SASPU national, Vol. 5, No. 2

Use of the Aluka digital library is subject to Aluka’s Terms and Conditions, available at http://www.aluka.org/page/about/termsConditions.jsp. By using Aluka, you agree that you have read and will abide by the Terms and Conditions. Among other things, the Terms and Conditions provide that the content in the Aluka digital library is only for personal, non-commercial use by authorized users of Aluka in connection with research, scholarship, and education.

The content in the Aluka digital library is subject to copyright, with the exception of certain governmental works and very old materials that may be in the public domain under applicable law. Permission must be sought from Aluka and/or the applicable copyright holder in connection with any duplication or distribution of these materials where required by applicable law.

Aluka is a not-for-profit initiative dedicated to creating and preserving a digital archive of materials about and from the developing world. For more information about Aluka, please see http://www.aluka.org/.

Page 1 of 48 Alternative title SASPU National Author/Creator SASPU (South African Students Press Union), (Johannesburg) Publisher SASPU (South African Students Press Union), (Johannesburg) Date 1984-05-00 - 1984-06-00 Resource type Journals (Periodicals) Language Afrikaans, English Subject Coverage (spatial) South Africa Coverage (temporal) 1984 Source Digital Imaging South Africa (DISA) Rights By kind permission of the SASPU National Executive Committee. Format extent 26 page(s) (length/size)

Page 2 of 48 Dark October- then studentscame back,loud and clearNair speakson Sactu,the Islandand politicsSASPU NATIONALA SOUTH AFRICAN STUDENTS PRESS UNION PUBLICATION VOLUME 5 NUMBER 2MAY/JUNE 1984 PRICE 20cWomenrally tothe call offreedomAt rallies all over thecountry progressives have redeclaredtheir determination to organisewomen and intensify the struggle fordemocracy.During-the celebrations markingthe Federation of South AfricanWomen's (Fedsim) 30th anniversaryand the release of Dorothy Nyernbealter IS yeah imprisonment, theCommon call has been to unite andorganise.In Cape town the United WomensOrganisation (CIWO) and theWomens Front organised a joint an-niversary Calls after weeks of unitytalks between the two organisations.' I he fact that this meeting is calledjointly is a cause to celebrate,' saidl Of ('arc regional secretary,-1-revor Manuel.I le called on the two organisationsto nurture I heir unity 'like a small firethat has just been lit'. so it could burnbrightly and be seen by all.Old and new generations ofresistance Came together at women'srallies in the I ransyaal. Struggles andlessons recalled from the past gaveinspiration and direction Ibr theI'ul u re.in (vlamelodi, near Pretoria, at ahighly spirited rally, oycr I (XX) peo-ple from 14 diflercia areas of theI rauts%aal celebrated the Fed's an-niyersatry.I he six-hour rally was marked byIreedon songs, ululating andchanting. I he spirit of the meetingcarried through Mamelodi when aprocession. with at hand. marched inthe strcct% under the green banner ofthe Fed.Speakers and guests on the plat-Iortn inCluded Fed activists DorothyN\enibe. \Ibertina Sisulu, FrancisBoard and (ireta Nkapayi: mothersof -\N( guerillas Mahlangu. Wiseand Nlol)isc: /In/l. daughter ofNelson Mandela: Iota Ndianga fromthe General and Allied WorkersUnion. ( itholic nun Sister Bernard,9 To page 3wc-sr.41Thousands celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Womens Fed at a rally In Mamelodi.Rising anger at gutter educationtCONFLICI between students andthe government is intensifying as theeighth anniversary of the Soweto stu-dent uprisings approaches.I he C ongress of South African Stu-dents (Cocas) and the Aianian Stu-dents Organisation (Aiaso) last weekcalled 'a day of solidarit\ and protestwith all the closed and boycottingschools. colleges and universitiesthroughout South Africa.'Sofidarit\ and protest meetingswere also held under the banner ofthe National l nion of South AfricanStudents (NUS;K) and at %%its, l;C land Rhodes uni%crsitN studentsjoined in solidarity ho\cotts.Wits students in solidarityboycotthutldinus in Pretoria.I'I;tC;triis said 'IM I stop detaining,shooting and killing our Iellow stu-dents'. 'SR( s are our democraticCosas and \iaso staged a placard right. 'Free and equal democraticdemonstration al the Department of : cducalion now' and 'No to age. limitFducalion - and I rain ing (OF I ) latvs. VtiirroraF r.mishriienr sexual'Four SILKICttl leaders from Nusits,Kate Philip, Nusas presioent,demonstrates outside DIET officesharmssincin :utd corrupt teachers'.SIMICttl-, hrt%C used ho\colls andsit-ins 1o hack-up their demands. Butauthorities have ignored demandsand in mans cases responded withvictotis repression.I hundreds of school and u'niyersit%students base been detained.arrested and injured in clasheshctwecn police and students.t iniycrsits of the I ranskei (llni(ra)sludcnts hoycoulcd in protest againstuni\crsit\ administration collabora-tion with Iranskcian security police.I he tilt(. which has now beensuspended. has faced partlCUIarkfierce repression and members werelorccd to go into hiding in -\pril.SIudCnts were heaten up whCtt aI;trgc partmilwtn police unit inyctdcdLampusProgressi~c academics weredcliorted and about '(II) studentswere detained at a subsequent massmeeting tip l.'intala.I ranskei president. George M;ttan-inna resotuided hN. insttLc(ing that:the uni%'cisil% he. cliricil; all non:I ranskei students he husscd out andI ranskei students he allowed hack ifthe% swore allegiance to theI ranskei.I Its Pretoria tow nshipsSJuis\ 111C' \ttcridgcsillc and in( radock. authorities consistentlyrCIIINCil to gnc in to student de-m;tnds. l.t schools arc now closed, al-tccttng ahoul Ill (ull) students.;t. ( mdock there were reports ofpolice heating and detaining studentsMid disrupting their meetings.Police \;tits were stoned androadblocks erected to stop policeIrom entering the township.I ntnia S;tthrkge'sdeath in I'retorr,,had little eflect on the Icyel of police;,ctior there. Many student-, were in-. . *. To page'3

Page 3 of 48 REPORTSSASPU NA1'.IONAL 2Mohapetells ofkidnap,assault~%7HORRIFYING CLAIMS ofshootings, kidnap and deten-tion emerged during the recentschool boycotts in Bloemfon-tein.White Mohape, a nationalexecutive member of thevvWhite MohapeCongress of South AfricanStudent-, (Cows) told SaspuNational he was shot by police,detained, charged withtrespassing, released, kidnap-ped, beaten up and shot atagain.Mohape, a student at LerekoI ligh School, explained he wasat \uluinasango High duringthe boNcotts %%hen thechairperson of the school corn-inittee allegrdh told police toshoot al him. Ile \vas shot irLthe side.I he next day he wasdetained for three days. tiewas released after appearing incourt charged with trespass.A week later he wasredetained and held for twoweeks.On his release, at night, twomen approached him outsidethe police station saying theywere security police who hadcome to take him home.'On the way I was againasked about Cosas, the UnitedDemocratic Front and the\Irican National Congress.\\ hale on the outskirts ofBloemfontein my head waspushed down and a gunpointed at me.'I was beaten and hit with ahammer and told to hand overthe R64 they knew I had. Myclothing was taken and I wasleft with only pants and a shirt.'I was ordered out of the carand told to jump a fence. As Idid so, they shot at me. 7 heydrove off at high speed.Mohape is now cueing theMinister of Police for assault,attempted murder and kidnap-ping.Anger erupts at teachers' training collegesWIDESPREAD dissatisfac-tion has been aired in someteacher's training collegesthroughout the counts.In Pietermartirburg, 17 stu-dent teachers at IndumisoCollege were suspended. l hisfollows a mass student boycottover strict security systems andother oppressive measures atthe college.)heir grievances includedNamibian advocate Anton Lubowskl, ECC's Mike Evens and Namibian Democratic Party member Hans Rohr at the focus In Cape TownNamibians backappeal to SADFto withdrawI WO NAMIBIAN advocatesAnton Lubowski and IlansRohr, leader of the NamibianChristian Democratic Partyrecently addressed Cape )ownaudiences on aspects of theci\il war in their country.l.ubowski recently declaredhis membership of Swapo andhas represented S\Napomembers in several trials.Rohr has investigatedatrocities committed bNUnity stressed at launching-\BOUI 2(X) \Wentworth stu-dents, teachers and residentspacked the launching of aCongress; of South AfricanStudents branch in Wentworthrecently.Father Cargy, a Catholicpriest, opened the launch.Speakers, including membersof the Natal Regional Ex-of' of Cocas and the\\ erttworth branch, stressedthe need for students' unityand organisations like Cosas.I he importance of structuresto involve women and theirrole in student organisationswas stressed. Cocas needed toorganise women since theywere the mothers and leadersof the future, one speaker said.the compulsory enforcementof Afrikaans for 2nd and 3rdyear students, the banning ofthe SRC last near, and thepoor food and lack of hotwater at the college.A student spokesperson said,'Last year we tried to ap-proach the authorities. 1 heyrefused to listen. Instead theyproduced forms which rob usof our democratic rights.'members of the SA DF and thespecial police unit Kooc%oet.I heir speeches and a pressconference formed part of atwo week Find ConscriptionCommittee (FCC) focus onNantihia which included amass nierting. picketing,pamphleteering, a vigil, achurch service and a concert.At the press conferenceI uho\\ski and Rohr gaveOther speaker, spoke aboutthe crisis Ill education causedhN the apartheid system andthe introduction of hantueducation.Organisers of the launch fellthat the introduction of culturein the Ibrm of slide shows andmusic contributed to its suc-cess ~\ slide show on 't--duca-tion under Racial Capitalism'was shown.I he students said the launchwas to introduce Cosas toWentworth students and en-courage them to join. I heywere planning to form SRC'sat schools for students to havetrue representatives. I hey alsoplan to provide extra tuitionfor \\ ent\North students.Meanwhile, in Fort Beaufortat the Cape 1 eachcrs College,students staged a hunger strikeover the had quality of food.Nine 'instigators' weresuspended but reinstated afterstudent protest.Student anger also eruptedover the news that IS otherswould participate in a'multiracial' gymnastics com-petition. ]he winners wouldon womendemocratic struggle stressedthe need for women's involve-ment in the liberation struggle.I he topic 'Sexism and Educa-tion' highlighted the sexistnature of education in SouthAfrica.()n the last da% the womenstudents' working programmewas delivered and each sectionunanimously accepted bydelegates.dramatic details of se\cralcourt cases which highlightedthe situation facing the peopleof northern Namibia.In one case. soldierscollected all the men in oneVillage and handed them overto the security police. Oneman. \Ir Kaku%a, neNerreturned.Police claimed they had senthim to spy on Swapo, but hehad defected But e\idencePALMERoe PGWentworth students are en-couraged to join Cosasrepresent South Africa inSweden. l he SRC persuadedsix students to resign, the othernine refused. It was discoveredthat they were paid R6 (XXl bythe Director of Education andI raining, Mr G Melbord.I he nine students who dis-sented have been isolated andcalled 'Amahlosi', (leopards)meaning they are not prin-cipled.In Soweto at the 1 eachersI raining College, the studentsare rejecting the SRC constitu-tion drafted by the DE 1. It hasbeen forced on the studentsand accepted by the presentunpopular SRC.Students demand a constitu-tion they drafted themselvesand helieye theN are denieddemocratic rights. Amend-ments to the present constitu-tion have to he approved byPretoria and the Collegeauthorities.Lubowski has recently de-clared his Swapo membershipfrom other detainees led thecourt to find police had tor-tured Kakuva to death.I uho\\ski said South \fricahad aggravated conflict mNamibia through the im-plementation of apartheid andthe introduction of conscrip-tion.I le called on South Africa tostop the war 'because it canneNcr he won (here is adanger of the situationdeveloping into anotherBeirut.' he said.'It South \Mica is seriousabout earning out the will ofthe rnajority of Namibians, itmust stop detentions and ban-rung court applications such isMariental.'141) people were wised in aS-\ I)1 raid on southernAngola in 197K and held at asecret camp near Marienial inNamibia. Minister of JusticeKohie Coetsee recently ban-ned an application to halve 37of the prisoners released.I-ubowski said 'as a lawyer, Ican say with certainty there isno legal basis for South Africaholding the 140 people thisis NNh\ South \frica hasresorted to banning court ap-plications.'Recently South Africareleased K9 Maricntalprisoners.I he thrust of the focus wasto publicise what the SADF isdoing in Namibia and to callfor South Africa's withdrawal.One-person pickets werestaged over two daNs at 37points throughout Cape I own.I hey read:

Page 4 of 48 'Peace in NamibiaNo%%' and 'S-\ troops out ofNamibia Now'.I he spokesperson said theend conscription campaignwas launched in Novemberlast year, after it was proposedat the Annual Black SashConference.I he End Conscription Com-mittees operating in Capetown, Johannesburg andDurban provide a structure fora joint campaign by organisa-tions representing a widerange of opinions. A cross-section of church andecumenical bodies, studentand women's organisationsand the Conscientious Objec-tors Support Groups (C osg)are involved in the commit-tees.Pupils andparents acttogether inboycottAV I LR :\ long battle studentsat Vulamasango Iligh Schoolin Bloemfontein have wontheir demands in the face ofhe,i\\ police action(her I (Kll) students hoNcol-led classes demanding' thereadmission of ele\en Fellowstudents and the resignation oftheir principal.\ committee of '() students~\,is c1ccled it) nevollme withschool authorities.While students %%ere \\ailingat \ ulainasango our negtxw-tions to hegin, police arri\edand shot at Concre- of South\Iric,iri Students ((osa%)national exeruli\e member\\ hitc \1ohapcIn a show of solidarity with\ ulama,ango students otherschool,, in the irc.i ho\cottedtheir inter-schools at hlrti,:,meeting. I he\ surd thealhlelics`mretiny, drvidrd slti-oiciits n cllinic,linesI aler t\\o separate meetings,one het\Neen students andparents and one of the schoolcommittee. ga\c students theirfull support. I he\ also calledfor the ininiediale release ofMohape who had beendetained.Students' demands were metwhen the school reopened \IIstudents were readmitted andthe principal \\a,, forced toresignStuLIrnts said thcN won (heir~ ictor\ because thc_N had thelull support of their parents'In the past parents \\irebrairmashed by the schoolaulhornirs But \\e overcamethis h\ speaking to our parents.u home and e\pkuning tothem what our problems areand %%h\ %%e are hmcotting.'No%% students ann too create abetter relationship het\\centhemselves and teachers. I hey,vd sonic leaches respondedrxositncl\ when students ex-plained that the\ were notlighting against them.\I a nearh% school. l.erekoHigh, students sent a delega-tion to their principal to de-mand recognition of their SR(and to nil orrn him that theNwould not accept the prefectsy stern.Since 14K1 students alI croko ha\e elected SR("s toorepresent their \irws butschool authorities ha\ e refusedtoo recognise them.Ili the past the SRC hashelped with e\am and schoolfees I heN also won the admis-sion of students who lived inoutlying areas.Azaso conference puts spotlightORGANISING WOMEN stu-dents was the theme of a re-cent conference held by theAmman Students Organisa-tion (Azaso).the conference set out todiscuss common problemsamong \\omen and draw up aworking pro grainine toOrganise \\orttcn students ondifferent campuses. DelegatesFrom I s campuses in South\frica attended.Ma Dorothy Sihlangu,chairperson of the UnitedWomen's Organisation(U WO), spoke on past andpresent women's struggles.I he highlight of the eveningwas '\Ia Dorothy Nyembe'saddress. Delegates weremoved by her strong commit-ment, despite her long im-prisonment.A paper on the role ofwomen in the national

Page 5 of 48 .REPORTSSASPU NATIONAL 3Students not fooledby dummy councilsifilStudents salute boycott victim Emma SathekgeFreedom isto be wonwith unity,organisationCosas vice-president MphoLekgoro outside DET officesS I UDEN I S HAVE rejectedgovernment proposals forPupils Councils as an attemptto impose puppet bodies inschools and to crush thenationwide demand for Stu-dent Representative CouncilsIS RCs).A I'ew days before he closedsix Saulsville/Atteridgevilieschools, Minister of Educationand I raining. Barend du Ples-sis announced in parliament an'exciting new development'which included the institutionof 'democratically-electedpupils representatives'.But, he said. 'it is silly to calltheir representative body anSRC since SRCS are onlyfound at universities andlechnikons. where they are ap-propriate.'For the past four monthsSaulsville' \t(cridgeville stu-dents have consistentlydemanded recognition of theirdemocratically elected SRC's,and ho\cotted classes in sup-port of this.I hey periodically went backto classes to restate their de-mands, and in manx caseswere locked out or confrontedb.N police.I he dm before the ministerannounced his scheme at least20 students I'rom one schoolwere hospitalised after policebaton charged and teargassedthem in their school grounds.And a fexv days later heDeaf ears, heavy hand as students unite*From page 1lured trs ing to escape police,At I la,.ius Mareka studentswere charged by police in theirschool yard. I hey said oneteacher drove around thetownship pointing out studentsto police.One girl wits allegedly caughtb\ police and whippedSaulsville I ligh students wereinjured when they jumpedfrom the second floor of theirschool to escape police.During a student boycott inBloeml'ontein police shot andinjured Cosas national ex-ecutive member WhiteMohape in the schoolgrounds.A BOU I I i(X) people attendedthe funeral of Clifford Brownin East London recentl\.Brown was one of the fourANC guerillas shot dead bypolice in Durban after theyallegedly launched a rocket at-tack on an oil refinery.,\ magisterial order placed(lie funeral under severerestrictions - it had to he on aweekday morning and nopolitical speeches wereallowed.But the community ofParkside, which knew Brownas a Sunday school teacherand devout churchgoer,turned out in large numbers.the whole of John BissekerTdeclared the six schoolsclosed. condemning 6(X1) stu-dents to go without schooling.\ Cosas spokesperson saidstudents rejected the PupilsCouncils (PRCs) as they didnot meet students demands.Students throughout thecountry were demandingSRCS and they would continueto unite and organise to winthese demands. I his was theonly w:ty they could overcometheir problems, he said.I he PRO's were introducedbecause of the ell'orts of stu-dents united in their strugglesand were part of a strategy todestro% Cosas.Boycotting students inMbeksveni. Paarl, Said PRC sStudents at Minerva High in\lexandra. Johannesburg,hoscotted classes when theMinenet Students CouncilI MSC ) which won recognitionafter a boycott in March, wasbanned.Police baton-charged stu-dents meeting to discuss theirresponse. NISC presidentPeter Makgopa and five otherstudents were detained and agroup of armed teachers havethreatened to assault MSCmembers. Over 40 students, in-cluding MSC and Cosasmembers have beensuspended from school.\bout I(XX) students atSimon Ilebe High School in'vlhekweni. Paarl, boycottedTributes as Brownburied by EL crowdSenior Secondary School,where Brown had been .t stu-dent. came and ignored aschool ruling that only ten stu-dents attend.I he funeral programme saidBrown gave his life 'for thehighest of ideals -- the libera-tion of mankind'.Friends of Brown traced hisinvolvement back to the SouthAfrican Students Organisation(Saso) which was banned in4!Solidarity boycott at Wits giveswere part of an attempt todivide students to maintaincontrol over them.A Cosas spokesperson saidthis system was similar togovernment strategies f'or con-trolling the entire population.Puppet bodies were already setup in the bantustans and in theurban areas in the form ofcommunity councils. The newconstitution would also es-tablish coloured and Indiandummy bodies to divide andconfuse people.' I he government is trying toIuul us into accepting itsstrategics by talking aboutdemocrac\. But their actionsgo against what they say.''Emma Sathekge died, stu-Education crisis spreads to the universitiesclasses in April demandingthat:Pupils Councils he abolished.excessive corporal punish-ment be stopped.*students be given textbooks.teachers stop sending pupilson errands.When the school inspectoronly stet two of the demandsStudents were dissatisfied butdecided to return to classeswhile deciding on further ac-tion.At Cape town Universitystudents pitched tents oncampus and resolved to staythere until their short term de-mands Iur adequate black stu-dent acconxxiation were met.1977.1Ic was briefly detained dur-ing the '76 uprisings and againin 1978 while a student at a PF-teachers training college. -Afterthis he Icft the country.In Cape l ow n, about 4(XX)t!nivcrsit_y of' the \\esternCape students honouredBrown and the three otherANC men who died in the at-tack. at a meeting organised byChristian student organisa-tions.extra force to demand for SRC'sdents have been shot at, policeinvaded our schools withteargas and dogs, and thegovernment closed our schoolsrather than give in to our de-mands.''We experience gutterApartheid education daily. In'76. in 198() and now in 1984we have made our demandsloud and clear. We will notstop lighting until our SRC'sare recognised and until wehave a free . dynamic andcompulsory education in anun-racial and democraticSouth Alrica.'A Cosas Saulsville/At-teridgeville SRC pamphletcondemned the role of com-nutnity councillor. Mashao. in1500 In mass gatheringto bury Brown(J~the boycott.'I le Ilew to Cape I own to'negotiate' with his mastersabout our demands on ourbehall' without being sent by us- parents, students, teachers,youth, women and workers ofthis township'.'When he came back theDET claimed to have met ourdemands by giving us PRO'sWhen we rejected this itclosed down our schools.''We really want to go toschool and that does not invitepuppets to help us in winningour struggle for SRCS. Ile hassold out to his masters and hemust know that we don't needefforts of puppets andsellouts.'I he administrationresponded by ordering elevenstudents to a disciplinary hear-ing. About 4(X) students thenstaged a three hour placarddemonstration outside the ad-ministration block demandingto see the principal. I hey litterIurced their way into thebuilding.\b hen admin refused to dropcharges against the eleven,another 2()E, students offeredthemselves up to he charged..At the hearing the case wasdropped when another 500students arrived anddemanded that they too betried.But the 217 students still gotsuspended sentences - if theyagain break university dis-ciplinary rules they will hesuspended and/or lined.University of the

Page 6 of 48 WesternCape (UWC) students boycot-ted in solidarity with other stu-dents and in support of theirown demands.Other protests include:I>IM) University of Venda stu-dents staged a sit-indemanding proper food forsegetarian students.Meduns,t students won thereinstatement of a fired can-teen worker after a canteenboycott.*University of the North( I urlloop) students' succeededin having their exam schedulechanged after a sit-in.e From page 1ex-political prisoners, andwomen from the NorthernI ransvaal rural areas.Messages of support camefrom the UWO and the NatalOrganisation of Women(NOW) and other organisa-tions.1 he common message wasthe urgency of organisingwomen in the face of the stateonslaught and the growing op-pression and misery whichburdens women most.I shepo Khumbane, from1 raneen in the Northern Tran-svaal, speaking to the sound ofdrums, said she wasrepresenting 'people in thebushes, forgotten as if theydon't exist.''We are toiling hard on thefarms of the rich farmers, mix-ing mud and waking at 4am asif we are donkeys, but gettingno pay.''And while we are toiling onthe rich land producingbananas, mangoes andavocadoes, our children arestarving.'Speaking at a rally atI urfloop university, she said,'the pressure of oppression ismuch more severe and painfulin the lower section of thesocial classes. I am aimingthese words at the lowest sec-tor, the women who have beenoppressed by custom andculture and by the system ofexploitation they are not evenaware of.''When you go out of here,don't leave any stone un-turned,' she said, 'talk to thepeople, so they know what todo, talk freely so they knowabout the laws that have beenmade to govern them, becausethey are starving, hungry, sickand mentally tortured becauseof this exploitation and oppres-sion.'In Cape Town, LizAbrahams, from the Food andCanning Workers Union inPaarl, called on women toorganise against increasingtaxes on food.' Limes are hard, but greaterhardships lie ahead,' she said.At the Mamelodi rally,Gawu's Rita Ndzanga said:'Workers tax burden isbecoming intolerable.'We the workers, the ma-jority, hardly control anywealth at all. As women and asworkers we should demand ashare of the wealth.There is an increasing attackon the living standards of thepeople, said Sister Bernard.'I he government is keepingthe people divided so they canhe economically controlled, sothey can fight againstthemselves and maintain theirown frustration and oppres-sion.Amanda Kwadi from theI ransvaal Fed, said 'Weshould instil in women theconfidence and :mareness tomake their demands heardwherever they are. in the fac-tories, in their homes or in theschools.',\ former cell-mate saidNyemhe was jailed because ofher firm belief in justice.'Nyembe used to say: Afterall the struggle is outside. Con-tinue to mobilise the masses,our struggle should continueuntil we gain our freedom.Even if it means drinking boil-ing oil for your beliefs, youmust stand firm.'

