.. ...... ...4. .. ...... ...4. oIF ZIMBABWE NEWS Official Organ of the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) - component of the Zimbabwe Patriotic Front March-April, 1977, Vol. 9, No. 3. Department of Information and PublicityCaiza Postal 743, Maputo - Mozambique. Table Of Contents Pages. * Editorial * Chitepo: Architect of Chimurenga * The scramble for Southern Africa *3 Ruda base pounded * Castro pledges material aid * Chimurenga: A peoples' war * Zanu fashions new leadership * Comrade Mugabe tours Africa * The choice of imperialists * ZDF - Funding what? * Yankee planes for Smith * The beginning of the end * Dar is PF headquarters 1-2 3-4 5-6 7-8 8 9,10,14,15 12-13 16 17-18 19-20 21 22-23 24 EDITORIAL The Scramble For Southern Africa THE RECENT. Visits to Southern Africa of Mr. Andrew Young, US Ambassador to the United Nations; Dr. Fidel Castro, Prime Minister of Cuba; Mr. Podgorny, Head of State of the USSR and Dr. David Owen, the British Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary, reflect the deepening and sharpening conflict in Zimbabwe in particular, and Southxern Africa in general. There can be no question that the scramble for super power control of the region has begun. Certainly after the visits of Dr. Castro and Podgorny, the situation in Southern Africa can never remain the same again. Southern Africa can never be the same imperialist playground that it had been known to be. Sooner or later great changes are bound to take place, for Dr. Castro and Podgorny are no ordinary tourists that these countries are used to entertain. These meu are makers of history not only in their own countries but also in the world at large. These are men of action-true revolutionary fighters who back their words with concrete material and logistical support To us freedom fighters, Dr. Castro and Podgorny brought with them a breath of fresh air, and raised the hopes of millions of exploited, oppressed and suffocated masses of Zimbabwe, Namibia and South Africa. In sharp contrast to Dr. Castro and Podgorny's visits were the visits of Mr. Andrew Young and Dr. David Owen. What Dr. Owen and Young brought to the exploited millions of Africans in Southern Africa is the same old, stale, stuffy, polluted and insipid air that has contaminated us for the last eighty years. There were no new ideas or fresh proposals. What the African masses got from these two Western gentlemen and in p~rticular from the good British voung doctor were the usual ,platitudes, apologies and excuses about British lack of power in Zimbabwe, the possible use of USA and SA pressure to topple Ian Smith and the anti-armed struggle stance of Western powers. Dr. Owen's suggestion to hold a Constitutional Conference in London is nothing new. Several attempts to solve the Zimbabwe conflict by peaceful negotiations have been tried before but to no avail. There was, the Tiger of 1966, Fearless of 1968, the Home Smith Anglo-Rhodesian proposals of 1971 the Smith - Muzorewa talks of 1973-4 and the Victoria Falls fiasco and last but not least the Ueneva Conference of last year. All these talks had no impact on Smith, and we see no reason why and now or. Owen's latest dancing motions will have an impact on the rebels. The fundamental reason why previous attempts to reach a settlement in Zimbabwe have failed is that-Britain has always argued that It has no power in Zimbabwe to remove the rebel regime of Ian Smith.. British strategy has always depended on international pressure and moral persuasion. In his recent safari to Southern Africa Dr. Owen gave the heads of the Frontline States and the Patriotic Front the same sermon: British lack of power to effect change in Zimbabwe and British dependence on USA pressure. As long as Dr. Owen depends on the same old strategy of depending on international pressure and moral persuasion, there cart be no hope for hii latest initiative. Perhaps the most dangerous aspect of Dr. Owen's manoeuvres is his over-zealousness in involving the USA directly in the Zimbabwe conflict. Dr. Owen wants the USA to be a full participant at the Zimbabwe Constitutional Conference. Such a step is fraught with dangers. In the first place it definitely seeks to internationalize thoZimbabwe conflict JSA's deep involvement in Zimbabwe would intensify the gathering super power rivalry in the region. How would Britain feel if the Patriotic Front asked USSR and the People's Republic of China to attend the Zimbabwe Constitutional Conference? Surely the USSR and China might just also like to sponsor a conference on Zimbabwe. Another dangerous aspect of the tn. ternationalisation of the Zimbabwe conflict is that British national imperialism is unashamedly being shifted to international imperialism. Britain wants the decolonisation of Zimbabwe to become the