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Apartheid: Hitting from the Laager

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Apartheid: Hitting from the Laager I-- 7 A A' Vol. 1 No. 5 REPORT I) # " / N L .0-1 -j SOUT ICCA S WAR ON SOUTHERN AFRICA jjfpr9g &, Vol. 1 No. 5 REPORT April 1986 Contents Editorial Apartheid: Hitting from the Laager The Coup d'Etat in Lesotho ...... ............... 3 Angola: Tough Road Ahead ... ........... ... 6 Botswana: Beleaguered Oasis ...... .............. Southern Africa Defending Apartheid ................. REPORT Looking at SADCC ...... ................... is produced 5 times a year by a vol The Hidden Violence of Apartheid ........... unteer collective of the Toronto Com mittee for the Liberation of Southern Coke Adds Artificial Sweetener: Africa (TCLSAC), Buying Into the Black Opposition .............. 427 Bloor St. W. Toronto, M5S 1X7 Stamp News ...... .................. .... 22 Tel. (416) 967-5562. Divestment at Queen's: Submissions, suggestions and help The Pressure Mounts ..... with production are welcome and in vited. Laval Divestment? ..... ... .......... ........ 25 We Symbolize Toughness: Subscriptions MATCH Supports Zimbabwean Women . 26 Annual TCLSAC membership and ANC - COSATU Meetings ..... ............... ... 27 Southern Africa REPORT subscrip tion rates are as follows: Review: - The "Peasant Option" in Zimbabwe ....... 28 SUBSCRIPTION: Individual .......... .$15.00 Institution .......... ... $30.00 MEMBERSHIP: (includes subscription) Contributors Regular (Canada) ....... $30.00 Unemployed Pat Baker, Jonathan Barker, Nancy Barker, Student .. ......... .. $15.00 Claudette Chase, Shirani George, Linda Guebert, Senior Susan Hurlich, Jo Lee, H6lne Castel Moussa, $50.00 Sustainer .... .......... to John Saul, Doug Sider, Heather Speers, $200.00 Joe Vise, Mary Vise. Overseas add $5.00 Cover design by Margle Bruun-Meyer Printed by Union Labour at Action Print Apartheid: Hitting Out From the Laager There has been a dramatic mobiliza tion against apartheid South Africa in North America over the past year or so. But even within the anti apartheid movement and in a politi cal climate so unfavourable to South Africa the brutal wars of destabi lization which that country is con tinuing to wage against its neigh bours have remained far too in visible. How ironic, too, that in the United States the very same Congress which began to set in motion economic sanctions against South Africa could vote, almost si multaneously, to repeal the Clark amendment (an amendment which had, for ten years, set severe lim its to American covert intervention in Angola). Yet this latter action further freed the hands of the Rea gan administration to back South Africa's destabilization efforts - via its UNITA proxy - in Angola. A particularly brutal exercise in destabilization continues in Mozam bique as well - despite the well publicized Nkomati Accord struck in 1984 between South Africa and Mozambique. The destructive ac tivities of the counter-revolutionary undermine support for the African do the ANC some damage, however movement there (the MNR or "Re National Congress in the neighbour temporary. namo") are still crucially dependent ing states, in particular concrete There are other, perhaps more on South African backing. Or take support in the form of bases, sup important reasons for South Africa's Botswana, its once peaceful and sta ply lines and freedom of passage. assertiveness vis-d-vis its neigh ble polity increasingly rocked by the Clearly, South Africa is mainly en bours, however. One is economic. South African attacks which Pe gaged in a propaganda exercise here The southern African economy de ter Gillespie itemizes in this issue - the better to project its own inter veloped, historically, as a hinter of SAR. And, most recently, there nal conflicts onto the rest of the sub land for South Africa and the is Lesotho. As analyzed by Dan continent and present them as com latter is prepared to try various O'Meara below, South Africa has ing from outside, from 'communist means to retain its economic hege capped an extended period of both backed," hit-and-run "terrorists." mony there, to retain it as mar military and economic destabiliza Needless to say, this approach seeks ket, labour pool, transport out tion of Lesotho by facilitating a coup to blur the fact that the ANC is, let. In consequence, one key tar d'6tat in that country. Clearly, it is first and foremost, rooted not out get of South African-sponsored in South Africa's neighbours who still side South Africa but in the on cursions into neighbouring countries must pay much of the price for the going struggle within; it manages, has been the infrastructure of trans defensive death agonies of apartheid too, to overstate the degree of sup port and communications among and racial capitalism. port (in logistical as distinct from these states which, under the aus Domination of its regional en rhetorical terms) which has come to pices of such intiatives as the South vironment in defense of the status the ANC from states in the region. ern African Coordination Confer quo at home: this is South Africa's Still, as the Nkomati Accord demon ence (SADCC), might be seen