Fall 1982 AMERICAN COMMITTEE ON AFRICA * 198 Broadway - New York, N.Y. 10038 No. 13 (212) 962 1210 ACOA ACTION NEWS Breaking Economic Links With South Africa "We are not going to do any business with South Africa" Kentucky Governor John Brown

The campaign against investment in In Connecticut, Governor William of Kansas, strongly worded resolutions South Africa has achieved major vic O'Neill signed a bill which requires the calling for divestment were passed tories at a time when victories seem removal of state pension funds from unanimously, and each is seen as a first unlikely. The Reagan Administration, companies that make sales to the South step towards binding legislation. pursuing a policy of "constructive African police and military. Governor In both Michigan and Massachusetts engagement," has recently allowed O'Neill had previously vetoed a bill divestment bills have a strong chance of South Africa to open several new trade that required divestment from all com becoming law before the end of the consulates around the US, and the panies that do business in South Africa. year. Under Representative Randy South African Government has hired Things are also moving in Texas, Staten's leadership Minnesota passed a Reagan's former campaign manager, where Dumisani Kumalo, ACOA pro divestment bill which was then vetoed John Sears, for $500,000 a year as a jects director, joined a delegation by Governor Albert H. Quie. Its sup paid propagandist. organized by Jerry Herman of the porters plan a new fight for 1983. At the state level, Kentucky Gover AFSC this spring. The delegation We are receiving more and more re nor John Y. Brown, one of the rising strengthened work being done in quests for our newsletter on Public In stars of the Democratic Party, sent a Houston, Austin, San Antonio and vestment and South Africa, a sign of trade mission to South Africa in the late Dallas. As a result of the tour a divest the growing interest in state and city spring to "initiate economic ties." ment bill was introduced in the Dallas action. This fall Dumisani Kumalo will But all has not gone South Africa's City Council for the first time. put major energy into travelling the way. ACOA Executive Director Jen In Atlanta, Georgia, and in the State country to help build the campaign. nifer Davis flew to Kentucky in August to join in a meeting with Governor Brown organized by the NAACP and Kentucky's black state legislators. Representatives from the African Na tional Congress of South Africa and the American Friends Service Committee were also involved. Following this meeting, Governor Brown reversed himself saying, "We are not going to do business with companies that believe in segregation... We are not going to do any business with South Africa." Another very significant victory was achieved in June when Philadelphia became the first major US city to pro hibit the investment of public pension funds in corporations operating in South Africa and Namibia. This bill was passed after hearings in the city council in which ACOA and a number of other organizations participated. The delegation that met to persuade Kentucky GovernorBrown not to trade More than $70 million of the $748 with South Africa: Jerry Herman of AFSC, Mokabung Nkomo of the ANC, million pension fund is affected. Jennifer Davis of ACOA, and John Johnson of the NAACP. ACOA Protests US Harassment of SWAPO

