Published by the New York Labor Committee Against Apartheid co CWA Local 1180, 6 Harrison St ., New York 10013 KEEP THE PRESSURE ON! What's going on in South Africa? laws, and discrediting the all-white sentation. The "stay-away" shut down This September, we watched 50,000 elections held this September. factories, schools, shops and transport. protestors march legally and peaceful- The Defiance Campaign has re-ig- ly through Cape Town, without a hint nited the democratic opposition. looking Abroad of police repression . Then newly- Through non-violent direct action, elected president F.W. DeKlerk thousands have participated in in- As the Defiance Campaign con- declares that the door is open for the tegrating hospitals, beaches, parks, tinues, the government has been reform of the apartheid system. In Oc- and workplace canteens. Workers pushed into more visible concessions. tober, eight national heroes of the anti- have held meetings and sing-ins on the It has allowed several municipalities to apartheid struggle are released from trains during their long commutes to repeal "petty apartheid" rules, like long imprisonment, including ANC work. School children and teachers segregated parks. leader Walter Sisulu. staged marches, college students set On October 4, in its most dramatic Are apartheid's rulers giving up at up barricades, and unions called a con- gesture, Pretoria released the country's last? sumer boycott. Banned organizations leading political prisoners, with the Hardly. At the same time the held public rallies to "unban" them- significant exception of Nelson Man- government was making highly selves. dela. publicized concessions, it was also kill- On September 6, three million DeKlerk's gestures are directed at ing 27 election protestors, putting joined a national strike to protest the international as well as internal hundreds more in detention, raiding elections, which exclude blacks from audiences. Until recently, the main church and union offices across the voting and from parliamentary repre- Continued on next page country, and setting the police loose on . scores of strikes and demonstrations. Apartheid's rulers haven't given up, but they do appear to have a better grasp of reality . The government in Pretoria recognizes that the democratic movement in South Africa has grown powerful and resolute. They see that international condemna- tion is not easily appeased. And while they wonder how to reform the apart- heid system, millions of people keep struggling to end it. Defiance Grows The pressure has escalated at home and abroad. This summer, leading South African anti-apartheid forces came together as the Mass Democratic Movement (MDM), uniting the major labor federation, COSATU, with the community and church organizations of the banned UDF. In August, the MDM embarked on AL. a Defiance Campaign aimed at chal- : lenging the country's segregation 25,000 COSATU and NACTU members demonstrate againstthe Labor laws, overturning its oppressive labor Relations Act as part of the nation-wide Defiance campaign. Keep the Pressure On! continued from front page pressure point has been negotiations with the international banks over ex- tending South Africa's $13 billion foreign debt. Although the banks have now given in, agreeing in late October to re-sechedule the debt without at- taching conditions for political change, the specter of tougher sanctions still looms. In Europe and the British Common- wealth, governments are telling De- Klerk that new sanctions will be imposed if change is not forthcoming. Even the U.S. government has changed its tune, acknowledging that previous On October 15, the government released eight leaders of the anti-apartheid sanctions have had positive effect in movement, including ANC leader Walter Sisulu (center) jailed for 26 years. forcing Pretoria into a new stance. Also shown (L-R) are Raymond Mhlaba, Oscar Mpetha, Andrew Mlangeni, State department officials suggest that Walter Sisulu, Ahmed Kathrada, Elias Motsoaledi and Wilton Mkwayi. further sanctions will be inevitable if tangible progress is not made during repeal all security legislation; stress the need for tighter sanctions this parliament. n End all political trials and execu- and continued disinvestment cam- International pressure is com- tions. paigns. pounded by the sagging state of the These conditions would produce, This message was openly delivered South African economy, which is among other things, the release of Nel- in October by Moses Mayekiso, rapidly losing capital to disinvest- son Mandela and the inclusion of the general secretary of the National ment, unemployment and inflation. ANC in any government talks. Union of Metalworkers (NUMSA) and Multi-national companies continue to Conditions for negotiations are just co-chair of the MDM. Mayekiso, who pull-out in the face of sanctions and an the beginning, however. To dismantle was acquitted last spring on treason uncertain future. apartheid requires more than ending