In Statement 011 Langa Shooting from Patrick Laurence Said
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ECSA 339 Lafayette Street New York, N.Y. 10012 Phone: (212) 477-0066 19 April 1985 - For A Free Soutllem Alrictl- - , ...we should agree that America's role must always be on the side of those seeking peaceful change. We should agree that we do not support violence, but that we do support -- and will support aggressively -- those who have comnitted themselves to promote change and justice. ' - Secretary of State George P. Shultz, 16 April 1985 THE GU A RDIAN Thursday April 11 1985 olicelilamed 'for errors' in statement 011 Langa shooting From Patrick Laurence said. He would bave ordered In J ohannesbllJ'll the police to render the bomb Police were responsible for throwers" harmless." any errors in the statement to • South Africa yesterday Parliament by the 'Minister of warned· the country's largest Law and Order, Mr Louis Ie anti·apartheid organisation that Grange, on the LanJ[a it was dangerously wrong to shootings, on March 2l. the think that the count1'Y would Commissioner of Police, Gen· accept increasing violence as a eral Johan Coetzee. said means of political expression. yesterday. The two million·strong "The blame lies with the United Democratic Front said police," General Coetzee told on Sunday that it would step the Kannemeyer commission of up civil diSObedience and that Inquiry into the events leadin$[ New Zealand's rugby team to the killing of 19 blacks by would face demonstrations if it police gunfire at Langa., near played here. the eastern Cape town 0{ Uitenhage. Most demonstrations here Mr Le Grange told Parlia are illegal. The UDF said it ment on March 21 that a small planned peaceful protests but contingent of policemen in two feared police reaction could armoured vehicles had opened • General Johan Coetzee lead to violence. fire in self defence after it Radio South Africa said in a . was surrounded by between ment and police evidence to daily commentary which 4.000 and 6,000 stone-throwin~ the commission had resulted in reBects government thinking blacks armed with petrol bad publicity, General Coetzee that it was the first time an bombs.. said: "But that was what we organisation like the UDF 'had But the police officer in could do in ,the time limit." gone so far as to state publicly command at Langa. Lieutenant Mr Peter Gastrow, for the its intention of engaging' in John William Fouche, laler ad· Progressive Federal Party, put what it called e~rtion. mitted under crossexamination it to General Coetzee that i~ Meanwhile, thousands of ille before the commission that the would have been better if Mr gal squatters in South Africa's police were neither surrounded Le Grange had made it clear Crossroads shanty town have nor attacked with petrol that his statement was provi· agreed to move to a new town· 'bombs. He had given the order sional rather than definitive. ship in exchange for tempo to fire after he had seen only General Coetzee replied that rary legal status, but others one stone thrown, he said. it was clear to the objective are demanding permanent Mr Le Grange had been dis viewer that :'Iir Le Grange was rights. an official saro. turbed by news of the shootin~ not in possession of "estab Police shot dead 18 black at Langa and wanted to make lished facts" but only of the Crossroads residents in Febru a statement to Parliament as facts made available to the ary when riots Bared because soon as possible, General .. best of the machinery's abil· of government plans to uproot Coetzee said. ity" in the time available. the estimated 100,000 squatters The General, aided by his General Coetzee distaneed and move them to a nearby staff officers, had tried to himself from the use of the town. The Government backed gather as much information as word "eliminate" in an order down and said it would redeve possible for Mr Le Grange, to police on March 19. The 'lop Crossroads. south·east of I who made his statement on the order instructed police to Cape Town, but added that, basis of police information on "eliminate" people throwing there was only room there for the same day. petrol and acid bombs at them. 3,000 houses and many resi-, Conceding that discrepancies "That is not a term I would dents would still have to move. between Mr Le Grange's slate- have used," General Coetzee - Reuter. I ~2; ~~i:: .em, '~:ai'l 'I ~1)!rn·ic:: i' . ,r.:D 1, ::~~t: iO!' t~' ~~~~ ··Beatin~rhehh1a:,.~: ~.:dQsed~do6rs.::,' ~.~.[3~"":,-.~~;:~:.::~~lo:·~::~&'~:··}:~·~~}~:'!·:f~:·;,.~~'::'~.~~"';r,::::~··£7t:I, .:.'~;9'.:'!: ; . 'THE' UlTENHAGE: police' ,stoodherground.:sheSaiifthi= "have:8 fepotitioD:'for barih'~;:;JSer;eaJltcouJd.:dO~·'wh&i~he , lIess;' eVq bY,..50ath ~ ,':,liked.; b1lt'she wouldll't':le:ave j sWlllards;,as,.tnii' following ';untilsbc could see the 5tatiou ': ,ilIcidellt demoDStrates :::;;::~>"-'.:::,~comm.aJlder~. ',h':-", i,:-"',""-':~ """Last' weebu~-<'two' whi~";;rThe' statioll',~comm:mder , civil rights,workers waIkecI by, lIever appeared, and by 'the -- chalice ilIto a room ill the local' time the two women had sum policestation. They had. called , maned a local magistrate, the to, ask questions abont some four black prisoners had. beelI black 'childrell-who had bee1I-- spiritedaway. 