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 '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 . 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 '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 , 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. • the UN Special Committee Against organizations) have long banned oil * * * Apartheid and SWAPO's President Sam saTes to South Africa. Until the Shah's jennifer Davis is ACOA's research Nujoma at oil embargo seminar. overthrow, Iran supplied 90 percent of director. struggle against white minority domi­ Here he was saying that their private nation. If it had not been for the com­ property would be respected, their bined efforts of ZAPU and ZANU, both pension rights honored, even though in the guerrilla war and the political land reform was to be set in motion. arena, there would have been no pres­ " Forgive others and forget," he said. sure for negotiating a settlement. The " Join hands in a new amity and effort at world-wide sanctions, the together as Zimbabweans trample backing of the African states and of the upon racialism, tribalism and regional­ Commonwealth countries would have ism, and work hard to reconstruct and been impossible. rehabilitate our society." The PF had been responsible for the In that same spirit and true to his hard negotiating at Lancaster House. word, Mugabe has asked and accepted While Muzorewa had been prepared to Joshua Nkomo and other ZAPU accept whatever the Rhodesians and leaders to join in the coalition govern­ the British laid before the conference ment. The Patriotic Front alliance is in London, the PF had bargained for a continuing. Zimbabweans have begun new constitution ending white control, to eradicate colonialism and to build a calling for distribution of land, for rule Zimbabwe­ new democratic society. • (continued from p.1) by the majority in the civil service, police and military. * * * during the campaign period worked Thirdly, the people believed that on­ Midnight, April 17., Zimbabweans against Muzorewa and the whites. Con­ ly the PF could put an end to the war­ celebrated their hard-won in­ sistently, the media blamed ceasefire not Muzorewa. In the few months the dependence. ACOA was invited to at­ violations on the guerrillas, particu­ Bishop was Prime Minister, he had au­ tend the ceremonies by the new gov­ larly those " terrorists" who had not thorized raids into Mozambique and ernment and was represented by gone to the 16 assembly points scatter­ Zambia, killing hundreds of Zimbabwe ACOA's past president, Peter Weiss. ed around the country where over refugees. And, Zimbabweans did want George Houser's more detailed re­ 22,000 former guerrillas from ZANU an end to the fighting. If the ZANU and port of the Observer group in Zimbab­ and ZAPU were gathered. But acts of ZAPU forces did not accept the cease­ we is available from ACOA. terrorism by guerrillas was not what fire and the Constitution, the fighting * * * most of the people experienced. would go on. The decision was in the George Houser is ACOA's executive When we arrived in Salisbury in mid­ hands of the Patriotic Front. director. February, everywhere we saw evidence Finally, the Zimbabwe people re­ of the military presence of the Rhode­ jected the ties between Muzorewa and sian government's 40,000 Security lan Smith, the UANC and the white Forces and the 26,000 auxiliaries . They were unim­ originally organized in 1978 as a pressed by the extreme language of Pollsario Captures SA-made private army of Muzorewa. These were Muzorewa's campaign; ie, if the PF the armed men encountered by people won, the Russians would invade, said Arms in the villages and rural areas and the Bishop. Nor were they impressed The Polisario Front, fighting for Western Sahara's independence, Nor were Zimbabweans impressed by the six helicopters reported that it captured Moroccan military equipment made in South Muzorewa had at his disposal, the leaflet distribution from Africa in a battle in March. Mean­ planes or the estimated $75 million contributed by South while, the U.S. had already sent shipments of arms to Morpcco as part Africa. of the $235 million weapons deal the Carter administration made with King whom British authorities and the by the huge amount of money avail­ Hassan. Rhodesian administrators had allowed able to the UANC, the six helicopters ACOA vigorously opposed the sale to range around the country outside Muzorewa had at his disposal, the of weapons to Morocco, which has oc­ any assembly points. They were too leaflet distribution from planes and the cupied Saharan territory. In a letter to frequently coercing the people to sup­ estimated $75 million contributed by Secretary of State Cyrus Vance in port Muzorewa and oppose Mugabe South Africa. March, ACOA pointed out that both and Nkomo. At a political rally ZANU­ In the three days of voting, 93 per­ the UN and the OAU have strongly PF held in Mondoro Tribal Trustland, cent of potential voters cast their supported Western Sahara' s right to which we attended, a thousand or so ballots and showed that the people un­ self-determination, and the OAU has people gathered - and on the fringe derstood the meaning of real indepen­ tried to find a negotiated solution- . were the auxiliaries with their rifles. dence. On March 4, Robert Mugabe, " But no solution can work that does One person after another told us how extremely happy with the election out­ not grant the Saharan people the right they had been beaten and threatened come, capped the transformation w ith to self-determination