Page 7 of 48 .R,9PORTS. ,Cape youthrally roundfreedom'schallengesIIIF CAPF Youth Congress(Cayco) has held its first an-nual congress under the theme1reedont is in our hands'.1 he opening night, attendedh\ about 4(X) members from(:nco's 30 branches, took theIornt of a south rally withspeakers. music and poetry.I revor Manuel, secretary ofthe Ul)l- Western Cape, saidvoulh %%as the most excitingperiod of one's life, but it alsocarried challenges.I le said the challenges facing( avco were to build unityhemcen the _youth and themasses and to wage un-compromising struggle for the(Icntands of the Freedom( hailer.\uhrc\ .Mokoena. publicitysecretor\ of the Release\1;tndcla.( otnnuttee in Johan-ncsburg, said youth was theli1chlood of the nation.'\k c have to shape ourdestiny. pave the way forlifxxration.' he said.Mokoena lashed out at thosewho saw the struggle as anethnic one. Ile said thechallenge for Cayco was to riseabove ethnicity.Noma-India Meeketo, fromthe United Women'sOrganisation, spoke about therole of women in the struggle.She said women formed thepopulation and could not heleft out of the struggle. Shelashed out at those youth 'whothink a woman's place is in thekitchen or in the bedroom.'She said women in Caycoshould he treated as comrades,not its 'cherries'.I he congress hosted for aweekend and ended off withelections. Rose Sonto waselected president, I revor()ostent vk vice-president, andDonm Jurgens secretary.I lie ( ongress ttas Catco'ssecond successful event in re-cent week,. I ;trlicr they heldant education li0eus on 'Youthf acint-, the ( hallcnge ofI)clllocr;ic\ in the 80's'.rtLOscar Mpetha calls on workencto join UDFElection stayawayurged at UDF'sWest Coast lift-offA 1.1. I IIOSF who loveI'reedotn will stay away fromthe polls on August 22, thedale of the elections Ior thegovernment's coloured and In-dian chambers of parliament.I his was said by UnitedDemocratic Front (UDF)patron Dr Allan Boesak at thelaunching of the UDF's WestCoast branch in Saldhana Bay,The crowd rises to sing as the UDF declaration Is readattended by more than 7(X)people.Dr Boesak said to vote onAugust 22 is*to say yes to continued op-pression*to say this government willnot come to an end*to say that white SouthAfrica will always oppressblack South Africa.SA$PU NA-7hp/4AL 4THE GOVERNMENT'Sscheme to move Africans liv-ing in Cape t'own's townshipsof Langa, Guguletu andNyanga, has created a stir inthe Cape Peninsula.Community organisationsreacted with anger when theirfears of removal were con-firmed by Koornhof. Theminister stated that the processof relocation would be a 'longterm goal' for the next 25years.I here is no hope the govern-ment might think of reversingthis removal project. All ex-isting township improvementshave been frozen - no homes,no schools or other structureswill he built.the Cape Areas HousingAction Committee (Cahac)spelt out the implications forrelations between Africansand coloured people in CapeI own. Secretary of Cahac, MrI revor Manuel, said,'coloureds must be careful notto be used to divide peopleover the Khayelitsha move. Itis important to observe howHousing freezeheats anger atKhayelitshaKhayelitsha, windswepthousing is used to sow divi-sions among the people.'One resident said: 'It is likeRobhen island here.' I hewindswept and barren site is il-luminated al night by brightlights shining over the camplike spotlights. I he recentlyconstructed primary school isand barrensurrounded by barbed wire.Some 250 000 people willeventually be moved toKhayelitsha. l his meansworkers will travel 90 kms toand from work. All 'illegals'will be subjected to influx con-trol while 'legals' will get basic'core' houses and be told tofinish them.However, the government'smove to uproot settled peoplehas only served to unite themand spark off waves of protest.I he United Women'sOrganisation (UWO), said:'Nothing causes more bit-terness than the uprooting ofsettled communities. l heforced removal of peopleshows the government's deter-mination to stick to theirpolicies, irrespective of theneeds of the people.'the Western ProvinceCouncil of Churches said eventhough people were notsatisfied with conditions in thetownships, they did not wantto move to Khayelitsha.Chairperson of the Com-bined Elsies River Ratepayers'and I enants' Association, MrVernon Sass, said: 'No self-respecting coloured personwill support the planned up-rooting of blacks.'Whatever the government'sintentions, the people areprepared to oppose theremoval to Khayelitsha.f le said organisations likethe Labour Party, which choseto work within the system,would never destroy apartheidbecause they benefit from it.'I he Labour Party says wemust give the governmenttime. I ime for what? I ime foroppression, exploitation, andhomelands'!'Boesak then read the UDFdeclaration while the audiencestood with clenched fists andsang the national anthem.the anthem was also sung%% hen African Food and Cann-ing Workers' Union veteran()scar Mpetha - a UDFpresident - took the stageand told workers not to vole inthe election.Mpetha encouraged workersto join the UDF so they could'starch in front in the strugglefor Ireedotn'.'Some unions say workersshould not get involved inpolitics. But how, then, do weget our freedom'?' he asked.' I he price of bread is politics.When the cost of living goesup, that's politics. I hat's whyyou must join the UDF asworkers.'One of the other speakers atthe rally, Ds Nico Botha,recalled how live busloads ofWest Coast people had at-tended the UDF launch atRocklands last year.Alter thev had seen Cros-sroads and- Khayelitsha, hesaid, the people had felt theywould never be able to sleeppeacefully until there was afree and democratic SouthVrica.Cape I own UDF secretaryCheryl Carolus called onwomen to join the UDF andthe struggle Ior liberation.Cape Areas Housing ActionC ommittee ((-'ahac)chairperson, \Vill'red Rhodes,said the government's solutionto the housing crisis was to sellpeople rotten houses.' \partltcid is the cause of thecrisis and that is why Cahacsays apartheid must heabolished.'Diepkloof Civic to act on electricityI I N S 11-1) ,t hhdywhich can articulate theiraspirations and work for theirhcnchl.,ill, w;u file message ofPopo \Icicle. ('DI secrelan.1t, a meeting of Dicpkltxtf,( i\ is \ssocialton (I)(\ )reccnlh.Mr Shongwe, a civicmember. showed residentshow to calculate the cost of(heir electricity so they couldResidents spoke about their check the% weren't beingproblems housing shor- overcharged.t;tgcs. high rents and electricityhills. inefficiency of the Nick MOLMRIS1. it member of'Sowcfo (onununity. (ounci1 the I cachcrs Action Commit-structures. Poor education and tee. spoke on the need toGive us homes we can afford, say WCCAOVER ONE thousand peopleat a recent Western CapeCivic Association (WCCA)rallN, resolved to resistremoval to Khayelitsha.People from all over theWestern Cape came to the ral-I\. I hey demanded houses ataffordable rents and rights tobuy houses I'or those whocould afford it.I he rally was followed by theWCCA's first Annual GeneralMeeting (AGM). I he housingproblem was discussed and theWCCA resolved to workthe had services

Page 8 of 48 offered byPutco. they said the cotn-inunits councils acre doingnothing to solve theirproblems and thc~ would con-[little to reject them.closely with the Cape AreasHousing Action Committee(Cahac) in the struggle forhouses, security and comfort.I he AGM attended byabout 2 (XX) delegates, con-demned the SADF for takingchildren to camps withouttheir parents knowledge orpermission.'We reject the new constitu-tion and commit ourselves tostruggle for a democraticsystem of government.' Withthis, the AGM'endors'ed theeducate the community too%crcontc its problems.' \s a civic hod_\.' he said. 'weshould engage ourselves inconcrete projects andprogratnntes that will upliftand protect our people frontbackward schemes. 4\'e shouldhold seminars and producehuhlications to enlighten peo-ple about the laws affectingthem and make them aware oftheir rights.()n the schooling crisis, hesaid, 'What the Pretoria stu-dents are demanding is univer-WCCA's affiliation to theUDF. It was decided to expelmembers who did not agreewith this decision.the A(IM gave its supportto striking workers in theWestern Cape. 'We supportthe bus driven in their struggleagainst City I ramways forhigher wages. We demand thatthe drivers he paid from theprofits and not by increasingbus Dares.'I he meeting closed with theelection of a, new executivec- . . ;: ,' ,sat to all students.'Parent- I cacher Associationsshould ,cr%c the interests ofthe students and the coin -munily as ;t whole he said.' I heir major task should he tocreate a healthy workingrelationship hctween students.parents and teachers.'Mr. Mogase. chairperson ofthe civic. spoke on theproblems \k ith Putco buses.they were overcrowded,seldom on time. dirty anddamaged.I he meeting resolved to:*train residents to calculatethe monthly cost of water andclec(ricily consumption.Mandate the DCA to pre-sent residents' grievances tothe local administration.I stablish area committees ofthe 1)(A to train volunteers tohelp neighbours read themeters.Demand residents he in-Iorntetl in advance of watercuts and that emergency watersupplies be provided il neces-s;try.Send a D CA delegation topresent Conlintiter's . probic insGrassroots gives Western Cape communities a voice of their ownPopular papers lineup their next issuesFOUR PROGRESSIVE new-support and co-operation.spapers recently completedtheir Annual GeneralMeetings.Pretoria's IIIE EYE, Johan-nesburg's SPEAK, Durban'sUKUSA and Cape I own'sGRASSROOIS - allcommunity-based newspapers- held in-depth assessmentsessions with full participationfrom organisations in theircommunities.l error Lekota, publicitysecretary of the UnitedDemocratic Front told theGRASSROOI S AGM: 'l healternative media has an im-portant role to play in counter-ing the propaganda machineryof the system..lt needs qur'ftillSPEAK organiser FaizelMamdoo echoed Lekota: *11 herole of community papers hasbecome increasingly impor-tant because the governmentand the commercial press areconstantly presenting a falsepicture of reform in SouthAfrica.'I hey ('aced many challengeshef'ore they could rival thepower of the commercialpress.But they did have the advan-tage of direct support andguidance from progressiveorganisations, which thegovernment and commercialpress'did not......

Page 9 of 48 REPORTS'SASPU NATIbNAL 5tReleaseall saysKitsonWorkers day widely celebratedIIlF IMPORIANCE of theworking class was reassertedas organisations celebratedMa_% Day on .t scale not seenfor mane years.Speakers called on workersto claim May Day as their dayas trade unions, community,student. youth and women'sorganisations held meetings allaround South Africa.Issues like rising food pricesand taxes. lack of housing.trade union unity, UnitedStates interference in trade un-ion alfmrs and solidarityJorac noto joiningKwaZuluRESIDENTS OF Lamontvifeand Hambanati - staunchly.opposed to incorporation intoKwaZulu - are squaring upfor a major battle againstInkatha and Chief GatshaButhelezi.The KwaZulu government ispushing ahead with the incor-poration scheme despitewidespread opposition.At a recent meeting morethan 1000 people from the twoareas demanded that Co-operation and DevelopmentMinister, Piet Koornhof, scrapthe p'an. Incorporation wouldstrip Lamontville and Ham-banati residents of their Sec-tion 10 rights and bring themunder the bantustan authorityof Buthelezi.Opposition in the twotownships is beingspearheaded by the Joint RentAction Committee (Jorac)formed during the long rentstruggle in the area last year.the people reject incorpora-tion, said Jorac vice-chair RevMcebisi Xundu, because theyhave 'no intention' of losingtheir South African birthrightand urban rights.lie slammed KwaZulu foracting as a Pretoria agent try-ing to force incorporation. Theincorporation scheme followsconsultation betweenKoornhof, Buthelezi and theformer advisory boards.Buthelezi recently said hewould consider visitingLamontville 'to test the publicopinion'.But Jorac has rejected thesuggestion and warned thatanger could boil over if theChief went.Jorac points out that theNatal University survey by LSchlemmer showed that 98percent of Lamontvdle resi-dents rejected incorporationand that Jorac enjoyedoverwhelming support in thearea.Fosatu workers distribute May Day pamphlets outside factoriesbetween trade unions andother organisations were alsotaken up.At a meeting in Daveyton.Organised by the Fast RandPeople's Organisation. presi-dent of the Federation ofSouth African I rade Unions(Fosatu ). Chris Dlamini saidonly a majority of organisedworkers could force employersto accept May Day as a holi-da-N.Sisa Njikelana. generalsecretary of the South AfricanAllied Workers UnionISaa\+u). said working classunit\ was more than just tradeunion unity. Workers had toassess the need for classalliances, he said.1 he General Workers Union((iWU). African Food andCanning Workers Union(AFCWl1). the Cape townMunicipal Workers Associa-tion (CI M WA) and theNational Union of I extileN orkers held a joint meetingin Cape I own. attended by 25(10 people.Speakers included GWUnational treasurer, MosesMhodwi and AFC'W'U assis-tant general secretary, EdisonSteven. Speeches focussed onMr H Fazzfe, PE delegate and ex-Robbers Island prisonerRelease Mandela callgets turned un louderIIIF RELEASE MandelaCampaign (RMC) has beenlaunched once more.After a two-day meeting ofthe RMC National Co-ordinating Committee an ac-tive campaign for the releaseof all South African politicalprisoners was planned.I he R MC will also seek thereturn of all refugees, the un-banning of political organisa-tions and the repeal of all ban-ning and bannishment orders.Delegates from most areas ofSouth Africa attended.)he RMC adopted theFreedom Charter - regardedby many as South Africa'sblueprint for democracy' - asits guiding document.It urged other organisationsto adopt it since it 'not onlyopposes repressive laws, butSpeakers at the UDF May Day rally In Cape Townthe proposed new trade unionfederation, the significance ofMay Day, and the new con-stitution and the KoornhofHills.I he common interests ofworkers and students werestressed at a Johannesburgmeeting organised by theRelease Mandela Committee.In Port Elizabeth, PE Youth( ongress member and ex-Robben Island prisoner,Michael Xhego said workerswould one day help Nelson11andela and others out ofprison.11 a gathering at the Univer-sity of the Western Cape, ex-SaCtU office bearer Billv Nairsaid workers' problems werenot limited to the factory floor.I le said this understanding hadled Sactu to participate fully inthe Congress Alliance.I he Atteridgeyille-SaulsvilleArchbishop Hurley. speak-ing on behalf of eight differentchurches. told 450 people inDurban the church supportedworkers in their struggle fordignity and justice.reflects the type of society weenvisage.I he RMC made policydeclarations on a wide rangeof current political issues.A resolution condemned theprime minister, P W Botha'strip to Europe and urgedprogressive forces in Europeand South Africa to oppose it.It condemned the govern-ments hosting Botha as his'visit is against the aspirationsand wishes of all freedom-loving South Africans. Itcomes at a time whenapartheid and economic ex-ploitation is constitutionallyentrenched through the 1983Constitution Act.'0 I he committee denouncedthe South African DefenceForce which 'proved itself tobe unconcerned about peace,~cnand stability with neighbouringcountries'.Military conscription was re-jected completely and theRMC resolved to urge 'ourcoloured and Indian comradesto resist conscription.'0 I he RMC rejected the'inferior and undemocratic'system of black education.. I he educational crisis was a'permanent structuralproblem', which could not besolved without altering the en-tire socio-political set-up inSouth Africa.'9 I he RMC resolved to fullysupport the present studentstruggles and to participate intheir battle for a non- racial,democratic system of educa-tion.*Commenting on recentdevelopments in SouthernAfrica, the RMC' criticised thePk by Fosatu Worker Newsbranch of the Congress ofSouth African Students(Cows) organised a May Daymeeting 'to show parents thatstudents are with them in thestruggle for a democraticfuture. Parents in turn mustsupport us,' an organiser said.In Johannesburg, five unionsGawu, Mgwusa, Cusa,(cawusa and Brushes andCleaners Workers Unioncalled on workers not to buygoods on May I to mark MayDay and to protest against in-creases in general sales tax andfood prices.At the meeting Gawugeneral secretary Sydne)ly1alumadi said workers shouldguard against labour organisa-tions like the AEI.- CIO whichgace assistance to SouthAfrican trade unions in orderto undermine them.In Cape I own the UnitedDemocratic Front (UDF) heldan all-clay rally which includedspeeches, music, sales ofpublications and posters.Oscar Mpetha, Rev AlanBoesak. AI-CWU organiserLiz Abrahams and CherylCarolus of the Western Capel1DI- addressed the crowd of 2S(X) people.talpEast London delegate,Mr SithoNkomatt Accord, resolved tostrengthen relationships withthe people of Mozambiqueand to strive for 'friendshipand real peace amongst thepeople of Southern Africa.'It said the 'so-called Accordwas a short-term breakthroughfor the government used forpropaganda purposes.'While the government triesto maintain

Page 10 of 48 peace throughnon- aggression pacts, it noted,there is no peace inside thecountry.Andimba l oivo ja l oivosent a personal message ofsupport to the meeting. liesaid: 'I have no hesitation incalling for the immediaterelease of comrade NelsonMandela and of all SouthAfrican political prisoners.Your struggle is our struggle,our struggle is your struggle.'A 1'S GRFA I to be out. In jailyou forget what a wide varietyof people there are and howmuch there is to see. In jail yousee the same walls, the samefaces and have the sameroutine day after day.'I here -are the words ofDavid Kitson, who spent thelast twenty years in PretoriaCentral Prison.lie was sentenced in 1964along with Wilton Mkwayi,Laloo Chiba, John Matthewsand 'Mac' Maharaj for carry-ing out over 58 acts ofsabotage. Only Mkwayi -who was given a life sentence- remains in jail.the five were found guilty ofbeing members of Umkhontowe Sizwe, the military wing ofthe African National Congress(ANC). They had continuedthe armed struggle after theNational High Command ofUmkhonto was arrested atRivonia.Kitson called for the releaseof all political prisoners - inparticular Nelson Mandelaand Dennis Goldberg, both ofwhom are serving lifesentences for Umkhonto ac-tivity.Kitson said he had noregrets. 'I was just a casualty inthe struggle,' he said, echoinghis statement from the dock in1964.After being found guiltyKitson said he and others in asimilar position had no choicebut to take up arms against thegovernment. Legal attempts toattain equal rights for all peo-ple had met only with repres-sion, and the grievances of theoverwhelming majority hadnot been met.Kitson carried a message ofhope from prison. 'You mightthink that people have drop-ped out of life because theyare in prison,' he said. 'But wewere just in another place.While we were not able to par-ticipate fully, we were veryaware of what was going on. Irealised that I was going to bein prison for a long time, anddecided to use the prisonsystem for my own benefit.'Sometimes I won andsometimes I lost,' said Kitson,who completed a Bachelor ofArts and a Bachelor ofScience degree whilst inside.Inkatha inmean moodINKATHA BULLIES havestruck again. This time theirtarget was the UDF massmeeting on May 5, in Natal.During the meeting a speechwas interrupted by someoneallegedly called Gideon Zulu,who had placed himself nextto UDF representatives. Asection of the audience thenshouted Inkatha slogans andabuse. Chaos erupted and peo-ple were trampled trying to es-cape the violence.Matthew Olifant and ArchieGumede, UDF national presi-dent, were attacked byInkatha youth and CumickNdlovu, a UDF speaker, waspushed off the stage.A UDF letter to the presi-dent of Inkatha said: 'Weregard the use of this violenceas deplorable. I his kind ofconduct weakens our causeand serves only the interests ofthe oppressor. We eamestlytrust that you and Inkatha willtake this,into serious accountin the future'.

Page 11 of 48 REPORTSSA$PU NATI6NAL 6Workers long walkboosts bus driversrecognition battleTHOUSANDS OF workersrefused to board buses inPinetown on March 14 in sup-port of bus drivers who wereon strike in the area.I he workers walked up to 15kilometres to and from workthat day to show theirsolidarity with the drivers.I he drivers, who work at theVictory first forclothing workers111E FI RS I organised strikein the Western Provinceclothing industry since 1936has ended with the workersbeing reinstated and given aR5 per week increase.this follows negotiationsbetween management of CapeUnderwear, a delegation of thestriking workers and anorganiser of the new ClothingWorkers Union (Clowu).I his is the first time thatCape clothing bosses havebeen forced to negotiate with atrade union other than theI ucsa affiliated GarmentWorkers Union (GWU).After work stoppages inother factories, and in an un-precedented move, bossesbrought forward and doubleda R2 per week increase whichwas originally only due to beimplemented in July.Some of Cape Town'sbiggest clothing factories havebeen hit by strikes. Workers inthis low paid industrydemanded a RIO per weekwage increase.Work stoppages involvingthousands of workers at themassive Rex I rueform com-plex in Salt River brought thewhole factory to a halt for partof a day.At Cape Underwear in Epp-ing, workers also recentlydowned tools demanding a payincrease, where machinistswith 17 years experience areearning only R54 per week.After some workers walkedout demanding a RIO increasebosses locked the doors to pre-vent other workers from leav-ing the premises during work-ing hours.I he next day more workerswalked out, bringing thenumber of striking workers to130.WORKERS IN the metal andsteel industries are standingfirm in their demand for a liv-ing wage.At the start of the NationalIndustrial Council wagenegotiations between theemployer body, the Steel andEngineering IndustriesFederation of South Africa(Seifsa), and the unions partyCommuter support needed for struggle against TramwaysCAPE TOWN bus drivershave ended their month-longrefusal to work overtime.I hey were protesting againstthe spreading of shifts, in somecases over almost 15 hours,and City Tramways' refusal tomeet their wage demands.-the 1200 workers wanted a15 percent wage increase, a 40hour week and an end tobroken shifts. Tramways of-fered no more than a six per-cent increase in pay.r he overtime ban led to long,Durban Transport Manage-ment Board (DTMB) depotsof Clermont, Klaarwater, andNtuzuma had refused to drivetheir buses five days before thebig walk.I hey demanded the recogni-tion of Fosatu's Transport andGeneral Workers Union(1 GWU) and the scrapping ofAll these workers joined thefledgeling Clowu and turnedtheir backs on the GWUwhich has a closed shop agree-ment with Cape Underwearand with most other clothingfactories in the Cape.Clowu is an independent un-ion formed last year in opposi-tion to the GWU, which is thelargest single union in thecountry.A Clowu organiser said whileworkers at these factories hadto join the GWU as a condi-tion of employment, more andmore of them were joiningThe bosses are treating usunfairly. When we want tospeak to other workers theycall in the police to keep usaway, but we are feeling strongand are not afraid,' one of theworkers told Saspu National.the Works Council establishedby the D 'I M B.They insisted that DTMBmanagement recogniseTGWU shop stewards as theirrepresentatives and refused todrive until their demands weremet.About 200 striking driversstayed inside the Clermont busdepot for three days and nightsin an attempt to get their bos-ses to listen to their demands.But the DI M B took a hardline from the start. l hey issuedpamphlets warning the driversthey could be charged underthe Riotous Assemblies Act.D l M B eventually dismissedthe workers on March 12.Police arrived to removeworkers from the depot.01 MB called in bus inspec-tors to drive the buses, andstarted to hire scab drivers.Union members acted quick-ly. On the same day they werehounded out of the Clermontdepot, they met with fellowunionised workers in the area.They met with the FosatuPinetown shop stewards coun-cil, and discussed theirproblem with representativesfrom many other factories .At the shop stewards councilmeeting it was decided that aFosatu delegation should besent to the mayor of Durban,as the DT MB is owned by theDurban City Council.Drivers show their determination to win recognition for Transport and General by staying in theClermont bus depot for three days and nights P+c frorn Fosaru Worker NewsAt the same time the shop talks with TGWU and agreed Federationstewards council discussed to scrap the Works Councilwhat action their members in and replace it with a shopthe area could take in support stewards committee.of the striking drivers. The success of the strikeThey decided to boycott the comes not long after an eightbuses until the strike was set- month boycott by Durbantled. On March 14, the commuters forced the DTMBworkers of Pinetown marched to negotiate with the Jointto and from work. This was Commuters Committee .seen as a remarkable show of the boycott forced theworker solidarity and DTMB to recognise the 1CCdemonstration of the power of as the official representative ofunited commuter/driver ac- the commuters, and to committion. it to negotiate with the JCC inThe strike ended, a week future regarding changes inafter it started, when DTMB fares and other related tran-agreed to start recognition sport matters.aim is stillto promoteunion unityI ALKS BF I WFFN unionsun the feasibility of" forming anew trade union federation arepushing ahead.I he talks ire being attendedby the Federation of SouthAfrican I ride Unions(Fosatu), the Council ofUnions of South Africa (Cuss).the Commercial Catering ::.rdAllied Workers Union ofSouth Africa (Cc:musa), theFord and Canning WorkersL.nion (FC'w'U), the GeneralWorkers Union (Gwu) and theCape l ow n M unicipaIWorkers Association(C I MI he proposed federation willunite these unions under oneumbrella body.Unity talks between in-dependent unions began in1981 in Langa, Cape I own.But differences emerged',between the unions.At recent talks the six unionsnow participating in federationtalks argued that forming in-dustrial unions was the basisfor a federation. Saawu,1*1gwusa and Gawu had notvet dissolved as general unionsand formed industrial unions.I he six unions argued thatthe three were not yet 'ready'for a federation, but the doorwould be open to them to re-join the talks. In themeanwhile, they could attendas observers. - I he three said they could-notform industrial unions over-night and this process could befacilitated by the federation.While rejecting observerstatus on the grounds that theyhad mandates from theirmembers to attend as full par-ticipants, the three unionscommitted themselves to thefederation.Saawu, Gawu and Mgwusahave said they remain commit-ted to unity and industrial un-ionism.In most recent talks in PortElizabeth, Macwusa attendedas an

Page 12 of 48 observer. the agenda in-cluded discussion of the princi-ples of a federation, finances,structure and response to theincrease in general sales tax.There have been repeatedcalls from unionists and com-munity leaders for all unions tobe, included in the federationto ensure unity and strength.One day strike at Dalrybell wins recognition of Rawu and reinstatement of three workersRawu wins rights in Cape dairiesTHE RETAIL and AlliedWorkers' Union (Rawu) hasmade significant strides toguarantee workers' rights tounion recognition.More than 700 workers atthree Grant Dairy Belle plantsin Cape Town went on a oneday strike in April. Theydemanded recognition ofRawu and the reinstatement ofthree migrant workers whosecontracts had not beenrenewed.After a day all the workers'demands were met.Workers at Van RiebeekDairies in Cape Town alsowon a preliminary recognitionfor Rawu. This followed a twohour work stoppage by 450workers in March.SThe workers demanded thedissolution of the pro-management works council.Rawu also won the recogni-tion of their workers' commit-tee and signed a non-victimisation agreement withthe bosses.Workers at Union Dairies inCape Town recently won thedismissal of an unpopularforeman by staging a workstoppage.Rawu is currently holdingdiscussions with managementat the dairies around recogni-tion of the union.Rawu's successes in thedairy industry highlight thesignificant gains that can beachieved through worker un-ity.crease. This was the first timeall the unions presented a un-ited front to employers.3(1(10 Mawu workers rejectedScifsa's second increase offerof 17 c an hour at their recentNatal AGM. the union wasmandated to continue pushingfor higher wages at the In-dustrial Council negotiations.Presenting a joint report, tothe meeting Maxwell Xulu andGeofT Schreiner said 'manyemployers have used therecession to justify starvationwages and a number ofemployers have tried to crushMawu in the last year'.Mawu and the Steel,Engineering and AlliedWorkers Union have said thatthey will only take a decisionafter reporting back to theirmembers.All Mawu shop stewardcouncils have rejected the of-fer. they are presently discuss.-.ing what action to hike.Mawu rejects poverty wage offerto the council, unions warneathey were not prepared to ac-cept meagre increases.The Metal and AlliedWorkers Union (Mawu)demanded. increases of up to60 percent. This was Mawu'sdemand in 1983. Mawu presi-delays for commuters. CityI ramways re-organisedschedules after threats bydrivers to abandon their busesat the end of shifts.Drivers said they were sym-pathetic to the needs of thecommuters but experiencehad shown that their demandswould not be met without put-ting pressure on management.One driver said he regularlyrose at 3.10 a.m. and by thetime he returned home in thedent, Mr. J. Vilane said, 'Seifsadid not give serious attentionto what our members wanted.Mawu demanded aminimum living wage ofR112,50 a week, and an acrossthe board increase of R22,50 aweek. They said these in-evening he was too tired tospeak to his wife.A UDF pamphlet of supportfor the bus drivers said,'Where the bosses may be dis-satisfied with the bus drivers'they must know 'that the peo-ple of Cape I own have longbeen dissatisfied with CityI ramways.'I he UDF warned that payincreases for bus drivers mustnot come from increased busfares.- . .creases were necessarybecause present wages did notmeet the rising cost of living.The first round of negotia-tions ended in stalemate withthe unions rejectingemployers' offers of aminimum eight percent in-'Increases must come fromthe pockets of City I ramways.I here is more than enoughmoney in the pockets of thebosses to pay these increases.'After nearly a month thedrivers called off their banafter the matter was referredto the Industrial Court. Thisfollows two consecutivedeadlocks in talks betweenCity I ramways and thetramways and OmnibusWorkers Union, representingthe drivers.

