ECSA "339 Lafayette Street New York. N.Y. 10012
Phone: (212) 4n·0066 . -FOf A Free SoutlJem Alrica-
4 April 1985 PRETORIA'S SHOW TREASON TRIAL
Striking out in all directions against the resistance to its rule, the Pretoriam regime is staging a trial for high treason of sixteen leaders of the United I::emocratic Front. The UDF, a nation-wide or ganization of over 600 constituent corrmunity, trade union, church, student and professional groups, stands for a non-racial. unitary and democratic South Africa. It is targeted by Pi-etoria as a rna' jor threat to the apartheid regime.
These are the accused, with their UDF positions and other affiliations:
Ms Albertina Sisulu, a UDF president and wife of Walter Sisulu, ANC official serving a life sentence at Pollsmoor prison. - Mr Archie G1.lIrede, a UDF president (and one of the accused in the 1956 treason trial). Rev Frank Chikane, UDF vice president and head of the Institute of Contextual Theology. - Mr Thozamile Gqweta , president, South African Allied Workers Union (SAAWU). - Mr Sam Kikine, SAPMU. - Mr Sisa Nj ikelana, SAAWU. Mr Isaac Ngcobo, SAAWU. Mr Cassim Saloojee.f - Prof Ismail Mohamed, mathematics deparbnent, University of the Witwatersrand. - Mr Paul David of the Release Mandela C0rrmittee. - Mr. George Sewpersadh, president, Natal Indian Congress (NrC). - Mr Mewa Rarngobin, executive member, NIC. - Mr M. J. Naidoo, vice president, NIC. - Mr Essop J assat, patron, UDF. - Mr Aubrey Mokoena, UDF executive. - Mr Curtis Nkondo, vice president, Transvaal branch, UDF.
See overpage for an analysis of Pretoria's aims and p~cedures prepared by the I::etainees' Parents Support Comttee of South Africa.
The United I::emocratic Front, which was formed in August 1983, is holding its first annual Conference this weekend, 5-7 April. It welcomes messages of solidarity.
United I::emocratic Front P. O. Box 10366 Johannesburg 2000
A defense fund to assist the future leaders of South Africa in their struggle has been set up. Send your tax deductible contributions to:
'THE UDF TREASON TRIAL DEFENSE FUND' Southern Africa Project ' Lawyers Corrmittee for Civil Rights Under Law - suite 400 1400 'Eye' Street, N.W. WaShington, D.C. 20005 au~:::::deE:·:Political trials: extension trend ill Government ~tioo of ~~~ri the detention system ~ of '!be iDdiscriminaw chargina po lil.icaJ oco,'ists serves several lwc agllinst any flIcd ol !be systan. DO miller bow Ilimsy !be case; tioos: couru. whether <:OO>lilutiDnlll. poIillca.J. iI> lind .bout !be re\itionship between • To allich 0 "cnminaJ" li& III dusoia.l social or ecooomic. eveo in the securilY police aod tile Al1.orDey lha;e oppooed III opartheid. an entirely pllSSive llIld peocetuJ man Geoenl'so~ • To iocircenw politici.l oetivisa ne.-. can b< lllTl'Sled llIld tried for the foe 10ili periods .. owoitiD&-trW pris- AJI..wysi> of !be types of"~ offences of sabota&e aod RJbver. ooen, tbereby oCling .. 0 disguiaed deWoee5 wen: chirged witll 1m year sion ... (Sectioo S4) ClISlS !be Del 10 form ol de=ticn reveoh 00 !be wboIe their aivial 1Ii- wide .. to include lIS a-iminaI lind su~ve • To meet, ill 0 distocted _y.!be lUTe aDd COIl""1l !be 0Ya'WbeImill& cooduct regarded as per. "cbirge or release" demind by chirg- Impcessioo lhat !bey hid liUle to do " • fectly legilirl\ile aDd liwtul in oormaI ini 0 fir bieber proportioo 01 dewn- wilb !be ~ _ fer delainine THE f> T AQ. "" f f- g. il5 societies. II provides !be allll>oriliea ee5. tberdIy boping to diffuse oppooi. the penon 0ClIl00
JOHANNESBURG STAR 25 Febp;u~ry 1985 ~.
