Enclosed Is the Current Issue of ACOA Action News. It Is a Rather Special Issue, Coming out Soon After Zimbabwe's Independence
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May 1980 Dear Friend of ACOA: Enclosed is the current issue of ACOA Action News. It is a rather special issue, coming out soon after Zimbabwe's independence. As the lead article suggests, Zimbabwe's victory is a reason for rejoicing and an encouragement for ACOA's continuing work in support of liberation in southern Africa. The article on student anti-apartheid activities in the u.s. is relevant to another heartening development in the movement to end white minority domination in southern Africa. Increasingly, state and local governments are introducing bills to prohibit public funds from being invested in cor porations and banks doing business with racist South Africa. ACOA has been receiving detailed reports of successful bills in Nebraska and Massachusetts and pending legislation in Michigan, Illinois and elsewhere, and we will be putting much time and energy into furthering these efforts. The April 19th issue of the Johannesburg st·ar released the findings of a study by the South Africa Foundation on the divestment issue in the u.s. They called the movement here "formidable". Thirty-five out of the 50 states have anti apartheid groups, they reported, and universities alone have divested more than $49 million in 1978 and '79. For us at ACOA, this. news in their headlines is encouraging. ~ need your generous support to continue ou:r ~ork. Recently, you received our annual report for 1979 and our budget for 1980. To go ahead with our programs as planned, we must raise about $95,000 this year. With the summer months ahead of us--a traditional slow period for contributions--! urge you to send whatever you can, now. Thanks for your continuing support. George M. Houser Executive Director Executive Director: George M. Houser/Associate Director: Paul Irish/Research Director: )enl"'ifer Davis/literature: Richard Knight ~ 11 No.7 AMERICAN COMMITTEE ON AFRICA • 198 Broadway • New York, N.Y. 10038 • (212) 962·1210 Spring 1980 THE COCK CROWS IN ZIMBABWE by George M. Houser The rooster, crowing to the rising sun, is the symbol of the Zimbabwe Af rican National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF), headed by Robert Mugabe. On March 4, that symbol assumed a new reality as the Zimbabwe people celebrated the news: ZANU-PF had won an unexpectedly overwhefming majority in the Rhodesian elections of February 27-29. Out of 80 seats for blacks in the House of Assembly, ZANU-PF ~on 57 seats or almost 64 percent of the vote. Seats won by joshua Nkomo's Patriotic Front (for merly the Zimbabwe African Peoples Union-ZAPU-PF), brought the total in the alliance to 77 seats. Mugabe was asked to form the first independent African government of what would soon be called Zimbabwe. People took to the streets, singing Robert Edgar, a professor from the people of Zimbabwe came only from and dancing - and crowing like the Howard Un-iversity Africa Studies pro the white-dominated daily press, radio rooster. Only a few days before, gram. We were one group among hun and television. Mugabe was a " terror ZANU-PF party organizers were being dreds of international observers and ist" and a " destroyer of churches", arrested for imitating the crowing of journalists present for the event in Zim while Nkomo was depicted as only the cock. Some police authorities had babwe. slightly more acceptable to the whites. ruled that to give this kind of call con In the little over two weeks we were Bishop Abel Muzorewa, leader of the stituted " intimidation." What a change in Zimbabwe, we covered all eight pro United African National Council a few days made in Zimbabwe! vinces, visiting African townships, (UANC) and the short-lived Prime I was in Zimbabwe during the criti tribal trustlands and European owned Minister as a result of the unrepresen cal period of the political campaigning farms. We attended mass political tative election of April 1979, was the leading up to the elections. ACOA had rallies and talked with organizers in the darling of the whites. He had taken 67 decided that there ought to be a offices of each of the major political percent of the vote last April when delegation of American, non-govern parties. Our experiences led us to re neither ZANU nor ZAPU participated. mental observers on hand, sympathe ject the media distortions that the But in the 1980 election, the UANC got tic to the cause of an independent Zim Patriotic Front forces were primarily about eight percent of the vote and on babwe, to make its own .assessment on responsible for violating the ceasefire, ly three seats in the House of Assem the freeness and fairness of the elec and confirmed that the Zimbabwe peo bly. tion process. Our delegation consisted ple overwhelmingly supported the Pa The question is why? Why did of two persons from ACOA- myself triotic Front for its demonstrated com ZANU-PF win an absolute