Page 13 of 48 REPORTS__ .Workersfight backwith ownco-OpDISMISSED WORKERSfrom Fry's Metal have formeda unique buying co-operative.Over a year after 77 workerswere locked out by the firm inBerlin, an industrial areabetween East London andKing Williams Town, theirsolidarity is still unbroken.The workers were barredafter they declared a disputewith management over whatthey saw as unprocedural dis-missal of four workers in earlyFebruary 1983.Management told workersthey had all been dismissed,and refused to discuss the issuewith workers. The matter wastaken to the Industrial Court,and legal proceedings are con-tinuing.The workers foundthemselves in a very difficultposition. In areas with veryhigh unemployment, they hadlittle chance of finding a job.Many lived in rural areassurrounding Berlin, and pos-sibilities of raising crops werelimited because of drought.I hey found they were dis-criminated against when itcame to the allocation ofCiskei government tractors.these are supposed to heavailable to all who need them,but headmen %kho administerthe allocation make themavailable to their supportersand supporters of the CNIP.In response, workers starteda buying co-operative.When they receive moneyfrom the relief fund, they donot divide it amongthemselves, but use it for bulk-buying.A committee has been setup, with two workers fromeach of their villages: Mdant-sane, Tshatshu, Ndevane,Ilitha and Tshapo. The com-mittee decides what to buy,and how, to distribute it.The committee has had totake up other issues too.At the start of the schoolyear, the workers' childrenwere told they had to haveeverything they needed im-mediately, or be expelled.Usually children are giventime to get uniforms, booksand other requirements.The committee negotiatedwith the school, and receivedfair treatment for the children.MORE THAN 100 workerswere arrested for pass offencesat a Port Elizabeth factory bythe Eastern Cape Administra-tion Board (Scab) recently inwhat might be part of a newcrackdown on 'illegal' urbanblacks.Ecab held 109 workers -most of them members of theGeneral Workers' Union ofSouth Africa (Gwusa) - in adawn raid. All the workerswere subsequently released ex-cept three who were chargedfor not having passes.Municipal workers speak outTHREE THOUSANDworkers from the Cape TownMunicipal Workers Associa-tion (CTM WA) packed theCity flail demanding a decentwage.The workers said they re-jected the City Council's pre-sent wage structures becausethey discriminated againstlower paid workers.'Our children need food anddecent clothes to go to school.THE SWEET Food and AlliedWorkers Union (SFAWU) inNatal continues its battle in thesugar industry, while gaining afoothold in traditionally con-servative industries such as thedairies and sorghum beerbreweries.SFAWU are at presentdeadlocked with giant sugarcompany, C.G. Smith overwages and disciplinaryprocedures. About 1500workers at three mills aredemanding a living wage.Recently relationsdeteriorated when the com-pany brought an interdictagainst the union and its shopstewards at the Noodsbergsugar mills.I he dispute arose when anon-union member was dis-missed after assaulting a unionFormer Sactu leader and Robbers Island prisoner, Curnick Ndlovu. Left, Billy Nair and right, Sisa Nlikelana, new Saawu secretary generalSaawu:DESPH E REPORTS of asplit in the union, the SouthAfrican Allied Workers't,~nion (Saawu) emerged fromit's Soweto conference unitedand strong. the fifth con-ference pledged strong sup-port for the leadership and setout clear and challenging goalsfor the coming year.:1t present Saawu has 100(XX) members in 18 branches.the union has concluded 20recognition agreements in EastLondon, Durban, Pinetownand on the Reel. It has alsoconcluded agreements aroundhealth and safety, pensionsDawn raid fuels fearsof renewed crackdownA Gwusa statement stronglycondemned the raid.' I his kind of action clearlyshows what we would face ifthe Koornhof Bills were pas-sed by parliament.'Gwusa also said the raidshowed clearly how blackworkers were treated as 'se-cond class human beings' inSouth Africa.We have to turn to crime tosurvive,' the workers said.The demands sent to theCouncil were:*All labourers should be paida minimum wage of RI 19,65,compared to the R59,77 theyget per week.*The scale for other workersshould be increased in thesame way.The workers said therewould be further action if theirdemands were not met.SFAWU breaks down newbarriers in Natal industriesSFAWU and Fosatu president,Chris Dlaminimember. However. he wasreinstated on appeal and sub-sequently went about the fac-tory abusing other workers.Workers demanded ameeting with the generalmanager. When he did notand maternity rights.ithe conference decidedSa:mu %%ould not participate inthe trade union unity talks atpresent, but would con-centrate on a nationaldevelopment programme.Saawu president, I hoiamileGq%etha. stressed that expul-sion from the unity talks didnot mean expulsion from theworking class struggle in SouthAfrica.Before the conference.Saawu stressed it was still com-mitted to one union federationand was not thinking of form-ing a separate one.SA Bottling has agreed topay workers who were held forthe time they were not atwork.In a subsequent meeting withGwusa it said the raid was acomplete surprise and thatEcab had given it no priorwarning.S A Bottling said it was tak-ing the matter further and paidbail for the three workers whowere charged. It also said itwas prepared to pay any finesthey may be given.it condemned the raid as 'ahostile and most unnecessaryact', and said the affectedplant could operate at only 25percent of its normal produc-tion level.It is widely feared that thedawn crackdown may be partof a new crackdown on blackswho work in urban areaswithout passes.still going stronmeet this request, workersmarched the worker out of thefactory.SFAWU is also fighting forhigher wages at the ImbaliBrewery, owned by KwazuluDevelopment Corporation,and Escort Milling , part of theI ongaat/t lulett group.A union spokesperson said,'In both these factories starva-tion wages are being paid andworkers will fight to the endfor a living wage. For too longbosses have only thoughtabout their profits.'At Imbali Brewery workershave the added problem thatI he conference set out adefinite programme of formingindustrial unions, a need it hadlong recognised. Only severestate repression had preventedthis happening, they said.Sa:mu criticised the labellingof- itself its 'community based'and 'newly emerging' as com-pared with 'bigger, oldermainstream unions'. Delegatess:rw this as an attempt to dis-credit Saawu.'Our strength lies on theshop floor,' they said. 'We dogive support to communitystruggles and actively en-courage our members to par-ticipate in them.'All Saawu branches wouldaffiliate to the UnitedDemocratic Front regionalstructures.Saawu rejected argumentsthat working class interestswould he swamped in theUDF. I hey argued thatdeveloping high qualityleadership from the factoryfloor, which would play aleading role in the UDF wouldprevent

Page 14 of 48 this.Delegates believed that eam-paigns against the KoornhofBills could not be taken up bytrade unions alone. UDFcould advance working classinterests by taking up this is-sue.I hree former officials of theunion, Sam Kikine, IferbertBarnabas and Isaac Ngcobowere expelled from Saawu. Allthree were suspended inFebruary by the InterimManagement Committee setup to plan the conference.I he three were sent lettersinforming them of the deci-,lion, and were told to attendthey fall under Kwazulu andhave even less rights thanworkers in South Africa.Kwazulu has its own IndustrialConciliation Act, but it is un-clear how it will function.In the dairy industry the un-ion has organised three of themajor dairies in Natal.Ilowever the battle for unionrecognition has yet to be won.In Durban, Clover workersdemanded the dismissal of thefactory manager whom theyallege was responsible for un-fair dismissals. the union hasdeclared a dispute with thecompany over three other dis-AWLThozamile Gqwetha, re-eiectedas Saawu presidentthe National Conference ifthey wished to appeal. Noneattended.Kikine claimed the con-ference was not properly con-stituted since some branch andexecutive members were notinvited. Ile said the Durbanbranch did not attend.Saawu officials rejected thisclaim. I hey said Durban sentmore than 50 delegates.Before the conferenceguidelines for preparingreports and resolutions weresent to each Saawu branch.Former Sactu leader andRobben island prisoner, BillyNair, told the conferenceworkers produced all society'sgoods, but were denied the useof them. Ile said the strugglefor higher wages could not beseparated from removals,detentions and the GroupAreas Act.Saawu's new officers, electedat the conference are:I hozamile Gqwetha, presi-dent; Welcome I shangase,first vice-president; ZolileMtshelwane, second vice-president: Sisa Njikelana,general secretary; RobertsonMathe, assistant generalsecretary:, and Stanley Peter,national treasurer. ,SASPU NATrONAL 7missals.I he company has unilaterally suspended negotiations . Iclaims that workers are beingintimidated to join the uniorand that many forms havebeen falsified.A union organiser rejectecthis allegation saying that theyhad the support of the vast ma-jority of workers at thesedairies. I he union is preparedto hold a joint secret ballot tcdetermine their support.Earlier this year seven unionrepresentatives, including shopstewards and organisers, werearrested while organising out-side Beacon Sweets, forallegedly 'obstructing thepavement'. the charges wereeventually dropped and thecompany subsequently agreedto negotiate with the union.WorkerscondemnconstitutionOVER 1200 workers from theSweet Food and AlliedWorkers Union (SFAWU)have unanimously condemnedthe government's new con-stitution as racist, un-democratic and anti-worker.l his was expressed in aresolution adopted at the se-cond Southern Natal annualgeneral meeting of the union,in Pietermaritzburg lastmonth. SFAWU is a Fosatuaff i I iat e.the meeting also con-demned opportunists in theLabour Party, Solidarity Partyand the South African IndianCouncil (SAIC), 'who areprepared to share the crumbsof apartheid.'the theme of the AGMstressed unity and action for1984. the meeting called onFosatu to resist moves by thegovernment to 'break our non-racial unity' and to seek otherprogressive trade unions andcommunity organisations witha view to co-operating in 'ouropposition to the newproposals'.SFAWU president ChrisDlamini, who is also FosatuPresident, said: 'Fosatu is com-mitted to disbanding to makeway for the Federation of In-dustrial Unions.' I he door re-mains open for those who havenot joined, he said.Gawu forcesnegotiationsABOUT 400 workers at In-dustrial Leadworks in Johan-nesburg went on strike in Maydemanding recognition oftheir union and wage in-creases.Their demands for aminimum increase of 82.50per hour across the board andfor recognition of the Generaland Allied Workers Union(Gawu) were presented at ameeting between manage-ment, Gawu and workers fromthe factory.Workers decided to return towork when managementagreed to:recognise Gawu if it provedmajority support from workersenter into an agreement forsettling grievances and dis-putes*not make any deductionsfrom workers wages as a resultof time lost.A Gawu official said theywould start negotiations im-mediately and submit proof ofworkers membership to showthey have majority support inthe factory. Workers from theworkers' shop stewards com-mittee will take part innegotiations.

Page 15 of 48 EDITORIALNATIONALThe uprising that shooka nationJUNE 16, 1976, eight years ago... a student- inspired uprising shookSouth Africa to its very roots.June 26, 1955, twenty-nine years ago ... 5 000 people gathered to drawup South Africa's most democratic document - the Freedom Charter.The immediate cause of June 16 1976 was the enforced use of Afrikaansin schools and other grievances about Bantu Education. But the studentsand others were angry about more than just the school system. They werehitting back at a system which denied them proper housing, work oppor-tunities, decent wages and political rights.South Africa has never been the same again. Three groups came togetherafter the crisis: the government, businessmen with huge financial interestsin 'stabilising' the country, and foreign powers with interests of their own.They called for a more sophisticated approach to controlling conflict.This was the start of 'reform' - the name given to a process of makingapartheid less blatantly repressive and more effective in its dominationover the majority.'Reform' is presently patting itself on the back for its 'peace' pacts withSouthern African countries and for the opportunity that PW Botha hasbeen given to show it all off to friends in Europe.But as June 16 comes around once more, it becomes clear that all is notwell within apartheid's own borders. The immediate cause of the June1976 uprising is once again a site of heated opposition.Once again, at the heart of these struggles is the demand for a differentSouth Africa - one free from exploitation and oppression, where peoplehave control where it really counts - in their daily lives. And where peoplecan benefit from the vast wealth they produce, but which only the few pos-sess at present.The demand is for a South Africa based on the principles of the FreedomCharter - itself 29 years old this month.After eight years of 'reform' the government has not come near tomeeting the demands which millions accept as the blueprint for the future.THE PEOPLE SHALL GOVERN. In 1976 the students forced thel' BCs to shut down. The government then introduced community councils,and last year 'reformed' them into Local Authorities. It has taken eightyears for things to remain the same for AfricansA new constitution has been drawn up. It hopes to suck in coloureds andIndians to a system where they will have no power. A system where theyw ill bear the burden of providing services from a budget which cannot meettheir needs, where they will be cut off from mass struggles, and where theywill help suppress the aspirations of the majority.This is a far cry from the demand in the Charter for the abolition ofbodies of minority rule and their replacement by democratic organs of self-government.THE PEOPLE SHALL. SHARE IN THE COUNTRY'S WEALTH.We still see South Africa's wealth being divided into two parts each year- the 'public' wealth the government takes through taxes, and the'private' part which the owners of mines, factories, farms and banks keepfor themselves as profit.The ten top companies now own well over 70 percent of the country'swealth, and this is not being changed by 'reform'.fHE LAND SHALL BE SHARED AMONG THOSE WHO WORKIT. The 1913 Land Act which forced Africans off their land and crampedthem into 13 percent of the soil of South Africa has not changed. The ban-tustans remain the place where unemployed people are sent to spend theirdays, waiting for work in places where they cannot survive, and coming towork the farms and factories only when their labour is needed.In addition, the few remaining areas where Africans own land in 'whiteSouth Africa' are being taken away, and their inhabitants shunted out tothe homelandsALL SHALL BE EQUAL BEFORE THE LAW. 20 years ago, onJune 13, 1964, eight men were sentenced to life imprisonment for commit-ting sabotage and being members of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the militarywing of the African National Congress.Today, a life sentence later, Nelson Mandela. Govan Mbeki, WalterSisulu, Ahmed Kathrada, Andrew Mlangeni, Dennis Goldberg, EliasMotsonledi and Raymond Mhlaba are still in jail, despite the overwhemingdemands inside and outside South Africa for their release.The Charter says that no-one shall be imprisoned without a fair trial.ALI. SHALL ENJOY HUMAN RIGHTS. 'All shall be free to travelwithout restriction,' says the Charter. This year the Aliens Act was in-(roduced to add to the long list of merciless laws which have preventedjobless, poverty-stricken people from seeking work in the factories andmines of their own country.It is a sign of how far the government is prepared to take influx control- South Africans who have been made 'citizens' of independant ban-tustans by the stroke of a government pen will be forced to pay a depositbefore entering the land of their birth.THERE SHALL BE WORK AND SECURITY. The working class inSouth Africa today have little security and many have no work. Nearlythree million are unemployed, and those that have jobs earn extremely lowwages.Not a day goes by without workers fighting battles with greedy ownerswho refuse to negotiate wages, working conditions and recognition of un-ions, who fire workers without a second thought when their profits are be-ing threatened and who call in police to settle strikes and disputes.THERE SHALL BE HOUSES, SECURITY AND COMFORT. Thehousing shortage in South Africa today is 426 000 in African areas alone.There are no signs of this getting better.In the budget this year R8 million was set aside to build houses, andR109 million to pull them down through resettlement. The rest of themoney for housing goes to loans for people to build their own houses sothat the government does not have to foot the bill itself.Yet as they have done this, so resistance has increased. In 1955democrats said: ''These freedoms we will fight for, side by side, throughoutour lives, until we have won our liberty.' Today, millions actively echo thatby organising and taking part in resistance to exploitation and oppressionin whatever way they can.Reform can never work. The 'solutions' being implemented entrench theproblems that South Africans have always opposed and will continue to op-pose. 1976 was a turning point in the nature of resistance. Students paid aprice which can never be repaid - the cost of giving lives in the strugglefor freedom.Massive LoncIori' riarchspoils PW's PR jobSA's newspapers celebrated as European leaders welcomed rime ministerBotha on 1s recent tour. There was little to celebrate and much to condemnaccording to 50 000 British protestersSOU I I I AFRICAN newspapers were quick to celebrateprime minister P W Botha's much publicised tour ofEurope with headlines reading: 'P W breaks SA isola-tion.'By his own admis-sion. Botha is on amission to salvagethe South Africanimage, to try makefriends and influencepeople.\\ hile somebelieve him, thou-sands of antiapartheid eam-paigners, particularlyin Britain, havemade it clear theysee no changes inapartheid and findthe invitation toBotha repugnantand insulting.this rejection ofapartheid was clearlydemonstrated in Bri-tain on June _' -- theday Botha was

Page 16 of 48 in-vited to lunch atChequers. Britishprime ministerklargaret I hatcher'scountry residence.EiltN thousandpeople were led byAdelaide I ambo.wife of AfricanNational Congress( AN() leader OliyerI it mbo. andArchbishop I revorIIuddleston, leaderof the Anti-Apartheid Move-ment (AAM). I heymarched to IllDowning Street,I hatcher's officialresidence. and thengathered at flydePark where speakersfrom variouspolitical organisa-tions addressed thecrowd.Lresu Its:Botha was forced to meet I hatcher outside of Britain'scapital city of Londonn. . ..,"'l; - ...... ON 0ZFlags and banners of many organistions including theANC. Pan African Congress (PAC) and Swapo werese-.-n during the march.AAM leaders applauded the biggest rally ever held inits 25 year fight against racism. the demonstration -which caused a four-hour traffic jam - had significantLeaders of' .AAM-eceiycd official at-ention Ior the firstimc From theConservative_overnmentBotha's tripproyokcd un-ireccdentcd opposi-ion in Britain.Leader of theBlack Britishhanding Committee\gainst Apartheid,Paul Stephenson,;aid: '\\ c arc here toell Botha to get outA Britain and toset Nelson Mandela.tut of fail.'Iluddleston at-:acked \\ cstern=oycrnmcnts for lail-nc to undcrsland thebroader in)pltca(lollstf apartheid and for,velcontine Botha toheir countries.Other speakers in-cluded Johnny\lakhatini. head ofhe InternationalDepartment of the,\NC', and Jacob'Iannai. a Swapoeprcscntatis c.Many hclicyelotltas trip aimed toell Europe the im-tge of :t 'peaceful'Ind 'changing' South\frican government.:online as it does hotto the heels ofdkomati. Angolantnd Namibian talkstnd a new constitu-ion.United)emocralic frontwhlicits secretaryerror I.ekota saidof the trip: 'It is a bidby the nationalistPart of the 50 000-strong crowd that marched against P W Bothagovernment to sell the constitution and link up with theirwestern imperialist patrons. Even :ts Botha is paradingthe new constitution abroad. Rome is burning.'UDF= patron, Allan Boesak, said: 'Until Botha makeshis peace with the majority of South Africans, there willhe no peace for South Africa.'aBotha has tried reform, but repres-sion and reform are two sides of thesame coin,' he said.f le said the award was significantfor the Ul)E in a number of ways. Itgives international recognition to theUL)E-s opposition to apartheid. Itdemonstrates that the workers ofSweden reject apartheid and supportthe South African struggle. andrepresents the endeavours of theSwedish workers to make the idealsof the declaration of human rights areality throughout the world.UDF collects human rights prizeUNITED DEMOCRATIC Front(UDF) national treasurer andnational executive member, CassimSaloojee and I ransvaal co-ordinatorof the Million Signature Campaign,Murpheson Morobi, recentlyreceived the 'Live Let Live' award inSweden.I he award - inspired by the un-iversal declaration of human rights -acknowledged the UDE's strugglefor a just and democratic SouthAfrica.Accepting the award, Morobi saidit should belong to Mandela, andpaid tribute to South Africa's im-prisoned, banned, detained and ex-iled leaders. the UDF national presi-dents were refused visas to travel toSweden to receive the award.Prior to the presentation a seminaron South Africa was held. Specialguest at the discussion was the writerBasil Davidson.the award is sponsored by theSwedish newspaper Arbetet, arepresentative of the Swedish labourmovement. I he Arbetet editor andSwedish foreign minister presided atthe ceremony.Morobi stressed how Nkomati, theoccupation of Namibia and the stall-,ing on independence for Namibiademonstrated the South Africangovernment's determination to im-pose its evil designs on the subconti-nent.Ile said the new constitution wasaimed at lending Botha internationalcredibility.While Botha presents a face ofreform, the true face of South Africais one of denationalisation. pass laws,imprisonment. detention withouttrial, and the deprivation of school-ing, Morobi said.'In the face of continued resistance,SUBSCRIBE!!RATES (for tenStudentscopies)South Africa: Overseas:R10,00 R20,00IndividualsR20,00 R40,00ProfessionalsInstitutionsR40,00 R60,00SASPU FOCUS1 South Court40 Jorissen StreetBraamfonteinJohannesburgAll cheques to bemade out toSASPU FOCUS

Page 17 of 48 POLIT(CAL'COMMENT ...... SASPU NATJONAL.9CONGRESS OF 1SOUTH AFRICAN C~FGISTUDS+'t46777ITY IS (~ L - _ _ -41% 1 Aoe* .aAllRWAR141TIuQlf.~iG A W Ur~ r'OCR ATICFRgyr,7r.G!la4vsI.tTLOUR WORLDS are small. As housewivesand factory workers, students and ruraldwellers we are exposed to only a small partof life and how it works. Interpretations oflife vary from person to person.From experience we draw conclusionsabout what is right and wrong, and theseconclusions guide us in deciding to acceptor to change our lives and our society.Such decisions are fundamentally politicalbecause life in a divided and unequalsociety is political. Political because onegroup of people control others. They havegained control of key resources andorganisations and use them to their advan-tage.In a capitalist society this means controlof the factories, farms and mines, shops,banks and businesses. Once these are underthe control of one group all other peoplehave to work for them, unless they are will-ing to starve or steal.In South Africa people were moved off the land, often withforce to work under strict controls on farms and mines. Thenewly created working class did not volunteer for a life of ex-ploitation, working long hours under boring, difficult anddangerous conditions for fish and chips wages.Workers have no choice. Those who rule over the system ofpower and privilege are not readily going to share it with the 25million people excluded from its benefits and whose sweat is es-sential to their on-going prosperity.I his is why those in power attempt to make sure they controlthe workers in many ways - at home, at school, in theworkplace, in the rural areas, through the media, religion andthe government with all of its tentacles - the army, police,prisons, courts and administration boards.Such control is political and must be seen in this light. Thesystem of domination and exploitation can only be changed bychallenging the control mechanisms that are responsible formaintaining it.the problem is finding a starting point. What must bechallenged first'! There are many issues such as pass raids, poorwages and the lack of a vote which have to be confronted.All these things work together to maintain the status quo.I he stakes are high and the risks are great. The means wehave are our determination to change, the understanding andprinciples that guide us and our numbers. But all these are onlyhigh ideals if we cannot weld them into a force capable ofchallenging the ruling class.There is politics ofa different class inSouth Africa todaySince 1979 activists have placed heavy emphasis on the needneed to organise, mobilise and educate people.They said the starting point must be the place where peopleexperience domination and oppression. This is what concernspeople directly and immediately and it is also where and howthe ruling class maintains power.Class power and the domination and exploitation that go withit does not exist merely in theory or occur automatically. It isconstantly and comprehensively applied through real function-ing organisations. V1 'e form willing or unwilling parts of thisprocess.Changing South Africa into a truly democratic society meanschanging the balance of existing forces, and thus the organisa-tions maintaining that balance. That is why so many grassrootsorganisations emerged in the schools, rural areas, factories,townships and among women and youth.1 rade unions fight intransigent bosses. Students organiseagainst inferior education. Civic associations demand betterconditions for township dwellers and oppose increased rentsand bus fares.Womens groups have started the fight against the tripleburden they bear as black women under apartheid, exploitedworkers and as the so-called weaker sex in a male dominatedsociety.Youth groups help people out of school, out of work and withno opportunity to make a start in life. Artists, sportspeople,professionals and religious groups have all started to organisethemselves.I ogether they make up the progressive movement, each witha specific set of issues and interests.I his is both a strength and a weakness. It is a strength becauseit gives organisations a base. They represent a defined group towhich they are accountable.But there are issues which fall outside of that mandate andthere are some issues which they are not designed to cope with.By uniting the different sections of the dominated groups theseorganisations can challenge more than just the immediate is-sues which plague their members.Each organisation is tackling one aspect of an overall system.United they can overhaul that system from top to bottom.The needs and interests of each group are different and thetasks facing organisations vary. So do the conditions underwhich they organise.All these groups have found they have to be constantly awareof their members' needs. Otherwise their activities and de-mands make no sense and they lose support or just run out ofsteam.Community groups find their members get home late andtired from work. This makes it difficult to get people. togetherto discuss, plan and act.Women activists have to put up withdemanding families who expect women tocook and clean.Workers face the responsibility of feeding,clothing and housing their families and a joband more money for this is the priority ofany worker organisation.Organisers have had to ensure they haveon-going activities that cater for the basicneeds of organisations and members, andthat their members participate directly inthem.I he last couple of years have shown againand again that only those organisations withstructures and a programme of activity havebeen effective in their spheres. It is onlythese organisations that have really beenable to bring people together to take deci-sions and act.South Africa is divided between those who dominate and control, andthose subjected to their power. This control is exerted in every corner ofsociety, through factories, schools, townships, racism and poverty ...Building a democratic society means challenging this power throughunions, community, youth, student and women's organisations. Anduniting these organisations into a strong political voice.Te struggles waged in the last few yearshave been essential in building up thestrength and awareness of many communities. -I hey have.challenged the machinery of exploitationand achieved considerable success.More activists are stressing the need for an organisationcapable of joining all these grassroot movements together.I hey said the issues they are taking up can never really bewon while society remains unequal and unjust. People haveseen that a challenge to one part of the network of dominationis not necessarilly a challenge to the system itself.For example, trade unions have had to face the fact that notonly the bosses are defending their profits and possessions, butthe government as well. While unions fight for rights of workersin the factory, workers are forced to carry passes and live intownships where they may lose their house or even their rightto remain in an urban area.I hese are all

Page 18 of 48 problems unions cannot take up effectively, butwhich affect the workers daily lives. Workers do not share inthe wealth they produce, and the profits of their labour are notused to build houses and schools, or to pay reasonable pensionsand unemployment allowances.Tis demands that workers confront structures which oftenaffect their day to day existence, not just their individualemployment situation. Some of these problems also face civicorganisations, but some can only be effectively handled by apolitical movement uniting the civic, union and other organisa-tions.Some trade unions recognise this problem. Because they arenot in a position to organise, mobilise and educate outside oftheir constituency, they stress the need for a political groupingthat can take up their underlying political problems.All sectors are aware that such a grouping would have to bebuilt up slowly and democratically with the full participationand agreement of its affiliates. Trade unions, students, womensand c9mmunity groups could define which issues of politicalimportance underly the local constituency problems they faceand agree on the best way to challenge these. In this way theroots of domination would be dug out of the ground and heldup for all to see. Then we can talk in earnest about the sort ofsociety we want and how to build it.