responsibility of international capitalism and imperialism. In short Britain wants other Western, capitalist countries to take over her responsibility of decolonizing Zimbabwe. Equally serious is the trend toward direct American colonisation of. Zimbabwe. It is always the strategy of the USA to take direct control of a situation wherever and whenever a weaker imperialist power is seriously being challenged by the forces of liberation sand progress. Once America co-sponsors the Zimbabwe conference and fully participates in it, one can be rest assured that the recolonisation of Zimbabwe by the USA will- have begun. This might now appear far - fetched, but the Vietnamese experience puts this point intosharp relief. Vietnam was a French colony, but after second imperialist war, (Second World War) the French asked for American help because the latter had no power to defeat the national liberation forces in the region. In 1955, the USA attended the Paris Talks on Vietnam. The next thing was that the USA had taken direct colonial control of Vietnam and in the 1960s engulfed the Vietnamese people in one of the most savage barbarous, bitterest and ruthless wars the world has'ever seen. Dr. Owen's invitation of the USA to the Con(Continued on Page 2) (Continued from Page 1 EDITORIAL stitutional Conference has the roots of in- genuine independence. And finally, Britain ternationalising as well as Americanizing the must prove that she can implement the Zimbabwe conflict. Such a move is unac- agreement reached at any Constitutional Conceptable to the people of Zimbabwe. We ference. categorically say NO to the in- -What is the use of going to London to draw ternationalisation and Americanisation of our up a constitution whioh will not be imsituation. plemented? . 4" Our resistance to direct USA participation in During his Dar es Salaam meeting, Dr. Owen any Zimbabwe Constitutional Conference does tried to intimidate, if not really to blackmail, not in any way stem from our hatred of the Patriotic Front into accepting a peaceful Americans. On the contrary, Americans are not' option in Zimbabwe on the ground that the PF different from other people. There are some could win an outright victory on the battlefield good and bad Americans, just as there are in the shortest possible time and on the strange good and bad people in any other society. Our grounds that armed struggle would be long and opposition to direct American involvement in bloody, dislocate the economy and undermine our affairs is that by accident of history we the chances of creating a multi-racial society. have been colonised by Britain. We did not like Certainly none of us have ever promised our it, we still do not like it, but we cannot change people roses. We have no illusions about the this reality that Britain is the colonial power in stiffness of our struggle. We have often told our Zimbabwe. As the colonial power, Britain people that our struggle would be long and alone is therefore duty bound to discharge its protracted; that we would pay heavily with our colonial responsibility and not to try and shift own blood and lives. True indeed the people of responsibility to the USA. Zimbabwe have already paid and continue to Closely related to USA constitutional in- pay heavily in human lives. Despite the volvement is American economic involvement atrocities committed by the enemy and the through the so-called Zimbabwe Development overall hardships generated by the war Fund (ZDF) which is intended to buy out situation, thousands of Zimbabwe young men whites who do not want to stay in Zimbabwe, to and women cross the border everyday to join build up African middle class which would be the struggle. Never in the history of African a counter-vailing force against socialist recon- liberation movements have so many young struction and transformation and finally to men and women committed themselves to the create an investment area for American multi- cause of national liberation as those in Zimnational corporations. babwe. It does not matter what sweet-coated Furthermore, it is important for Dr. Owen to phrases might be used to describe the ZDF, the know that we are not engaged in a military fact remains that it is an imperialist scheme to coup which requires a quick decision. We are blackmail the People of Zimbabwe and to engaged in a social and political revolution create favourable conditions for capitalist- which involves a change in the whole basis and exploitation of the resources of a young in- structure of the present racist Rhodesia dependent Zimbabwe. If Owen is to make a society. It is a change in which decisive headway with his scheme on Zimbabwe, he political and economic power passes from the should be guided by the views of the Patriotic hands of the white minority to the people of Front.