i. d. a.i news notes Published by the United States Committee of the International Defense and Aid Fund for Southern Africa P.O. Box 17, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138 June, 1983 Telephone (617) 491-8343 ATa1k with Donald Woods Donald Wood5, the fonner editorofthe East London Daily Dispatch, the author How do you see the situation ofthe press in South Africa under the new ofBiko and Asking for Trouble, and a South African exile, is also the Director of Protection ofInfonnation Ad and after the recent trials ofjournalists? the Lincoln Trust, whose aims are "to support the international campaign for the Very bad indeed. When I left there at the beginning of '78, there was abolifien ofapartheid in South Africa by monitoring and colDliering South African very little real press freedom left. There's even less now. They've government misinfonnation abroad ... to promote inter-racialreconciliation among brought in several major acts which limit the capacity of newspapers to all South Africans. " The following interview was conducted at IDAFs Cambridge report or comment on the more vital aspects of national life. Isuppose as office on May 4, 1983. far as the international community is concerned, the most significant is What was your purpose in developing the Lincoln Trost, and what are your hopes for it? Well, it seemed to me that the anti-apartheid cause needs a particular sedor of activity which is aimed at the middle establishment groups in America and Britain, which is not open to attack for being too left-wing or too right-wing, and which addresses itself to the appropriateness of a response, specifically an American and British response, to apartheid. The goal is to get Britain and America to divest, to break diplomatic rela­ tions, to withdraw econoriticand diplomaticsupportfrom South Africa. I believe the way to get that done is an intensive lobby into Congress and the Houses of Parliament in London. After all, Britain and America are the two countries which maintain the vetoin the Security Council against sanctions. And I believe that if America withdraws that veto, which I hope aDemocratic administration would do, then Britain will follow suit. The Lincoln Trost also works against South African misinfonnation, I believe. Yes. This is one of the incidental aims of the Lincoln Trust, in common with many other organizations. It is not the main aim. I would say the main aim is to shorten the lifespan of apartheid by gelling Western the stridmilitary censorship on any news of a military nature. Notonly is support withdrawn from it. But to combat misinformation means simply this censorship aimed at the outside world, but it's censorship within the to answer wherever possible the false claims of South African country, so that very few South Africans know that a war has begun government or embassy officials. If they make them in the press, you there. The incidents of sabotage and clashes between the African answer them in the press. If they make them on television, you answer National Congress and government forces are played down as much as them on television. possible. They never admit to them unless they absolutely have to, or rue seen reports on South Africa makingnews broadcasts intoZimbabwe, where enough people have seen evidence 6f it that they can't cover it up. on "Radio Truth." . It has been estimated that four or five times as many incidents are going That's one of hundreds of thing;; they do. I think when all this is over, on as are even allowed locally to be reported. people are going to be astonished at how wide-ranging the propaganda Do you see any substance in the South African claims that the ANC has exercise of Pretoria will prove to have been, and the extent of its funding become more violent andless concerned with dvilian lives, for instance after in countries like America and Britain. the bombing in Bloemfontein? What they concentrate on is trying to project a false image, and it's No, on the contrary, I think the record of the ANC is remarkable in its done fairly subtly. They no longer try and sell apartheid as a reasonable restraint. The Bloemfontein bombing-if indeed it was an ANC concept, because that hasn't worked. What they try to do now is to sell an bombing, which I think it probably was-was clearly aimed at a image of good intent, an image of reform, and an image of stability for reference book office, a pass office, notat the people there. I'm inclined to inveshnent purposes. So what they do is to suppress all news of internal think thatsuch loss of life as there was, as in all otherincidents, was largely strife in order to encourage the bankers of theWesttoinvest there. It's our accidental. [A large car-bomb explosion in which 19 people were killed job to uncover this coverup and to reveal the country for what it is, a and about 200 injured took place later in the month, in Pretoria.] country in ferment with a lot of violence going onand an escalating clash Do you see any new leaders who mightpossibly fill the place that was left between the black liberation movements and the governmenr forces. by Steve Biko? EspedaDy among the young? Also to get across to the Western nations the idea that not only on moral There are a number of very impressive young people. One of these is grounds should they withdraw diplomatic and economicsupport, butOft Thozamile Gqweta. Gqweta is one of the most effective young trade grounds of self-interest as well. continued on page 2 A Talk with Donald Woods continued from page 1 An Open Letter To The union leaders, and he's had to pay the price for this. But there are a number of young fellows like him. Most of the more effective young Western Contact Group leaders are staying underground now, and are simply not publicly known, in view of what happened to previous leaders. Your Excellencies, 16 February 1983 I read your piece in the New Yark Times on Breyten Breytenbach, the As we continue to hear and experience further wanton acts of destruction of life and property in our country, we, Afrikaans poet and ex-political prisoner. H-1zat was your impression of the Executive Committee of the Council of Churches in Breytenbach in the course ofinterviewing him? Namibia, representing 81 % of Namibia Christians, meeting Well, I had a long talk with him. I was with him for three days in Paris. in Windhoek on the 28th of January, 1983, would like to Breytenbach was a very interesting man to talk to, a very impressive, state that, because of our commitment to reconciliation, gentle person. justice, peace and the preservation of human life, we remain Do you have plans for more books? resolved that independence under United Nations Security No. And yet several keep suggesting themselves. I've written three Council Resolution 435 is the only just and concrete solution books, actually, one of which was mostly on South African propaganda to our country's plight. and the use of sport for propaganda purposes. I thought in those three Having supported your initiatives, we view with mounting books I'd written in book form whatever I had to say, buta whole lot of concern the developing stalemate of non-existent progress in subjects keep suggesting themselves. One of them stems from the regard to the negotiations on the implementation of the said Breytenbach interview. I've got another friend, a PAC man who did resolution which are now impeded by the irrelevant linkage fifteen years on Robben Island, and his story is remarkable. Maybe there of Cubans to the historical colonial problem of our country. could be a book on South African political prisoners, or something like We wish to state also that the Cuban presence in the sovereign state of Angola is not a threat to the Namibian that. We need more of thatinformation. But right now I'm really onavisit people. The historical priority is South Africa's continued to help fundtaising for Defense and Aid. Canon Collins was a good occupation of Namibia without the consent and mandate friend of mine and I've long admired the work that's done at lOAF. I've from the majority of the people. We are disturbed that cer­ been in courtrooms in South Africa and seen the results at that end of the tain members of your group are obstructing and undermin­ help given by IDAF, and I have friends who've been prosecuted there ing the negotiations by trying to make their own domestic who could not have had lawyers defending them ifit hadn't been for this political capital from this irrelevant linkage, and by so do­ organization. ing, prolonging suffering and bloodshed in our country. We It's encouraging to hear about even ifthe names can't be revealed. reject such obstruction, and consequently are beginning to Well, one of them was _ question the authenticity and sincerity of the motives of your group. Have you been bugged or followed or otherwise harassed since you fled The destructive effect of the status quo continues to the cowl1ry? escalate, and we urgently appeal to you to heed the will and No. In the first few daysafterwegotoutandwentto London, mywife rights of the Namibian people and their interests alone, do and I had a direct warning from the South African security police, not to everything in your power to remove the obstacles hindering make speeches against apartheid, not to get involved in anti-apartheid the immediate implementation of Resolution 435_ activities.