Page 19 of 48 REPORT$ _ .The Van Heerden Trial: Allegations,SASPU NAY)OWAM . lddenials and three silences await verdict after nine weeks in courtsCraig Wllllamson with bodyguard- allegations propaganda' said.,KentridgeTI-If NINE-WEEK 'torture'trial, in which Mr Auret vanIleerden is suing 10 securitypolicemen in their personalcapacity for R 113 000, is overand judgement is expectedsoon.Only seven gave evidence todefend themselves against theallegations of maltreatmentand torture.I he three not givingevidence were: Major ArthurCronwright, the man in chargeof van F leerden's detentionfrom September 24, 1981, toJuly 1982, Major Visser,described by van Ileerden'sadvocate as'probably the mostbrutal of the torturers'; andCaptain Andries Struwig, whoin 1981 was found by the Ap-peal court to have assaulted adetainee, Linda Mogale.HyromSlomowitz,defending theten securitypolicemen whoallegedlytortured VanHeerdenVan Fleerden (29), a formerNusas president, alleged thathe was kept awake and sub-jected to the most 'terrifying'torture for 36 hours at theBenoni Police Station onNovember 18 and 19.I he Pretoria Supreme Courtheard that a squad of sixsecurity policemen, MajorStephanus Abrie, Warrant Of-HorrorEXACI LY ONE year afterDriefontein community leaderSaul Mkhize died in a shotgunblast, Constable JohannesNienaber - who fired the shot- was acquitted of murder ina circuit court in Volksrust.Nienaber claimed he fired inself defence. l he incident tookplace at a meeting of Driefon-tein residents to protest theirplanned removal from thearea.Nfkhize, 48, was chairpersonof the Driefontein Council ofDirectors, formed to resist theficer Lawrence Prince, MajorVisser, Major Petrus Olivier,Lieutenant Pieter Botes andLieutenant Johan vanAswegen, organisedthemselves into shifts to in-terrogate van Fleerden con-tinuously for 36 hours.Van f leerden alleged thatremovals. I he community hasowned their land nearDriefontein since 1912. 1 hegovernment plans to resettle 5000 black farmers in camps inLochiel, KaNgwane andBabanango.I he protest meeting lastApril at which Mkhize diedbecame violent, Nienaberclaimed. State witness DavidNkonyane, however, told thecourt that the crowd was sub-dued until Nienaber arrived.l he crowd only becameangry, he said, when NienaberAuret Van Heerden, ex-Nusaspresident claims Benonl Squadtortured him for 'terrifying'36 hourserdict onBenoni sixtorture trialis due soonone or more of the Benonisquad handcuffed his wrists tohis ankle and forced him, un-der threat of assault, to remainstanding in that position fortwo spells of over ten hours,pulled a canvas bag over hishead and poured water on it,strangled him with a wet towel,and repeatedly administeredat acquittal ofgrabbed Mkhize by the collarand punched him in the face._ Nkonyane and other statewitnesses denied thatNienaber had been assaulted.Community councillorMordechai Maseko saidMkhize calmed the crowdwhen it became angry.Witnesses also said Nienaberwas permitted to walk throughthe gate in the 2,3m highschool yard fence and get intohis van.In a later case before the cir-cuit court, the same judge Mrelectric shocks to his body,pummelled his head with anopen hand, pulled him aroundby his hair, kneed him in theface, whipped the soles of hisfeet with a sjambok, assaultedhis testicles and struck hisbody with their fists.Van Fleerden also allegedthat throughout the followingMkhize's killerJustice J P O de Villiers, con-victed three policemen fromthe Dirkiesdorp police stationof assault with intent to dogrievious bodily harm.Warrant officer Gert Johan-nes Coetzee and Christo flat-tingh, and Constable DirkKruger admitted illegally usingelectric shocks to get informa-tion from prisoners.l he actions of the threepolicemen led to the death oflemba Manana, who hadbeen arrested on suspicion ofstock theft.Majors Olivier and Abrie - twoof the 'Benoni Squadtorturers'months in detention he wasthreatened with victimisationand reprisals if he revealed hismaltreatment or that of DrNeil Aggett, who died indetention in February 1982.According to AdvocateSydney Kentridge, SC for vanIleerden, the security policehad problems inreconstructing what had hap-pened to the detainee duringthe 36 hours of the alleged tor-ture and in the following 59hours.In his evidence, Warrant Of-ficer Prince suggested that a'breakthrough' in Mr vanIleerden's interrogation hap-pened on November 17 atJohn Vorster Square or in thecar on the way to Benoni. Ilesaid the Benoni team had'newammunition' to interrogate Mrvan Ileerden with.But Major Abrie, who was incharge of the interrogation atBenoni, testified that they hadno new information andalleged van Ileerden co-operated from the start.I wo magistrates testifiedthat on four occasions theyhad attempted to visit Mr vanI leerden in the week after thealleged torture but were toldIlattingh and Coetzee werelined R 1 000 each and givensuspended jail sentences,Kruger was fined R500 in ad-dition to his suspendedsentence.A police spokesperson con-firmed that all three are stillmembers of the police force.In the week of Manana sdeath, a young shepherd,Zephaniah Sibanyoni also diedafter being arrested forsuspected stock theft. Hisparents were told he had diedof an epileptic fit.Capt Struwlg (right) with W/OPrince. Struwlg did not defendallegationsthat he was 'unavailable'.Van Ileerden said he lived indaily fear of detention and tor-ture.During the trial formerpolice spy Major CraigWilliamson alleged vanIleerden had been one of hisinformants and suggested itwas unlikely that he had beentortured.Williamson, now securitypolice intelligence head, alsoalleged van Ileerden hadbrought the action as a'deliberate attempt to furtherthe aims and objectives of theAfrican National Congress.'Kentridge describedWilliamson's evidence as be-ing 'propaganda' to counterthe negative publicity arisingfrom the case and to discreditvan Ileerden politically.Van Ileerden would nothave sued the policemen if hehad been an informant as hewould have been unmasked asa spy and his political careerextinguished, Kentridge said.Williamson claimed to havereceived certain informationfrom van Fleerden inDecember 1980. Kentridgesaid this information camefrom statements made indetention by van Ileerden andfellow detainees Barbaraf logan, Cedric de Beer andRev Cedric Mason.Van Ileerden told the courtthat shortly after the allegedtorture Warrant Officer Princegave him tablets to reduceswelling and bruising. lie hadmemorised the name of thetablets and the pharmacy.Warrant Officer Prince deniedthis allegation.Van Ileerden's legal teamthen produced the prescrip-tion and the pharmacist whoconfirmed he had issued thetablets to a LieutenantSwanepoel, of the Benonisecurity police.IN THE COURTSLOUIS TRICHARDEx-Sowetostudents jailedTWO MEMBERS of theAfrican National Congresswere convicted of high treasonon April I I and sentenced to12 years jail by the LouisI richardt Circuit' Court.Philemon Morake and FransRanoto, both 28, pleaded notguilty to high treason and at-tempted murder.Mr Ranoto told the

Page 20 of 48 courtthat before he left the countryfor Swaziland and training inthe Soviet Union he saw twogirls shot, one fatally, by policein Soweto in June 1976. Ilesaid the pupils were peacefullydemonstrating againstAfrikaans instruction in schoolwhen they were shot.Mr Morake told the court heeft South Africa for Lesothon 1978. Ile later received,asic training in Luanda in theandling of firearms,opography drill, political tac-ics and physical training. lievent to the GermanDemocratic Republic forspecialist training.I he judgd said that ' ac-cording to evidence a newIront for the ANC was to heopened to South Africa andVenda. I he men were on amission to study the localterrain, recruit members andset up arms caches to pave theway for future ANC actions.JOHANNESBURGMalatjis willsue ministerIIIE PARENIS of detaineeParis Malatji -- shot dead dur-ing interrogation by SergeantVan As at Soweto's Proteapolice station last July - aresueing the police for R51 600.Summons was served on theMinister of Police in Januaryand he has given notice that hewill defend. Sgt Van As wasconvicted (.f culpablehomicide by the WandSupreme Court and given a 10year jail sentence.SOWETODube still inafter three yearsSOU 111 AFRICA's longestserving detainee, Abel Dube,completed' three 'years ofMgwali residents, Mr Dyanl and Mr Glza on their release from detentionCiskei may pay for Mgwali raidNINE MGWALI residentswho were detained inFebruary, are sueing theCiskei authorities for abduc-tion, unlawful arrest and im-prisonment.Ciskei authorities raidedMgwali, which is part of SouthAfrica, arresting mainlymembers of the Mgwali Resi-dents Association (MRA) anddetention last month with nosign of release.Mr Dube was detained inApril, 1982, and is being heldunder Section 28(I) of theinternal Security Act whichallows for indefinite detention.In November last year, Dube'sdetention was extended foranother year.their relatives.The M RA was set up to op-pose removal.to the Ciskei.A Mgwali spokesperson said:' I hese arrests are done pur-posefully to make the people.scared so that they will notsupport the MRA.' Hechallenged the Ciskei officialsto test how the residents feelabout their removal. 'We areMDANTSANECiskei two-year trial overFOUR MDANTSANE menwere jailed on April 21 for aneffective three years after amarathon two year,tSial in,the,time. 1 hree years on eachcount were suspended. MrManinjwa received another sixmonths jail for ANC activities.MARITZBURGCourt blastsstiff sentenceEDGAR SI1 IIABISOMahlobo was found guilty ofhigh treason and sentenced to20 years imprisonment in thePietermaritzburg SupremeCourt recently.Mahlobo, 25, of Mobenitownship in Escourt - one ofthree men charged with hightreason - was convicted forplanting bombs at the new andold Supreme Court buildingsin Pietermaritzburg in marchand April, 1983.Poet and youth worker, BenDikobe Martins, 27, wassentenced to 10 years forterrorism. lie was found guiltyof helping to conceal trunkscontaining arms, ammunitionand detonators, some of whichwere used by Mahlobo.I he court found he sent agroup of youths to Lesotho tobe 'indoctrinated' by the ANC.Duma GqubuTe, 19, a un-'iversity student and son ofesure that 95 percent of Mgwalldoes not want to move.'The nine ex-detainees aredemanding R92 500 compen-sation from the Ciskeiauthorities. They are sueingfor RIO 000 each, while Sen-didiko Fanti is claiming an ad-ditional R2 000 for alleged as-sault by the Ciskei securitypolice.Ciskei Supreme Court.William Duna. 31, DumsaniManinjwa, 31, Bayi Keye, 52,and Luyanda Mayekiso, 24,were sentenced to 12 yearseach for guerilla actions andanother six years for belongingto the African NationalCongress (ANC). I hesentences will run at, the,same

Page 21 of 48 REPORTSSASPU NATIONAL'ilTOUGH NEW influx controlmeasures are being slipped inthrough the back door underthe name of the Aliens and Im-migration Amendment Billwhich could affect the lives ofsome 8,5 million people.After receiving widespreadopposition last year, aspects ofthe notorious Orderly Move-ment Bill have been includedin the new Bill introduced thissession in parliament.A section of the Bill said of-ficials implementing the lawwould also be considered pas-sport control officers whereAfricans were concerned.I hey would perform any func-tion the director-general of theDepartment of Co-operationand Development (CAD)might decide on.In 1982 officials of CAD, theadministration boards, theSAP and the railways police%sere given powers of 'passportcontrol officers'.UDF national publicitysecretary Mosiua l.ekota said:'If the Bill is indeed not aimedat tightening influx control, wechallenge the minister to inserta clause into the Bill specifical-ly indicating that it will not beapplicable to bantustan-boundSouth Africans.-I he Bill defines an 'alien' assomeone who is not a SouthAfrican citizen. -Ibis includesall people from the 'indepen-dent' bantustans of l ranskei,Ciskei, Venda andBophuthatswana and thosewho speak the languages ofthose regions.Ibis is what the new AliensBill includes:*An 'alien' on entering SouthAfrica must pay a fee to a pas-sport control officer to get atemporary permit. The fee willhe refunded on leaving thecountry. But if the permitholder does anything which isnot in accordance with theterms of the permit. he or shecould lose the money. Thiscould be used to place strictcontrols on workers. 'Illegalstrike action' or being firedcould result in a person losingthe deposit.All 'aliens' will have to showproof on the spot that theyhave a permit or don't needone. -Ibis is even harsher thanthe current pass laws wherepolice should give people a'reasonable' amount of time toNew influx Bill givesgovernment powers tomake aliens of millionswSouth Africa's unemployed ... one of the Aliens Bill's targetsproduce passes. Punishmentfor not producing a permit willbe 8600 or six months inprison.*Like the Orderly MovementBill, it will crack down onthose who employ or give ac-comodation to 'aliens' withoutpermits. They could face a R5000 fine or two years in jail. Allemployers will have to keep alist of all 'aliens' working forthem.*Forging a permit or passportwill result in a maximum fineof R 10 (XX) or five years jail.Laws controlling the entryand employment of foreignershave been used against SouthAfricans before. In 1981, 36(X)residents of Nyanga Bush nearCape I own were deported un-der the Regulation of Ad-ministration of Persons to theRepublic Act. As 'citizens' ofthe Ciskei. they were con-sidered to be aliens, and ex-pelled without the governmenthaving to go through lengthyRrft.df+ry 'v.wwcourt procedures. It is believedthat thousands of others havebeen deported in this way.Pass law arrests have in-creased. In 1982, 95 508 wereconvicted in the urban areasunder the pass laws. In 1983this rose to 142 067. In 1982,206 022 people were arrestedfor pass-law offences - thismeans 564 people a day, orone person every 2,5 minutes.In the same year 98 507Africans were arrested underthe I respass Act, another lawwhich is used as a backup tothe pass laws.In August 1983, the govern-ment announced that thefamilies of people who havesection 10(1 )b qualificationscould only live with them if theperson had their own house -ie. a rented house, a housethey had bought or marriedquarters. Rented accomoda-tion in another person's housewas not considered adequate.With the huge shortage ofhousing in the townships,many people who gained10( I )b qualifications have beenunable to get housing so theycould not bring their familiesto live with them.I n the past, people whocould not get hold of theirbirth certificates could submittkso affidavits of proof thatthey were born in the urbanarea. l he AdministrationBoards will only accept birthcertificates as proof, making itdifficult for people to claimsection 10 rights.Even if the government doesnot use the Aliens Bill asanother pass law immediately,its effects could be serious forcontract workers fromcountries such as Lesotho,Mozambique and Malawi whowork in South Africa undertemporary permits.They will be in the frontlinefor possible deportation if theAliens Bill becomes law.Quiet determination to resist removalsLadysmith facesforced removalsI N I I I E past month a new set-tlement of 500 toilets hassprung up on the farm Waayflock, about 50 ken east ofLadysmith.I \yo removals squads haveset up operations betweenF/akheni and f:kuvukem.I hese are signs of thegovernment's determination tostove people from blackfreehold areas aroundLadysmith to I rust farms castof Ladysmith which %serebought from whites in the mid-60's for the purpose of massiveresettlement.Al a public meeting in 1982.Koomhof said IM (1(X) peopleliving in the nine blackfreehold areas %yould hemoved within the next lour tofive %ears.Due to the people's strongresistance and the govern-ment's financial problemsnone were moved.But in April, the DeputyMinister of Development andLand Affairs announced thatMatiwane's Kop would bemoved 'as sown as compen-satory land has beendeveloped'.I he government has clearedmost of the black freeholdareas in Northern Natal andnow it is concentrating on theLadysmith district which isfacing the largest removals ofany rural area in the country.Over 2(X) 000 people will be af-fected.l he people of Matiwane'sKop and Steincoalspruit arethe most threatened at the mo-ment. However, the blackfreehold areas of Lusitania,'rMbuI~kane, Blue Bank,Driefontein. Balderskraal,Ndomane and Jonone's Kopalso lace removal. All theseareas overe bought by Africansin the late I8(N)'s, befitrc the1913 Land \cl stopped themhu0ne land.In `1978. tenants at Stein-coalspruit ~scre moved toI kuvukeni a settlement ofabout 20 (1(X) people. kno%% n as'I:kufeni', meaning 'death'.\I Steincoalspruit, coal is animportant factor in theirresistance to reanoval.I he Surplus People's Projectfound that at least 1I) of theblack spots in Natal have highquality coal deposits.I'latherg Colliery made of-lers to some of these Ian-do%%ncrs to mine coal. IheNNsilhdrew their offer alter thegovernment expropriated theland.In March a Driefontein Ac-tion Committee representing7(1(x1() people and a Ladysmithumbrella body were formed tolight removals.Inkatha's role in removalshas been contradictory. OneInkatha MP, Mr S Sithehi, ispublicly committed to oppos-ing the removals. But Nat MPIor Ladysmith. Mr Volker.revealedthat talks were held%%ith Inkatha representativeslinking the removals of 20((X)people to industrial develop-ment in the I ugela Basin.I here are certainly peopleopposed to Inkatha in thethreatened areas. If Inkatha in-sists that all opposition toremovals fall under its wing, itis likely to weaken this opposi-tion.IN THE COURTSGqubule, was sentenced to 30months imprisonment,suspended for 5 years,provided he did not con-travene the Internal SecurityAct.It was found he had ac-comodated Mahlobo

Page 22 of 48 andanother ANC insurgent at hishome for a night and arrangedtransport for them the nextday.Justice Kannemeyer said hemight have passed the deathsentence had Mahlobo's ac-tivities resulted in loss of life ormore gross injuries.f le accepted Mahlobo hadno deliberate intention to killbut said he showed 'recklessdisregard of the conse-quences'.I he court found Mahlobohad undergone ANC militarytraining outside the country in1980. Ile returned to plant ex-plosives and to reconnoitre theEstcourt and Pietermaritzburgdistricts.Although Martins had neverleft the country for militarytraining he was an ANC sup-porter who assisted Mahlobo,the judge said.Mbuyo Tom, 31, a doctor,was sentenced to three yearsimprisonment for refusing to'testify against Mahlobo.-MARITZBURGNgcobo getstwenty yearsAFRICAN NATIONALCongress saboteur Them-binkosi Paulson Ngcobo wassentenced in the Pietermaritz-burg Supreme Court onMarch 20 to an effective 20years imprisonment for caus-ing bomb blasts in the city andfurthering the aims of theANC.Ngcobo (23), who admittedcausing four explosions in thecity last year, pleaded guilty.Ngcobo was apprehendedlast November while carryinga bomb near the Pietermaritz-burg City [fall where primeminister P W Botha was ad'dressing a packed referendumaudience.lie told the court he hadchanged his mind aboutplanting the bomb as hisorders were not to injure orkill anyone.Ngcobo who had allegedlyreceived military training, wasfound guilty on seven chargesof terrorism. On four countshe was sentenced to twentyyears each and ten years eachon the other three. Thesentences run concurrently.At the start of the trialNgcobo admitted in state-ments that he had bombed theCollege Road Supreme Court,the Drakensberg Administra-tion Board in Sobantu, andtwo pylons in the city.I he Judge-President of theNorthern Cape, Mr Justice RP Jacobs. said he noted inNgcobo's favour that he hadbeen moving away from thecity hall and that his attackswere committed without anyintention to injure anyone.-Ibe judge found that thedeath sentence was not ap-propriate.After sentence was passed,Ngcobo, a former factoryworker and president of theDCO Matiwane YouthLeague, turned to the galleryand gave a clenched-fist salute.CAPE TOWNMotorcadesout for someA CAPE Town magistrate hasfound that a UDF motorcadeconstituted an illegal gatheringand fined the 26 participantsR50 toe 25days) each. . .The motorcade of ten carsformed part of the UDF peo-ple's weekend celebrations inCape Town last year.In his judgement themagistrate said, 'the placardsdisplayed on the cars sup-ported the argument that thegathering was politically in-clined and of the nature whichthe legislature intended toprohibit.'According to police, the 26were arrested and chargedbecause of the 'volatile and ex-plosive atmosphere' sur-rounding the white referen-dum on the constitution.Major Godfrey Biccardtestified that 'all the cars weredecked with placards of apolitical nature, concerningopposition to apartheid, it wasapparent to me that they werej trying to belittle the referen-dum.'When asked by the defenceadvocate, Mr. A. Omar,whether the motorcade led bythe Prime Minister in Georgeon November 2 was not alsopolitical, Major Biccard saidhe had nothing against 'thatsort' of procession.Some of the UDF supportersinvolved had sought legal ad-vice before the, motorcade. Ai,-.,torney, Mr. Essa Moosatestified he had advised thatthe cavalcade was legal. figalso said he understood theyhad consulted two otherlawyers in addition to himself.It is understood they will ap-peal against the conviction.JOHANNESBURGHogan actionon conditionsBARBARA IIOGAN, servinga ten-year sentence for hightreason, has brought an actionalleging 'cruel and inhumantreatment' against the officercommanding the Johan-nesburg Prions, Brigadier C GMatthee and the Commis-sioner of Prisons.In affidavits presented to thecourt, flogan alleged she wasnot receiving adequate exer-cise and medical treatment,had been isolated from otherprisoners and had not been.adequately informed of herrights.In her affidavit flogan said:'Sometimes days would passand I would not be allowed toexercise outdoors at all ...Some time during February Iwas told I was not permitted togg ,puts( e_. - Regrettably /became hysterical.' After thatincident flogan washospitalised under sedation fora week.The affidavit also saidseparation from otherprisoners had starved her ofcontact with others, which wasvital to her well- being.'Unless my position isclarified and my treatment puton a proper basis ... 1 fear Imay not survive mentally andphysically,' the affidavit con-eluded.Brigadier Matthee submittedan affidavit saying he had in-vestigated the matter fully. liedenied most of Ilogan's allega-tions and said officials hadtreated her better than theywere required to.Ilogan submitted a secondaffidavit rejecting Matthee'sclaims.lbe case was postponed un-til August 20.Ilogan has subsequentlybeen transferred to PretoriaCentral prison where otherwhite woman politicalprisoners, Ruth Gerhardt andJansie Lourens, are held.Ilogan's lawyer said this wouldnot affect the action she hadbrought against the prisonauthoriiirs, . .

