*.TODAY: PRESIDENT NU~OMA-tS FIRST' 6 ~NTHS * GOBABIS SHOWDOWN AVERTED * Bringing Africa ~outh , Vol.2 No.177 Fr.iday' ~AI'\tAI'YIn.~r 21 CDM' GEM BUST ARMED supporters are guard­ inK-rebel Baster politician Hans sparks major strike and deportation call Dtergaardt's property day and night 8head of a crucial court ruling today, which could lead WORKERS at the CDM to a showdown with the govern- diamond mine yesterday ment. , launched a strike at die mine Dterpardt :has been defying government requests to vacate in protest against the mas­ Rehoboth House, a State-owned sive raids on two mine hos­ property. Earlier this month the tels by the Namibian Police Namibian government applied and CDM security guards. to the IDgh Court for an eViction In a statement released last night, order against Diergaardt, who the Mineworkers' Union ofNamibia has not opposed the application. announced that the strike action had A.ftnal ruling bas been put been called at midIiight on Wednes- , down on the roli for today. ., day. Sapa quoted d~puty' govern­ The union said the strike was a last ment attorney Chris Brand as resort by members of the MUN to try saying if the court orders the and bring an end to the flagrant vio­ Baster leader to vacate the prem­ latiOns of their rights by COM and its ises and pay arrears in rental " cohorts". - and services, the decision will be The MUN said in its opinion the conveyed immediately to the Re­ COM raid on mineworkers 'at the hoboth deputy sheriff to be served Uubvley and North hostels on Sep­ on Diergaardt. tember 15 was in flagrant violation Yesterday Namibian President of the Namibian constitution. Sam Nujoma said the govern­ J~ the sharply worded statement, ment would not tolerate or en­ the union demanded that COM tertain anyon~ who threatened management and all' who were the territorial integrity of the invloved in the "attack" shOUld be country. brought to book. In turn Di~t has warned HUNDREDS of municipal workers went on strike this week over, among other things, the payment of , ~ 'The days when you indulged in that if police arrive to evict him five year bonuses and controversial salary deductions for membership of the Namibia Municipal Staft' flagrant violations of the lnun.an rights forcibly "the government can­ Association. More workers joined the strike yesterday, including bus drivers. Photograph: John ofNamibians and got of scotfree are not us to be ducks". Liebenberg. over," they said. The Mineworkers' Union further , demanded full c'ompensation for all who lost money and property as a result of the raid and subsequent "looting" by coM personnel and Tension at Gobabis·defused the police. , Another demand was the deporta­ tion from Namibia of the present THE black community at Gobab,is la,st night claimed a Victory Nantu secreta,ry 10bnNakutta said Wennie du Plessis was rejected. general .manager of COM and all ' against educational discrimination after an eleventh-hour inter­ last night the meeting had been "very Nakutta said a meeting ha.d been others who were guilty ,of human vention by the Ministry of Education. successful and satisfact«y". The black arranged for 19 September, but was , rights violations. ' . .. community had been very upset by cancelled at the last minute when the', The statement issued by general According to Nantu, "prompt four black pupils had been granted the decisions of the Wennie du Ples­ school principal, Mr Vermeulen, ' secretary Ben,Ulenga also-called for action" by Deputy Minister Buddy pl;lces at the school next ye~, while sis school committee, he said, and claimed the school committee was COM's security personnel, which is Wentworth managed to avert a mass 20 others had been refused on the had definitely been prepared to make too busy. Apparently, it was also too believed to include a large number of demonstration planned for today and grounds that their Afrikaans was not a stand on the issue. busy for some time to come. South Africans, to be Namibiarused. calm the outrage of Gobabis resi­ good- enough or that they were too "We Dow feel able to take a strong ; No member of Wennie du Ples­ They further asked for a full expla­ dents. old for a particular class. case to the school committee, know­ sis's school committee was present nation of the incidents and undertak­ The protest march was called in But a visit yesterday afternoon by ing that the Ministry intends to see at the meeting with Wentworth but ing from COM that this sort of the face of white intransigence over Deputy Minister Wentworth provided that our grievances are dealt with, " Nakutta felt confident that Wen­ "thuggery" would not occur again. admitting black pupils to the former no-nonsense guidelines for future he said. "Mr Wentworth told us that tworth's message would be heard The MUN earlier issued a state­ white high school Wennie