The people of South Africa were made poorer every time the media Information and Broadcasting Permanent Secretary Bob Kandetu' was faced with harsh reprisals from the government or threats by said in Windhoek. any pressure group. 'The government of the Republic of Namibia cannot find words to Proposals had been made at Codesa for the election of an condemn the involvement of these elements there," he told a independent media commission to set up an "explicitly democratic media briefing on Wednesday. and non-discriminatory media procedure but which would ensure freedom of the press in the transition to a democratic South Mr Kandetu was referring to members of the former police counter Africa”. insurgency unit, Koevoet, who transferred to South Africa before and after Namibia's independence from South Africa in March, The IFP believed the media should be free of political control. 1990. "This was one of the greatest ills of South Africa under apartheid "It is shameful that while we are enjoined to the international rule. The press was effectively silenced and the broadcasting community by our concern to find a speedy solution to the South industry dominated to such an extent that only the voice of the African deadlock, these elements, as citizens of Namibia, continue government was heard. to drag Namibia's name into disrepute." "The evils of indoctrination and media manipulation is a great Mr Kandetu said it was a matter of record that the Namibian injustice to society." government tried to discourage them for leaving for South Africa and that their departure was co-ordinated by institutions in both He said the media's role was to expose the propaganda warfare of countries. opposing political factions. "As it is, these Koevoet functionaries seem to be at the centre Although journalists now had less to fear from detentions and stage of fuelling the already explosive political situation in South arrest, they were faced with radical elements forcing local Africa," he said. journalists to publicise their line of political thinking. Inkatha "Did Not Orchestrate Boipatong Massacre" As an example of the need for informed reporting, he said few people were aware that at least 10 IFP members were killed in the PRETORIA June 2 Sapa Boipatong violence. The Inkatha Freedom Party had not orchestrated the Boipatong "How many of you know that at least six IFP members were buried massacre and had no control over individuals who may have been as ANC members in Monday's mass burial?" involved in the mass killing, IFP spokesman Sue Vos said on Thursday. Education in one's home language was an excellent incentive to learn and people should be free to choose their medium of Ms Vos was responding to evidence given earlier in the day to the instruction. Goldstone Commission in which SAP investigator Major Christo Davidson said the massacre was carried out by inmates of the No matter how tarnished the South Afrian media may be, it would KwaMadala Hostel — reportedly an IFP stronghold. be difficult to find greater press freedom anywhere in Africa. Maj Davidson was quoted as telling the commission: "The Any defect in the media would be corrected by market forces. It evidence unambiguously proves that the residents of KwaMadala was up to the public to support or reject particular newspapers or Hostel attacked the residents of Boipatong and Slovo Park (the television programmes. adjoining squatter camp) on this tragic night." Whatever party had the electoral majority would write a Ms Vos told Sapa by telephone: constitution outlining its goals and policies and this was why Codesa, unrepresentative as it was, should be charged with this "We have thoroughly investigated, within our structures, the task. massacre. There is no evidence whatsoever of any IFP leadership decision to attack Boipatong. The IFP did not orchestrate this Codesa was not representative of the whole spectrum of South attack. Africans as the Conservative Party on the right and the Pan Africanist Congress and the Azanian People's Organisation on the "But the IFP cannot speak for individuals who may have been left were not represented, nor were people with no political involved in the tragedy. We have no control over those affiliation. individuals and their actions. Obviously, we would urge that those responsible for the attack be charged and brought to a court of law Namibia Condemns Koevoet Involvement as soon as possible.” WINDHOEK July 2 Sapa ANC Having Difficulties Getting Witnesses To Talk The Namibian government has condemned the involvement of By Anton Ferreira Koevoet members of Namibian origin in South African affairs, /9.f PRETORIA, July 2, Sapa-Reuter hours before the attack and arrested self-defence unit members who had been patrolling in fear of an attack. The South African police told an inquiry into the Boipatong township massacre on Thursday the killing was carried out by up He said between 200 and 300 hostel residents launched the raid, to 300 inmates of a nearby workers hostel, a