Page 23 of 48 SOU l H AFRICAN militaryraids, a weakened economy and aseries of natural disasters putMozambique on the path tonegotiations with its hostile SouthAfrican neighbour and the even-tual signing of the Nkomati Ac-cord.Under the agreement of non-aggression and good neighbourliness,signed by Mozambique and SouthAfrica on March 16, Mozambiqueagreed to prevent its territory beingused for recruiting. transit, or shelterby ANA guerillas.In exchange Pretoria agreed to stopbacking the ,Mozambique NationalResistance :'Movement.Announcing the start of talks withSouth Africa. president SamoraMachel declared: 'You can't chooseyour neighbours.':Mozambique was in no position toprotect itself from South African andSouth African-backed attacks on itsterritory and economy and had nowish to throw the region into a longand bitter war.Diplomacy was seen as the bestweapon to stop the attacks and pullSouth African support away from theMNR.Both South Africa and Mozambi-que found it impossible to continuewith South Africa's military strategy,and so the military war has beenshifted to the diplomatic arena.In August. 1982. Mozambique'spresident. Samora Machel said: 'Wedo not represent a threat to anyone.neither militarily nor economically.No sensible person could think thatan underdeveloped and poor countrylike ours could threaten ... a powerlike South Africa. In fact the onlything the regime has to fear is our ex-ample.An editorial in the Maputo dailynewspaper. 'Noticas'. said Mozambi-que 'had shown that for our part weeliminated .+ long time ago the causeof violence and instability.''By defeating the Portuguesecolonialism. by eliminating the ex-pioitation and discrimination that ithrought in its train. we also removedthe nests of violence in our country.'In building a nation that 'states asits prime value respect for life,freedom. equality and dignity'Mozambique had laid the basic foun-dations for peace.Peace with South Africa wouldallow Mozambique to build on thesefoundations.' I o huy more tractors. to producelood and fewer tanks,' Machel said.Oil signing the Accord. Machelsaid Mozambique had proposedpeaceful co-existence sinceDecember 1982. and made a peacepact offer to a South Africanministerial delegation on December17.I he offer was turned down. SouthAfrica wanted economic relationsonly. It insisted that apartheid andthe bantustan policy be accepted andthe ANC removed from Mozambi-que.I his was rejected and Mozambiquemet with a new wave of violencefrom South Africa.I v(enty-seven months later SouthAfrica had to rethink its policy ofdestahilisation which was reapingnegative results.It was not ending armed sabotageby the ANC inside South Africa. Ithad not forced neighbouring states toaccept apartheid or change theirsystem of government.In tact it only helped to worsenSouth Africa's image abroad and putSouth Africans, not NkoI HERE CAN be no lasting peace in theregion until apartheid is ended.Ibis was the message from the six FrontlineStates to the Botha government following asummit meeting in Arusha, Tanzania, lastmonth.In a joint statement, Frontline leaderscalled on the South African government toopen up dialogue with the genuine represen-tatives of the people of South Africa in orderto end apartheid through peaceful means.Masire of Botswana, Samora Machel ofMozambique, Julius Nyerere of Tanzania,Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia and RobertMugabe of Zimbabwe.l he leaders said apartheid should beabolished by peaceful means.this however, would only be possiblethrough a process agreed upon in free discus-sions between the present South Africangovernment and the genuine representativesof the people of South Africa.On the Nkomati Accord, the leaders saidthey hoped South Africa would live up to itspromise to end support for the bandits.In South Africa, United Democratic Front1 he meettn'g' 409 attended' by ptesidehts' Vet&e' the -'dtscit!ssions -o6618'-be 'fteld,- hhe'feeders'tli>lnked~'A%todmbk~ti~"tot Its ' pt161iefty secretary; 'Mosiad Tekbta 'said' aJose Eduardo dos Santos of Angola. Quett however, Pretoria would have to accept the commitment to continued moral, political large part of the criticism of the Nkomati Ac-The painbehindthe peaceIt was no sudden rush of enthusiasm for South Africa thatdrove Samora Machel to sign at Nkomati. It was sheer, pain-ful necessity ....~IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIILet me tell you a little secret ... SA and Swaziland announce their two year old security pact 'Tractors not toTHE SWAZI government haschosen a path of violence to wipe outthe ANC in Swaziland.While ;Mozambique has kept itscommitment to the ANC followingthe Nkomati Accord, Swaziland hasrapidly stepped up its harassment.After the ' komati Accord wassigned, the Swazi government starteda harsh crackdown on ANC membersand South African refugees. Thestepped-up action lead to a number ofpolice shoot-outs with ANCIricmdls governments in Britain andthe United States in a toughdiplomatic position.South Africa not only needs therecognition of the West but of Africatow. And Pretoria is well aware thatMachel is a respected leader in the\best and in Africa in particular.A Mozambique Accord would notonly improve South Africa's relationsabroad - it was hoped by Pretoria- but divide the Frontline States intheir opposition to the country.South Africa's military strategy hadnot succeeded in destroying theneighbouring states. the NkomatiAccord allows South Africa to cutback on its military expenses and towield its significant economic holdover the Frontline StatesSwaziland helps Botha squeFmembers.ANC members were arrested andcharged for illegal possession ofweapons. And the I''N High Commis-sion for Refugees reported that atleast Ifi refugee families were direct-ly affected by expulsion.The ANC said it had been pushedinto violent confrontations withSwazi police. It also pointed out thatIn South Africa's view, deepeningthe economic dependence of theFrontline States on South Africa is afar more effective method of control.which draws far less public outcrythan military aggression.Samora Machel is clearly aware ofthis strategy. In his speech at the sign-ing of the Accord. he stated thatMozambique would reject 'any typeof relationship that might in any waylimit its independence or make iteconomically dependent on anothercountry.'I he conflict is more clearly shiftingto the issue of economicdependence. At the moment SouthAfrica clearly has the upper handwith many of the Frontline Statesdepending on South African tradeunconditional release from prison, detention,house arrest and bannings of NelsonMandela and all political leaders.The leaders discussed the troop withdrawalagreement between Angola and South Africaand hoped South Africa would hold up itspart of the agreement.many so-called ANC members werein fact MNR members.They also said Swaziland washanding over ANC detainees to theSouth African government.Earlier this year, 30 ANCmembers

Page 24 of 48 were detained in a policeswoop and held at the UN refugeereception centre. But after the UNHigh Commission for Refugeesand export routes.I he Frontline States are not goingto stop their efforts to limit theireconomic dependence on SouthAfrica. Many Frontline leaderswelcomed the Accord as a movewhich would enable them to developtheir economies. unhindered bySouth African military action. SouthAfrica, however. sees the Accord asan opportunity to increase thealready substantial economicdependence of the Frontline Stateson the South African economy.On top of this. the cost of fundingthe South African military machinewas getting too big to maintain andhad to be halted.South Africa's growing economiccrisis brought about through themati, will end ayand diplomatic support for the ANC struggleagainst apartheid.T hey warned that if free negotiations withSouth Africa failed, the struggle would con-tinue through other means.'This struggle is being and will be con-ducted and led by the people of South Africathemselves on their own initiative and withintheir own country.'refused to have armed guards patroll-ing the centre to keep inmates in, theANC members were moved toMawelawels - a camp near theSouth African border.After the signing of the NkomatiAccord between :Mozambique andSouth Africa in March, the Swazigovernment revealed that it hadsigned a secret security pact withworld recession. the weakened rand,falling gold prices. shrinking trade,and the drought was worsened byhigh defence costs and the Namibiawar machine.Politically, South Africa was facedwith the growth of a broaddemocratic non-racial movementthat had exposed the government'sreform measures as a sham whileguerillas maintained their sabotageattacks.the government switched courseand chose a dipomatic front to tryand isolate the ANC in SouthernAfrica.But Maputo has publicly stood firmon its commitments to the ANC andits opposition to apartheid.Announcing the start of talks withcord cpeopl(with t'Butof M(world'Moa pea('Ifovertfbeencontaities.'

Page 25 of 48 Plundered,sabotaged...Maputo'seconomynever hada chanceSoldiers and diplomats ... Machel moves to the signing, driven there by an undeclared war =NIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIItIIIIIIII111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111NIIIIIIIIII11111111111111NIIIII11111111111111111111111111UllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllrfPgym.; ";.3c1.nks' - Mozambicans welcome a break In the violencekTe ANCPretoria in February 1982.'rhe agreement is much wider thanthe Nkomati Accord with bothcountries agreeing to 'combatterrorism, insurgency and subversionindividually and collectively.'Reports have shown that the pactwas signed at the same time as bothcountries were discussing plans tohand over Kangwane and part ofSouth Africa, Machel said: 'FirstSouth Africa is not going to force usto recognise apartheid; second, theywill not force us to recognise ban-tustans and thirdly. South Africa isnot going to force us to abandon theANC.'Mozambique recognised only oneresistance movement in South Africa- the A NC - which 'is not in exile.''No one, repeat, no one will tell theMozambican government who canlive and who cannot live in Mozam-bique.'Our peace talks have been heldwithin the framework of our princi-ples of solidarity with the just struggleof the people of South Africa andNamibia.Maputo has always denied allega-artheidime from those who believed that 'theof Mozambique have been chargedie responsibility of liberating us.'their rust responsibility is to the peoplezambique and to the maintenance ofpeace.':ambique is perfectly correct in signinge Accord with South Africa,' he said.the Frelimo government had been'own by the MNR that would haveAIM has reported an appeal byANC leader Oliver Iambo to ANCmembers to respect the Maputo offerand not violate the Accord.himself' as the white dove bringingpeace to the region, the very fact thatapartheid still exists means that therewill continue to be a source of con-flict between South Africa and itsneighbours.Some observers believe thatI he ANC external mission is Mozambique lost out to South Africanegotiating with other African states on the first round of the diplomacyto accept ANC members. the Ac- war by allowing South Africa to. setback. It's a victory for peace as it cord will clearly limit ANC guerilla generate so much publicity aroundis South AMca's 'aggressive' tend'en= act'ivity' frotW Mozambique. - ' 'thestgnrug'nt` the Accg - 'r >NAiri pra~is=dn rtori~ e~re3sion' bitf in~l he Nkomati Accord has been While P W Botha may paint dismantling apartheid.'As Lesotho prime minister, Chief'Leabua Jonathan said, 'the solutionto South Africa's problems doesn'tKwaZulu (Ingwavums area) to'Swaziland.Swaziland said the pact was onlyrevealed last month as both countriesbelieved the 'political climate' hadimproved in the wake of the NkomatiAccord.As one observer said, 'Swazilandhas become no more than ahomeland, doing P W's dirty work.'This seems to be borne out by recentallegations that Swaziland handedover four ANC members to SouthAfrica.tions that it provided military back-up to the ANC. Mozambique an-nounced a year ago that it wouldarrest anyone, including ANCmembers. who carried arms illegallyin the country.'I he ANC is inside South Africa.Its bases are there. its militants arethere and that is where the idea of anon-racial South African nationgrows day by day.' Machel told theMozambique news agency AIM.I he ANC has been restricted to aten-person diplomatic mission inMaputo. ANC members withgovernment jobs can also stay. Butthe ANC youth, women's andmedical sections must close, ac-cording to a report in the NewStatesman. An ANC farm innorthern Mozambique is alsoreported to have already been closed.South African refugees have beenpresented with the choice of eitherputting them under the UN Commis-sion for Refugees or leaving thecountry.v r~Jrheralded by the South African pressas bringing peace to the region. Itmeans that the military war has beenshifted to a diplomacy war.~ '2!11114`' ..,'~ .0000Swaziland's crackdown takes Its toll44.Ft Ai,~IrFOR ALMOST a century,Mozambique has suffered at thehands of Western economicpower.From the end of the 19th cen-tury to 1973, the people ofMozambique lived under Por-tuguese colonial rule with pooreducation, health facilities andpoverty wages.After a ten year armed struggle forindependence, Frelimo inherited aneconomy designed to serve the in-terests of South Africa and SouthernRhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in par-ticular.Mozambique did not have aprimary product which could betraded on the international market.With the mass exodus of trained Por-tuguese technicians and thewithdrawal of Western technology,Mozambique faced a worseningeconomic crisis.South Africa's cut back on migrantlabour from the region boosted un-employment in Mozambique bysome 70 000 with a loss of more than$568 million in income since in-dependence.Before independence. South Africapaid the Portuguese government forcontract labour in gold at a lower'standard' price. I he gold was thensold on the international market atcurrent prices. I he arrangement wascancelled in 1975 with a net loss of 2600 million dollars for Mozambique.I he volume of South African ex-ports through Maputo was also cutback by 84 percent in the ten yearssince 1973. Port and railway revenuedropped by some $245 million.Mozambique had to pay a heavyprice for backing the guerrilla waragainst the Smith regime inRhodesia. Not only did Maputo suf-ler heavy losses by supportingeconomic sanctions against itsneighbour, but Rhodesian armedraids caused havoc to the ruraleconomy in the Western region.' Since Zimbabwean independence.South African-backed fighters callingthemselves the MozambiqueNational Resistance Movement(MNR) have maintained a policy ofeconomic sabotage.I hey have cut the power lines fromthe massive Caborra Bassa project,blasted rail links from Zimbabwe tothe coast and terrorised the localrural population with regular attackson buses and trains. the MNR alsooperates a radio station believed tobe located in the northern I ransvaal.Coupled with direct air and grounoattacks by South African forces, theFrelimo government is estimated tohave spent some $333 million ondefence - almost equal to Mozam-bique's earnings from agricultural ex-ports alone.By 19hO, Mozambique faced abudget deficit of R100 million and aserious balance of paymentsproblem. By April last year, Mozam-bique owed at least $1 4110 millionwith the rural economy collapsingunder a severe drought.Faced with ever increasing armedattacks closer to the capital, theFrelimo Central Committee adopteda three-fold strategy in August 1983.I his included:*Preparing the economy for war*Stepping up the fight against MNRfighters*Launching a diplomatic offensiveto gain peace and stability in the`r8gibtv'-14~bthet' 'v4d~ds-'talking.tb'South Africa.Y

Page 26 of 48 REPRESSIONSASPU NATIONAL 14Repression needsa new face to liftreform, but themask won't fitA government trying to sell 'reform' can't afford toshow its repressive face too openly. But it can't doaway with repression because'reform'cars only gaina hold if opposition is silenced. SASPU NATIONALlooks at some of the new tactics being used toundermine and crush progressive organisations.A SPEAKER at a recent DetaineesParents Support Committee (DPSC)seminar said: 'We are seeing achange in security police and govern-ment tactics against people involvedin progressive organisations.' I here has been a move awav fromusing long periods of detention tocool off activists, and an attempt tocover up detentions and use morerespectable methods to silence thevoice of the people.'When Paris Malatji was shot in theforehead during interrogation, theCommissioner of Police, GeneralCoetzee went to great lengths toprove this was not another death indetention.Coetzee said Malatji was being heldunder Section 50 of the CriminalProcedures Act and not undersecurity legislation.I he Criminal Procedures Actallows the security police to hold aperson for 48 hours without chargingthem, while effectively concealingfrom the outside world that such aperson is a 'security detainee'.A person detained under Section50 of the Act is entitled to advicefrom a lawyer, and is not obliged toanswer questions. I he DPSCbelieves the police do not informpeople of these rights.'Had Paris Malatji been informedof his right to have his lawyer presentduring interrogation it is in-conceivable that he would have methis death on his knees staring downthe barrel of Van As' servicerevolver,' said a recent DPSC state-ment.When lawyers try to see clientsarrested under the CriminalProcedures Act, detention changesto Section 29 of the Internal SecurityAct, which denies legal access.The Criminal Procedures Act hasalso been used as part of a strategy to'criminalise' progressive activists.On the Witwatersrand in particular,activists have been tried and con-victed for minor offences, and heldfor long periods as awaiting trialprisoners.Shortly before the national launchof the United Democratic Front(UDF), Albertina Sisulu, UDF Tran-svaal president, and Amanda Kwadiwere detained under Section 50 ofthe Criminal Procedures Act. Within48 hours they were charged underthe Internal Security Act. They wererefused bail for several months.In other cases:I en members of the AlexandraCommuters Committee werecharged under the Intimidation Actduring a bus boycott.Organisers from the Food andBeverage Workers Union, the PaperWood and Allied Workers' Unionand members of the Natal IndianCongress have been charged underthe Internal Security Act for 'holdingillegal gatherings'.Fired workers and expelled stu-dents are being arrested under theTrespass Act if they remain on thepremises. The minimum sentence fortrespass is R2 000.One reason for the new tactics liesin the publicity which South Africa'sOPPRES,%ri~'WIOUAI D(TAIIJfDescoms have exposed the repressiveside of reformdetention system has received bothhere and overseas.Detainees Support Committeesfocus international and local atten-tion on repression in South Africawhich affects prime minister P WBotha's reform image.Some believe the new-look repres-sion is the result of pressure from theReagan government which needs tojustify its policy of constructiveengagement.1 he new constitution givescoloured and Indian people limitedpolitical rights. The government hasto create some space for legal masspolitical activity, because, when'reforming' it is more difficult tocrush opposition political partiesopenly.the government has turned tomore subtle means of repression.The 'call-in-card' has become afavourite form of intimidation. Acard is left at home or work tellingthe person to report to their policestation in connection with a 'policematter'. Ibis request does not usuallylead to detention, although refusal toreport could.Other activists complain of fre-quent raids on their houses, intimida-tion of their friends and family, haras-sment in the street or at work, andthreats of assassination.Opponents of the government arealso coming under attack from un-known sources.Norman Manyepote and BrianMazibuko, two young Transvaal ac-tivists, were murdered outside theirhouses.In April, shots were fired at thehome and church of an East Londonpriest shortly after the MasazaneOpen School, which prepares blackpupils for matric exams, moved tothe premises. Masazane has longbeen a focus of security police atten-tion.In Johannesburg there have beennumerous attacks on homes and cars.They include shotgun attacks onhouses and cars, bomb and deaththreats, smashing of house and carwindows and dead cats wired to doorhandles.Another tactic used againstorganisations is to prevent meetingstaking place. Meetings have beenbanned openly, like the ReleaseMandela Committee's people's rallyin Soweto, the launching of theBorder region of the UDF and youthNEIL HUDSONA Giur T ITrNell Aggett's tombstone, defaced by unseen hands.Grifflths Mxenge's funeral ... more murders since thenand residents' meetings in Cradock.Meetings have been stopped in lessobvious ways. Organisations are in-creasingly unable to hold meetingsbecause they can't get access tochurch, civic and school halls -often because priests or school prin-cipals have been intimidated andthreatened.Youth organisations in Uitenhage,Kuruman and Bloemfontein, theCosas branch in Saulsville-Atteridgeville and the South AfricanAllied Workers Union (Saawu) haveall been denied venues in this way.New methods do not mean there isno longer an iron fist behind thevelvet glove. Latest figures revealthere are over 250 people in deten-tion in South Africa. 200 of thesehave been detained in the Transkei.Five people are presently beingheld in preventive detention: AbelDube from Soweto (who has been indetention for over two years) andMatthew Goniwe, Mbulelo Goniwe,Ford Calata and Madoda Jacobs, allprominent leaders in Cradock'sstrife-torn Lingelihle township.The five were held under Section28 (I) of the Internal Security Actwhich permits the detention of peo-ple for offences which have not yetbeen committed, but may be infuture. 'There has also been harsh repres-sion of community protest.During rent protests in Lamontvillethere were horrifying reports ofpolice brutality in the tightly sealed-off area.It was alleged that police tiedchildren to their car bonnets to stopangry crowds throwing stones.Community leaders were detainedduring the Alexandra bus boycott,the current Cradock protests and inMgwali in the Eastern Cape wherethe community is vigorously oppos-ing removal. At Magopa, Driefon-tein, Daggakraal and elsewhere forcehas been used to move people 'volun-tarily'.I he government seems to be pass-ing the more brutal aspects of con-trolling mass organisation on to thebantustan governments in an attemptto white-wash its own image.During last year's Ciskei busboycott over 90 people were shot bypolice, over a thousand detained

Page 27 of 48 andhundreds beaten and tortured byvigilantes.In Venda Samuel Tshikudu died indetention.In KwaZulu Inkatha repression wasrecently highlighted when five stu-dents were killed at Ngoye Univer-sity. -In Cskeii and BophuthatswanaInset: Gen Coetzee, head of the security policeSaawu has been banned.Bophuthatswana refuses to allow'South African' based independenttrade unions to operate within itsmany borders.At Mgwali, residents resistingremoval to the Ciskei have been con-tinuously harassed by Ciskei policeand refused drought relief.A Descom member said one of themost frightening trends was the con-spiracy of silence surrounding deten-tions and government securitymeasures.I he new Protection of InformationAct makes it an offence for a personto publish or to use informationwhich 'he knows or reasonablyshould know relates to a securitymatter or the prevention or combat-ting of terrorism.''This section of the Act has the ef-fect of making many newspapersthink they cannot report detention,arrests or other security matterswithout the confirmation of thepolice. It is potentially the mostdangerous piece of security legisla-tion in existence because it allows fordetentions and security police actionto go unreported and therefore un-monitored,' the member said.'I he government is doing its best tosell its 'new dispensation' image topeople in South Africa and inter-nationally.'Part of this strategy relies on lessobvious acts of repression andsophisticated methods as well asmore naked repression.'Repression and concerted at-tempts to undermine progressiveorganisation can only increase, es-pecially as progressive organisationscontinue exposing the true natureand intentions of the government'sreform.'

Page 28 of 48 THE BUDGETSA$00'IVATIdfWt'4SPENSIONStit2t~_r.>;~OOO1W W11;iffrpWp0000M 1r1 nn v : .ANY4WW.~ 611i>443334YYYiTwRim350300'250-200,100.s Indians WhitesBig bucks forapartheid, toughtax for its victims5111 a ee- ..-f eZ~el el [:Z. / faLeZe Glil gIa [~: F.'1i Lele1al~1Ie1[~eli~fal=~elll~YOU WOULD think 824945 millionwould be enough to provide all SouthAfricans with adequate housing,education, health-care. pensions andother social services. That is howmuch the government plans to spendthis year, maybe more.It isn't going to be enough, becausehuge amounts will be spent makingapartheid stronger.And worse. it looks like more andmore taxes to pay for apartheid aregoing to be squeezed out of thosewho benefit least from governmentpolicy. Already General Sales I'axhas been put up to a frightening 10percent.Each year a budget is drawn upshowing how South Africa's moneywill be spent.It also shows where this money willcome from.Finance Minister. Owen florwood,told parliament the government hadto reduce its spending to fight infla-tion and to prevent it getting into toomuch debt.Even so. as the budget shows, thegovernment is only planning toreduce spending on certain things.Apartheid spendingI he government increased thedefence budget by R662 million, inspite of the peace treaty withMozambique. R3 7547 million willgo to the SADF, nearly 15 percent ofall government spending.the police will get R796 million to'prevent and investigate crime, con-trol riots and riotous assemblies,combat urban terrorism, policenational borders and perform courtduties.'Some people have praised thegovernment for spending more oneducation than on defence. The realamount to be spent on defence is hid-den. The defence department hastwo budgets. one presented to parlia-ment. and one which is not.this second budget. called the'committal authority', sets a higherfigure as the maximum amountwhich the SADF can spend.I wo years ago R2 668 million wasbudgeted for defence in parliament.R3 361 million was eventually givento the SADF.Nearly R1000 million will be spenton the salaries of soldiers and SADFofficials. If large numbers of IndiansR129m to be spent on removalsand coloured people are conscripted,this expense will shoot up.Ifuge amounts will be spent oncontrolling where African people liveand work. RI 650 million will begiven to bantustan governments.R 129 million has been put aside forremovals like Magopa.Labour and residential control, in-cluding recruitment of labour,removal of 'idle and undesirableblacks' and 'repatriating' Africanpeople will cost 896.6 million.In 1983, 142 067 people were con-victed under the pass laws. Many ofthem were imprisoned.I his year the government willspend 8311,6 million running prisonsand R69 million building new ones.And 813,4 million will be used torecruit white immigrants to come toSouth Africa.I he government will spend moneyon services like education, but inevery case apartheid policy is putahead of meeting people's needs.R4 200 million will be spent oneducation, but over half' will be spenton white students and scholars.White pensioners will get R166 amonth, but Indians and colouredpeople will get R93 and AfricansR65.Cutting other costsI he government has given only R8million to the National HousingFund, which provides money forhousing.8112 million will be spent helpingpeople who have taken out bankloans to build houses. Few can affordloans, so this money will not help themost needy.Community Development, thedepartment which builds houses, willspend R81 million on defence forcebuildings and R39 million on policeaccomodation.In some cases, money for serviceshas been cuu The budget for publicF!Tax on food means the poorsuffer morepassenger transport was cut by R68million and special loans and grantsto the South African I ransport Ser-vices worth R370 million werewithdrawn, pushing up fares.transport costs are high becausepeople are forced to live far from theplaces where they work. I'he govern-ment nevertheless plans to spendR50 million building townships in thebantustans, even further away fromthe cities.Who pays the billWho is going to pay for all this? 23percent will come from GS I', 33,3percent from tax on people's earn-ings and 15.6 percent from companytax.GS I and income tax, both taxes onindividuals, will contribute more thanlast year, while taxes on companieswill contribute less.Most people will pay less incometax than before. especially marriedmen and those earning low wages.Married women. however, will paymuch more.I axes on earnings were not in-creased. Ibis would have made itmore difficult to bring Africanworkers into the new system. Extrataxes are being squeezed out of tax-payers in other ways.Before the budget, GS V was raisedfrom 6 to 7 percent. Where incomesare unequal, GS T is an unfair tax. Ithas to- be paid on the most essential,goods, like food. Poorer peopleA month after the budgetHorwood checked his other pocket ... and GST went up to 10 per centspend a much greater part of theirwages on food. yet GS I' is the samefor all people and all goods.The government also reduced thesubsidy on a loaf' of brown breadfrom 17 cents to I I cents. This willsave the government R90 million butincrease the price of each loaf by sixcents.Even if taxes on the wages have notgone up, working people have beenhit hard by these indirect taxes.Cuts in government spending arehitting welfare services hardest.Ibere are about 2.5 to 3 million un-employed in South Africa. Yet onlyR 13 million has been set aside for un-employment insurance.All these decisions about taxes andspending are taken by a governmentin which black people have no say.I he political institutions imposedon the majority, have no real powerto change these decisions. Insteadthey are being used to make blackpeople pay even more for housingand other services.`Own affairs'Local authorities are expected tobe self'-financing. In other words,they are given some money fromcentral government funds - notenough - and have to find the restthemselves.In African townships, Administra-tion Boards used rents. liquor profitsand service charges to pay for essen-tial services like housing and roads.I he central government did givesome loans and grants, but neverenough, and there were always shor-tages. Now the government is refus-ing to give funds to African localgovernment.I he Soweto Council, for example,is already R 13 million in debt and thisgoes up by R2 million every month.Local government usually tries todeal with the problem by increasingrents. water and service charges.The parliaments which will be setup after the August elections will beresponsible for the 'own affairs' of In-dian and coloured people.they will only get some moneyfrom a central fund. and will also beforced to get money out of residents,school parents and commuters.I he bantustan policy has alsohelped the government to cut backit's spending. again with harsh resultsfor the majority of people.the money budgeted for bantustangovernments cannot meet all theneeds. especially when Matanzimapays himself' a salary of R75 000 ayear, and the Ciskei spends

Page 29 of 48 R31million out of R320 million on 'statesecurity'.Recently the KwaZulu governmentadmitted that 100 000 aged and dis-abled people who qualified for pen-sions could not be paid due to lack offunds.Forced removals and pass lawsforce hundreds of thousands to live inthe bantustans allowing the govern-ment to wash its hands of them.More taxes aheadWhile extra taxes and charges aresqueezed out of working people,companies are given opportunities toavoid paying their share.I hey get refunds from the govern-ment for investing in new machinery,worker training. and for entertain-ment for people.Last year companies should havepaid nearly half' their profits brick intax. Very few did. Anglo Americanpaid 16 percent on profits of R737million. Barlow Rand 38 percent onR708 million and General Mining12.4 percent on R378 million.the government will try evenharder to cut it's spending and getmore from taxes this year.It has overspent for the last fouryears in a row and this year R3 490million will be used to pay off' debts.With the huge expense of maintain-ing apartheid. plus the weak state ofthe economy, the government willoverspend again.It looks certain that the majoritywill carry the burden.I he government can increase GS Iwithout consulting parliament. Onemonth after the budget GS I shot upto 10 percent.In the long term, income tax couldbe increased. 'particularly onceAfricans are firmly tied into the taxsystem.I he budget did try to close up someof the loopholes companies use toavoid paying tax.Even so. the government only ex-pects to get 6.2 percent more fromcompany tax, whereas it is aiming toincrease GS I by 30.4 percent and in-come tax .by 2'1.1 percent.

