Special Celebration Issue MAMELANI ... listen to the voices of South Africa
VOLUME 7 NUMBER 2 SUMMER 1994
Dear Friends: The inauguration of Mr. Nelson Mandela was billed in South Africa as the largest single gathering of world leaders since the death of President Kennedy. You can imagine the impact of such a symbol of international acceptance in a country that has been ostracized and criticized by the world community for more than three decades. The pride and jubilation expressed not only by blacks, but by whites also, might confound one as to just who had supported apartheid for all these years? In the company of thousands of his compatriots gathered in Pretoria and millions the world over experi encing the historic event through television, radio and the pre~, Nelson Mandela became the first president of a free and democratic South Africa. The day was not without sadness. One could not help but think of comrades, friends and family who yearned and devoted so much to make this day possible
President Nelson R Mandela of South Africa. PHOTO/ DANA WEINTRAUB but had not lived to see it. The African transforma tion was a common topic of discussion with Melba Kgositsile, a friend of many years and a board member A Personal View from of FreeSA, as she lay on her death bed slowly succumb Boston and New York ing to breast cancer. Melba died early in April, prior to the elections. Many of our mutual friends whom I met Beate Klein Becker in South Africa on inauguration day would, without Beace Klein Becker is the Treasurer of the Board of Directars of FreeSA and a fail, express a wish that "Melba should have been here." long-time activist in South African politics. continued on page six
WORKING THE POLLS AT THE STATE HOUSE, BOSTON If I couldn't be in South Afl'ica helping with the elections, being at the State House in Boston on April 26 was the next best thing. I arrived late in the day when much of the confusion had been straightened out and people were going about their business in a calmer but still very excited way. My job was to escort voters from the table where they were given their federal election ballot to one of the three voting booths. Since I was the last person that voters saw before they made their single (and incredibly significant!) mark next to the party of their choice, I witnessed a remarkably wide range of responses just before people ducked behind the curtain. I was surprised by a handful of people who did not think that this was the greatest day in South African history and made some disparaging com ments or facial expressions. But for the most part, people were pretty euphoric about the whole thing. Nelson Mandela and Themba Vilakazi in Boston during Mr. Mandela's first continued on page three world tour in 1990. PHOTO/DON WEST AN ACCOUNT OF THE VOTING IN BRITS BY KIM BERMAN
rits is a community west of Pretoria Kim Berman is a white South African and The voters arrived wearing the poorest Bon the edge of what was formerly the long-time FreeSA activist who worked of clothes and many had bare feet. Some homeland of Bophuthatswana. The city is as an election official in Brits. were clearly frightened. We (ANC agents) This article is based on a discussion with her a traditional stronghold of the Conserva did what we could to ensure that people foUowing the April 26- 28 election. tive Party (CP), the opposition group to got the assistance they needed to cast the National Party of E W. de Klerk. The their vote, being careful not to interfere Conservatives lobbied in the process. Some against the negotiation voters reported that they process which led to the had been instructed by current dramatic changes their white bosses to vote in South Africa. for the Freedom Front This area is also home though they had wanted to the Afrikaner Weer to vote for "the old man," standsbeweging (AWB), a Madiba, Mandela. white right-wing militant In spite of intimida group implicated in terror tion, the ANC carried ist activities, including the the province with a 76 April 1994 bombings in percent majority. Outside Johannesburg. The AWB the voting station, several maintains a formidable members of the AWB public presence in Brits were arrested with a cache with members estimated at of weapons. Though we Voting in Capetown, South Africa. An elderly man votes in the April 26 election with the 50 percent of the local support of his son. . AP PHOTO! ADIL BRADLOW were relieved that a police force. violent situation had been There is a large black population in I was recruited as a white comrade to avoided, our joy was dampened by Brits which serves as the labor force for work in Brits because of the fear of har another sight: a group of black farm the mines and large farms owned by the rassment of local ANC members. The laborers were turned away from town hall whites. This black population has suffered build up was tense as people were expect without having a chance to cast their severe repression at the hands of the local, ing right-wing activity. Brits is home to ballots. Their hands showed evidence of mostly conservative, white population. In "Wit Wolwe," or white assassins. the official purple ink used to mark 1986, in an effort to keep Brits a whites Yet the day of voting, as so many have people who had already voted. Appar only area, a campaign was begun to reported, was interspersed with magic. ently, their white bosses had sprayed their remove the local black township of Initially, I faced hostility and felt a sense hands with a stolen supply of ink as they Oukasie from Brits and incorporate it into of trepidation until word went around the boarded the buses en route to the voting nearby Bophuthatswana. The removal voting station that we (there was one site. Despite such occurrences, I do was thwarted, however, by strong resis other white woman from Johannesburg) believe that this day touched and changed tance from the largely ANC-aligned were ANC party members. The frowns the lives of many white people and the black population. and cold shoulders turned to smiles and future of our country will be better for it. warmth by the end of the day. For the first-time voters, there was much to contend with on this day. All the election officials were white and in many instances, unsympathetic to their needs. Some black people in the area are illit erate and had difficulty identifying images or insignias on the ballot papers. Many had never used a pencil before.