'lfeltthepolice held ther:, aDd were trying to, were just playing with us, find the right place,to go. :"',, laughing atus,' said MrsCole- What they saw inside the, 1IIlIJ1.' They were walking ill room;was horrific; a burly" aDd out with guns. Theatmo black policelIlllJ1 was st3lldil!g, sphere was one of bravado. It over a' black' youth, flogging was aD horrific experiellce.' . him savagely, with a leather That ilIcident - now the lash IcnOW1l as-a sjamook. The subject' of a full-scale police YOllllg IIIlIJ1 was lying on his . ilIquiry, thallks to the two side with his hands manacled Black Sash womell - came to a tablelet. There was blood just five days before the police ttickling from a gash ill his shootillgs in the same tOW1l of head, hiswristswere Lacerated Uitenhage• .fromthesteeImanaclesaDdhis And it was in the same area face was badly swollell.' , nine yean ago that the black Along one waIl, three other cOllsciousness leader Steve yt>UlIg black prisoners were Bao was kept lIaked alld sittillgonabellch. ODe ofthem 'manacled in his cell while also had a badly swoUell face. dying of a damaged braiD. But what above all else appal- The four yOUllg prisoners led' the two civil rights were released later aDd fOUlld _4- , .. '" ,',-:.', :",., ,Y; ..' ..(; their way to Mrs Blackburn's .,A black-' -- .f,' ..'. ,Port Eliziabeth home. Thell !'" '. began ·~a, search for doctors policeman,'~:i:--):,' :" willinitotreatthem. Twosaid .-' stood over ..' . they were too busy., A third .black prisoner,,:, attellded,to Norman KollA, . who is 18-years-old. , manacled' 'to a:' :. 'Hewasverycou=edaDd , table leg,'- ;_:. '~'" verykind,'MrsColem3llsaid, . 'fl •. h"" .....J: t'.. 'but he·wouldll't sign a form .' ogglng '_ I~ "'.• ' i,.. ' testifying that there had beelI " with -a leather _"" __ im assault. He said he would ': ,.I~~h ':~~~~~~'kJ:b:'~i~~,~~;:r=~~:~~~~ workers, Molly Blackburn alId ;- ofSouth'Africa's dlost coIlser AudreY,cCole_:'.who--, both;.' vative,,'!t'hite ' cOnuDUlIities, 'work for aD organiSation caF;,\:'togethef-with:"a'fe3r~oi, the led.the .Black Sash,t was, the ',secnrity pOlice; has also made attitudeof the otherpolicemen . itdifficulttofind lawyers will in the room..,:·:, 'c" , " .. ,,'--' inc to handle political cases, ; One'was sittillg at a table~ ,accordillg to Sheell3 DUlIcan, eating"his' IUlIch;, 'while.:,the:, lI3tionalpresidellt oftheBlack 'bthm' sat':'aroUlld, casually" Sash; '.~"', --." , ',:, '::-',:. ,,: obseP.illg thescene." Itwas a· ," .Mrs DUlIcan said she' had sickenillg sight" said Mn: evidellce that -private dextors Coleman.:i-'•.<:,-ri"~~'J>:: ;', ':",,:,'~,:_'ilI, Port Elizabeth had been : As thetWo women bargedm;~' askedllotto treat-patielltswith the'lIIlIJ1 with' the sjamook ·.. gullshot woullds sustained dropped it alId r3lI from the 'durillg di.SturbaD~es. ~was room. A white sergemt hur- beca~ the police walled at ried in aDd ordered the two hospitals to arrest blacks who womell to leave-which they' eamethereforsuchtreatment, refused to do.' , apparelltly 011 the assumption , He screamed at us, tel1ing that a wOUllded per50lI must us to get out, that we had 110 have been invo~ved ill a politi bosine!'s beillg there', said ,cal demollstrauon. Mrs Coleman. 'But Molly • Allister Sparks South AfricCUl Blacks Hav'e:'Started to Ris'e"Op . " ".' ." ." .-.~. ,_ . ." _:;'4 _..:~ .' ,. ..... -~ -:- \.', '. ".: . -.~ .- tr--/." "~-.~ :_ ".: . :1~'~ By Beyers Na:ude THE NEW YORK. 'TIMES" FRIDAY, APRIL 12, 1985'- .:....~ ,What· ,' America should do -.. RAND DAILY MAIL ,15 March 1985 :The bu'siriess of survIva :_-~. AFTER 25 years of The electi?n this week of --------.----~-----•. existence the South Dr Du PlessIS, one of Afri- PATRICK' LAURENCE' Q. ~.1 Ai . Foundation kanerdom'~ mo~t astute . f\OO ~ UD~~~~ newly elected ~~~f~~i~us~=~:~ 'Political Editor v1"','j ~. presI~ent, o.r Fred du ation by the. ~oundation's lJ . PlessIS, chairIDan and trustees of-a SIX-point plan managing.. director of to neutralise- the-. disinvest- : But. it. neyerthel~ pro- . The fIrst point was pre- SanJam,. faces a new ·.mentmovemen~:.. , .' Vldes gwdelines .to thinking' . saged in forthright speeches cbaReIlge:;. to:":CQUIiter".:'· Th~p~has·I1Q~.Yet~n ... b~ the. Foundation~ w?ic~. :.at the Found~tion's annual . the- ~g=6ireat of: rmalised,anl~qn~u~ns;::~tIi'. more thm 3 500.' mdi~.· .g~eral meeting'by both: its ," .... ' ":' arti ... an.x:efinem~~e:~.~~;,,·vidualandcorporate-mem~- outgoing president, MrTect disig.v~tment, P ,ell. to.-:: be-: ~d!'.betO~"lli JS':~ tiers;.;' c.overs,··the- entire: - Pavitt; chairman ofGencoi>:' .lady .in:,~he', United adopted as: a: ~efinit~.j)~'_ ~pectruJ;nofthe South Afri::. .. and its.direclor-general· Mt S~ ....:~.~:·' ..1':2' . '1" ~~·C?~.~-;.zt.'~.:.:,:can:,b~es$communityf.:-· Peter.Sorour:.:·'· : .. '." _ ~ ...,_ .