i. d. a.j news notes Published by the United States Committee of the International Defense and Aid Fund for Southern Africa P.O. Box 17, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138 April 1984 Telephone (617) 491-8343 I do not look at apartheid academically. Nobody who has been ''The Most Critical Days" involved in this as I was for twelve and a half years could possibly speak of apartheid in an academic fashion. as if it were something that A Talk by Archbishop Trevor Huddleston was a problem for the world community and parhcularly for the On February 28, 1984 Trevor Huddleston, the international president South African community-which can be in some extraordinary way of IDAF and head of the British Anti-Apartheid Movement, met with lived with. It cannot be lived with. It is the threat to peace in Southern friends and supporters ofIDAF-USA at Sparks House in Cambridge. The Africa, it is the threat to world peace over a vast area. Don't let's make following is excerpted from Huddleston's remarks at the reception. any mistake about this. I've just returned from a three·week visit to the Front-Line States: those sovereign. independent countries who have lived on the borders I will begin by saying that I know my hme is short. I'm now in my of South Africa and who feel the full impact of South African foreign 71st year and that's the biblical retirement age plus one, and therefore policy. I visited Zambia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and I know that I can't expect to have continued on page 2 all that much longer. But what I want to do with whatever time I have left is to devote it to the over­ ridingly important cause of fight­ Namibia's Future ing an institutionalized form of An Interview with Theo-Ben Gurirab of SWAPO racism which is totally destructive The following interl'iew with TheoBen Gurirab, the C;"; representatil'e on every level of human dignity ofthe South West Africa People's Organization. leas conducted at Austin and human rights. I make no apol­ Hall at the Han'ard LalL' School on April 7. 1984. .\fr. Gurirab leas in ogy for saying I want to devote Cambridge as the guest ofHarmrd's Black Lau' Students Association. myself to this on the grounds that whom we thank for making the intem'eu' possible. this is a particular personal interest or a particular polihcal involve· There seems to be a lot ofconfusion lately betu'een the South Africans' ment. It is basically a totally actual agreement to lcithdrazc their forces from Angola and Slt:-lPO 5 religious involvement. because if proposal to negotiate a ceasefire lcith South .·'drica in .Yamibia. Some Trevor Huddleston the religion that I happen to people accuse SIt:-lPO of ciolating an agreement lchich they necer at Sparks House believe in and profess and live entered into. H'auld you comment on the tlCO agreements? by is not concerned with human rights, then I am not interested in that religion. To begin with, SWAPO has not said anything new about a ceasefire I have a tremendous sense of urgency about this meeting. This is a in Namibia. UN Resolution -us meeting convened by the International Defense and Aid Fund, of provides among other things that which I am chairman. The purpose of the Fund is to defend in SWAPO and South Africa, the two Southern Africa those who are victims of this institutionalized racism, parties to the conflict in Namibia, to defend them legally when they are brought to trial, as they are by must sign a ceasefire agreement. By the hundred, and of course to render aid to their families when they accepting -13.5, SWAPO has agreed are imprisoned. Isuppose all of us who know the scene in South Africa to that provision. That was in 1978. must think of people like Nelson Mandela and Walter Sisulu, who are Much has happened between that still serving life sentences for their opposihon to apartheid and who've - lime and the present. What we did already served over twenty years in prison. These were my friends, early in the year, in a letter dated S these were people that I've worked with, these are people that I knew! January 198-1 to the Secretary I think of another magnificent fighter. Ruth First, who was assassi· General was to call once again for nated by a letter bomb, whose grave I visited only last month in ceasefire with South Africa, to Mozambique. I think particularly of all those who in one way or begin the implementation process. another I had friendship with when I was young, and whose gifts and All the outstanding issues have Theo-Ben Gurirab talents have been destroyed by apartheid. They are people who could been resolved. As a matter of fact, have built up within South Africa a country which would have been a everything was resolved already in 1978. Other issues were injected magnificent and tremendous example of what humanity can do, and by South Africa or by the Western Five, such as the issue of Cuban who are totally unable to do this so long as the apartheid regime is troops in Angola, such as the discussion of constitutional principles and maintained. These were my personal friends. continued on page 2 patient? Is it difficult for you to be patient, sitting here reaping the ''The Most Critical Days" continued from page 1 benefits of your investment in South Africa? Is it difficult for you to be patient when you're not torn by hunger and poverty and the total Tanzania. In those countries I met either the head of state or the Prime . abolition of your own human dignity and human rights? Don't talk to Minister of each country, and the Foreign Ministers wherever I could, me about patience. It's only black Africans who have a right to speak not to mention members of the government. This is just to convey to about patience, and they've spoken about patience and acted in you that Ido speak with authority about what the leaders of the Front­ patience for too long. Line States believe in terms of South African aggression and South The International Defense and Aid Fund, which most of you, I African destabilization. know, understand and some of you support very strongly, is I'm sure however far away we are we can recognize what is struggling in this situation as constructively as we know how. It has to happening in Angola. South Africa has been occupying a whole be an activity which is, as they call it in the jargon, "low profile," province of that sovereign, independent country for over two years. because its basis is to supply the financial muscle within Southern South Africa has consistently supported within Angola the Africa itself-and this is no easy task, let me tell you. We have to be subversive elements in that country who are themselves trying to exceedingly careful with what we say and how we publicize our overthrow the government. In Mozambique, ever since the bitter war efforts-if we publicize them at all-because of the impact on against the Portuguese colonial regime the Mozambican government individuals. But nothing could be more important than the Inter­ has had to carry on a war against subversive elements supported national Defense and Aid Fund. It is of absolutely vital concern, as you wholly by South Africa. Today Mozambique has been beaten to the would know if you saw some of the letters we receive from the ground economically and the involvement of South Africa is clear and families of those imprisoned-and tortured, incidentally. If you know unmistakable and relentless. In Zimbabwe I had an hour with Prime the impact it can have, I am sure you will support the International Minister Mugabe and he described to me in great detail and· in Defense and Aid Fund with all the generosity you can, and try to stress confidence the ways in which South Africa has been supporting to other people the necessity for it. subversive elements in the Matabeleland region of his own country, to the extent of destroying one third of his Air Force. And so it has gone on. NAMIBIA'S FUTURE continued from page 1 Today of course the key area is Namibia. Namibia has been illegally the monitoring of SWAPO bases in neighboring countri~-which are occupied by South Africa since World War I. It is a country of not really part of Resolution 435. So SWAPO has said publicly that it is immense mineral resources of immense value, particularly for those time now for SWAPO and South Africa to sit together in a meeting countries who are interested in nuclear power. South Africa was once arranged by the Secretary General to discuss a ceasefire and dates for the implementation of the plan. The agreements between South Africa and Angola with regard to "I cannot understand how any intelligent disengagement and the establishment of a joint monitoring and reasonable person can trust South commission to oversee the withdrawal of South African forces from Africa." Angola really do not address either a ceasefire in Namibia or the implementation of 435. They relate exclusively at this stage to the situation in Angola: that of permanent occupation of parts of Angolan told by a unanimous resolution of the Security Council of the United territory during the past two years by South African forces. We Nations, where East and West were unanimous, that it was in illegal support Angola's demand that South Africa must get out of Angola.