1 A Personal View FreeSA Delegation at the Polls continued from page one by Judie Blair Since photographs weren't allowed inside the polling station, a large Judie Blair coordinated FreeSP:s observer delegation to the recent elections in South Africa. number of people chose to commemo She reports on some of their experiences. rate their historic vote by saving the pen with which they had made their mark. APRIL 26, 1994. Themba Vilakazi was the last person After many days of training, FreeSA's At 7 AM we carefully make our way to cast his vote. It was really moving to small delegation of election observers is through the narrow streets of Alex. Peo walk with him to the voting booth and about to witness South Africans voting in ple stand in lines that stretch as far as the pull back the curtain to let him to go in. the country's first democratic election. eye can see. We know there are twenty When he emerged moments later, he This is the day of the "special vote," a voting stations that will be operating, but was wearing his signature smile, but big time for the elderly and disabled to cast one cannot tell where one queue ends ger than I had ever seen it. As he turned their ballots. As we make our way to our and another begins. to leave, I handed him the pen from the assigned voting station in Hillbrow, a ra We arrive at our first stop at 7:30 AM, booth and said, "Themba, keep the cially mixed area of Johannesburg, I reflect a primary school with about 4, 000 wait pen!" He took it and gave me a big hug. on the history of this neighborhood. ing voters outside its gate. People tell us It was wonderful to be a part of that For several years people have been they are upset; they have been gathering amazing day. moving from the black townships into in line all night and nothing is happen Hillbrow in open defiance of South ing. We offer to speak to the officials and THE SOUTH AFRICAN CONSULATE, Africa's segregation laws. Today the area report back to them. The story inside is NEW YORK is an urban mix of elderly whites, blacks the same one that will be repeated across On Inauguration Day, I was feeling iso of all ages and a visible and disturbing the country all day: supplies arrived late lated from all the celebrations that were scene of homeless children. so the voting process is delayed. Our going on in South Africa. It felt as We place ourselves strategically around explanations do not satisfy everybody in though everyone I knew from anti the lobby of the elderly home which has the line. Later a South African analyzes apartheid work had left the U. S. to been temporarily transformed into a this reaction for us: people have been celebrate in South Africa. voting station. From our positions we can tricked and lied to for so long that an I called the FreeSA office on the eve observe if the process is kept free and fair; unopened voting station looked like one , of the Inauguration to see if anything we also have a clear view of faces as bal more broken promise. had been planned to commemorate the lots are slipped carefully into the box. But voting does take place. The lines day in Boston and was thrilled to find As the first few blacks make their way continue into the night, long past the out that my South African friends were through the line, we are suddenly over scheduled closing. It appears that every driving a van to New York City. They whelmed by emotion. It is really one is determined to vote today, the first were going to celebrate the new govern happening - democracy for all South of the two days set aside for the elections. ment in their consulate. Though it was Africans. A young local observer assigned Inside the ten stations we manage to the last minute, there was room for to the FreeSA team asks me to step out visit, people are guided quickly and effi one more. side with him. "I need a hug," he says. ciently through the voting process. We The best part of the day was the An elderly woman in matching red watch serious faces change to expressions drive to New York; stopping a couple of dress and hat poses for the international of relief and then to joy. There is barely a times to step out into the strange light press. "I have voted," she says. "Now we sound in these public places, as if we are of the eclipse that was happening over will have equal rights, equal education, witnessing the most solemn of religious our heads throughout the trip. equal everything! Together we are going rites. This is the day that South Africans As we drove on, I discovered that the forward to the top." demonstrate for the world their exemplary isolation I had felt at not being in South focus on making their mark. Africa to join in the celebrations had APRIL 27,1994. been felt to a much greater extent by my We are up at 5 AM to meet with the friends in the van. However, we shared other observer teams assigned to a collective relief at being together on Alexandra township on the edge of this day, to talk and laugh and party Johannesburg. Alex, as it is called, is said over the great event. to be home to approximately one-half The sense of wonder about the elec million people. The population lives in a tions, the inauguration, the "can you combination of small houses and tin believe it?" feeling was further made real shacks crammed onto one square mile of as we neared the South African Consul land. While Alex is one of the poorest ate which, until now, had been an townships, it has produced strong leaders outpost of apartheid in New York City. and was a highly organized community in It was an unforgettable day for anti resistance to apartheid. Indeed, this is a apartheid activists everywhere. special place to be on the first official vot ing day for the general population.
