southwest African
People’s Organization
(SWAPO) has led armed
struggle in Namibia. At the
end of August, South Africa
agreed to establish a multi
racial interim government un
til the attainment of full
independence by the end of
1978. This was the result of the
year old constitutional talks at
the Turnhalle conference in.
Windhoek. SWAPO president,
Sam Nujoma has demanded
that South Africa allow free
elections in Namibia under the
United Nations’ supervision
and control.
Theo-Ben Gurirab,
Secretary for Policy Matters
SWAPO Political Bureau,
criticized the Windhoek
conference because there was
no mention of the conditions
under which elections would
be held, if at all; there was no
specific provision for the
withdrawal of South African
army and police forces from
Naimbia; there was
no mention of the release of
Namibian political prisoners
and an end of harassment and
the reign of terror against the
Namibian people (Africa / Oc
tober, 1976).
The United Nations recently
recognized SWAPO as the
legitimate representative of
the Namibian people.
Historically, Rhodesia has
been an outpost of South
Africa. In 1969 21.3 percent of
Rhodesian whites were born in
South Africa (Africa /
September, 1975). Rhodesia
shares with South Africa the
apartheid system. In both
countries thre is free and com
pulsory education for Whites
only. There are segregated liv
ing areas with the distribution
of land heavily favoring the
Whites minorities. Both coun
tries have passed laws res
tricting the movements of
Africans. Both have laws
allowing for the detention of
suspects without trial while a
brutal „ police force enforce
these laws (Africa /
September, 1975).
But this picture is changing
quickly in Rhodesia. Rhodesia
or Zimbabwe is on its way to
Black rule. The Zibabwe
People’s Army (ZIPA) has led
the armed struggle in this
country. Prime Minister Ian
Smith finally relinguished
some concessions after he was
forced into it by the inside
struggles and outside pres
sures.
Smith has agreed that the
new prime minister and a ma
jority of the interim Cabinet
would be black but the police
and the Defense Ministry
would remain in the hands of
Whites. There is some
argument over this in the
ZIPA forces. Robert Mugabe,
one of the leaders wants con
trol of the police too while Rex
Nhongo, another leader re
jected the entire plan. In recent
weeks the arguments and
counter arguments have con
tinued however, the African
forces have united in that they
are at least listening to Smith’s
proposals as a group.
South Africa headed by
Prime Minister John Vorster is
the bedrock of the apartheid
system. But even here the base
is not so stable.
The whites in South Africa
represent 17 percent of the
total population and have 87
percent of the land under law.
In Johnannesburg there is a 10
o’clock pm curfew for Africans.
With its new Internal Security
Act a person can be held
indefinitely without a trial.
The government has a system
of banning undesireables.
Under the banning system a
person cannot publish, attend
a university, visit a library,
travel or even meet with more
than one person at a time
(Africa / September, 1975).
In spite of these
precautionary measures taken
by the South African
government, since June 16 a
day has not passed by without
a disturbance. From Soweto to
Cape Town, the apartheid
system is being challenged in
an internal struggle.
Soweto was the scene of a
recent uprising. In this 35
square mile area 650,000 Black
Africans live. Soweto, a town
for Blacks, lies on the outskirts
of Johannesburg. Fewer than
20 percent of the homes have
electricity. No more than five
per cent have hot running
water. In this town Black man
cannot be served hard liquor
(Time / June 28, 1976).
In 1974 the Pretoria
Government Education
Department ruled that the
students in Soweto’s schools
must take some subjects in
Afrikaans, the Dutch-based
language that along with
English is one of the two of
ficial languages. Afrikaans is
a symbol of oppression. The
students attempted to organize
a rally in protest of the
governments action when
police reacted and the rally
ended in violence. (Time /
June 28, 1976).
During a three day strike
called by the Soweto Students’
Representative Council
against detentions, killings
and general harassment by
the police, as much as 80
percent of Soweto’s 350,000
labor force stayed at home
(Africa / October, 1976).
A new development in the
internal struggle was the out
break in Cape Town. There are
2,250,000 colored people in
South Africa. 20 percent of
them live in Cape Town. The
Cape Town incident marked
the colored populations efforts
to join other black Africans
and students in protest
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