[ 1977 ] Part 1 Sec 1 Chapter 9 Matters Relating to Africa
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Matters relating to Africa 133 Chapter IX Matters relating to Africa Matters concerning South Africa's apartheid policies The policies of apartheid of the Government of in June 1977; on a proposed International Anti- South Africa, and ways and means of intensifying Apartheid Year in 1978; and on relations between international action to secure the elimination of Israel and South Africa. Also during the year, the apartheid, were reviewed during 1977 by various Special Committee, in co-operation with the United Nations bodies. Organization of African Unity, organized the On 4 November, the Security Council, acting World Conference for Action against Apartheid, under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United held in Lagos, Nigeria, from 22 to 26 August. Nations,1 adopted a resolution (418(1977)) by The Secretary-General submitted a report on which it called on all States to cease the provision the United Nations Trust Fund for South Africa, to South Africa of arms and related materiel of all to which was annexed the report of the Commit- types. It was noted by the Secretary-General that tee of Trustees of the Fund. the Council's action marked the first time in the At its thirty-second (1977) session, the General 32-year history of the Organization such action Assembly adopted a number of resolutions relat- had been taken under Chapter VII against a ing to various aspects of apartheid, namely: the Member State. United Nations Trust Fund for South Africa; In other actions, the Council, following events political prisoners in South Africa; International of 19 October in South Africa, condemned that Anti-Apartheid Year; trade union action against country for its resort to massive violence and apartheid; relations between Israel and South repression and demanded an end to repressive Africa; military and nuclear collaboration with measures. It also established a committee to exam- South Africa; economic collaboration with South ine progress in implementing the mandatory Africa; dissemination of information on apart- arms embargo against South Africa. heid; the programme of work of the Special Com- The Special Committee against Apartheid sub- mittee against Apartheid; assistance to the national mitted to the General Assembly and the Security liberation movements of South Africa; the situa- Council reports on its activities for the year and tion in South Africa; the World Conference for on the major developments in South Africa during Action against Apartheid; an International Decla- that period. Its annual report to the Assembly ration against Apartheid in Sports; bantustans; contained a number of recommendations on ways investments in South Africa; and assistance to of intensifying concerted and effective interna- South African student refugees. tional action against the apartheid regime. The Details of these and other related decisions are Committee also submitted special reports: on given in the sections that follow. the Second International Trade Union Confer- 1 ence for Action against Apartheid, held in Geneva For text of Chapter VU of the Charter, see APPENDIX H. Political and related developments Security Council consideration in conformity with previous General Assembly of the question of South Africa and Security Council resolutions—in particular, the Assembly's decisions of 26 October and 9 No- Communications to Security Council (March 1977) vember 1976 (contained in the various sections On 9 March 1977, the representative of Nigeria, of resolution 31/6)2 and the Council's resolution Chairman of the Africa group of Member States of 19 June 1976 (392(1976)).3 at the United Nations for the month of March, 2 asked that a meeting of the Security Council be See Y.U.N., 1976, pp. 134-44, texts of resolutions 31/6 A and 31/6 C-K. convened to consider the question of South Africa, 3 Ibid., p. 133. 134 Political and security questions On 21 March, the Liberian representative the arms embargo against South Africa; and con- transmitted the text of a message from the Pres- sider steps to achieve the cessation of further ident of Liberia, stating that the Liberian Gov- foreign investment in South Africa. Among those ernment and people appealed to the Security taking this position were Benin, Egypt, Ethiopia, Council and all Member States to demonstrate Ghana, Guinea, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kenya, through action under Chapter VII of the Charter Madagascar, Mauritania, Mongolia, Panama, of the United Nations,4 in particular Article 41, Romania, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, the that apartheid was a crime against humanity, which United Republic of Tanzania, Togo, Yugoslavia, contravened the Charter as well as the Universal Zaire and Zambia. Declaration of Human Rights5 and which was Specific points made by speakers during the increasingly leading to a racial conflagration in debate included the following. southern Africa. The representative of Mauritius, opening the On 18 March, the Acting Executive Secretary discussion, said he felt compelled to draw the of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) to