ACTION NEWS: FALL 1990 Number 30 ACTION
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AMERICAN COMMITIEE ON AFRICA ACTION NEWS: FALL 1990 Number 30 ACTION 198 Broadway • New York, NY 10038 • (212) 962-1210 A Hero~ Welcome o o OJ OJ < c: c:< < < ~. ~. o ~ OJco :::J N Nelson Mandela's tour of the United States created a groundswell of support for the democratic movement in South Africa. Everywhere he went, record breaking crowds and high-ranking officials welcomed him and his message to Keep the Pressure On Apartheid. Here we have captured some ofthe events in New York City, first stop on his tour. Above left, ANC Deputy President Nelson Mandela addresses National Activists Briefing. Left to right: Aubrey McCutcheon, Executive Director, Washington Office on Africa; Lindiwe Mabuza, ANC Chief Representative to the U.s.; Nelson Mandela; jennifer Davis; Tebogo Mafole, ANC Chief Representative to the U.N.; jerry Herman, Director Southern Africa Program, American Friends'Service Committee. Middle left, Mayor Dinkins presents Mr. Mandela with the keys to the city on the steps of New York City Hall. Bottom left, a ticker tape parade passes ACOA office in lower Manhattan welcoming the Mandelas to the u.s. on june 20, 1990. The large truck in the foreground housed the Mandelas, Mayor Dinkins and Gov. Cuomo during the parade. ACONs jennifer Davis served on the New York Nelson Mandela Welcome Commit tee. Pictured above she introduces Nelson Mandela to a meeting of grassroots activists (see story). ACOA also helped to organize the Yankee Stadium Rally and the event for women leadership with Winnie Mandela. COSATU Leader Votes Cyril Ramaphosa, General Secre tary of South Africa's National Union on Mine Workers (NUM) visited the u.s. in late September. His trip in cluded stops in Pittsburgh, Miami for the Mine Workers Convention, and Washington D.C. where he met with the Congressional Black Cau cus. The New York leg of h is trip was organized by The Africa Fund. Ramaphosa is pictured at a New York Labor Committee Against Apartheid luncheon with labor leaders where he joined them in casting their ballots for sanctions and democracy. Ramaphosa (left) and Cleveland Robinson, Treasurer of the UAW, sign an enlarged Vote Campaign ballot. Mandela Speal(s to the People Nelson Mandela's historic visit to the Congress including Thomas Nkobi, makes our task much more easy United States in June saw an outpouring Treasurer of the ANC; Chris Dhlamini, and it leads to the further isolation of excitement usually reserved for return Vice-President, Congress of South Afri of white South Africa. We are ing national heroes. The visit soon be can Trade Unions and Barbara Masekela, happy about that, but if we ever came the largest media event in the ANC Head of Cultural Affairs. forgot that our source of power is country, and anti-apartheid activists found Activists were urged by each speaker the masses of the people both in themselves pushed aside as the whole to keep up their work and expand their the country and outside, then we country reached out for the "Freedom base of support. As Sister Bernard Ncube, would commit suicide. Man." While recognizing this as a great President of the Federation of Transvaal The governments would never victory, activists were still eager to have Women put it, "We say to you, com have assisted us were it not for the their own time with Mandela and the rades, it is only the beginning." fact that the people in thei r re political leadership traveling with him. At the end of a long day, conference spective countries demand ac To satisfy this need ACOA Executive participants greeted Nelson Mandela with tion against South Africa and Director Jennifer Davis worked with the a thunderous roar of approval. He con therefore we must keep in touch ANC's Chief Representative Lindiwe firmed the importance of their grass roots with the masses of the people Mabuza and a committee: Aubrey organizing: both in our country and outside." McCutcheon of the Washington Office "We never forget in all these on Africa; Jerry Herman, AFSC Director countries where we have been o til of Southern Africa activists and Prexy invited by the government that < 0.: Nesbitt, to bring anti-apartheid activists our power lies in the people, both < from across the country to a one day inside the country and outside. ~. meeti ng with the visiti ng ANC delegation We are of course happy when the and Nelson Mandela. ANC is acknowledged because The National Activists Briefing on June the invitation that we have got to 22 1990 was attended by nearly 100 visit these countries, invitations activists, from 49 cities and 29 states. It by the government, are a testi was a rare opportunity for people who mony of the impact which the or work locally to meet each other