! . r , , THURSDA~ - THB-NBW YORK TIMBS, MARCH 28, 1985 , . ABROAD AT HOME . ~ Anthony Lewis .S-' I din f .. -- -on March 14, the' major business top. en g I . i. 8sSociations of South-Africa called on ,
I 1 , f " /
, " , , t.)i=I.. ,. \ ~1"" . '. : \ . ,I iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii.~-",;",-_·",;;'l'..;.:r\ OW can we hel.p to stop the oj)-' reflection on the' American role. (, Ooi!$ Mr. Vlljoen know ~ does he', '" And whilethey sPeak ~uch of change,
, pression and killing In South Af- C :'" The most remarkable thing'about' : allow himself to know - ~at under ,they do not speak of repealing even one ~e~< ,~"I :!".....~ Hrica? The question Is on, the Koppelprogtams was a negative.p' ,'·,Influx 'control black meil' may get "" ',' of the apartheid laWs that Inflict those "F'bellS on :;i:~ American mind, and events make It I,:' The' GOvernmeilt ',officilils Inter-, " passes to work-in "white areas" but, 'cruelties. , " , , : urgent. Once again last week, 25 ',lj'Viewed WOUld not talk about the reatl· ~',l have to live there for 'years apart ,'The other tliiilg that the Nightllne the rea1l't1'es' years after Sharpevllle, South Af-'\; ties of theraciaI system they admin;. ", from their wives and families? What programs made clear, if anyone rican police fired their guns Into a.' .' ister, When asked about apartheid, ; I does he think the "positive" aspectS doubted it, is that the Issue In South f arth'd crowd of blacks; 18 were killed. I ,',:<,they spoke of political "strtl~" "~'I otsuch laWs are? Can he Itnaglnethe·, Africa is one of political power. The 0 ap e1, " , In thlnklng about what we can do~:! .. or of "uplift In, the Socioeconomic NI, hUmiliation of living In a slngle-sex; :" whites woo hold power are unwilling , ,, 11 we must eschew illusions. The Uriit;;d,,I field." It,was aslf they were holdlng;f~hostel,dfbelng stopped bY policemen ~,do share it ltl arly meaningful d~. ,1. "~~ ''. States cannot reorder South Africa. same'unpleasant objett'O\Jt at arm's :/ demanding ,to see his pass?, ,.,' ;, ~ The blacks want It and are not goIng .' ., ' ':l;:jiti s On the other,hand, we are Involvedtengthand turning theirheadS away. ': ; WIlen Bishop Desmond Tutu asked 'f, to be ~ntented with economic ad- m South Afnca, It has looked like com • there, economically and morally, anel. "; Thus Foreign Minister RtF. Botlui'~'-why he could not vote, Mr. ~said, .' vances or the right to eat with whites plicity with the game of obfUscatloo. ~ mvolvetnent brings responsibIlity;',", fasked about the fact that br'acks'~'Z,({ he:~d i-~ one of the bl~ck ':home- ',', In a resta\U1Ult.' ,:' " ' ,. And it has clouded ~erican ideals.';li, Inescapably, what we do matters. "" !vote In SoUth Africa, said the GoVeni- -i!{ t~" created by·the GoYeinment.,,~..... Where does all this point for Amer- ~ When ~ South African pollce:fired-'t As it happens, Ameri<;ans have just . )D1ent was going to "put togethet stJ'Uc.r: ; In recent years eight ni1Illon blacks, \ iean policy? Itshows, I think, that we, into th~ crowd last week, President'i: " had ,art exeeptl~a1,glImpse of tM, !tUi'es wliich will aIlcnv forparticlP!ltIng i l '" have been ,stripped of',~~, clt~,.~~. should keep the focUs 'on realIties'ln .' Reagan s reaction was to defend the ~ South African Situation. ABC News ~ ',In decision-making.. Decision-n1aldiIg i'~~ ship and told they are nOw eit1zerlS of, hi" South Africa. That is somethin8 'We ,pollee. Resaid they had acted to st~1\ ,Nightllne originated In South Africa, : 'at an levels, eventually." " • '" ,'ahori1eland. Mr. Botha said ,the GoV· ',t:.i can do. We can ayold playing Pret~ "rioti~" - though Pretoria Itself, ~J every night for a week. There were" ;: .Gerrit 'VUJoei1, the minister WbO f;';~'etnmeut I'toped to "reSolve'this PIob:-, ;.