3 The Boston Celebrations
Themba Vilakazi, Executive Director of FreeSA, after voting in South Africa's first democratic, non racial elections.
Election voting administrators, FDESA Campaign Director, Mary Tiseo and FreeSA Treasurer, All photographs taken during the celebrations may be purchased from: Beate Klein Becker. FreeSA, 729 Boylston Street, 5th Floor, Boston, MA 02116 PHOTOS BY TESSA FROOTKO GORDON A Sense of Exhilaration
Governor Weld, South Africans and friends on the steps of the State House, Boston.
Celebrants at the April 30 elections celebration at the Arco Forum,jFK School of Government The South SAMPLE BALLOT PAPERS Mriean Consulate BY BRENDA HENDRICKS FreeSA has he South African Consulate, formerly available a limited T enemy territory to us, was our destina number of sample tion as we gathered at the FreeSA office on ballot papers. The
the morning of May 10. We had been "bloe)'OL' "'v.~ "..,1 .~ 'h pa·ty fOb <.i .. ",»~ "I n . ~ "'e>1< I H!~ <}~ pm_ . ~ n u ~eu'f
h .. 'e(n-a.o ~tto ... o!
We're celebrating our new president!" she NAME said enthusiastically. At first, I wanted to '~re say, you for real?" and then I thought, ADDRESS "but this is exactly the change we've been working for!" CITY STATE ZIP As we entered the reception on the 9th floor, we were welcomed by the Vice Con L ______Fund for a Free South Africa' 729 Boylston Street· Boston, MA 02116 ~ sul. Pictures of President Mandela were everywhere! Many of our friends from the New York area were already there. We enjoyed a buffet?f pa~e, mousse, vegetarian dishes, ~. ct"? • E:-- .~ ~ 13 ill E!:~ • c::-.... '\ some thmgs I d never eaten before, and a ~~ ~ v-~ t::::,.- ...... , variety of beverages. All together, it was an enjoyable and unforgettable experience.
