Vol. 2 No. REPORTDecember 1986 A Luta Continua .'7 4"4 I ( w~,, ~9 Z(Bmt2ROYM Afalom Vol. 2 No. 3 REPORT December 1986 Contents Editorial A Luta Continua ... ........... Remembering Samora Machel ................ People Who Lost Their Lives in the Crash Aquino de Braganqa ............. Fernando Honwana ............. Southern Africa A Photo Essay .... ............ REPORT The Funeral: "A People Cannot Bid Farewell to its Own History" is produced 5 times a year by a vol unteer collective of the Toronto Com Mozambique: mittee for the Liberation of Southern What is South Africa's Strategy? ...... Africa (TCLSAC), 427 Bloor St. W. Mozambique's Agricultural Crisis: Toronto, M5S 1X7 A Second Look . .. .. .. .. Tel. (416) 967-5562 Constructive Disinvestment or Deceptive Engagement? Submissions, suggestions and help 21 with production are welcome and in Red Baiting in America . .......... S24 vited. S.A. Notebook: Subscriptions Malawi and the MNR ........ 26 Annual TCLSAC membership and Reviews: Southern Africa Report subscription South Africa as a Neighbour . rates are as follows: . 27 States of Grace ......... 28 SUBSCRIPTION: Individual .......... .. $15.00 Institution ... ....... $30.00 MEMBERSHIP: (includes subscription) Regular (Canada) $30.00 S. A. R. Collective Unemployed Student • • • $15.00 Jonathan Barker, Nancy Barker, Claudette Chase, Senior David Galbraith, Linda Guebert, Jo Lee, Judith Marshall, $50.00 Otto Roesch, John S. Saul, Heather Speers, Esther Vise, Sustainer . to Joe Vise, Jonathan Vise, Mary Vise $200.00 Overseas add $5.00 Cover design by Art Work Printed by Union Labour at Action Print Chissano A Luta Continua President Joaquim This is not the issue of Southern (one of them being present, in fact, the funeral in Maputo, the pho Africa REPORT we had originally on the occasion when local fascists tographs, Samora's own words, all intended, but grim circumstances attempted to break up our meeting speak for themselves. However, the air crash that killed Mozambican at the University of Toronto's Med Robert Davies' article reminds us President Samora Machel - were to ical Sciences Auditorium by physi of the grisly context which frames shape its content for us. Some read cal force). As John Saul also notes, the President's death. Ie begins ers will rermember that the Toronto a TCLPAC delegation was invited, to suggest the host of suspicious Committee for the Liberation of in 1975, to "represent the Cana circumstance which surrounds the Southern Africa (TCLSAC) began dian people" at the independence crash itself and, indeed, more might life in 1972 as the Toronto Commit celebrations in Mozambique. Also, have been written in these pages tee for the Liberation of Portugal's many TCLPAC/TCLSAC members about the various suspect activi African Colonies (TCLPAC) and, as were soon to be found working as co ties of the South African authorities John Saul reminds us elsewhere in operantes in Mozambique itself for at the time and about the aggres these pages, TCLPAC's links with shorter or longer periods of time. sive "disinformation" campaign they Frelimo and the Mozambican rev Small wonder that the death of have mounted since in order, appar olution were close from the start. Samora Machel - and of those of ently, to muddy the waters which Our first major fund-raising effort, his colleagues who were with him on swirl around that event. Perhaps in in 1973, was to purchase a truck for that fatal flight and whose deaths some future issue we can try to pull Frelimo to help facilitate the move these pages also mark - came as together some balance sheet of the ment's activities in southern Tan such a shock to us, demanding some evidence. For if, as many suspect, zania, just behind the front lines attempt at adequate response even South Africa has Samora Machel's of the operational zone in northern as we reeled in shock and horror. blood on its hands, it would be well Mozambique. Twice in the years We are grateful to those who have to expose that fact as clearly as pos before victory over Portuguese colo helped us to put together this issue sible. nialism, senior Frelimo officials ad at such short and tragic notice. At another level, however, such dressed large gatherings at our "Cin The several eulogies we have in a discussion - much of it neces ema of Solidarity" series in Toronto cluded, the first-hand account of sarily speculative, even sensation- december 1986 Southern Africa REPORT december 1986 stride alist - is less important than al verted to the war effort. But of short, no break in Frelimo's lowing the momentary global fo course it is precisely such a diversion in Mozambique, for all that the loss energy cus on Mozambique to highlight of Frelimo's energies from the devel of a man of such boundless just how much Mozambican blood opment effort that is South Africa's and intellectual creativity as Samora South Africa (and its surrogate principal war