majority and Tilden LeMelle, who teaches at mitment to true independence. and, with Nkomo's PF, take 77 out of Hunter College; Ted Lockwood, Direc The election results contrasted so 80 seats? Why did Muzorewa win only tor of the Washington Office on Africa; completely from what might have three seats? I would like to briefly sug Cynthia Cannady, a Washington-based been expected if one's information gest several answers. lawyer representing TransAfrica; and about the probable sympathies of the First, the atmosphere of intimidation (continued on p.J) Student Anti-Apartheid Movement Builds by Josh Nessen Several years ago divestment was divestment, and to protest the redlining of minority communities as virtually the only visible movement on Trustees' refusal to send the South well as its loans to South Africa. U.S. campuses. This is no longer so. African government a telegram • Students at the U. of Tennessee oc Recently, with students becoming very against the planned execution of cupied a building in February to pro active on the issues of the draft and African National Congress member, test the administration's program nuclear power, the media has paid James Mange. Princeton, which has and personnel cuts to the Black scant attention to the divestment isue. $150 million invested in U.S. corpora Cultural Center, which has initiated Yet, the student anti-apartheid move tions investing in SA, is known among many of the anti-apartheid and anti ment remains strong on many black South African activists as a racist actions on campus. Support campuses. center of the campus movement in rallies for the five-day occupation One recent indicator of this is two the U.S. which ended in the arrest of 18 black Student Anti-Apartheid Strategy Con students- were also used as educa ferences which were held April 12, at tional forums on southern Africa, Columbia University in New York City particularly Zimbabwe. and at Western Michigan University. • At Western Michigan U., (host to the These regional conferences explored Apri I 12th anti-apartheid the relationship of anti-apartheid work conference), activists earlier held a to other campus struggles against march commemorating the 20th an racism, nuclear power/weaponry, the niversary of the Sharpeville draft, sexism, and featured speakers Massacre on March 21 , and were from liberation movements in southern joined by the campus anti-draft Africa. coalition as well as local anti-nuke A brief look at a few recent campus groups. activities suggests the broad approach • The Boston Coalition for the Libera B. Akporode Clarke, chairperson of many groups have used in mobilizing tion of Southern Africa, a link be the UN Special Committee Against support to end apartheid. tween community and student anti Apartheid, commended the work of • On April 4, at Princeton U., students apartheid struggles, recently worked student groups in the U.S. • halted classes and held alternative wit~ campus groups on demonstra * * * workshops in commemoration of Dr. tions against the First National Bank josh Nessen is student coordinator Martin Luther King, in support of of Boston, highlighting the bank's for ACOA. ----l"umlng Off The Oil Tap---------···--- by jennifer Davis "Stop Oil to South Africa" was the the apartheid state's needs. Now this theme of a mid-March international flow has been stopped by the new seminar I attended in Holland. The government. seminar brought together government, South Africa cannot survive without liberation movement and solidarity imported oil. It has no natural oil of its group representatives, to discuss en own, so it has sought new sources of forcing oil sanctions. supply. Giant oil companies like Caltex The meeting was co-sponsored by and Mobil, which alone provide South the United Nations Special Committee Africa with 40 percent of its refined oil, Against Apartheid and two Dutch play a key role in this operation. Few groups, Working-Group Kairos and the producer countries control their oil Holland Committee on Southern once it leaves their shores; distribution Africa. These groups have already is in the hands of the multinationals. mounted a campaign against Royal Actions proposed to bring the multi Dutch Shell for its continuing South nationals into compliance with oil African connection, and have suc sanctions included government moves cessfully lobbied members of the like the recent penalizing nationaliza powerful Dutch Labor Party to commit tion of British Petroleum's Nigerian themselves to support for an embargo. holdings, and also trade union and Achieving an oil embargo would be solidarity work. difficult, but experts said that the The Dutch announcement that they revolution in Iran had created a situa were establishing a center to monitor tion in which it was now possible. Both all tankers to South Africa was hailed OPEC and OAPEC (the main oil pro as a vital move in the struggle to stop Ambassador Clarke (left), Chairman of ducing and exporting country oil reaching South Africa.