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Challenges for the Movement January 1986 ~+noIes no.22 SOUTH AFRICAN MILITARY REFUGEE AID FUND Challenges for the Movement Recognizing the need to learn about South Africa And figuring out what to do about it here Ever heard the story about the little kid visiting the WHO TO SUPPORT? zoo on a class outing who shouted out, "Look at all those We approach this question from the position that there gooses." is more than one group, more than one set of politics in The teacher reprimanded him, saying "Those aren't South Africa that is legitimately part of the liberation move­ gooses. They're geese." ment. We are aiming this article at those folk who are will­ The kid replied, "Geez, they sure look like gooses to ing to consider this reality. People who refuse to accept this me." notion will probably be quite upset with what we are going Gooses or.geese-they're the same thing and a couple to say. of them are running wild in South Africa. To begin with, There can be problems created when there are compet­ there's the goose that's trying to lay a golden egg (liberal ing programs and organizations in the struggle, and this can capitalism). So far, South Africa's Blacks are not impressed. be used to split the liberation movement. But, principled po­ Christmas came and the goose didn't get fat. But, the people litical differences can also have a dynamic effect on the got leaner and tougher and prepared for another year on the movement. barricades. Then there's the goose that is slowly getting The liberation forces in South Africa fall into two gen­ cooked. This is a white goose. eral political arenas, namely: Perhaps what's going on in South Africa is the most important set of current events in the world. Institutions that 1) Black ConsciousnesslPan-African Congress/Azanian Peo­ are essential to the rule of captial and its able mate, white ples Organiz.lNational Forum supremacy, are on shaky ground . .. and masses of oppressed 2) Afr ican National Congress/United Democratic Front/ Pro­ people are doing the shaking. gressive whites/Supporters of the Freedom Charter The future of South Africa is in the hands of the brave A third major category is the independent trade union young Black men and women who've had enough of apart­ movement, which in the past has largely sought to avoid heid and are fighting against it in the streets, factories, and choices between these two political camps. This is because in the countryside of South Africa. We hope that this news­ union members are sympathizers of both, and because the letter pays them the respect that they deserve. legal formations representing these political groupings do not seem structurally suitable for trade unions to join. It could jeopardize a union's role as a negotiator for wages and working conditions under the present regime. The two political tendencies both have a determination Last year, 1985, was an exciting one for anti-apartheid to transform South Africa. But, they have major disagree­ forces in the United States. The upsurge of opposition to ments on how to do that and what to build in its place. events in South Africa was based on a number of factors: Their differences center on these issues: • the acceleration of mass resistance inside South Africa • White people's rights • moral indignation at what apartheid represents • Land ownership (the National question) • opposition to US. corporate and governmental collusion • Socialism and working class leadership with apartheid. • Armed struggle and peoples war Now that the initial euphoria is over, there are moves • Relationship to international capital afoot to consolidate the US. anti-apartheid movement. With • The role of whites in the struggle this motion comes the need for a deeper understanding of • The importance of international recognition what is going on in South Africa and a sharper discerning of • Strategies for mass organizing the politics at play within the solidarity movement here. There are other differences, but these are among the One of the outstanding questions for the movement is major ones. All of these issues are substantial, important and which organization(s) to support in South Africa. Another above all unresolved. The mass upsurge in South Africa has major question is how to continue the active resistance in given wider range for the testing of these politics, and has the United States. The first two articles in News and Notes not settled all these questions. Conditions inside the South address these questions. African movement have to be respected and dealt with in a responsible fashion by the anti-apartheid movement here in and with the PFP (opposition party in white Parliament)." the US. Some members of the solidarity movement echoed these Why is all this stuff important for our work here? We charges. Such criticisms are unprincipled and damaging to presume that people involved in anti-apartheid activities the movement as a whole because they deny the legitimacy genuinely want to support the advance of South African lib­ of the other position, saying that position is outside the eration and to make whatever small contribution they can bounds of the liberation movement and even allied with toward its successful conclusion. Thus, the movement here those responsible for apartheid. has to embrace liberation as a whole and cannot put itself in The Kennedy issue also contains widely differing as­ the position of denying the legitimacy of wings of the radi­ sumptions about and approaches to liberal capitalism. To cal movement in South Africa. know that there are differences within the liberation move­ Activists must bear in mind that there are existing for­ ment on this issue heightens our responsibility to decide for mations within the US. movement that have already chosen ourselves our own attitude toward things like the Kennedy who to support exclusively and have done so for definite tour and the politics he represents. reasons. Their prejudices must be recognized and taken into These are difficult issues but they must be confronted account as groups seek to educate themselves about South head on. How we handle them will effect the quality of our Africa. For example, people in SAMRAF have been told by solidarity work. There are imperatives that we can all under­ Workers World Party, one organization with its mind made take to ensure that our work does give real support to the up that we cannot really support the liberation movement struggle in South Africa. The first is to understand the posi­ because we do not exclusively support the ANC. SAMRAF's po­ tions of the various liberation organizations in their own sition is one of critical support for all the organizations with­ words, not as. represented by their critics or apologists. in the liberation movement. We make clear our positions on Another imperative is to think for ourselves what the the issues but we do not claim the right to name the one priorities are and what the appropriate activities of the U.S. true organization for the South African people. This is unac­ anti-apartheid movement are. There must be debate over ceptable to some people. this. We need to continually ground ourselves in what it is Attempts to oversimplify and search for pat answers we are trying to do, namely help the liberation movement in do a disservice to the South African struggle. Likewise, South Africa to tip the scales in their favor. Sometimes this yielding to sectarian positions advanced by any of the orga­ means going beyond the limited needs of anyone organiza­ nizations in South Africa, such as claims of exclusivity or tion. ownership of the struggle, only serves to exacerbate tensions and makes potential working relationships more difficult to DIVESTMENT: ANOTHER QUESTION establish. Many anti-apartheid groups have chosen to focus on People who become informed about the politics of lib­ divestment as their major campaign. This article examines eration in South Africa are bound to find some positions some of the issues involved in these activities and their more attractive than others. This political agreement can ef­ meaning for both the movements here and in South Africa. fect the kind of solidarity work they do here and the way Divestment is the act of selling stock in corporations they view the struggle. However, we do not believe that it is which do business with or have investments in South Africa. necessary for groups here to take positions of exclusive sup­ It is a campaign directed at institutions such as universities, port for any single South African organization or political employee pension funds and religious organizations. It is tendency. The more burning questions have to do with what distinct from disinvestment, where a corporation liquidates are the best activities we can pursue in order to reach our its investment or calls in its loans in South Africa. It is also goal of supporting the liberation struggle. distinct from direct pressure campaigns such as disruption The problem facing us here and now is that certain and/or harassment of offending corporations. groups are attempting to use their position in the movement Raising the demand for divestment provides the op­ to stampede an uninformed choice between liberation portunity to raise several important political issues: 1) corpo­ groups by acting as if there is no choice at all. rate investment and bank loans are vital props to the econo­ How does this play itself out? At a recent student con­ my and the military capacity of South Africa; 2) ference held at the University of Chicago, a decision was corporations investing in South Africa are pursuing profit in made by the organizers only to allow the ANC to speak on knowing collaboration with white supremacy; and 3) eco­ behalf of the South African liberation movement.
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