aim. Machel must, self-evidently, be a wrecking-group Renamo, operat costly one. ing on the ground inside Mozam A luta continua, the struggle The new president has embraced bique) already has on its hands. continues - Frelimo's watchword, a unequivocally the unwelcome neces Thus, the main thrust of Davies' phrase worn somewhat thin through sity, in his words, to "continue with article is to draw out the brutal repetition but still true, perhaps war in order to finish with war," to and cynical premises which have un now more than ever. Even while struggle for "the complete elimina derpinned South Africa's strategy our own Maclean's, in a singu tion of banditry," fully aware that towards Mozambique to date and larly misinformed news article, spec Renamo's "banditry is an integral which continue to form the rele ulated about a "succession strug part of the regional destabilization vant policy debate in Pretoria at gle" in Mozambique, the Frelimo carried out by the South African present: whether merely to destroy leadership team held firm, elevat apartheid regime." He describes this the viability of Mozambique's econ ing from their number Joaquim banditry as "one of the instruments omy and polity, the better to nar Chissano as Samora Machel's suc through which the Pretoria regime row Frelimo's own policy options, cessor. For those with any knowl and its most backward and bellicose or actually to attempt to overthrow edge of Mozambique he was virtu elements are trying to maintain their the Frelimo government itself! Con ally the inevitable choice. A stu grip over the countries of southern sider too Otto Roesch's first-hand, dent activist in Mozambique in the Africa." Moreover, even as Frelimo grassroots account in this issue of 1950's, central to the undertakings works "to restore peace and tran Mozambique's struggle to find an of Frelimo operating from Tanzania quility to all citizens," it will "pro effective agricultural policy. As in the 1960's, the key political ac ceed with the recovery of our econ Roesch documents, there has been tor on the ground inside Mozam omy," linking the needs of the coun much trial and error in this sector, bique during the tense period of the try's defense and the economy "so much compromise and conflict. Yet transitional government which Fre that the economy may support the how important it is that Mozam limo mounted jointly with Portu war against the bandit gangs, and bique's agrarian debate has been gal's Armed Forces Movement from so that the defense effort may create carried out within the context of the September, 1974, to Independence the necessary security for economic destabilization South Africa has in Day, June, 1975, Foreign Minister activity." By this route too, he em flicted on the country. How diffi and key Political Bureau member phasized, "we will reach socialism, cult to move forward with any kind ever since, Chissano brings great because all our people want social of development effort when person competence and a wealth of expe ism!" nel, resources, attention must be di- rience to the job. There seems, in A luta continua? Indeed. How crucially important then, that like President Chissano those of us com mitted to a brighter future for Mozambique turn our grief into pos itive energy, that we turn our anger into renewed support for the ef forts of Mozambicans and others in southern Africa to survive, to stave off and eventually to over throw the callous apartheid regime which qualifies so much of the re gion's promise, to realize, slowly but surely, their own development goals. Fourteen years ago Samora Machel quite specifically asked Canadians to join the Mozambican struggle. Shouldn't his death concentrate our minds, refocus out attention? Can we not rededicate ourselves to that President Machel with Canadian cooperantes in Mozambique task? A luta continua, yes. 2 december 1986 Southern Africa REPORT Remembering . Samora Machel BY JOHN S. SAUL ans, and John Saul, York University immediately suspect the South Professor and member of the Toronto Africans of having Several hundred people gathered in helped to engi Committee for the Liberation of South neer it Trinity/St. Paul's Church in Toronto is itself no accident. For ern Africa (TCLSAC) was asked to on Friday, October 24, for a commem such an act would be perfectly con speak on their behalf. This abbreviated orative ceremony to mark the pass sistent with South Africa's brutal version of his remarks ing of Samora Machel, President of also appeared in record of aggression, assassination the Toronto weekly NOW. Mozambique. The Tanzanian High and destabilization. Indeed, Samora Commissioner to Canada, Mr. Fer We may never know the true Machel's own country has been one nand Ruhinda, was a featured speaker circumstances surrounding the air of the principle targets of such South and messages of condolence were pre crash which killed Mozambique's African activities.