Council's attention to the imminent danger of a the United Nations transmitted a message from general war in southern Africa. South Africa, he the OAU Administrative Secretary-General to the declared, possessed an awesome military power effect that OAU expected the Security Council to and was continuing to develop its military capa- impose economic sanctions and a mandatory arms bilities at a rapid rate, building the most powerful embargo against South Africa. military machine in Africa south of the Sahara for the purpose of maintaining and protecting Consideration by Security Council (March 1977) its system of minority rule. This military power, The Security Council considered the question of he said, constituted a threat to neighbouring South Africa at nine meetings held between 21 States and other States farther afield; it had and 31 March 1977. The representatives of the mounted a full-scale invasion of Angola, imposed following States were invited, at their request, to an occupying army on Namibia, attacked Zambia participate in the Council's discussion without the and given and continued to give military assistance right to vote: Algeria, Bahrain, Botswana, Burun- to the Ian Smith regime in Southern Rhodesia. Its di, Cuba, Egypt, Ethiopia, the German Demo- policy was inflexible and aggressive, he asserted, cratic Republic, Ghana, Guinea, Guyana, Indo- and it had, through foreign investment and for- nesia, Jamaica, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Mada- eign loans, created a garrison State to prevent, gascar, Mauritania, Mongolia, Nigeria, Senegal, not promote, change. Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sweden, the The representative of Nigeria, speaking as Syrian Arab Republic, Togo, the United Republic current Chairman of the African group of Mem- of Tanzania, Yugoslavia, Zaire and Zambia. An ber States and Chairman of the Special Commit- invitation was also extended to the President and tee against Apartheid, noted that the Security Coun- four members of the United Nations Council for cil continued to adopt resolutions on mandatory Namibia. sanctions against Rhodesia but would not apply The Council also agreed, at the request of Benin, them against South Africa, which, he said, pro- the Libyan Arab Republic and Mauritius, to extend vided the main loophole in those sanctions. It was invitations to Mfanafuthi Johnstone Makatini of easy for the Council to apply Chapter VII of the the African National Congress of South Africa Charter against Rhodesia because Western vested (ANC), Potlako Leballo of the Pan Africanist Con- interests there had been limited at the time of gress of Azania (PAC), Olof Palme of Socialist Ian Smith's unilateral declaration of indepen- International, Abdul S. Minty of the British Anti- dence in 1965, and because Rhodesia was not a apartheid Movement, and William P. Thompson major source of raw materials and was of little of the World Council of Churches. strategic importance. During the Council's discussion, a large number He went on to say that with every passing day of speakers criticized South Africa's policies of South Africa, with the assistance of Western apartheid as violating the provisions of the Char- States, was building itself into one of the world's ter. They called for action by the Council along important military and economic powers. He said the lines of General Assembly resolution 31/6,6 that in 1960, at the time of the Sharpeville massa- in various sections of which the Assembly had cre, the military budget of South Africa had been called upon the Security Council to, among other only 44 million rand; at the time of the events in things: take urgent action, under Chapter VII Soweto in 1976, it had risen to 1,350 million rand. of the Charter, to ensure the complete cessation 4 by all States of the supply of arms or military For text of Chapter VII of the Charter, see APPENDIX n. 5 See Y.U.N., 1948-49, pp. 535-37, text of Universal Declaration of equipment to South Africa; call upon all Govern- Human Rights. ments to take specific steps to implement fully 6 See footnote 2. Matters relating to Africa 135 Foreign investment in South Africa had risen and the army treated the African people with from 3,000 million rand in 1960 to 10,000 million utter disregard for human life. rand in 1976. The representative of Sri Lanka, who said he The Nigerian representative noted that the was speaking also as the representative of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of current Chairman of the 86 countries comprising OAU, meeting in Port Louis, Mauritius, in July the non-aligned group, said that the South African 1976, and the Fifth Conference of Heads of State Government's policies of apartheid continued to or Government of the Non-Aligned Countries, be a threat to peace. The world was told that mea- meeting in Colombo, Sri Lanka, in August 1976, sures were being taken to eliminate what was had called for effective sanctions against the South described as petty apartheid, but there was, on the African regime, as had numerous non-govern- other hand, clear enough evidence that the re- mental organizations and a great number of Gov- gime was determined to safeguard and perpetu- ernments.