known stronghold of adding the final death toll was probably 43. the Inkatha Freedom Party. The main cause for the attack was rivalry between the ANC and The African National Congress (ANC) told the probe by a senior Inkatha, Davidson said, adding several Inkatha members were judge that it was having difficulty getting witnesses to talk about murdered in the Boipatong aea in the fortnight before. the June 17 massacre of 43 men, women and children, which has plunged the country into political crisis. "This resulted in an extremely hostile attitude of hostel residents towards township residents," he said. ANC regional leader Tokyo Sexwale, whose movement initially accused police of helping the killers, produced no evidence to Inkatha spokeswoman Suzanne Vos, reacting to Davidson's support the charge. statement, said Inkatha had taken no part in the killing and had no control over "individuals" who may have been involved. He said the important point was not "who pulled the trigger" but why the government had failed to prevent the massacre from Davidson said some of the 81 hostel residents arrested had happening. explained that they wanted to attack members of Boipatong's ANC self defence units but had not been able to find any. They had then "We are dealing with a matter that is much wider than Boipatong," fallen on township residents at random. Sexwale said, adding the massacre had to be seen in the context of covert government support fo T Inkatha, the ANC's most powerful Sexwale said Boipatong residents were reluctant to give evidence rival for black loyalties. because they did not trust police. The government last year admitted providing training for Inkatha Inquiry head judge Richard Goldstone, who interrupted Sexwale on security personnel and funding Inkatha rallies and a pro-Inkatha several occasions to question the relevance of parts of his union, saying the moves were justified because of the party's statement, said the exact terms of the inquiry would be decided on anti-sanctions stance. Pretoria says it has ceased covert funding of Friday. the group. Commission members including visiting former Indian chiuef The ANC has broken off democracy talks with the government in justice P.N. Bhagwati boarded a plane to inspect the site of the protest at alleged collusion between security forces and Inkatha at massacre from the air on Thursday afternoon. Boipatong. Sexwale said the massacre would never have happened if earlier The ANC and union allies say they will launch a general strike "of recommendations by Goldstone that hostels be kept under police unprecedented proportions" on August 3 unless the white surveillance had been acted on and he accused the government of government acts decisively to meet the demands. "criminal negligence”.-Reuter About 12,000 people have been killed in violence in black Meaning Of Democracy The Key Difference In townships since 1984, mainly in fighting between Inkatha and Negotiations the ANC or its surrogates. JOHANNESBURG July 2 Sapa Senior police investigator Major Christo Davidson said there was no evidence of involvement by any political group in the worst Underlying most of the key differences at Codesa was the age-old massacre of the apartheid reform era. divide as to what democracy meant, SA Institute of Race Relations executive director John Kane-Berman said on Thursday. "The evidence unambiguously proves that the residents of KwaMadala hostel attacked the residents of Boipatong and Slovo Speaking at Aisec's Johannesburg "Business Olympics, Leadership Park (an adjoining squatter camp) on this tragic night...(but) there for the Nineties" conference, Mr Kane-Berman said some people is no evidence of IFP involvement." accused the National Party of trying to cling to power. No evidence had as yet been found to support ANC charges that He said suspicions about perpetuated white privilege in South police took part in the attack, despite testimony from two black Africa were countered by fears of majority tyranny and visions of policemen, he said. people's courts and "necklaces". Davidson said the policemen from nearby Evaton township had 'The real issue is not that, but whether the NP is seeking merely declared the hostel dwellers had been ferried one km (less than a to carve out a niche for Afrikaners or whether it is committed to mile) from the hostel to Boipatong in police vehicles. To date, using the considerable power it still possesses to ensure that these allegations had been shown to be false, he said. South Africa's new political system is a liberal democracy in the very widest sense of that term. The ANC and Boipatong residents say police entered the township 3 "The overriding issue is not when and how power will be the new constitutional system came into operation were of vital transferred to 'the people' but how checks on the abuse of power significance, and also concerned the two conflicting views of can be built into a constitution which puts human rights and civil democracy at Codesa.