~ ria's game of obfuscation, of'endless! uncertain and worried enough to ..WI, superb rom reports, and Ted Koppel, ,bandIes: black 'affairs, was asked '. ~ lein,"too, "because'we dO Dot wlplit toJ, "taIli: about "ref9rtn,'~ of AesoPIan abo; a commission look Into the facts. f , ~ ~ Interviewed Government officlah.," aboUt ':InflWt Control""- the pas8),~' ro~ ~t~ of their cittzeoship.'~, . .~;~~ctions Instead of human facts. , Mr. Reagan did not havetheslmple, Y, , andopponents on the sa~e programs., Jaws that teStritt,whereblacldl ClmigO :.~, " SuCh, eichanges indicate that those 1':"" " By that test the Reagan AdlDlnistra- decency to say what his SecretarY, ~f , ,.'Afterthe first night, when he seetn;{';'l:'in the,cOuntrY. He Sllidlthe'~~,~,wtioftOtciPoweriilSOuthAtiiClareem~}i,:'tion's'polley of "cotl8trUclive engage-',J'IS~te did, that the shootlDp S~i~ , less prepared than usual to ask the ' , 1n~t .was J~ttect W, 1''ni
I . ) .. ' I • .1' ,", ~\ ."" ,I \ .. , '''\1 So~ , :Apartheid's- __.,. # • ..: _ • _.r· ...._ ...... _ C~alled Law No :~: By Elie Wiesel =:~~~thew;:~=~=in:South 0_, Africa are' wrong, not only because . ," • ;, '" " ;', ':..... Africa.' "', ." ., ' Shame: that is what a white. man, a .they result in collective and individ- " , . _ .. ''-...... _.\ .. :. "'; ..... ~: ' ". "l :",' ~',\' -,' .;,t.~' - Je~ like m~, feels while. visiting ual oppression but also, and ~al.- i, B '~' thamany, C::;~the'~'" :I - . , -'---. , '," ytJPM'V~n---£. wu.-v--.",. .' : tare notor1 Soweto in.SO~ Africa.' .'. ly.. because. they are laws. ~. ' .',- ... ~ ,- J "r .''':,'" rul UDd' wbich..onJ: 3' ' ~I.'remember~it was 10 years- ago. I Racism" itself is dreadful, but when , ., - _. _ \~ ..... cent e,. er y . ha~,comeon a lectureto\!r,ofseveral, ~t pre~~.to be legal, and therefOre .~ My f~'~'I-haW d~~ ~t.' '. :es~:Sto~~the. cities. The organizers did not hide Just, It. becomes alt~gether repug-, we will DO longer hold stock in iuIy, nan~: ~mpann.. a~el,d, the1r concern;' was I going to embar- WIthout. g to; compan'y.that investsin South Africa. all white miners C8IL.. ..' . N d t ts final I ti . Dies.are, in etl- active- rass them by speaking out against aztSm an. 0 I ~o U ~.' -:. I was in that country in January' --- aplirtheid? "1);;u'(forget," advised a for tha\defies,all compansons - ~ andsaw~twistecl face of apartheid.. ,- an intolerab~e ~m>'.,·· ,', well-known liberal" "that after your., ~ot ~m..asslgn th~twosystems, " I saw the,single-sex postels outside. Tokeristepsandhalf !': speech, you. return home ;-tlle v.e' their sUPl>OS,ed legalIty, to th~ sam'·Joha.DDeaburg where fathers and hUs-' . not conceal the true faceof. rt stay here."-In other woiOs. I was :::t camp., . ',"~ bands are forced, to· live,11 mouths a . Real p~, I am , going 'to suffer the consequence;;: I ' Both have shown that laws can Be:' year separated:trom their wives and . pends on three <:hanges.:,aQ promised him that I'd say nothing twist~ ~ distorted to the point ...children. beCause- apartheid denies' '., d~tiQDalization. of black unt,il I had studied the problem. . becommg IDStruments.of Wrture their families.even the most elemen-.