and ganization has made and the high share strategic and regional problems esteem in which it is held by and successes. The bulk of the day was governments, non-governmental spent in briefings and workshops with a organizations and individuals. We Conference participants wait as Nelson Mandela delegation from the African National are happy about that because it enters the stage to greet them. Human Rights Vote Campaign The Cruel Summer 50,000 Ballots I The terms "unrest areas" and "unfortu United States to publicize the growing W h i Ie nate lapses on the part of security forces " tnreat to peace that the Natal conflict United States have become the new masks of apartheid presented. When the situation spread President as the South African government prac into other parts of the country we alerted George Bush tices a two faced strategy of negotiations thousands of people to the truth behind and apartheid on one hand while continuing to violate the term "black on black violence. " PresidentF.W. human rights on the other. Since Spring In May we assisted in coordinating the de Klerk were The Africa Fund has sent thousands of tour of Willis Mchunu and Nicholas meeting with mailings and made hundreds of tele Haysom, representatives ofCOSATU and reporters on the phone calls warning Americans not to the United Democratic Front, who live White House turn their attention away from South Af and work in the Natal area. They briefed grounds on rica thinking the government committed human rights activists and government September 24, to peaceful change. officials about police collaboration with ACOA's asso As the summer of 1990 passed, the Inkatha, the need for an impartial judicial ciate, The Af South African security forces underscored inquiry into the failure of the Kwazulu rica Fund, was Voter casts his ballot at the shallowness of the reforms under court system to deal with any cases con breaki ng some Tower Video in Manhattan. taken by the apartheid regime. By June cerning the killings, and the urgency of ground of its 301990, they had killed 180 people and ending the State of Emergency. own del iveri ng injured over 1,500. This before the bloody The Fund's Human Rights department 50,000 ballots to Congress for stronger months of August and September. The continued to highlightthe plightof politi U.S. sanctions against South Africa. State of Emergency was lifted, with the cal prisoners, who remain in jail despite The ballots, collected in 46 states by exception of Natal, where fighting has agreements for their release the govern the End Apartheid : Vote for the People claimed over 3,000 lives in the last five ment made in talks with the African Campaign, were presented to House Ma years. The same violence which has dev National Congress. The department also jority Whip William Gray at the Capitol astated Natal, and remains un-investi publ icized the growing number of deten by a delegation lead by Executive Direc gated, shook the whole country this sum tions and cases of pol ice harassment and tor Jennifer Davis. The delegation includ- mer with its brutality and number of killings: the first deaths in detention in fatal ities. 1990 and the mysterious deaths of a The Africa Fund worked closely with number of leading members of opposi churches and human rights organiza tion groups. tions both inside South Africa and in the .Join the ACOA Bulletins _ Campaign ACOA GROUNDS for APARTHEID AIRWAYS ADS stronger sanctions State-owned South African Airways Inside Media magazine, a widely-read may have lost its U.s. landing rights, but advertising trade journal, on a damaging against apartheid. not its desire to break the tourism boy expose of the campaign in the September Contact TlIe Africa Fund, cott. In August the apartheid air carrier issue. When asked aboutACOA' s charge 198 Broadway, New York, NY 10038 kicked off a $1.75 million American ad that the ads were flagrantly racist, SAA ,2121962-1210 vertising campaign with a glossy, 20- executive Gavin Vander Merve assured page supplement in Avenue Magazine. Motavalli that "some of my best friends Other publications, including Time are Black," and added that the New York companies regarding the status of their Magazine, Travel Holidayand Newsweek office "employs a lotof minorities. We're busi ness ties with South Africa. They also have also accepted the scandalous ads. way above the quota." did a study of u.s. bank loans to South In an August 28 memorandum ACOA Africa. alerted key anti-apartheid and civil rights ACOA'S INTERNS ON THE The highlight of the summer came organizations tothe SAA advertising bl itz, MOVE early with Nelson Mandela's trip to the and called for pressure on the publica ACOA's 1990 summer interns were u.s .. ACOA was one of the key groups tions to drop the ads.