and in­ by the auxiliaries, and elsewhere we a reconciling speech. How it must have dependence." The State Department were told similar stories. The people astounded the whites who had believ­ reply said, in part, that it considered voted against this abuse. ed their own false propaganda about the arms sale to Morocco " an impor­ The second answer to the victory this impressive African leader, when he tant contribution to encouraging the lies with the Patriotic Front, which was called for all the people working parties to move towards a negotiated primarily responsible for waging the together to build a new Zimbabwe. settlement". • ACOA testifies at UN Kumalo's Talks Spur Action ... more action news hearings Dumisani Kumalo, national coor­ ACOA and The Africa Fund are now Mixing politics and sports? South dinator of the Campaign to Oppose in the process of transferring all ac­ Africa has already introduced the Bank Loans to South Africa, was on a counts to The Amalgamated Bank of " cancerous politics of racism" into· speaking tour during March and April New York, the nation's only labor bank. sports, charged Paul Irish, associate to address student and union gather­ While the Committee's accounts have director of ACOA, in a statement ings. The exiled South African jour­ always been held in banks not making before the UN Special Committee nalist received a warm welcome in loans to South Africa, The Against Apartheid on March 28. Racial most places, yet perhaps the most Amalgamated is one of the few banks discrimination in sports is contrary to rewarding response came from a group with a very explicit policy statement Olympic ideals, yet U.S. government in Connecticut, where his tour the on the issue. It has become an alter­ actions sanction apartheid in sports, week of March 2 was sponsored by the nate bank for many organizations Irish pointed out, by granting visas to Ct. Anti-Apartheid Committee, the seeking to avoid doing business with South African athletes, for example. State Labor Council and the UAW. banks aiding apartheid. • ACOA later joined representatives Members of AFSCME Local 1716 of anti-apartheid groups active on almost unanimously passed a resolu­ sports from Africa, Europe and New tion calling for divestment of As we go to press, twenty-one com­ Zealand, including the Supreme Coun­ Hartford's $95 million in pension funds plete kits of dental, amputation, cil for Sports in Africa, to discuss inter­ from companies doing business in SA, uterine, minor and major surgical in­ national strategies in the struggle for after hearing Kumalo detail black struments were headed for the docks non-racial sports. working conditions and the U.S. role in for shipment to Mozambique. The Corporate " codes of conduct" sustaining the apartheid state. Africa Fund (associated with ACOA) related to South Africa was another im­ Other parts of the speaking tour in­ spent over $17,000 to purchase the portant issue addressed in the week­ cluded U. of Iowa, U. of Kansas, equipment to meet the request of the long series of hearings convened by the Western Michigan U. during their Mozambique Ministry of Hea!th. Addi­ tional medical equipment secured by a UN Special Committee. On March 24, Midwest anti-apartheid strategy con­ support group in Minneapolis and ACOA president William H. Booth ference, and meetings with some of valued at over $33,000 will join the released a public statement critical of Detroit's unions and state and city the " Su II ivan Principles," by which government representatives. • shipment.• over 130 signatory U.S. corporations operating in SA have pledged to im­ prove Africans' working conditions. Labeling the Principles as no more than a " pub I ic relations effort" that "cannot change the structure of apartheid," the statement instead called for an end to bank loans and corporate investments NEW PUBLICATIONS* to support genuine change in SA. The statement was initiated by U.S. Corporations In South Africa: A Summary of Stragetlc Investments ACOA and was signed by 59 persons by Truman Dunn, Africa Fund, 6pp. 30¢. Over ten, 20¢ each. Over prominent in black community, twenty, 1 5 ¢ each. church, trade union, legal and academic circles, such as Georgia Using Films on South Africa: An Activation Kit on Investments by Larry State Senator Julian Bond; Jacob Adelman, California Newsreel's Southern Africa Media Center, Sheinkman, secretary-treasurer of the Africa Fund, 30pp. (approx.). $3.00. Amalgamated Clothing Workers; Rev. . M . William Howard, president of the South Africa's Nuclear Capability by Dan Smith, World Campaign National Council of Churches; former Against Military and Nuclear Collaboration with South Africa­ Attorney General Ramsey Clark; and Norway, 32pp. $1 .50. Leonard Jeffries, president of the Children Under Apartheid by International Defence and Aid Fund­ African Heritage Studies Association. London, 120pp., with 110 black and white photographs. $6.00. This statement, " The Sullivan Prin­ ciples: No Cure for Apartheid," is Fighting Two Colonlallsms: Women In Guinea-Bissau by Stephanie available from ACOA. • Urdang, Monthly Review Press, 320pp. $16.50.

New pamphlets in the "From to Zimbabwe" series of the Catholic Institute for International Relations-London. The Struggle for Health by john Gilmurray et al., 60 pp. $1 .50. The Food Problem by Vincent Tickner, 78pp. $1.50. Education for Employment by Roger Riddell, 70pp. $1.50.

*Available from The Africa Fund, 198 Broadway, N.Y., N.Y. 10038. Additional copies of ACOA Action News are available upon request from ACOA.