Despite long and intense negotia elude, but not be limited to, an inspec South Africa in any way. tions involving SWAPO, South Africa, tion of all correspondence, memoran On the contrary, the United States is the United Nations, the Western Con da, cables, telegrams and teletype mes insisting on the withdrawal of Cuban tact Group and the African Front Urle sages as well as an audit of all book soldiers from Angola as a condition for States, prospects for a Namibian settle keeping and other financial records," a Namibia settlement. This demand, ment appear to be diminishing, said a July letter from the Department which Pretoria is more than happy to because of continued South African in of Justice to the New York office of exploit, moves the negotiations away transigence. At the same time the US SWAPO. from the fundamental issue: South Government has increased its harass William Booth, ACOA president, Africa's continued illegal occupation of ment of SWAPO, the Namibian libera cabled Secretary of State George Narnibia. The fact that South Africa tion movement. Schultz protesting the inspection in the maintains an army of 80,000 in There have been several startling ex strongest terms, noting that the in Namibia and a permanent occupying amples of hostility to SWAPO. In June vestigation violated the confidentiality force in southern Angola is virtually the movement's permanent observer to necessary for negotiations. "Such an ac ignored. the UN, Thee-Ben Gurirab, attended tion by a US agency casts the most Under these conditions, with no an official UN meeting in Tanzania. serious doubts on the good faith of the pressure from the US, there is little When he tried to return to the United US as a participant in the attempt to hope that South Africa will agree to a States, he was denied a visa and was reach a just settlement," said Booth. settlement that includes free and fair stranded in East Africa for a week. Mr. The investigation of SWAPO must elections, because all parties agree that Gurirab has been based in New York please the South African government. such elections would inevitably lead to for years and has regularly travelled It follows a civil action filed in early a SWAPO victory. out of the country on missions. He is a May in the US District Court in key figure in the Namibia negotiations Washington against SWAPO by a and had notified the US Government of "Committee for a Free Namibia." The Regional Meetings his travel plans, as regulations require. suit charges SWAPO with falsifying its Responding to SWAPO's request registration statement with the US on Namibia for help, ACOA investigated the mat Department of Justice as required by Planned the Foreign Agents Registration Act. ter, protesting the interference with a series The lawyers in the suit are Carl Shipley ACOA will be organizing SWAPO's work to both the US Mission on Namibia in early and Marion Smoak, registered agents of seminars to the UN and the State Department. Tentative plans call for government's "Ad December. This was not an isolated incident. of the South African Bos General of the Territory of meetings to be held in Atlanta, The US recently denied visas to ministrator Francisco, South West Africa/Namibia." ton, Minneapolis and San Pendukeni Kaulinge, a member of the in cooperation with local sponsors. SWAPO Central Committee and Ester South Africa Stalls SWAPO representatives and ex Maleka of the African National Con perts from Europe will be featured gress of South Africa, who were of Negotiations on Namibian in dependence continue to be stalled on programs aimed to inform activ ficially invited to address the UN on the ists on US policy and corporate in women of Namibia and South Africa. because of South African intransi gence. The Reagan Administration has volvement and to mobilize support US Unsympathetic made it clear that it has no intention of for SWAPO. ACOA protested to Assistant moving towards sanctions or pressuring Secretary of State for Africa, Chester Crocker, saying, "This action of the US Government makes the US appear in the public forum of the international Study of Namibia Exposes community as petty, unsympathetic and hostile to the struggles of the peo US Corporate Involvement ple of southern Africa, particularly women. Namibia: North American Eco Bay Co. which has played a major The list of SWAPO members having nomic Involvement by James Cason role in the marketing of Namibia's karakul furs. trouble obtaining visas to come to UN and Gail Hovey, a major study by sponsored meetings in New York con ACOA's associate The Africa Fund, Information on specific corpora in the context of the tinues to grow. It now includes the examines the involvement of North tions is placed development where out director of the UN Institute for Nami American corporations in the history of reaped vast fortunes Geingob, SWAPO Secretary devastation of Namibia's wealth. siders have bia Hage remain among the for Economic Development Ben Among these are Newmont Mining while the workers poorest in the world. An analysis of Amathila and SWAPO Secretary for and AMAX, owners of the largest demon Education Nahas Angula. base metal mine, Tsumeb; Texaco US policy vis-a-vis Namibia gov Reflecting a similar unfriendly at and Standard Oil of California strates the complicity of the US well as the corporations titude, the US Department of Justice which together make up CALTEX, ernment as illegal occupation has instigated an investigation of a major supplier of oil and gas to in the continued of Namibia by South Africa. SWAPO under the Foreign Agents Namibia; and Canada's Hudson's Registration Act. "The review will in- ARMS SALES TO MOROCCO OPPOSED

As the issue of Western Sahara pre The Reagan Administration has pro the United States is neutral in the con occupied the August meetings of the posed to more than triple military aid flict between Polisario guerrillas and Organization of African Unity, a group to Morocco, from $30 million to $100 Morocco...Arms to Morocco will of Americans issued a statement calling million. The statement charges that the hinder, rather than help the process on the United States to halt any further increase would "unmistakably belie the leading to a ceasefire and peaceful solu military sales to Morocco. The state official State Department position that tion to the conflict." ment was initiated by the American Committee on Africa and TransAfrica. It was signed by leaders of civil rights organizations, churches, trade unions, and universities and sent to President Reagan. The Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic, under the leadership of Polisario, is recognized by 26 African states as the government of Western Sahara and was admitted to the OAU this spring. Morocco, which claims Western Sahara as part of its territory, challenged the admission and won suf ficient support to force abandonment of the annual OAU summit because of SADR participation. The US has been giving increasing support to Morocco's military occupa tion of Western Sahara. Recently the US formed a joint military commission with Morocco, announced plans to In May ACOA sponsored the first public showing of the film "Blood & Sand: train Moroccan counter-insurgency War in the Sahara" produced by Sharon Sopher. The Africa Fund provided units and reportedly sold cluster bombs financial assistance toward the completion of the film. Madjid Abdullah, the to Morocco. Polisariorepresentative and Jennifer Davis spoke at the showing,

For Better Not For Worse, a political satire by exiled South African playwright Selaelo, Maredi, will be touring the United States from January through the spring. If interested in, arranging a showing contact Joshua Nessen at the ACOA office. (212) 962-1210.