charges after an international cam- So DeKlerk is being told by friend state coercion or removing petty apart- paign, stated: and foe alike that he must move on a heid laws. Apartheid rests on the "Apartheid is far from dead in reform agenda. But how fast and how denial of citizenship, on the segrega- South Africa. DeKlerk's government is far are still very much the heart of the tion of land and housing, and on a far from accepting democratic elec- issue. forced migrant labor system . There tions in South Africa. They will only will be no end to apartheid until there listen to power, not words ... Conditions For Negotiation is "one person, one vote," the "The state still has immense power. segregated homelands and townships Although the economy has weak- The liberation movement of South are dissolved, and workers have full nesses, it is still a very powerful Africa is clear that no reform will be human rights. Apartheid cannot truly economy. The imperialists have shown meaningful unless the government be reformed, it must be transformed. DeKlerk that he must negotiate now, enters negotiations with democratic For the liberation movement, the while he still has power... forces. The movement is equally clear sole purpose of negotiations is to ar- "Our millions of allies in other that democratic participation will not range the peaceful transfer from apart- countries must not let up on the pres- be meaningful unless the government heid to a unified, non-racial, sure of sanctions now, or DeKlerk and ends repression. democratic state. DeKlerk and his al- imperialism will try to negotiate a set- MDM organizations have thus out- lies would prefer a compromised tlement which excludes the masses lined broad pre-conditions which result which will keep the white from the negotiating process, which must be met before credible negotia- minority in a position both economi- does notgive any power to the masses, tions can begin . As COSATU's resolu- cally and politically dominant for a which does not end exploitation and tion put it, the apartheid government long time to come. which safeguards only the interests of must: imperialism ... n Unconditionally unban all banned A Message from "Now is the time to intensify sanc- organizations; Brother Mayekiso tions to cut short the social and n Unconditionally release all political economic agony of apartheid ..." prisoners and detainees; Anti-apartheid organizations in In New York City, we can keep the n Unconditionally allow the return of South Africa are calling on their inter- pressure on through passage of a all political exiles; national supporters to escalate the stronger Intro. 1137, the pending bill to n Confine security forces to barracks; pressure on Pretoria during this mo- tighten City sanction laws. See the back n Lift the state of emergency and ment of crisis and transition. They page for details. S.A. UNIONS WIN AS MOBIL, GOODYEAR LEAVE South African unions want multina- Goodyear will pay the principal on Impact On Sanctions tional companies to disinvest from the housing loans to be offered its workers apartheid system, but they also want over the next five years . NUMSA will The right of South African workers the right to negotiate over the terms of gain at least 50% control over the pen- to advance notice and negotiations as disinvestment. Two victories this sum- sion fund, which will be reconstituted companies disinvest has been asserted mer have made that right a reality for as a "provident" fund to benefit and won on picket lines in South the first time. workers and their communities. Africa. It's equally important that these Like the Mobil settlement, labor rights be asserted in theisanctions Precedent At Mobil NUMSA's victory at Goodyear estab- laws here that are forcing companies to lished the union's right to negotiate disinvest. Mobil announced it was withdraw- directly with the parent company and In New York, we have the oppor- ing from South Africa in May, without to have union contracts applied to the tunity to add these rights to a new and any advance notice to the Chemical new owners . There will be no lay-offs tougher sanctions law, Intro . 1137 (see Workers Industrial Union (CWIU). or unfavorable changes in working story, page 8) . Across the country, The union responded with a militant conditions for at least twelve months, labor rights to notice and negotiation two-week strike at Mobil installations giving the unions time to solidify their must become a basic condition for demanding negotiations. An interna- strength under new management . defining responsible disinvestment. tional protest campaign was also launched, including a demonstration at Mobil headquarters in New York City. MHT: BREAKING THE TRUST By July, the CWIU wrested major concessions from the oil giant . Mobil will provide its 1,500 employees severance pay equal to one month's wages (2,000 rand or $700) . CWIU won important guarantees that the new owner will honor union recognition and contract rights.