du Plessis. adrilissions to Wennie du Plessis. In students must be allowed to go to loud and clear by the white commu­ ment in which it described the raids Oespite several attempfs by Nantu a meeting with members of Nanso, their nearest school iD future, which nity. as "predatory" and a wanton viola­ and Nanso to discuss the problem Nantu, Swapo and other community takes all argument away from those A new time for Nantu to meet with tion of human rights which could not with the school committee, no prog- leaders, Wentworth said his Minis­ who want to keep black pupils out. " the school committee was finally be confused with a lawful search for ' ress was made.. , try would see to it that no child was , The black community was driven agreed to by Vermeulen yesterday diamonds. At a school built to hold 600 pupils kept out of a school because of Afri- to call the protest demonstration af­ aftenioon. h will take place on Monday only 250 pl~ces were filled. A mere .- kaans or age. ' ter their most recent bid.to meet with at'15h30. CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 **TYYY -~ CONTINENTAL HOTEL ..2,J;:r:iaay--September-21 1990 Government will have to take blame I ANC warns De Klerkgovt no about violence on Reef ANC will meet Gatsha JOHANNESBURG: The AfricaD'Nation31 Congress Oil Thursday night warned the government that JOHANNESBURG: The African National Congress said on Thursday mem­ unless it was seen to be taking appropriate measures to apprehend and prosecute perpetrators of bers of its executive committee agreed to meet Zulu Chief Mangosuthu violence it would have to take full responsibilty for the derailment of the peace process. Buthelezi, leader ofthe ANC's main rival in a bloody six-week township war. The ANC said following a Na­ ANC regions, noted the government and terror, "and thus make'a decisive A spokesperson said the ANC agreed on the move after a three-day tional Executive Committe meeting was committed to political change in majority of our people more ame­ emergency session. -Deputy president Nelson Mandela probably would attend the security measures announced by. SA, but said it was becoming clear nable to an authoritarian regime".The the talks, but it ,would not be the one-on-one encounter that Buthelezi, head of State President F W de Klerk on the government would prefer change NEC meeting a$lopted a recommen­ the Zulu-based Inkatha Freedom Party, has demanded. " Wednesday and by the SA Police on to occur on terms favourable to itself. dation by the joint ANC-Cosatu "In order to get to the root causes of the violence and to secure peace, the Saturday were" designed to abridge "The government has adopted a Working Committee on Violence for (ANC) resolved to convene a meeting wi~ all homeland leaders, including the civil liberties of the African two-track policy which. .. accepts the a campaign to achieve greater public Chief (Mangosuthu) Gatsha Buthelezi, to devise a joint strategy for ending the population on the Reef" . need to negotiate a settlement to OUl accountability by police and security violence," the ANC said in a statement. The measures were also designed country's problems while ... devising forces. to repress legitimate political activ­ strategems to weaken the ANC and The campaign will centre on ity, reintroduce the State of Emer­ other democratic formations. " demands for the establislup.ent of an gency "by guile' , and not to bring an The statement said President F W independent review body with pow- . US wants African support end to the violence or track down its de Klerk' s recent security announce­ ers to recommend action aitd investi­ organisers or instigators, the ANC ments were an "act of bad faith". gate complaints against the police. said. The mc said De Klerkhad delib­ Further demands were for the for presence in the Gulf ---- ' It called for an independent com- erately undermined the joint ANC~ demilitarisation of the police, the mission of inquiry, with adequate government working group estab­ establishment of a publicly devised LAGOS: The United States wants to see more African support for terms of refereIlce, to investigate the lishedinterms ofthe Pretoria Minute UN efforts to get Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait, an envoy from ,, = code of conduct for all police person­ numerous charges levelled against to devise mutually acceptable prin­ nel, and the limitation of police arms Washington said on Thursday. state security organs. ciples for the implementation of a and weaponry to those' 'adequate for Herman Cohen, US Assistant tions against Iraq, he said. "Though the ANC has a firm and cease-fire. normal law enforcement and the Secretary of State for African Af­ Cohen met Nigerian President unwavering commitment to peace in " We ~annot but interpret this as a detection of crime" .