to goal. More specifically, it seeks to strated, South African pressure can be contributing to the emergence Southern Africa REPORT april 1986 1 of a regional economic grid outside Africa's own internal contradictions. the orbit of South African control. Indeed, these contradictions have Moreover, South Africa can hope sharpened - since Nkomati! - in to so weaken individual states and 1984's dramatic resistance to the economies as to make them more new South African constitution and vulnerable to economic penetration, amidst 1985's deepening crisis; the both by its own and other interna ANC's star has continued to rise and tional capitalist actors. the apartheid regime's isolation con South Africa also relishes the tinued to grow. Moreover, as Dan possibility that failed economies and O'Meara puts the point elsewhere shattered societies beyond its im in this issue, South Africa's actions the mediate borders will serve its pro may also come back to haunt paganda purposes, both externally apartheid regime in another way: and domestically. If, on the one for hand, South Africa's own respon "the blockade against Lesotho has sibility for these outcomes can be sharply undermined Pretoria's own blurred somewhat, then it might be propaganda offensive against sanc made to appear that it is "social tions. If it is admissible for South ism" and "black majority rule" that Africa to force political change in are not working in Africa. If, on Lesotho through sanctions, presum the other hand, significant economic ably it is admissible to use sanc and political concessions can be ex tions to try to do the same in torted from its neighbours some South Africa. Moreover as the coup might be convinced to hail South proved, sanctions work." Africa's "positive" role as peace In the meantime, however, the maker and help-mate in the region; costs of South Africa's aggressive so, at least momentarily, was South policies to its neighbours are high. Africa able to present the Nkomati As Steve Godfrey's first-hand report Accord, parlaying it into a 1984 from Angola in this issue demon Botha tour of Western European strates, the latter do resist as best capitals during which he found a few they can, and even the new Lesotho more doors than usual open to him. much too close to the truth of the government is attempting to retain Nonetheless, it is primarily the matter for any easy comfort: some room for manoeuvre vis-d-vis invisibility, rather than the accept "Yes, humble Swaziland agrees, Pretoria. At the same time, and ability, of these wars that South humble Mozambique accepts, hum ominously enough for such neigh Africa relies upon. That, and the ble Zambia hosts meetings of un bours, the Pretoria regime does extreme difficulty which the highly equal neighbours like South Africa seem presently to be giving a re vulnerable target states of southern and Angola. What else can we do? newed currency to its characteristic Africa have in resisting such bully But we are not doing it with happy rationale for aggression: a rhetorical ing. For brute force - along with the hearts. We do it out of fear, but that line, downplayed somewhat around manipulation (involving both eco fear will end one day. It is bound the time of Nkomati, which em nomic blackmail and the occasional to." phasizes the threat of a "total on proffering of economic carrots) of In fact, none of these countries slaught," mounted, both globally South Africa's inherited predomi and regionally, against can hope even to begin to realize South Africa nance in the region - is the name by that old bogeyman, "the commu of the game. As Lesotho's Foreign their full potential for development so long as an untransformed South nist menace." For southern Africa, Minister admitted quite candidly on in short, worse may be yet to come. one earlier occasion - when, in 1983, Africa hovers over them, stick and carrot in hand. This is one more good reason why Lesotho was forced to evacuate cer we must not allow the drama of tain ANC personnel from its terri We may take some consola South Africa's internal crisis - cru tory - his country "could no longer tion from Kaunda's final line, of cial though that crisis undoubt withstand South African military course. Any advantages that South edly is - to displace a simultaneous and economic pressure." Under Africa can gain from regional ag concern for South Africa's wars of such circumstances, the summary gression are bound to be short destabilization from the agenda of of the situation offered by Zambia's lived. For destabilization can do the world-wide anti-apartheid move President Kenneth Kaunda remains nothing whatsoever to resolve South ment. april 1936 Southern Africa REPORT The Coup d'Etat in Lesotho BY DAN O'MEARA and establishing close links with from the collapse in the region of (CEDMAA) both South African capital and the Portuguese colonialism, Jonathan On the 19th of January the head apartheid government, Jonathan ac hailed Mozambican independence, of Lesotho's Paramilitary Force, tually lost the first post condemned the 1976 Soweto mas General Justice Lekhanya, deposed independence election to the BCP sacre and, his greatest crime i.
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