7 FDESA This special issue The Boston-based Fund for Democratic Elections in of Mamelani is dedicated to South Africa (FDESA) was formed by friends of the memory of FreeSA who wanted to raise unrestricted taxable our{riend funds to support partisan and voter education efforts and coUeague, in the period leading to South Africa's first demo Melba Kgositsile. cratic and nonracial elections. PHOTO/MEL WRIGHT Incorporated in August of 1993, FDESA used a variety of different fundraising initiatives to quickly raise more than $900,000 targeted for the previously disenfranchised majority. It had committed volunteers in New York, Raleigh, Durham, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Chicago who orga nized events and conducted local FUND FDRA FREE SOUTH AFRICA is fundraising campaigns. a tax-exempt, charitable foundation begun in 1986 by a group of South African exiles FDESA was also blessed with the living in the United States. FreeSA was participation of nationally recognized, established to assist South African commu and well-respected personalities who nity organizations seeking to establish a free served as National Co-Chairs: Harry and democratic society. Belafonte, Dr. Johnnetta Cole, Danny Contributors: Beate Klein Becker, Kim Berman, Glover, Bob Moses, Themba Vilakazi Judie Blair, Tessa F. Gordon, and Alfre Woodard. Brenda Hendricks, Bobbie Patrick, Mary Tiseo, Themba Vilakazi
Danny Glover, a FDESA National Co-Chair FUND FORA and co-founder of Artists for a FREE SOUTH AFRICA Free South Africa, with South African 729 Boylston Street· Fifth Floor Nobel Prize winning author Nadine Gordimer. Boston, MA 02116 PHOTO/SHARON GELMAN (617) 267-8333 Telex 155219432· Fax (617) 267-2585
FUND FOR A FREE SOUTH AFRICA NON· PROFIT ORG. 729 Boylston Street· Fifth Floor u.s. POSTAGE Boston, MA 02116 PAID (617) 267-8333 BOSTON, MA PERMIT #59215 FREESA/SA p.o. Box 3774' Johannesburg, 2000 South Africa
Printed on recycled paper ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED ELECTION DAY CELEBRATION By Brenda Hendricks
Brenda Hendricks is a recent graduate of T-shirts bearing the image of President Emmanuel CoUege and member of South African Mandela's smiling face were the evening's Netwark (SANET) which co-hosted the election fastest selling souvenirs. Other items for day celebration held on Saturday, April 30 at the Kennedy School of Government. The celebration sale were sample ballot papers and was also hosted by Fund for a Free South Africa ANCflags. (FreeSA), Fund for Democratic Elections in South The program included stirring Africa (FDESA) and Harvard University. speeches by former South African exiles he hall was wall-to-wall with color looking forward to returning home. We ful national dress and smiling, asked the children of the celebrants to T lead the march into the Forum with the happy faces. Two buffet tables were sup plied with a variety of tasty dishes new 5-color flag. We sang "Nkosi Sikelel' representative of the cultures of South I-Afrika" in front of the unfurled flag and Africa. Hundreds of people waited it was quite emotional. patiently to fill their plates with Indian We could not call it a celebration curries, African sausage and vegetarian FDESA board chair and former President of without music and dancing, which we TransAfrica, Dr. Willard Johnson exchanges dishes. Wine and soft drinks were also indulged in with extra vigor until the last smiles and congratulations with South African minute of our allotted time. served by volunteers. former exile Prof Ben Magubane, FreeSA board member. PHOTO/TESSA FROOTKO GORDON
Dear Friends ... continued tram page one The road to this point has Nearly one thousand South Africans must be enough classrooms built to been a long and painful climb. voted in Boston. Nationwide, there meet these needs. Public transpor Near the end of the Ravonia trial in were 13,000 votes cast. tation must be provided. Land must April, 1964, in concluding his I experienced an overwhelming be restored to those who were remarks to the court, Mr. Mandela sense of joy, mixed with disbelief. We driven from their communities. stated: "I have fought against white outside South Africa voted on the Business opportunities must be domination, and 1 have fought 26th of April, the same day set aside made available to a population that against black domination. I have for the elderly to vote inside the coun has been frustrated in its attempts cherished the ideal of a democratic try. I was very moved by the stories of at self-reliance. and free society in which all per how they assembled at polling stations FreeSA looks forward to the sons live together in harmony and well before dawn and waited for hours next few years. We hope you will be with equal opportunities. It is an in lines, wearing their best dresses with us during South Africa's ideal which I hope to live for and to and suits, eager to cast their first vote. reconstruction. A successful South achieve. But if needs be, it is an Voting for them so clearly represented Africa will once and for all dispel ideal for which I am prepared to die." the restoration of the dignity that had the myth that black people cannot Many do not know that, were been denied to them their entire lives. govern themselves. Watching it not for the loud outcry in interna Now the hard work of overcom Nelson Mandela sworn in as South tional circles, the death sentence ing the legacy of apartheid begins. Africa's first democratically elected was a strong possibility in the trial The new government has vowed to president, I knew that we had of Nelson Mandela and his co build one million units of housing in helped create a miracle. If we can accused. They were not hanged; the next five years to address the do it once, we can do it again. It nevertheless, they were robbed of a needs of millions of squatters and cannot take us as long the second good part of their adult lives. shack dwellers. A racist educational time around. For me, the new South Africa system must be completely over was born when I cast my ballot for hauled. Education will become - Themba Vilakazi the government of my choice. compulsory for all children. There Executive Director
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