Page 30 of 48 BNa.t NAIR':.-: :...... SASPU'MAy 0NAL,UQ : What was it like oa Robbenisland'! ,A : The conditions under which welived were very tough. When we firstarrived we were assaulted regularly,the food was terrible and we had tosleep on cement floors.In 1964, many of us were assaultedas part of an organised campaign tobring us under prison discipline.After we submitted affidavits and ap-plied for a court interdict to stopmore assaults some warders, thehead of prisons and the officer com-manding Robben Island weretransferred.I he situation improved slightly in1968 after we went on a number ofhunger strikes. We were given bedsfor the first time, and 'A' sectionprisoners got newspapers and couldbuy groceries.Q : Did support from the outsidehelp to alleviate conditions'!A : Yes, the Red Cross backed upour demands for better conditions.They took our problems to the Com-missioner of Prisons and theMinister.We also got visits from parliamen-tarians. We used to bombard themwith complaints, and from theirresponses we could soon tell whichpolitical party they belonged to. Theonly person who was patient andprepared to listen at all times wasIlelen Suzman.Q : What was most important inimproving conditions?A: What was paramount was theunshakeable unity of the prison in-mates in waging a joint struggle forimproving conditions.One hunger strike that lasted fivedays brought about major changes infood and medical treatment. Butprison conditions tend to fluctuate.Like in 1970 many of us were study-ing for degrees. Outside the cam-paign was on for the release ofpolitical prisoners. So the authoritiesdecided to run their own campaign- one of harassment. Many losttheir study privileges on the groundsthat we were not working at thequarry. In fact, we all worked at thatquarry for seven years.Q : How did concessions toparticular prisoners affect the unityof your group'!A : Concessions like groupingprisoners from 'D' to 'A', depends on'good' behaviour. As far as we wereconcerned all prisoners should beclassified 'A' group and be permittedto buy newspapers, groceries and useall facilities. We battled to abolishgroupings.We were always properly dis-ciplined, controlled and collective inour approach. This was not aimed atgetting concessions from theauthorities. If we did not maintaindiscipline, our energies would dis-sipate into small battles between in-dividual prisoners and authorities.Some say the concessions werebribes. Far from it! They were wonby us, and our struggle continued.1 he groups who regarded th.seconcessions as bribery neverthelessread the newspapers 'A' prisonersbought, enjoyed their groceries andother privileges. All our privilegeswere shared amongst the prisoners.In the end they accepted these con-cessions, and classification into the'A' group.One of our principal demands,.which has still not been met, was thatwe should be treated as politicalprisoners in terms of the GenevaConvention. South Africa is not asignatory to that convention. Politicalprisoners are categorised in the samemould as murderers, rapists and rob-bers.Q : Could you give an example ofhow Congress discipline worked onthe Island?A : There was an attempt made byKaizer Matanzima to interviewNelson in prison. Nelson opened theissue of whether he should meetMatanzima to the entire Congress.We decided he should not becauseMatanzima would use the meeting tobolster his own political credibility.on Ro usta id, BillyNair -still,sa s`I have -noregretNatalsecretary ofSactu, Nair wasbanned for uniowork, jailed forsabotage. He istaking up thestruggle oncemore, sharingpast lessonswith the newprogressivemovement. Nairtalks about a!`crucial time in;history, aboutthe Congressmovement andWotkets rolewithin itsAnd aboutRobben Island ...otc-c .ac VAN.1 L 145~ t ~. , X ..Aw'Sactu took workers' demands to the Congress of the People andIncorporated them In the Freedom Charter'Sactu'sMandela is a strictly disciplinedperson. fle opened this issue for dis-cussion in a democratic fashionamong the people. There was noquestion of Nelson taking any deci-sions unilaterally. T he attempt by thestate to get Matanzima to acceptNelson's deportation to the Transkei,was rejected outright. If theauthorities had forcibly removed himto the Transkei, he would havefought to retain his South Africancitizenship...Certain people speculated that ifMandela was released, he wouldchallenge the African NationalCongress leadership. You can be as-sured that Nelson would not lead anyfaction that would split the move-ment. This is the type of disciplinedperson he is and the type of Congressdiscipline that always applies.Foundation Conference at the Trades Hall, Johannes-burg, 5-6 March 1955lotYEIor~- i quol tr tr~yltn-,JIMi WC4WR ~ r. w~terQ : Why was Mandela moved toPollsmoor?A : Nelson was receiving aconsiderable number of visitors.They usd to have lengthy discussions.This was principally the reason theymoved him. They also suspected thatNelson was giving leadership to theprison population. The authoritieslike to single out leaders, as they didfor instance in isolating us from therest of the prison population. In fact,there were leaders all over - in allsections and there was no question ofa single individual at the helm.Q :Before being jailed for Umkhontowe Sizwe activity, you were involvedin the South African Congress ofTrade Unions. What was your role inthe union movement?A : Before Sactu I was employed inthe Dairy Workers Union which gaveme the initial background in tradeunionism. I hen. in 1953, trade un-ionists were banned in terms of theSuppression of Communism Act andforced to resign. Sixteen unions wereaffected and 1 had to take them over.I didn't know much about trade un-ionism and it meant working roundthe clock. Not only theorganisational part, but maintainingthe administrationQ: When was Sactu formed andwhat was its policy on trade un-ionism?A : Sactu was formed in 1955. TheCouncil for Non-European TradeUnions (CNEI U) affiliated and afterdisbanding it officially joined Sactu.I he cornerstone of Sactu policywas to improve the conditions ofworkers. It would have beenridiculous of Sactu to confine its ac-tivities to the political and ignore realdemands of the workers for im-mediate improvements in wages andconditions.For example, Sactu launched aPound-a-Day campaign. Whereverthe Wage Board sat to investigatewages and conditions in particular in-dustries. Sactu ensured it submittedmemoranda to the Board as well aspersonal representations on behalf ofthe workers.After the Pound-a-Day campaign,Sactu decided to submit lengthymemoranda setting out workers'problems to the Chamber of Minesand commerce, industries and in-dividual employers throughout thecountry.Q: Was there a lot of activity then- from both Sactu and thegovernment?A : Never in the history of the tradeunion movement prior to Sactu werethere an equivalent number ofstrikes! Sactu had been in existencefor six years. During that period, too,many of its leaders were involved inthe Treason Trial which lasted justover three years. Then we ex-perienced the ultimate repressive ac-tion when the

Page 31 of 48 state of emergency wasdeclared and 24 000 peoplethroughout the country were lockedup. I his included practically all thetrade unionists.Sactu from its inception was thevictim of state repression. Practicallyall of us were banned, our officesraided. Ne%r leaden had to emerge toreplace the old. Our strikes werealways met with force, arrests and in-timidation of workers, and deporta-tion to bantustans.I he I rade Union Council, theSouth African Federation of TradeUnions and other right wing bodiesdid not call a single strike. l heleadership of those unions believed incompromise even to the extent ofperpetuating worker exploitation.Garment industries in Natal and theCape pay low wages to this daybecause of conspiracies betweentrade union leaders and employers.Q :So. under these circumstances,it must have been extremely difficultto organise'!A: As you know, all strikes wereconsidered illegal. It is only now thatthey are recognised. During theSactu-affiliated Textile WorkersUnion strike police entered the fac-tory premises and beat up theworkers. A dock workers strike inDurban was violently suppressed bythe police in the dock compounds.the strikes continued despite policebrutality.Sactu recruited 17 000 workers inDurban during 1957 and '58. Theseworkers were enrolled in the GeneralWorkers Union, in the same way aswe have them today. Soon thereafterthe workers were separated into dif-ferent industries: dockworkers andrailway workers formed their ownunions.Apart from organising the un-organised workers in industry, wealso organised the unemployedworkers - those who had lost theirjobs.At one time there were over 30 000Indian workers who were un-employed in Durban. We organisedthem into an unemployed workersunion. And we took up issues ontheir behalf - not only for employ-ment but to get other improvements.An important part of Sactu's workwas the politicisation of the worker

Page 32 of 48 ILLY NAIR - -SASPIA NAjlj0I~,on the factory floor. Every factorymeeting was held outside the factoryas we weren't allowed onto factorypremises...We held weekly specialised classes,on a mass basis in halls and socialcentres in Durban, Cape Town andJohannesburg. The classes numberedbetween 500 and 1 000 workers. Wealso had select groups givenspecialised political training.]he trade union movement wasdeveloping and because of thealliance between ourselves and theANC, we recruited 16 000 membersfrom Sactu into the ANC. The ANCsimilarly got its members to joinSact u.Q : Sactu has been criticised forbeing a member of the CongressAlliance. What do you have to sayabout this'!A : Since its formation Sactu saw thepolitical and economic struggle as in-tertwined. I his is clear in its policyand declaration.I he decision to affiliate to Sactuwas left entirely to individual unions.In one union there were PAC, ANCand Liberal Party members. Couldwe say the union committed its entiremembership to the CongressAlliance'' The Congress enjoyedwidespread support among the peo-ple. There was a great demandamong the people and organisationsto identify with the Congress move-ment. It was the only organisationthat catered for the political interestsof the black workers.Sactu participated in the campaignfor the Congress of the People. Itplayed a leading role in collectingworkers' demands and incorporatingthem into the Charter.Many factoriessubmitted their demands throughtheir trade unions. l his led to theadoption of the Freedom Charter bySactu in 1955. 1 herefore, workers'demands are prominently expressedin the Freedom Charter.One clause from the Charter. Thepeople shall share in the country'swealth', expresses clearly theworkers' interests. Ben Turok, aSactu member moved for the adop-tion of this clause and 1 backed himup.Allegations that Congress imposedits will on Sactu are false. Those whooppose the Charter feel the workerswere overpowered by the intelligent-sia. petty bourgeoisie and thebourgeoisie. These classes are sup-posed to have excercised influenceover Sactu through their allegeddomination of the Congress Alliance.A national movement such as theANC and its allies found it necessaryat the time not to isolate sections ofthe broad masses and to unite blacksand whites in the anti-apartheidstruggle.The Charter is not a class baseddocument. It does not emphasise asocialist South Africa. The demandsof all sections of the country are in-corporated. T he Charter became thepeople's charter - not the soleproperty of the ANC. The ANCadopted the Charter officially at their1956 conference.Legally, the court did not find theCharter to be a socialist documentduring the treason trial. Those whooppose it are few. 1 he implementa-tion of the Charter will remove thesuffering caused by oppression andexploitation in the country.Q : Do you think that capitalismwould not survive the implementationof the Charter?A : Of course! The implementationof the Charter is the first step towardsthe establishment of socialism. Thedemands of the Charter cannot bemet within the present social,political and economic order.I he Charter serves as the basisfrom which workers can build a free,equal and just society. 1 he Charter isso far the only guarantee towards therealisation of that peaceful society, itis not an end in itself.Q : Sactu's political position causedsome problems with the InternationalConfederation of Free Trade Unions.What happened'!A : A meeting took place betweenrepresentatives of the ICF1 U andSactu in 1960 in response to a requestCurnkk Nd lovuwas a _workerleader In the SACongress ofTirade Unionsand the AfricanNationalCongress. Thenhe was jailed forsabotage. After20 years hisviews onapartheid,exploitation. andan alternativesociety based onthe FreedomCharter shouldbe heard. ButNdlovu is `listed'and cannot bequoted. Even so,his present andpast actionsMeat c1mly.enough. . -MANY KNOW of Come& Ndlwll t o as so.deist in the Im's sd 1%0,s. fitild he in dinNIKws IMW W podlba cad won blor deebdto the Soda astiosal ex"Wive. .' `4 sae of the'.: . Usbaa sameHe people yewheabg the UDV Cosscrs In the now year. reshleats b Dstbaa'sMilios Sigaateve csalpaip in Natal and be bra Kwomadao towsdtip erpan" to oppose city.lags with him a weal of expWbaee pined Is . Camleit appoinad asratbea of thht body.cusanuaily Organisation "erg the Ndbvu participaled bow formation of the0 1"Nw .".~. - ... KwtfMaalur Realdenee Asswistios cad - wasEmployed as a dockworker In the vW*101illas; . ektKd wemsry. '11w civic tadthrd pmbleotrNolkvs Joined the Sacta-afflicted General sadt as high rents. reomvaht, high bus fares andWorkers Union of Afrhwtl Workers is Dur on bad bulsi~. It tacd tsacb istiMda" - thein 1951. Actively bdred in workers' atrsggks (7ty Cosadl invariably refaard applications to'be mw to leaderihip as secretary of oho SA bold neethtp cad scarify police swveilaaa ofIlalway sad Harbour Workers Uaiss. adirkles wart always preaeat.h1S'ittg ebb pried be Am joind the African Is Aspat 1%1. 12 African slrses were easedNatiunel Congress (ANC). by the mires of the owsett' bow at KingIn 191 ohm silly Nair was basnod and Ttiercd" 11osplal it D"mbreed to "sip as Ndat wash" of Sods. retrslltd ins - a workdr,palle ' by INy . .~ ss.-4 4AX'Our strikes were always' met with force, arrests, and Intimidationof workers . .Trade by Sactu in 1958 for assistance problems to world forums like theduring the Durban dockworkers' United Nations and Internationalstrike.I he IC F I U delegation expressedsympathy with Sactu, but said itwould only assist ill' Sactu broke itstics with the Congress Alliance andthe World Federation of TradeUnions.l he IC F1 U said the politicalstruggles should be conducted by'political' organisations and thatSactu's main task should be fightingfor better wages and working condi-tions.Labour Organisation.I hey failed to realise that theCongress Alliance and Sactu to-operated closely to win trade uniondemands - for example, during thegeneral strikes of 1950, '58 and '60.Unlike European, British andCanadian workers, black workers inSouth Africa have no political rights.For any trade union federation tosuggest that workers confinethemselves to factory floor issues andleave political struggle to otherswould be like living in a fool'sparadise. -I o cut ourselves off from theCongress Alliance, the authenticpolitical representative of the people1 hey promised Sactu 30 000 if itabandoned its political involvementand concentrated only on improvingwages and working conditions. T heyalso said they would take Sactu'srFof S A, would have been suicide.We said that we were prepared toaccept assistance from any quarterprovided no strings were attached. Ata subsequent meeting with the Sactumanagement committee this positionwas re- iterated.I he upshot was that Sactu wasn'tgiven any assistance. We gatheredthe 30 000 was diverted to T ucsa.Sactu explored these intrigues. Theinterview was shown to African andworld trade union federations, toshow the extent to which the ICH Uhad gone to interfere with thedemocratic rights of workers.

Page 33 of 48 Subse-quently a number of African andother federations disaffiliated fromthe ICFIU.Q : What is your assessment of thepresent political situation:'A: As long as the African people arenot free, no other section - in-cluding the whites, will be free. Toput it simply, if the Africans are keptprisoners, you have to guard them -monitoring their every movement.I hence the government's intention toco-opt Indians and coloureds into thenew dispensation. 1 his is essentiallylike a trade off. The Indians andcoloureds will have to fight on theborders.Violence will escalate if a politicalsolution is not found. the ANC mayhe forced to move from Mozambi-que but the government is not ad-46workers. Sects aasiawd lira drawing up amemurandsm of grievances which wab presratedthe sent day at s second btuppage by 300workers, beleding sweepers. clerks andtechnical absibtanls, Indians. Africans. oven andworsen.Joist after Saeia's eight congresec early in 196.1it was bit by a spate of delestiua+. ?*lure then 31Of its urgntdsers and uflice bearers were lakes inever the next year.Every railway union official was either bannedor detained. Ndluvo was banned in FebruanHIw1 nod detained In June of that year. Tugctaerwith 111 diners he teas charged for bring amroaher of lltonklluslu we Sitwe. In 1%4 hereceived a 20 year smtewY for sabotage and wasitaprisused on Robben Ishlad.. Ndlwn was released in September 19gi,dressing itself to solving the internalproblems of the Africans in par-ticular.I he ball is firmly in the govern-ment's court. It is not the ANC thatchose the path of violence. Until1960, they consistently carried out apolicy of non-violence. It is in-stitutionalised violence that hasprompted violent opposition. Thecreation of the bantustans has notsolved any problems. Millions ofrands are pumped into thesehomelands annually to bolster cor-rupt regimes. Millions are similarlypoured into Namibia.Q: Any regrets'A : No regrets whatsoever. I said along time ago, and repeat now that Imaintain the same principles that Ihad when I went to jail. I believe in adisciplined and orderly response toapartheid. I do not intend seekingrevenge on the Afrikaner. In fact.Congress was and still is based onnon-racism. All we are intent on do-ing is dismantling white supremacyand ending apartheid.Imprisonment is not a cure for thecause of our people. We are not in-timidated by the threat of detention.We are cogs in a massive wheel, notbecause the cause is some superiorforce, but because of inner convic-tion that keeps us in the struggle for anon racial, non-exploitative,democratic South Africa.We are proud to be in it.

Page 34 of 48 `Invisible' workersaim to give Anglosleepless nightsFEDERATION OF SOUTH AFRICAN WOMEN - '.' - '. SASPUNATIONAL 18.Women march In Durban against unjust laws. At the head (1-r) Dorothy Nyembe (dark glasses), Lilian Ngoyl andFlorence Mkhize.Thirty years on,vCleaning at night ... bosses don't see the work and ignore the effects...,i..Fed struggleANGLO AMERICAN is well known leave conditions for women workersfor its massive investment in industry and time-oil' to attend to personaland mining. Many people may not business. wknow, however. that it has a huge ' I he one thing the union failed to 1 #share of the property market. secure, however. was a night shiftI hink of all the most prestigious .allowance for workers - one of its ; 1 and buildings and chopping complexes in demands to management. Workersthe country - almost every one in swear they will take the issue upsome Nkay is tied to Anglo American again next year - and every year.,'roperties Limited (Amaprcp). until they win it.' South African women have never accepted apartheid's burden. The mass supportAnglo interests include the CarltonCentre. I otal House. KillarneyCentre. Life Centre. Garden Plaza,Northmead Mall. High Point.African Life and I I Diagonal Streetin Johannesburg. Gardens Centreand Life Centre in Cape I own. 320West Street and Pine Parkade inDurban: Sunny Park and OperaPl,va in Pretoria.I he company manages the financesof these buildings and complexes. aswell Las speculating in land. In 1983alone it made a profit of over R14million - not bad for a companythat has only been on the map for afew _%cars'Its latest venture is the 'Diamond'building at I I Diagonal Street, an in-vestment worth R70 million. Everwondered where workers' pensioncontributions go'' I hey've gone hereinto those glassy angular walls.Property speculation on such ascale obviously needs backup. andfor Amaprop this comes through acompany called Anglo AmericanPropert\ Services (1\mpros) .I his is responsible for the leasing ofAmaprop's properties. Most impor-tant. it is responsible for theirmaintenance and security - which iswhere the I ransport and General~korkers Union (I GWU) comes in.Some years ago. the TGWU, aF-osatu affiliate. began organising thesecurity guards employed at theCarlton Centre. From this beginning,the union has organised securityguards. cleaners. and maintenanceworkers employed in many ofAmaprop's buildings.Behind all the gloss of big business,the union found a hidden workforcewith jobs as tough and demoralisingas any done by industrial workers -a workforce which has never beforeseen the possibilities of collectiveorganisation.I heir experience had always beenone of separation from one another- of isolated work, whether as acleaner of executive oil-ice blocktoilets or a guard of exclusive shops.A total of 600 Ampros employeeshave now joined the I G W U. Y heynow have the means to take up theirgrievances. and most importantly. tobargain collectively. I GWU signed arecognition agreement with Amprosin May last year. And in Februarythis year, it negotiated wages with thecompany for the first time.Workers won an across the boardincrease of R33 a month, and for thefirst time this year they will get aChristmas bonus. I he lowest paidworkers (cleaners) will receive anoverall increase of 14,6 percentbringing their wage to 8315 a month.'Not that this is anything to boastabout.' says Jane Barrett, generalsecretary of the union. 'We still con-sider these to be worse than povertywages.I his year negotiations also yieldedsubstantially improved maternityI he union argues that workersshould be compensated for the %,for the Federation of South African Women is a clear example of this. 1984 is theadverse social and health effects of thirtieth year since the Fed was formed. SASPU NATIONAL looks at its history andworking at night.Most of Ampros cleaners startwork at about 6 pm and knock off at2.30 am. while security guards, whowork twelve hour shifts, regularlywork through the night. 'How cansuch hours be regarded normal?' asksthe union.'Nobody would choose to worksuch hours. l he women, especially,are forced to do so because there areso few other jobs open to them.' I he bosses who work in thebuildings probably never stop tothink that the mess they leave in theafternoon is cleaned up by teams ofwomen who work through the night.'And we arc sure the housewives ofI loughton and Sandton don't stop towonder how their favourite shoppinghaunts remain so super-shiny.'Before putting their demand for anightshifl allowance to management.the Ampros workers took part in asurvey run jointly by the union and agroup of students. the results weredevastating.It was found. for example, that 23percent of the night cleaners inter-viewed. had only two or three hourssleep a day. Only 18 percent hadbetween six and seven hours' sleep.Night work not only disturbs thesleeping patterns of the nightcleaners. it also seriously disturbstheir general biological patterns. I hehuman body is not designed to workat night and sleep during the day.the net effect is that many of thewomen suffer from ailments linked tothe working of night shifts.More than half of' those inter-viewed complained of stomachproblems. while just under half suf-fered from high blood pressure. Asmany as 82 percent of the womencomplained of regular headaches andsore eyes.Another told of how she was forcedto leave her young children alone atnight. 'I tried to get a job in the day,but it is impossible,' she said.I he union says members are un-divided in their belief that night workshould be compensated.Day workers do not believe itwould be unfair to them. 'After all,the conditions of the night workersare really much worse.' they say.So although the union did not suc-ceed in winning compensation thisyear, the members are determined topress on with the demand in t'uture.In the meanwhile. they are pushingfor transport facilities and improvedchange-room facilities.'But these are only short-term solu-tions,' says the chairperson of theAmpros shop steward council andbranch chairperson of the union,Jethro Dalisa. 'We will not allow ourmembers to remain invisible anylonger.'how it mobilised women.I HE FEDERA I ION of South'African Women established the<' tradition of women's organisation in` the struggle for a free and democratic' South Africa. In women's struggles< ;.today. we can learn from the historyof past women's organisation inSouth Africa.During World War If. industrialisa-tion increased dramatically. For thefirst time. women were drawn intourban industrial employment in largenumbers.I n 1948. the Nationalist govern-ment came to power and introducedits apartheid policy. I his policy,4 amongst other things. helped to supp-Iy industry with the cheap labour itneeded to develop fast andprofitably.Factory workers faced appallingconditions: starvation wages. poorhousing. food shortages and high}-busfares. But industrialisation also;meant women came together in fac-' .:,,,:,,meant in large groups. and realised{'they shared common problems..,From 1950. the apartheid govern-. .11ment threatened to introduce passlaws for women. to try and curb