South Africa, through misleading pro ACOA Hosts paganda efforts has "been able to transform what is essentially a fight for Mozambique independence between the forces of in dependent Africa and the white Information minority regime into an East-West con frontation." Cabao spoke at a New Minister York meeting in May hosted by ACOA. He was in the US to meet media South Africa is attempting to create leaders, business people and politi what Newsweek recently headlined a cians, and to win support for Mozam "zone of instability" among newly in bican efforts to build an economy in dependent, surrounding states. The dependent of South Africa. tactics include arming and financing "We should avoid allowing the former colonial collaborators in enemy to divide southern Africa into Mozambique, Angola and Zimbabwe, pieces," he continued. "There is no assassinating liberation movement Mozambican problem. There is no leaders and threatening neighboring Namibian problem. There is a southern states with economic disruption. African problem which cannot be Mozambique's Minister of Informa Mozambique Minister of Information resolved until we solve the problem of tion Jose Luis Cabaco explained that Jose Luis Cabaeo South Africa." nized the 'o after the massive June 12 disarmament rally. South Africa Action Director Emeritus George M. Assassinates Houser spoke before a session com Opponents Notes memorating the 30th anniversary of the launching of the Defiance Cam On June 4 the African National Con P' The University of Maine announceo paign by the African Nation Congress gress representative in Swaziland in July action by the trustees to divest of South Africa. His paper, The In Petros Nyawose and his wife Jabu were several million dollars worth of invest ternational Impact of the South killed by a car bomb. On August 17 ments from US corporations active in African Liberation Struggle, has been Ruth First, a respected author, activist South Africa. Professor Douglas Allen published by the UN. and member of the ANC was killed by a from the university's Orono campus Projects Director Dumisani Kumalo letter bomb in Mozambique. These called ACOA to thank us for assistance addressed the Decolonization Com killings show the lengths to which the in the campaign. Projects Director mittee, presenting evidence of South South African Government will go to US Dumisani Kumalo addressed students African propaganda efforts in the attack those fighting for freedom in and trustees last December on the need against Namibian independence. South Africa. for divestment and ACOA provided Africa continues to lure per ACOA President William Booth sent in P-South specific research on the corporations formers into the land of apartheid messages of sympathy and support to the University portfolio. # under the guise of performing in "in Ms. First's husband Joe Slovo and to But ANC President Oliver Tambo. Re Threatened Press" by dependent" Bophuthatswana. ".'South Africa's sponding, Tambo stressed the need for Kumalo appeared in the quick protest by groups including Dumisani perhaps their most greater international action against Science .Monitor on August ACOA stopped Christian date. The Harlem apartheid: himself an exiled'South prized catch to 17th. Kumalo, vile act of terror emphasizes exposed the new at Globetrotters announced enroute they "This African journalist, at the necessity for all forces that ftom the apartheid would cancel their engagement the urgent tacks on the press to this racist regime to governjent. Sun City resort near Johannesburg. are opposed Another recent performer to turn down close ranks and together intensify our P-South Africa has commuted the a lucrative contract in South Africa was common offensive to secure victory death sentences of three African Na singer Stephanie Mills. sooner rather than later. We are con ACOA and you personally, tional Congress members tried for P-ACOA has joined a legal action to in vinced that spare no efforts to murder in an attack where no one died. tervene in Nuclear Regulatory Com dear brother, will ACOA joined'human rights and anti mission proceedings. The case, involv realize these goals." apartheid groups in the successful ing processing in the US of uranium ore international campaign to save their from South Africa, is being handled by and lives, mobilizing supporters to pro Gay McDougall of the Lawyers Com jority government in Namibia test .to the US and South African mittee for Civil Rights, who is an declared that apartheid is a criminal Governments. ACOA board member. offense there. With information sup plied by Gail Hovey, ACOA research P-The Lutheran Church in America I-ACQA is a plaintiff in a case to over director, Senator Allan H. Spear ex voted for a resolution supporting di turn new executive orders issued by the posed these distortions, explaining the vestment'as an option at its convention Reagan Administratibn allowing the real situation in Namibia to his col in Louisville, Kentucky in September. CIA for the first time to 'spy on US leagues. He demonstrated that the And the American Lutheran Church, organizations inside the United States. Council of Ministers is itself an apart meeting in San Diego, California, The case is being handled by the Center heid institution. voted to reaffirm its 1980 stand for Constitutional Rights. for divestment. Projects Director P-When Minnesota legislators moved N-In Texas, a decision to grant South Dumisani Kumalo, in Louisville at the to take action, state senators became African Airways landing rights in invitation of the Lutheran Coalition on the target of South African inspired Houston was delayed for six months Southern .Africa, played a key role in anti-divestment lobbying. Each re because of protests that came mainly getting the LCA resolution considered.: ceived an appeal from the puppet from Houston's Task Force on Southern Council of Ministers of the Govern Africa. ACOA President William Booth were invited epACOA representatives ment of South West Africa/Namibia, was a keynote speaker at a Task Force before United Nations rights were to speak' urging that Namibia not be included in forum in June. Landing and Namibia 'ieetings on South Africa divestment legislation. The appeal granted but protests will continue in recently. several times claimed the existence of a black ma- the courts. Ekecutive Director Jennifer Davis presented a paper on South African military links with repressive Latin New Publications from The Africa Fund American regimes at a three-day inter -NAMIBIA: NORTH AMERICAN CORPORATE INVOLVEMENT by Gail national seminar in Vienna on South Hovey. The Africa Fund, November 1982, 60pp., $2.50 African militarization of Namibia. EXPORTS TO SOUTH Research Director Gail Hovey -AUTOMATING APARTHEID: US COMPUTER 1982, ll0pp., $3.50 presented evidence of US military and AFRICA AND THE ARMS EMBARGO, NARMIC nuclear collaboration with South Please add 15% postage. Africa at a special meeting of the UN Committee Against Apartheid orga-