· nC8I7" movement toward ~ 43 SOUTH AFRICAN CONSULATE IN NEW YORK BEING EVICTED. For going on six JIDnths the South African consulate in New York City has been beseiged on a daily basis by throngs of deJIDnstrators. The Free South Africa Movement's JIDst noted target has been the Pretorian embassy in Wash:4lgton; lines of pickets, people from all walks of life have presented themselves for arrest. The same has been true in other cities throughout the USA. In New York, the South African consulate is located in a modest-size skyscraper at 425 Park Avenue, in the glittering heart of the boulevard's financial, multi-national corporation and banking stretch. The daily invasion of protestors on the sidewalk and gutter between 55th and 56th streets, with attendant police, their barriers, the arrestees in the doorway, the paddy wagons can not but have perturbed the Park Avenue Association. The upshot: the landlord has refused to renew the South African lease on i ts suite. So, the masters of Pretoria face what tens of thousands of New Yorkers have suffered and con tinue to suffer - eviction. The Pretorians are looking for a building on Manhattan's East Side where they will combine the consulate with offices of the South African mission to the United Nations. The latter is now located in another mini-skyscraper on Second Avenu at 42nd Street.' Well, at their new site the Pretorians won 't have to look at the newly . stalled street sign at the intersection of 42nd and 2nd - THE NELSON AND WINNIE MANDELA CORNER. Excerpt from WASHINGTON POST interview with President Ronald Reagan which appeared in the WASHPOST Tuesday, 2 April 1985 • South African Violence . Mr. President, on the sub. W~,acept, that the ~lence. When you'vementlOlMd that more time. You knOli, in a -~ ject of South Africa, there nothing ~ ~ solved by· VlOlence. in your recent 1M.. cont.,.· conference you f~l alittle prr" have been 38 fatalities and And that Ian t tile anawer. But re. .nce, ...... people In this for time in your answers and m;: civil .trife th.... In the past member' the violence is not just country and ancand tIM worid· sometimes you don't l':13ke thtll', d~ few weeks, ancl th~ ov~m. alone It~i from a vemment took that a•. ~::onln. ~~: full as they should ~. But I .. !'lent .eems to be enga!p ~ In • putdowri 01 (ieDlaos YOu gOY ....that ~~.. . ~g= t~ point out. ~t !TOti. lis Inc.....lng rep...sslon, b.'!nlng have. in the black cammunitythere. Ith.y [take l .•• bemg sunply people OPPO J to as••mbll.. .nd meetings. you've got- riValIactioos. arid the I "No, and it wasn't. intended to be., apartheid against a gave ent '.n:t It time to go .beyond the violence. is sometimes between IBut it is true, r thUk some people. that'ia..supporting aparlheid. fI'" it polley of con.tructlve engag!- i them fiibting each other. And and I would have to say that some has gonl! beyond that. There; a ment and .nent diplomacy In I .' " , tha t 1".:--1 b' 1 c n our d••lings with South Afri. I we ve, seen evicle~ of t, and I who did marbe havea ~ 1~ ~s. e ement that wanta ,to:"overi . >JW ca? '. I we've. seen murders. And some of j. but they tned to reid IDto It that I the government by VlOltnce ~'id is 1the 40 deatha have been created in I was voicing a bias. And I wasn't. I not jUit Jimitina its fighting to the We think that we're doing is the I and among the pee,ple without the, was trying to point out just what I government. It Is fightir.g its own best. has the ~est effect. the most Igovernment participating. did here. Maybe I sho,lid ~ave taken fellow. citizens, and ev~ in .the effect of anything that we could do., -, .' " '. . .: same communities. . Just walking away would leave us Dan Wa...rman .... • ,_I '~.' ~ ,- with no. no ability to influence LCd_Ie&~~. ( ",:'" . . ~~~~:~~~ :~~~~o~~~~: .i~,1·~i\ij;'~·~ ~'7~~~UCil~e '. ~., ~~~j~iS:~6 ;~~ i~~~~~:' :~~~ . f . I' . I'." . '8(~NT ?olley I., \2tfOlZM~.