Page 35 of 48 the,.. influx of African women into theurban areas.Over some time. the governmenthad excluded Africans, colouredsand Indians from political andrepresentative bodies. People had todevelop their own organisations toexpress their political aspirations.Frances Baard describes how theyorganised women at the time. 'Weused to go out in the evening mainly,and walk from house to house in thelocation and talk to women. We usedto talk to them about the problemsthey had ... things that people as awhole did not like. issues that at-fected them locally, like housing andjobs, and passes.'During this post war period, op-position to the government grew anddeveloped mass support.A number of important politicalorganisations developed, while othersaltered their strategy. I he ANC hasexisted since 1912. but in 1949, withthe South African Indian Congress, itdeveloped a Programme of Actionwith a new strategy. which mobilisedlarge numbers of people around thecalls for action.I he Congress of Democrats wasformed in the early 50's as was theSouth African Coloured People'sOrganisation (SACPO). I heseorganisations together with the SouthAfrican Congress of l rode Unions(SAC I U) played important roles inSouth African resistance politics.In Europe in 1945. the Women'sInternational Democratic Federation(W I DF) was formed., to fight forApril 17 1954 ... delegates enjoy the message as the Women's Fed is launched.women s rights. peace and freedom.In 1947, '51 and '53. South Airicandelegates attended WIDE con-ferences. I hey realised that thisorganisation had made women apowerful force in many countries andthat South Africa needed a similarorganisation to draw all the small andwidely separated women's groupstogether.I here were already women'sgroups scattered throughout SouthAfrica. A lot of women were active inthe Communist Party. I he ANCWomen's League was well organisedin the I rdnsvaal. In Natal there werewomen in the ANC and the Natal In-dian Congress. In Port Elizabeth agroup of women from the trade un-ions and the ANC met to discuss awomen's organisation and in Capel own there were a number ofwomen's organisations such as theWomen's Food Committees, and theCape housewives League, as well asthe ANC and the Food and CanningWorkers Union.A group of women in PortElizabeth first suggested the idea of' anational women's organisation, andthe Federation of South AfricanWomen was born. For these womenliberation also meant freedom fromdiscrimination on the grounds of'sex.Following this. women in CapeI own and Johannesburg, like RayAlexander and Hilda Watts, setabout making the idea reality.On April 17 1954, the inauguralconference of the Federation ofSouth African Women was held inJohannesburg.I he aims of the organisation wereestablished and the Women'sCharter was adopted. It called for'...solidarity in the struggle againstapartheid, racism, sexism andcapitalist exploitation.' Among theaims were to unite women non-racially and to build and strengthenwomens' sections of the Congressmovement; trade unions and othertritTombstone of Lilian Ngoyf, secondpresident of the Fed.organisations.Most of the women interested inthe Fed were already in otherorganisations. I o avoid the problemof divided loyalties and competitivemembership the Fed decided toadopt a structure whereby organisa-tions, rather than individuals, af-filiated to the Fed. Y hey felt that thiswould also help to strengthen existingwomen's organisations, and developnew ones.Because of this structure, the Fedhad to do something about womenwho were completely unorganised.I hey did this in two ways.I . I n some areas women tried to setup new organisations that could af-filiate to the Fed. and draw in un-organised women.2. General organisations could alsoaffiliate to the Fed. so that women inthe Food and Canning WorkersUnion, the Congress of Democratsand so on could be part of the Fedeven though their organisations didnot have a specifically women's sec-tion.Because the Federation had such avaried range of affiliated organisa-tions, it could draw on women fromall walks of life. and from all races.Y he Federation took up various is-sues. Some of them came fromwithin the Congress Alliance, butothers came from the grievances and

Page 36 of 48 OF SOUTH AFRICAN WOMENSASPU NATIONAL 19.tr . A.V . ~':.t[r'~f1ssr.Women defy a ban on meetings and form a guard of honour at Ids Mntwana's funeral.Florence Matarnols,problems that women experiencedand voiced at the conference.I he Federation was committed totwo things: to improving the lives ofwomen through their affiliatedorganisations; and to involving thewomen more fully in the nationalliberation struggle. Many womenwere not active in the political arena.But to win freedom. all people had tobe mobilised into the struggle, in-cluding women.I he Fed's most famous campaignwas the anti-pass campaign,culminating in the protest of 20 000women at the Union Buildings onAugust 9 1956. the Federation tookup this issue in most areas in SouthAfrica where passes were being is-sued, and it was the only nationalcampaign that the Federationorganised.One organiser described the cam-paign:'We were trying to organise womennot to take these passes. because weknew that you would be carrying achild .... and the police would beWomen taking passes meantarrest at any time. The Fedfought this law nationwide.first vice-president of the Fed, speaks.coming behind you, wanting yourpass, and you won't be able to getover the fence. and the police will getyou. and who is going to look afteryour child when they take you to jailbecause you haven't got your pass.During the 50's, the Group AreasAct was introduced and a lot offorced removals took place. InJohannesburg. people were removedfrom Sophiatown and the WesternAreas. In Weenen in Natal. peoplewere moved from areas where theyhad lived for a long time and left inthe veld without shelter.In Cape Down, communities weremoved from Blaauvlei, Retreat,Windemere and Elsies River.Vigorous resistance did not stop theremovals but the discussions andpublic meetings and the anger againstthe destruction of homes politicised alot of women, and drew them intothe ANCWL and the Fed. It was dif-ficult for the Fed to fight the GroupAreas Act successfully on a nationallevel, as the Acj was. implementedunevenly, making organisation dif-Helen Joseph, secondnational secretary.ticult.In the Bantu Education Boycott,the I-ed worked closely with theANCWL, but oniv took up the issueitself in certain areas. l his campaignwas a reaction against the BantuEducation Act of 1953.the ANC launched a boycott ofBantu Education schools, attemptingto replace them with Cultural Clubs.the Federation. as well as otherCongress Alliance organisationshelped to get these Cultural Clubsgoing, and supply them with teachingmaterial.Both the Bantu Education Act andthe Group Areas Act affectedwomen in their homes and politicisedmany of them. I here campaignscoincided with preparations for theCongress of the People. andmembership of the Fed increased.I he Congress of the people held onJune 25 and 26 at Kliptown gavewomen and the Fed an opportunityto articulate their demands for theFreedom Charter. I he Fed also sawthe Congress as a means of mobilis-ing large numbers of women.Regions were urged to hold housemeetings and local conferences atwhich the Congress could be pop-ularised, delegates elected and thewomens' demands for the FreedomCharter formulated.Women helped to plan theCongress of the People. At theCongress 721 out of 2 848 werewomen, and at least seven women,white, African. Indian and coloured,spoke from the platform. I 'he Fedensured that the presence of womenwas felt at the Congress. and their de-mands heard.When laws against private brewingwere introduced, many womenfound their livelihood threatened..Municipal beerhalls were takingaway their income.In Cato Manor opposition tobeerhalls was particularly militant.with women arming themselves withsticks to chase the men from thebeerhalls. the protests were spon-taneous in manv areas.the ANCWL and the Fed ralliedto the support of these women. I heyorganised further demonstrations,and politicised the protests by linkingthem to other protests and problemsof the past. -I he Fed took up many other cam-paigns and issues. it opposed the ex-orbitant rent increases introduced bythe government in the 50's. theyworked with the Federation of SouthAfrican Nurses and Midwives to op-pose the Nursing Act of 1957 that in-troduced racial segregation into thenursing profession: they foughtagainst the increase in bread prices:they also opposed train and bus fareincreases.Affiliate organisations and theregional committees also foughtagainst problems such as bad streetlighting.. shortage of creches and lackof recreation facilities. Women cametogether to fight against their im-mediate problems and increasinglyrealised the power of organisation,which helped to develop theirpolitical consciousness.I he Fed worked on two levels.I hey took up local communityproblems and national issues. oftenworking with Congress Allianceorganisations and others.It was Fed policy to work with awide range of organisations includingchurch and religious groups. socialclubs. and liberal womens organisa-tions. For example in Cape I own theFed and ANCWL worked in an anti-pass committee with the NationalCouncil of Women. the Black Sash,the Anglican Mothers Union and theQuaker Service Fund.I he Federation of South AfricaWomen. although it was never ban-ned. or declared an illegal organisa-tion, suffered from state intervention.In 1950. the Suppression of Com-munism Act was passed, which gavethe Minister of Justice immense con-trol over gatherings and individuals.Banning orders and police harass-ment made it difficult for a lot ofleaders, such as Lilian Ngoyi, RayAlexander, Helen Joseph, DoraI amane and others, to operate effec-tively.In the 1960's state action againstopposition bodies took its worst tollon the Federation. In 1956, 156 menand women were arrested andcharged with high treason. Includedin these were the national president,national secretary. the national vice-- president from the, Free State, andthree other members of the FedNational Executive. I his trial took along time. but despite the absence ofa large section of the leadership, theFed struggled on.In 1960. large crowds of peoplegathered at police stations in anti-pass demonstrations, demanding tobe arrested because then did nothave their passes. In Sharpeville, 69people were shot dead by the policewhile two people died in Langa.I hroughuut South Alnca. people',mobilised to demonstrate their shock'and anger at the killings. I he govern-,ment immediateh declared a fivemonth state of etncrgency. anddetained numerous people. I hey alsodeclared the ANC. AN(A~ I.. the'AN(_ Youth League and the PanAfrican Congress illegal.Many Fed leaders were banned'and detained in this period. making it !.difficult for the organisation to func-tion. the banning of the ANCWLwas the linal blow. I he ANCWL was.the Fed's biggest alfiliate and a large;number of active members were lost.Before 1960 most of the grassrootsorganising of the Fed had beencarried out by the ANCWI.. Now,this work had to he dune by theregional committees. I he Fed wasnow the only

Page 37 of 48 national women'sorganisation that could draw womeninto the national liberation struggle.At the National Conference in1961. the Fed adopted a series ofresolutions with a spirit of determina-tion and enthusiasm.I hey resolved to help build up new'women's groups and clubs to in-crease the unified action of women'sgroups. to develop women leaders, tostrengthen and enlarge the Fed, andso on.But the Fed was not able to achievethese aims. I he damage done by theNationalist government crippled it'fur a lung time.In 1961, the National Executive ofthe Fed said. 'W'e must continue toalign ourselves with those whostruggle for freedom; the true placeof a women's organisation whosemembers are debarred from politicalrights is with those who struggle forthose very rights.i' '-T-r,1984 is the 30th year since theFederation was formed. the growthof broad democratic movements hasincreased awareness of the impor-tance of organising women. National-ly, women's organisations are re-emerging, allowing women once!again to fight for democratic rightsfor all.

Page 38 of 48 COSAS" Y-W-'1% +' " ' SASPl7'NATI+ONAL 20srCosas National Executive from 1 to r: Allen Paulse (resource officer), Harold Lesoro (treasurer), White Mohape (administrative secretary), Jabu Kumalo (secretary-general), Mpho Lekgoro (vice-president), Lulu Johnson (president), Shepard Mati, Tlhabane Mogashda, Kenny Fihla (organisers) Lolo Mkonto (publicity secretary).Q : Why is it important to organisestudents?A : Students face many problems inthe schools. 1 o tackle these theyneed to be organised. Throughorganisation, students develop acommon understanding of where theroots of the problems lie andtherefore how to overcome them. Inthis way we develop clarity and canput forward our demands and em-bark on action.In 1976 students responded to theirproblems but were not wellorganised. Students thought theycould overcome their problems inisolation from their parents, the com-munity - the workers.One of Cosas' principles is thateducation should contribute con-structively to the welfare of the com-munity. Unless we are organised wewill never be able to ensure this.Q : What is the relationship betweenstudent and other struggles?A : Cosas organises students aroundproblems in the schools and the il-lness of the education system. Buteducation stems from the society.Students, as a particular sector, areoppressed in the sphere of education.In other sectors of the communitypeople experience oppression in dif-ferent ways.This system affects us all - ourparents as workers in the factoriesearn low wages, prices are increasingall the time, inflation is increasing,rents are going up. All this affects usdirectly - where is the money to buyuniforms, textbooks, to pay schoolfees, even the food we eat? Thesehave to be paid for because oureducation is not free.The cause of the problems in dif-ferent sectors is one common cause- oppression and exploitation, theway society is structured along racialand class linesI he problems exist at differentlevels and there is a need fororganisation in different sectors totake up these problems. We mustmobilise women, students, workersand so on. Workers can't organisestudents but they can play a suppor-tive role in student struggles. Schoolstudents can't organise workers butcan provide support for workerstruggles.Students are not a static grouping.New students come into school,others leave school and becomeworkers, unemployed people in thecommunity, or even teachers anddoctors. There they can join otherorganisations - trade unions,womens , youth, or communityorganisations. The experience, train-ing and development of political con-sciousness in student organisationscan be very valuable when they joinother organisations after leavingschool.So, the education struggle goeshand in hand with other struggles insociety.We need to organise peopletowards democratic ideals. We can'ttackle this alone. This is why Cosasmust organise, and unite with othersectors. Because our aims are one,the achievement of true freedom,and building a democratic and non-racial South Africa can be achievedonly by waging our struggle as a massprogressive united force.Q : What are the main problemsstudents are facing in the schools andtheir demands at the moment'!A : Now, like in the 1980 boycotts,students face poor representation,vicious corporal punishment,overcrowded classrooms, brokenStudent struggles aschool for unifieddemocratic actionCosas leadership speaks out on government strategies in theclassrooms, the current school boycotts an the long-term struggleor t e people's educTfi-6-n-Twindows, lack of textbooks, the age-limit law and victimisation of stu-dents.T he system of education is un-democratic and students still have nosay in the running of the schools. Theauthorities are trying to impose theprefect system and are trying todivide students, parents and teachers.More than ever before, students arerejecting the prefect system anddemanding recognition of theirdemocratically elected SRC's.Since the fifties the progressive de-mand has been for free, compulsory,dynamic and democratic education,but presently the education system istaking the opposite direction.Ever since the government in-troduced the age-limit law studentshave been fighting against it, but thegovernment continues to use it todrive students out. It was introducedto reduce the number of students inthe schools and force them onto thestreets or into the factories.Now it is also being used to curbactivity and kick out so- called trou-ble makers.Many students have to leave schoolto earn money to afford education orsupport their families, but when theygo back to school they are told theyare too old.Q : How has student organisationprogressed in recent years and howdo you see Cosas now?A : The most important progress isthat more students have developedbroader perspectives and goals since1976. They see the education struggleas part of the broader struggle for aliberated South Africa and we nowrealise our objectives of a freedynamic education can't be achievedin the present system.Cosas is growing and developing itsstructures, more students are becom-ing organised, and the rank and fileare becoming more politicised.Our constitution states that stu-dents are morally and spirituallyobliged to contribute to the well-being of society.Students are taught to believe whatthe teacher says and are not allowedto question anything.Cosas is stimulating debate and get-ting students to confront these dis-torted values and ideas.Q : What was the thinking behind thetheme 'Student Worker Action' lastyear?A: Students in the past have been in-volved in supporting workers instrikes eg. Fattis and Mortis, Meatworkers, Leyland and WilsonRowntree workers. There is a needfor students to get involved in thiskind of action, we realised.Students also learnt we are notleading the struggle - the workersmust be in the lead. Workers are themost exploited class. They areeconomically exploited and political-The student struggle still has Its victims. Students and parents mournEmma Sathekge, killed during the Pretoria boycottsly dominated. It is because of the ef-forts of the workers that we can en-joy the satisfaction of our daily needs.But workers are not only in the fac-tories, in strikes, they are also ourparents. And from the '76 and '80boycotts students saw the importanceof getting parents to suppport theirstruggles.The theme reflected the issues stu-dents were involved in at the time.Q : How do you see this year's theme'United Action for DemocraticEducation'?A: This arose out of the con-sciousness and understandingdeveloped in last year's struggles.Many of these struggles were aroundstudent problems in the schools.The theme symbolises our centraldemand for democratic educationand our democratic methods oforganising. So it is building on lastyears theme and our past gains.Bantu education tries to make usbelieve we can't be unified becauseof cultural and religious differences.We believe people shouldn't bedivided on tribal lines, and that theyare trying to divide us so as to

Page 39 of 48 controlus.Student unity is vital for the realisa-tion of our goals, and so is broaderunity. We need unity to galvanise stu-dents and all peace and freedom lov-ing people for the final destruction oftribalist and racist Apartheid educa-tion and step forward to the people'seducation.Our unity, if it is to be strong andlast long, can only be built when wework and struggle together, which iswhy our theme is for united action.There can't be democratic educa-,'ml n+I Wlll'~tNNI.tdtion without the involvement of all.I his democratic education must in-corporate the demands and needs ofall our people, and in particular theworkers. I heir needs should comefirst in society and in education.Our education charter campaignwill carry this forward and involve asmany people as possible.With the programmes around thetheme and the campaign we alsohope to strengthen our organisation,draw in new students, develop anddeepen our structures by con-solidating around democratic princi-ples.Q : How do you see the presentgovernment strategies in the educa-tion system?A :' t he government is trying to in-troduce some 'reforms' with the helpof multi-national companies. ]heyare building some 'model' schools topresent these as real change in theeducation system.But millions of students , all overthe country are still sitting three to adesk, with broken windows, crowdedclassrooms and sometimes not even ateacher. Students know the onlychange is that the government isstrengthening and sophisticatingbantu education and ensuring its con-tinued existence.This fits very closely with their newparliament. They will shift theburden for paying for education todifferent sections. They want peopleto direct their opposition to thatgrouping and stop them from seeingthe problems as the whole govern-ment and the entire system.There are now 13 educationdepartments, including the ban-tustans. I heN are trying to divide andconfuse the people.Because of increasing oppositionthe government is adopting thestrategy of going into the schools toto to win over the hearts and minds.Students, principals and teachers aretaken on SADF camps where theyindoctrinate people and try to recruitthem into the army to help them tomaintain Apartheid's power.I he prefect system is also part oftheir strategy to. ensure the crushingof the democratic student voice.I hen there are the propagandanewspapers produced by the Depart-ment of Information. especiallyaimed at school students. In thesepapers then promote the prefectsystem, mulli-racial sport, distortionsin the textbooks, their idea of the 'redthreat'.Along with this goes the attempt topromote their values, like encourag-ing individual achievement and com-petition at the expense of othersrather than for the progress of all.l here has been a lot of resistanceto this. But as resistance increases, sodoes repression. Cosas is continuallyharrassed in the schools. If anyonetalks about problems they are calledagitators, and students are victimisedand expelled.I he Multinational companies aretrying to get across the idea thateducation is a privilege and make itseem they are doing us a favour bygiving money. But we see educationas a right for all, not as somethingwhich should be used to co-opt a fewinto a more privileged position.Q: Could you comment on thepresent boycotts?A : Students have learnt from thepast that boycotts can be used toachieve short term demands. In thepast students went on boycottdemanding democratic education,but this can't be achieved in the pre-sent system, through one boycott.Short term demands are oneswhich can be won, for example, therecognition of SRC's or the reinstate-ment of expelled students.It is possible to push the authoritiesto give in to these demands, whichmeans the boycott doesn't end inoutright defeat which can bedemoralising . -The boycott becomesan effective tactic in the studentstruggle.Secondly, this tends to mobilise andorganise students more effectivelyand promotes unity in action, direc-tion and the strategies used.In many cases students haveremained inside the school premiseswhen they are boycotting classes.I his has ensured that students main-tain their unity and solidarity. It alsomeans parents don't get worried thatstudents are loitering and not goingto school and are more likely to sup-port the students.But students have come to schooland found the gates locked, so theythen have no choice but to boycottoutside the premises. Police have in-tervened on many occasions in At-teridgeville, Bloemfontein andC radoc k.In some areas students have wontheir demands for democraticallyelected SRC's or the readmission ofstudents, but in many places theDepartment of Education and T rain-ing and school authorities stubbornlyrefuse to give in to the legitimate de-mands of students, increasing studentanger and frustration. Studentsbecome more determined to organisenot only around their presentproblems and the bantu educationsystem, but the entire system that up-holds it.

Page 40 of 48 CONSCRIPTIONJO,NAL 2 1IN SEPTEMBER 1983, F.W. deKlerk, Internal Affairs minister said,'You can't ask a man to fight for hiscountry if he can't vote.' Among theterms of the new dispensation is theguarantee that coloureds and Indianswill get voting rights. It follows thattheir responsibilities will increase ac-cordingly, which means they willhold obligations to defend theserights.Minister of Defence, MagnusMalan, added that it remained onlyfor the new constitution to he im-plemented for the extension of con-scription to become fact.Conscientious objector, Brett Myr-dal, said, 'It is precisely because ofthe supposed political rights whichare being 'given' to the coloured andIndian people (a half vote and aquarter vote for every white vote)that they now face the threat of con-scription in defence of the apartheidsystem under which they are forcedto live.'the SADF has long been at-tempting to nstily its role in South-Mica in order to blur the people'sunderstanding of both the class andracial basis of the South Africans%steni. I lie S:\DF attempts to coopt all including members of the\%orking class, through its expandingconscription campaign.second reason for wanting con-scription and an extension of con-scription to coloureds and Indians isideological: to have access to youngmen (and women) for two yearsenables the SAD F to 'educate' them.I he military is putting increasingemphasis on non-combat (i.e. lec-tures and classes) education.Because of the recession and resul-tant massive unemployment theSADF was able to recruit hundredsof coloureds and Indians last year.More than I(XX) were turned awav.I he SADF has always tried to pro-ject itself as a 'neutral shield' holdingoff the 'communist onslaught',behind which 'meaningful reform'can take place.I here are contradictions in thisargument:.%'W. Botha's New deal' has beenwidely rejected as a sham reform thatbrings no real change..Evidence would also suggest thatTime toreal war beginsYou can't ask a man to fight for his country if he can't vote',says Internal Affairs Minister F W de Klerk. But that's exact ywhat the government_ plans. In exchange for'half and quartervotes', Indians and coloureds will be called into the SADF todefend the system that keeps them powerless.t!Ttiaff41t+~the nature of the conflict in SouthAfrica is taking the form of an inter-nal civil war. As an editorial in theCape I imes recently put it, 'the truthis that we are sliding into a civil war,albeit of low intensity. I he enemy isnot some faceless communist frombehind the Iron Curtain. I he'enemy'are our own people who fled fromSouth Africa after the unrest in 1976,in their thousands, and wererecruited into the African NationalCongress.' I he role of the SADF in this inter-nal conflict is clearly not neutral. Thearmy was, for example, called in bypolice in 1976 to cordon off thetownships. In 1980 the SADFsrarched the Bosmont Ilats to findThe SADFs Involvement In t~order wars continues,children boycotting school onRepublic Day. I he SA DF is also ac-tive in numerous road blocks, passraids, and recently in declaringMagopa an 'operational area', whilethe community was forciblyremoved.the SADF is also playing an in-creasing role in the economy. Whilehealth and housing are grossly inade-quate the defence budget was astaggering R3,6 billion for 1983/4,and has just gone up by 21 per cent.I he war in Namibia alone costSouth Africa 8320 million - doublewhat was allocated for housing in1983. the constant increases inGeneral "Sales lax. which hit thepoor hardest, go to pay for this ex-while Its activities Inside South Africa Increasepensive war.While on the one hand the SADFacts in boycotts and forced removals,on the other hand it operates in blackeducation through the Civic ActionProgramme, (C.A.P.) to win the'hearts and minds' of the people.C.A.P. personnel work in thehomelands as teachers, agriculturaladvisors and medics, where they tryto 'secure the goodwill and co-operation of the people', (and torecruit for black units or hantustanarmies). I hese people also play animportant 'spying role' in the com-munities.C.A.P. has run into great opposi-tion from the communities who ob-ject to having their children taught bymen in uniform. Particular resent-ment has been expressed by parentswhose children have been taken offto weekend camps run by themilitary without their parents'knowledge or consent.1 he role of the SADF in SouthernAfrica is twofold:0Io keep the independent Africanstates economically dependent onSouth Africa: I o prevent them giving support to,South Africa's guerilla movement.I o achieve these aims South Africahas embarked on a policy of militaryaction in neighouring states. Raidsinto Maseru. Maputo and Matolawhich have claimed civilian as well asANC lives are part of the process.I he SA I)F has also allegedly givensuplxirt to Unita in Angola, MNR inMoiambique. and the LesothoLiberation Army which have at-tempted to sabotage the economiesof their countries. I his keeps thesecountries economically dependenton S.A.It is against this background thatthe Nkomati Accord needs to beseen. I his accord and the variousagreements presently being imposedon the Frontline States cannot bringtrue peace, because they do notchange the base of the conflict: theunjust structures in South Africa.In the light of this role of theSADF, the Black Sash passed aresolution on conscription in January1983. I his resolution affirmed that aconscripted army is necessary onlybecause of political failure to respondto people's wishes.I his resolution stimulated anationwide campaign amongst thewhite community to end conscrip-tion. I he conscientious objectorssupport groups in all the majorcentres have formed End Conscrip-tion Committees (ECC's) withrepresentatives from church groups,student groups, womens groups,educational bodies and all others in-terested in taking up the issue.I here groups are not optimisticthat their demands will he met. For aSouth Africa without conscriptionwill only be possible when there istrue and lasting peace.act as UDF hits the stagesmall group of six actors (pinySkeftle, Joyful Tsele, John Jacobs,Nomkitha Bavuma, and Nick andAndrea Fine), with Marlene Winbergdirecting, work in a comradely way.'It has taken a lot of discipline to getthe show on the road.I he play sets the present-daystruggles of our people in the tradi-tion of three centuries of resistance.the actors switch from one role toanother in a great mixture of styles.Some of the scenes are played in aroustabout, comic manner. At othermoments the play quietens andbecomes more intense. With thecrushing of the mass popular move-ments in South Africa in the early1960's, the actors converge. Thenone actor after the other peels away...... Ssssssh! And whispers aloud tothe audience.' I he mid sixties. l he dead ofSharpeville already five years cold intheir graves. Mandela,Sisulu, Mbeki,Kathrada, Goldberg ...... and howmany more are in jail. the stone ofsilence lies in our throats - sssssssh!Slowy the actors become anagitated knot of workers in a factorycanteen, planning a wage strike. Weemerge from the 1960's, then, intothe 1973 Durban Strikes, and the re-building of progressive trade unions.Part of the 1976

