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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 Continued on page 8 Z£Z ZAIRE \SoUtV AFMA \ -L£S0ThO