~D· ._ I f ;~~y . IS a actl~na Ism. t Isn t JUst a sun- ,- l'oWAR't>,Sovili ;..gz~ ~ ~ ,_'.': .;..-, VR6E: 12ESt12A1Ni>, " _. .. .;.; -:';,'. '( pie question of two groups the gov- "':'{'~.:" ,,:,-~"" -.j - ~ f 'o':';;'~;"!:!o .' "'., ..'. .-, '.' " ;' ", .~;: i~.;;}1:-·'· • Ov . ~"'"' . '-l·)":~t'-..rrh~:~ ...: ;"'''':'~ -' ."",1';. '~" ..f:~ "._ ,-;', ~.', ~.~~ - ~ '. _ ~ ~. • _ ~~~.o:;_ ~ • ernment versus a group. er m o:"'~" "'j. ~ •..;.>{,~ ,> " ..... ~. ~ ,""' ':,',;':':"t;w, ~~. " _~. ",~.~, ''!ji:~- this group there is a division and '~'. ''';::'; ./., 7 ~·7'~~·:. .~'. :/, .,,<; t ~. ',-" .....JW:··· . ,~ .. ~ -.l-'.~'!::'':,!;?; 1I" ":·"~~'!'(..·:<;·?~!;&;i$ILl~, ,....~ ;;""-~"/ I'~~'· i~~i:~:...t:·,;,,· thereisasectorthatwantsviolence ';,"k ·jc,....,l...·,\,::••• < ' •• ,'. ' .;...:.e;;':'.-:::'~..i:' ;,;;,"~Y~-\'" -~ -"""':li:~~.'4-' { .'~ ...... "....., .,' .,,:.{ ~.'•...•" ... ·':·r~4:..t,::l."·~ 'l ., t. '- "+~ .... -:,...-.;. ,. • as the answer and they're even : '. ..).#<~~L·:i;'f~ ~:: .....:.::'., : '-' ". ': .. c ':~' " ,.~~, :'.. ';';. "t' ., .:.;• . :'f.i'~~). , /",,_-,-~~:,"""'" --t.,~:t; ..;} .. .,-:- "';4 ~ '::'~"''';'' - .70-_:~ ... : . violent to the others. not to the ~..<' ~.~ r,": '.,' .'.,," government alone. And we. think ,,: n\,\'~"'; apartheid is the main problem that -.,>:t~ ..::," must, be raofved, and we're going to continue. doinS all that we can to encourag~ U1e. jovernment in its course. , \ But h.ve we done anythlnc to try .nd dt.cou..... that soY-' emmeni '"'" Ita vloMncel It ...... ttlat It'••otten wone rath. ttlan~ I GIESS IN SOU'IH AFRI CA. The South African Chess Association - the only non-racial national chess . organization in South Africa - ceiebrates its first anniversary in April 1985. SACA. has lasted a year despite threatening visits and phone calls from Pretoria' s security, official bannings and disruptions of non-racial sports events and forced' removals to bantustans of many of its members. SACA. is affiliated to the South African Council of Sports which has as its slogan 'No Normal Sports in an Abnormal Society' . The World Chess Federation (FIDE), at its congress held in conjunction with the 26th World OJ.ess Olympiad on 4 :cecember 1984 at Thessaloniki, Greece, added these laws to its Statutes: No player or official belonging to a FIDE member federation, Particularly a player with a FIDE rating or title, may participate in tournaments or chess-related events in South Africa. The only exceptidn will be cases ratified by the FIDE Commission on South Africa for purposes of specific inquiry. !my player or official who does not comply with the above will be suspended for one year from any FIDE rated event. . In case of recurrence, the penalty may be increas- ed to a longer suspension. . Messages of support: For further information: ,,, Mr. S. Mahomed, general secretary', Mr. Jerome Bibuld~ representative, South African Chess Association South African Chess Association P. O. Box 217 377 Westchester Avenue Athlone 7760 Port Chester, N.Y. 10573 South Africa ~'~--~ .... . -"'~ " ...... --- E C S --. A 339 Lafayette Street New York, N.Y. 10012 -----'---'--- --