Page 41 of 48 scene is portrayedvery simply. Nomkitha comesforward to the audience: 'What weare about to tell you, it is true.' Andthen each actor gives a brief accountof a personal experience during the1976 uprising.The play ends with the UDFSignature Campaign. Joyful leads usin a song: Join a million peopleSign the signature formAnd then we all sing:+that,,dw#oernp was oronised bythe 6 -SADF+sopropagands campaign irrthet 4aparthaid.+.t t ,*t t-f rt't 4'co t cc: i 4 iayytc ~lpoplelst ~ao~ltccrwar11:1-a ti >,','~I HE HEAVY aunties start to floatup on the drum's streetwise beat. Thewide-eyed youths throw back theirheads, laughing at the walls balloon-ing in and out. Dum-da-da-dam!Dum-da-da-dam!L-e-eidies, gennelmen, lighties andcomrades! We bring you A Time ToAC I ! A UDF play by the CapeI own region, playing here tonight atLavender Hill. -da-da-Dumm! Deadsilence. l he actors freeze.'Before, there was a land. Where afree people lived, traded and mined.Farmed and made law.' More drums,and the actors flow into motion.Lavender Hill is one of the poorest,working class townships in CapeI own.lhis is the fifth live performance.I he play is travelling around. It wentout to schools - Gugulethu,Mitchells Plain. I he premier wasbefore an audience made up largelyof UDF supporters.But the actors are learning the hardway. Every audience is a totally dif-ferent situation. The responses, thelaughter come at a very differentplace. Last Saturday, the UDF ac-CapechildrenDEFENCE FORCE involvement inschools was the focus of attention inHanover Park near Cape Townrecently after it was found that theSADF was behind a holiday camparranged by a local teacher.Parents of Standard Four and Fivepupils at Belmore Primary Schoolapproached the Western CapeUDF's Anti-Conscription Commit-tee (ACC) to find out more about thecamp,Subsequent investigation revealed71w1',,6 70Al~qY A ,,~~oUR~~YE.iYdE=cm.- .gKW6ACU$M1To si a+~tivists savoured the quiet, dramaticmoments. But tonight, out here inLavender Ifill, the audience aremainly Afrikaans (Cape Flats ver-sion) mother tongue speakers.I onight's audience reacts more tothe songs and action, especially thefight scenes.John: '1652. Foreigners invade Hui-Quis. Without asking the ownerspermission, rename it 'Die Kaap'.stay outofSADF, who wanted to take pupils toFaure for several activities gearedtowards defence, including beingtaught about civil defence.The ACC and the Cape YouthCongress held a meeting for pupilsand parents and drew up a program-me of activity.This involved the distribution ofpamphlets opposing the camp, whichit termed 'part of the 'new deal'The ACC also organised an educa-tion programme to counter theActors and audience, give the playIts punchI hey squat on the land and erect anillegal structure. They call it 'TheCastle'.'Nick: ' I he Ilottentots steal our cat-tle attack our herds and start guerillaraids: I I I E FIRST IIOI l ENT OTWAR.'John: 'We defend our country, tryto recover our pastures. We call this:I HE FIRSI WAR OFRESISTANCE.'I hen Nomkitha steps forward withthe first song of the night.War after warBlood has flown from our riversBeaten by gunsthe audience are wide-eared now.Sssssh, an old uncle tells a lightie.Get rid of these strangersWho turn, our rivers to bloodTheatre people have the reputationof being difficult customers. But thisarmy's campWestern Cape.An open evening was held at whichpapers were presented on resistanceto the military and SADF activities.The conscription issue is seen as animportant part of the campaignagainst the August elections forcoloured and Indian 'chambers' inparliament.As one UDF pamphlet puts it:'They want to offer the vote to somesections of the population so thatthey can force our sons to defendI he aims of these groups are, ac-cording to the Western Cape FCC to'create a coherent voice of opposi-tion to conscription within the whitecommunity', and 'to create a suppor-tative environment for politicalorganisations to most effectively takeup opposition to conscription in theoppressed communities'. l his entailsa thorough education of the whitecommunity on the role of the SADFand the damaging effects of a,

Page 42 of 48 IAV IN dl1R4ERIES ON THE HISTORY OF THE STUDENT MOVEMENT------, - - , , SASPU,NATIONAL-?2 .OCIOBER 19, 1977, is written inSouth Africa's history as a date ofstate clampdown.I hat was the day the state bannedthe wide range of political organisa-tions that had thrived in the pastdecade.At the same time though, theclampdown provided those who hadbeen involved in the upsurge ofmilitancy during those years with anopportunity to carefully assess thepath they had taken and prepare theway for the road ahead.I wo vital lessons emerged from thisperiod of assessment that continuedwell into 1978.Firstly. that the key to the successof the struggle for a democraticSouth Africa was the organisationand leadership of the largest sector ofsociety - the African working class.And secondly, that organisations,however popular, that existedprimarily in the media and on publicplatforms were of limited value.Mass-based organisations wereneeded to give people in differentsectors of society a chance to activelyparticipate in changing the condi-tions under which they lived andworked, and in so doing to changethe very foundations of apartheid.After the bannin9scomes the renewal01 *0 oof 7~.04New foundationsOf the student groupings that hadexisted during the 1970's only Nusassurvived the clampdown of October1977. the Soweto StudentsRepresentative Council (SSRC), theSouth Africa Students Organisation(SASO) and the South African Stu-dents Movement (SASM) were allbanned and their leaders detained.jailed or forced into exile.Yet the contributions of those whohad been involved in these organisa-tions were central to the new think-ing of the period. Whether from the1;ul cells of Modderbee or Robbenisland. the tenuous security of theneighhouring states or life on-the-runin the townships, experiences wereassessed and the foundations for theproiressi%c student movement laid.I he Congress of South African Stu-dents (Cocas) was the first new stu-dent organisation to emerge from thisassessment. Formed in mid-1979 itimmediately set about the task ofdrawing together black school stu-dents.I he impact on these students of the1976 boycott and subsequent repres-sion was particularly severe. Manyhad already left South Africa to joinUmkhonto we Si/we.Cosas' effect was clearly shown bythe almost immediate securitycrackdown on the organisation. Bythe end of 1979 the entire nationalexecutive committee of Cocas hadbeen detained and the first nationalpresident. Ephraim Mogale, put ontrial. I Ie was sentenced to eight yearson Robben Island for furthering theaims of the African NationalCongress (ANC) and and the SouthAfrican Communitst Party (SACP).r N11.mr tramsGOVaw.fResistance to age limit laws, corporal punishment and lake of SRC's continues~HOOLS'~OyCOTT V~1 ~1Resistance to age limit laws, corporal punishment and lack of SRC's continues~VAIITFp WA'~wrAJVnot an actual principle of their eam-paign. At the same time they drew adistinction between the short-termdemands around which they actuallynwbilised and the long-term demandof the student movement: Ademocratic educational system in ademocratic South Africa.In ultimately deciding to return toclasses students had come to realisethat it was not the boycott itself thatwas the essential component of theirstruggle it was rather the organisa-tion which was generated.In order to effectively contestapartheid education. students wouldneed organisation at every level,from each specific school through toa structure for national co-ordinationand leadership. I he significance ofthe two new student organisations,Cosas and Azapo. was therefore in-creasingly appreciated.I here two organisations togetherwith Nusas. now began to stress theneed for student struggle to heproperly integrated into the broadercampaign for democracy in SouthAfrica. And it was this broad cam-paign that was rapidly emerging todominate the political scene.CampaignsrB C debateI he emergence of the Azanian Stu-dents Organisation (Azapo) as theprogressive organisation of black un-iversity and technical college stu-dents was less directed than that ofC osas.Originally formed as the studentdepartment of the embryonic blackconsciousness organisation Azapo,late in 1979, much of its first year wasspent debating the narrowphilosophy that Azapo had adopted.It was only at the Julv 1981 con-gress. at Wilgespruit outside Johan-nesburg. that a clear directionemerged rejecting black con-sciousness and committing Azapo tothe broad democratic struggle, led bythe working class.A key resolution at this congressrepresented the position: 'We wish todispel the myth that all blacks areworkers. whilst we confirm that blackworkers in South Africa are the mostexploited and therefore the vanguardin the national struggle fordemocracy.'I he events of 1976 and 1977 alsohad a profound impact on theThe schools boycott sparked off widespread solidarity actionNational Union of South African Stu-dents (Nusas).I he extent to which Nusas hadbeen out of step with the militancy ofblack school and university studentshad been clearly brought home bythe theme they had chosen for 1976- 'A Year for Peace'.An intense attack on Nusas byright-wing students at one pointreduced the organisation to just Witsand U(_' I as the only affiliated cam-puses. It was later discovered the in-famous Department of Informationhad financed this attack.It was therefore from one of theweakest periods in its entire historythat Nusas emerged with a new anddynamic direction. )he 1977 and1978 themes of 'Africanisation' and'Education for an African Future'drastically altered the emphasis ofNusas.Moving away from the protestpolitics that had dominated activityin the 1960's and 1970'x, Nusas nowset about the complex task of makingwhite students think about a future ina democratic South Africa.Nusas challenged the educationand socialisation of members andtried to get them to commit theirprivileges to the forces of change andan 'African future' rather than onedominated by western interests.Schools revolt1980 stands out as one of themilestones of student struggle inSouth Africa. Again student angerreached a level where there was noalternative to militant action.In April coloured school studentsin the Western Cape began boycot-ting classes in protest against theiratrocious educational facilities. I heyprotested against inadequate text-books. undertrained teachers. ill-equipped classrooms and the exces-sive use of corporal punishment.the Western Cape students weresoon joined by school and universitystudents throughout the country,,who went on boycott both insolidarity and in protest against theirown educational conditions.I he very nature of the boycott ex-panded as students shifted their at-tention beyond the immediate issuesaround which they had initiallymobilised to the broader demand of 'atruly democratic education as part ofa truly democratic South Africa.In Julv the 'Committee of 81'decided to end the boycott and urgedstudents to return to classes. I he callwas initially a nationally unpopularone,

Page 43 of 48 for two reasons.firstly. the committee was only tru-Is reprcsentatiyc of the %western(ape and secondly, many studentsfelt their demands had not been metand a return to classes would be a,i,_n of defeat.I he debate that followed withinstudent circles was to have aprofound impact on the studentmovement as a whole.Students decided a. boycott was oneof the weapons available to them andI he Free Mandela Campaignwhich was launched in the midst ofthe boycotts in various parts of thecountry was one of the most signifi-cant campaigns in years.Not only did it focus attention onthe plight ~of* South African politicalprisoners, but it called for an ex-amination of the period of'resistanceduring which many of these peoplehad been active and for which theywere jailed.I he history of South Africanresistance. and the decade of the1950's in particular, became a majorfocus of national attention. I heCongress Alliance of the 1950's %%asexamined and.its demands, theFreedom Charter. were reasserted asa truly progressive document.I he Free Mandela Campaign inmany ways shaped the period ofnational mobilisation in 1980 and1981, as the various campaignswaged came to be seen as part of thebuilding of the progressive move-ment in South Africa.Azapo. Cosas and Nusas all par-ticipated in the campaigns of thisperiod and thereby grew in ex-perience and stature. -

Page 44 of 48 SASPLI NATIONAL 23Yyo-on the 'bantustan campuses'.From the Fort Hare eruption overthe presence of Ciskei president.Lennox Sebe on that campus in 1982to the massacre of five students byInkatha impis on Ngoye campus in1983. and the 1983 suspension of theUniversity of Durban- Westville andMedunsa. Aiaso has led a campaignfor democratic representation forblack university students.Whilst the- organisation is stillyoung and much needs to be done toconsolidate structures, it has un-doubtedly come to command a greatdeal of support and influence.in the immediate years after theadoption of a progressive direction in1977. Nusas had to assume theresponsibility of being the primaryforum for the involvement of whitedemocrats in the campaign fordemocracy.With the expansion of the progres-sive movement and the formation ofother such forums. Nusas has beenable to put far more energy into theEnglish campuses themselves.Campus actionFrom the 198_' theme. 'Campus ac-tion Ior democracy* through to thecurrent 'Students meeting thechallenge of change', the focus hasbeen on organising and politicisingon the campuses themselves.1983 saw mass mobilisation aroundthe Quota Bill on all Nusas cam-puses, and over Id OM studentssigned the Nusas petition rejectingthe new constitution and calling for anun-racial. democratic society.Nusas' participation in the UDFalso reflects the shift in Nusas overthe last few years to a clear and un-ambiguous alignment with extra-parliamentary opposition. At presentNusas is mobilising students in a cam-paign to end conscription, hingingaround the demand in the FreedomCharter. 'there shall he peace andfriendship.''Organise, Mobilise, Educate' has become the common call of the progressive student movement1 he red meat boycott. the Wilson-Rowntree boycott. anti-republic dayactivities and the boycott of electionsfor the 'dummy' South African In-dian Council all addressed differentaspects of the struggle.I he 1981 Republic Day activities,with the slogan 'Forward to a Peo-ple's Republic', saw the three studentorganisations coming togetherpublicly for the first time in a'democratic student alliance'.Speakers from the three organisa-tions shared public platforms andjointly spearheaded the campaign todiscredit the 20th anniversary of theapartheid republic. -Yet even at this high point ofmilitancy. it was the organisation oc-curing in the schools and on the cam-puses that was to provide the clearestpointer to the way forward.the fight for a representative SRCon the University of Durban-Westville campus throughout 1980and 1981, in the face of daily policeinvasions, provided a crucial exampleof the difficulties in consolidating at agrassroot level.Government action unleashedagainst the student movement in themiddle of 1981. however, indicatedthis process had seriously begun.When prominent student leaderswere detained for lengthy periods,and some subsequently served with afive year banning order, the studentmovement was not in factdemobilised. While the presence ofleaders was missed. Cosas, Azaso andNusas all managed to grow anddevelop.At the 1983 Azaso Congress. inCape I own. an event occurred thatshowed how much non-racialism hadbecome established as a principle ofthe progressive student movement.As the highlight of the Congresssome of'the foremost student leadersof the past decade shared a platfromand discussed different aspects oftheir common history. l he Azasonewsletter called it 'the most historicmoment in the development of thestudent movement'.Past shapes presentDiliza Mji. Saso president in 1976until his arrest and banning. l errorI.ekota, permanent organiser ofSaso until his imprisonment on Rob-ben Island. Dan Sechaba Montsitsiand 'Prot- Morobe. president andvice-president of the SSRC until theirimprisonment on Robben Island andAuret van fleerden. Nusas Presidentin the crucial years of 1978 and 1979,captivated a packed hall with theirviews on how the past shaped thepresent.I he Azaso newsletter went on tosay that 'what made the meeting soimportant was the fact that amongstthe audience were many ex- Saso ac-tivists, the entire executive of Azaso'ssister organisation, Cosas. as well asall the past presidents of Nusas since1978.''Organise. Mobilise. Educate' wasthe common call of the speakers andhas in many respects, become thecatch-phrase describing the tasks ofthe student movement. (laving cometo understand the purpose ofapartheid education, students haveidentified their primary task tochallenge that educational system onan ongoing basis.But rather than relv on rhetoric andstatements of principle. the prioritynow is to actually get down andorganise. mobilise and educate stu-dents. as an integral part of overallopposition to apartheid.Cosas has grown considerably dur-ing the past few years, with 44branches functioning in differentparts of the country at present.(laving identified the need forCosas to participate in the broadcampaign for democracy, led by theworking class. the 1982 theme. 'Stu-dent Worker Action', saw a lot ofenergy going into developingrelationships between Cosas andother progressive organisations.I he intensity of Cosas activity dur-ing 1983. with more than 10 000 stu-dents participating in various schoolboycotts. once again saw Cosas com-ing into direct confrontation with theauthorities. Besides the repeateddetention of student leaders by thesecurity police. both the Ciskei andKwa.Zulu authorities effectively ban-ned Cosas from operating.the current Cosas theme, 'UnitedAction for Democratic Education' isconcerned with uniting students,parents. workers and the un-employed around educational issues.1984 has already seen a series ofmassive school boycotts. particularlyin the Eastern Cape and theNorthern I ransvaal. In theseboycotts issues such as the new agelimit law. vicious use of corporalpunishment and the lack ofdemocratic student representationhave once again sparked studentanger.Setting of time limits at the outsetof the boycotts and the obvious ex-tent to which demands coincide withstudent feeling have shown the grow-ing sophistication and appeal of thestudent movement.Azaso has also expanded recently.SRC's or local committees have beenestablished on all black campuses. aswell as amongst black students on theEnglish campuses and in technicalcolleges.But the 1982 theme. 'Educationtowards a democratic society', andthe current theme, 'Organisation fora people's education'. have directedstudents to concentrate on under-standing and challenging the work-ings of apartheid education.Education struggleAzaso president. I iego Moseneke,explains: 'We are a student organisa-tion and our primary site of struggleis education. We. however. knowthat our demand for a non-racial anddemocratic education system willnever be met in this unjust order.I his therefore. necessitates our con-sistent participation in the broaderstruggle for our people at all times.'Although Azaso has focussed on is-sues like the campaign for thereprieve of six condemned ANCguerillas. and the daily grievances ofstudents. such as lack of

Page 45 of 48 properhostel facilities. the bulk of its energyhas gone into contact with the un-iversity administrations. particularlyIt would be inadequate to discussNusas activity without pointing to theattacks of right-wing student ele-ments on the organisation.In 1980 Nusas executive member.Norman Manoim. said: 'Conser-vatism is a by-product of the increas-ing polarisation in the white com-muniu. As armed conflict becomesmore of a reality. white students findthey can no longer be indifferentonlookers. I hey'ye got to choosetheir side of the fence.'I he result of this type of polarisa-tion has been a barrage of smears,disruptive tactics and disafliliationcampaigns against Nusas.Recently a 'moderate' studentsfederation -was launched in Johan-nesburg. called the National Stu-dents' Federation (NSF(. As yet theNSF has no programme. It wouldseem that its formation is an attemptto counter growing opposition toapartheid on campuses.Future promiseI wo crucial events ol'the past yearpromise to have a significant effecton the continued growth of theprogressive student movement.I he first is the renewed emphasisthat has been given to the campaignto formulate an Education Charter toserve as a 'Beacon which guides stu-dents in the struggle for democraticeducation and a non-racial people'sdemocracy in South Africa.'I he second development is theemergence of the United DemocraticFront. I he formation of the UDF in1983 and the rapid emergence of thealliance as the central opponent ofthe new constitution and the'Koornhof Bills' will undoubtedlyplay a crucial role in linking cam-paigns from different sectors and dif-ferent regions of the country.I he ktct that Cosas. Azaso andNusas have all alliliated to the UDFand enthusiastically participated in itsactivities. is proof of the coherenceand achievements of the progressivestudent movement and the promisethat it holds for the future.

Page 46 of 48 EtSince May Day was first celebrated over ahundred years ago, millions of workers andtheir families ha%e come together to declaretheir unit% and strength, to mark past vic-tories and Future battles.Ma\ Day is n demonstration against theimbalances between rich and poor, power-Iul and powerless, exploiter and exploited.I ogether. k%orkers run the machines, digminerals. build shelter, make clothes, andproduce Food for all people. I hey producefor all, but the wealth of what they produceis not shared - only the rich grow richer.May Day first started when workers inAustralia, an-l later America, were fighting,, Ior a shorter working day. At a time whenthey worked up to 18 hours a day, they were;, demanding an eight-hour day. _ In response to the eight-hour day cam-" paign. newspapers protested that 'all thisfree time will encourage loafing, gambling,rioting, debauchery and drunkenness.'In 1886 350 000 workers downed tools in wonviiiiiiiiiover I I (XX) factories across America. The-. government responded with force. Policefired on workers, killing many. They at-._ tacked peaceful demonstrations, and labourleaders were put on trial for working to'overthrow the established order'. Foura were hanged.'. Despite the attacks May Day activity wasa huge success. 185 000 of those thatmarched won their eight-hour day, and afurther 2 million got a nine or ten-hour day.\s the leadership said: ' I he only way of get-: ting the eight-hour day is by organising. If` ou want the eight-hour day you must make_%ounelf.'\s with the eight-hour battle, May Dayhas had to he fought for. Governments in'. capitalist countries around the world havetried to stop the working class celebration.I his hits been the case in South Africa as. well.- ()n Ma% 119(14, a group of socialists held _` [lie first Lahour Day meeting in Market. Squares Johannesburg. I hese people werec\pencnced trade unionists from Europe. ,Ih1ay Day took some time to he es-tablished as an annual event. In 1916, theInternational Socialist League (ISL) witsloaned. It opposed the war -- as did manyprogressive organisations around the world.R it passed a resolution which stated 'wepledge our energies to the New Inter-national for the building up in South Africaof such industrial labour solidarity as canalone destroy capitalism, militarism and war, and in the fullness,, of strength unfold itself in the socialist commonwealth._ 10thousands and among them were a small contingent of whiteswho had remained true to the principle of working class unity.Divisions within the working class in South Africa persistedhowever.In the early 1930's May Day was celebrated in different ways.The registered unions and bureaucratic labour movement pas-sed resolutions supporting international solidarity of labour, yettheir meetings were closed to African workers.On the other hand there were large militant mass meetingscalled by the Communist Party. Police disrupted one such MayDay meeting by only attacking African workers in the audienceand on the platform.According to a report in the Johannesburg Star, 'police tact-fully intervened and with their truncheons persuaded thenatives to go away. They went in something of a hurry. Therewere no Europeans among the injured.'Massive unemployment in 1931 led the Communist Party todemonstrate against these conditions and May Day of that yearwas caught up in these events. After booing and yelling outsidethe 'official' May Day meeting, several thousand workers,mostly Africans settled down to listen to Communist Partyp to this point May Day celebrationswere exclusively while. In 1917 thischanged. For the first time, the ISL invited;in African speaker, I ransvaal ANC activistIforatio Mbele. to address a May Daymeeting.the meeting was broken up by soldiers and civilians who, inthe midst of war fever, were enraged by the ISL's anti-war andnon- racial position. The ISL however, continued to move ten-tatively towards a full acceptance of non-racial principles,recognising that racial divisions were weapons of exploitation.African workers tended to be suspicious of white working: class organisation however, often justifiably so.In 1920, for example, coloured workers refused to participate:. in the May Day celebrations on the Rand because of their.' treatment in a dockworkers strike in Cape Town earlier in the%year. In 1921 things improved slightly when a strong contingentof African and coloured workers attended an ISL rally inDurban.It took the growth of the African trade unions on the Rand to;really change things In 1928 African workers marched in theirvVERY YEAR workers aroundthe world set aside a day tocelebrate their struggle againstexploitation and domination.^_fb _ __ ~rspeakers. lay Diamond drew cheers fromthe audience by referring to the blackworkers who had assembled, as'black com-rades'.As the speeches ended, a mixed crowd ofaround I (DO formed a procession. T hey at-tacked the Carlton Hotel and the 'RandClub --- symbols of the mine bosses' wealth.A number of demonstrators were arrested.liry Diamond was jailed for a year.he depression, weakness ofthe Communist Party andlabour movement accountedfor the absence of May Daycelebrations through the 30's.But during the 194(Ys, May Day celebra-tions were most consistently observed. I heCouncil of Non-European I trade Unions(CNE I U) played a significant role duringthis period. the organisation unitedworkers under the slogan of 'We wantbread' and 'Work for wages'.1950 saw the most significant May Dayevent in South African labour history.While conservative trade unions had ceasedto observe it entirely, various organisationsdeclared May 11950, as a Freedom Daystrike.CNE I U, ANC, NIC and I IC called for ageneral stay away and demonstrations tofight against the Suppression of Com-munism Bill and to support demands forhigher wages and better working condi-tions. llundreds of meetings were heldthroughout the country as a build up to the- Freedom Day strike and extensive agitationtook place in the I ransvaal.I he Nationalist government - in powerfor two years at this stage - mobilised all itsresources. Meetings were banned and armyunits patrolled the streets. Loudspeakervans toured the townships ordering workersto go to work, and the army occupiedtownships in Pretoria. Despite attempts bythe police to force people to go to work, the11, strike was widely observed.I n the evening police broke up a gatheringwith fixed bayonets, killing six people. InAlexandra the police fired on a crowd and acinema burnt down. Crowds in Sophiatownwere also tired at. I he final death loll wasnineteen, with thirty injured.n Cape l own 6 000 peoplemarched up Adderly Streetshouting 'Down wit-hlapartheid' and 'We wantfreedom'.In Durban 10 M) demonstrated againstthe Suppression of Communism Rill.May Day 1950 became South Africa'sfirst mass stay away. The day on which theinternational struggle for the eight-hour dayday is celebrated became a day of mass-political struggleagainst oppression and exploitation.After the freedom strike May Day activity declined in theface of increased state repression. Only the South AfricanCouncil of Trade Unions (Sactu) and the Congress movementkept the

Page 47 of 48 tradition of May Day celebrations alive, while theprogressive newspaper the Guardian, continued to bring outMay Day issues.In successive May Day meetings Sactu put forward workersdemands. As Sactu was weakened by state repression and NewAge - a newspaper dedicated to the principles of an inter-national labour day -was banned. May Day activity declined.I he 70's saw very little activity celebrating May Day. But thetradition is now re-emerging as progressive organisations gainstrength.The fight for May Day continues and with it, the fight to ridthe lives of the majority of domination and exploitation.In the beginning May Day marked the workers victory for ashorter working day. Later it attained a wider significance,marking the struggle for many worker rights, and the struggle ofthe working class to balance the power of the owners with theirown power, a power they have built through collective action.marks the coming together of the working class into organise- avk ".~ lions.r.T.'y.s:11fEr.t _._Ha.rt\-TTa7FvJJJ4aAh..1Y71MbA,

Page 48 of 48