February 1989 February 1989 The newspaper of the Ank-Apartheid Movement / 30p Boycott apartheid in 1989! 'Every effort to isolate South Africa adds strength to our struggle. 'At all levels of our struggle, witinI and outside the country, much has been achieved and much remains tobe done. But victory is certainl' - Nelson Mandela iThe people of Southern Africa are -caUing onthe international community to take effective action against apartheid. In reponse, the Anti-Apartheid Movement has pledged to spread the message 'Boycott South African goods' to more people than ever before. The AAM has launched 'Boycott Apartheid 89', which aims to broaden the demand for sanctions against South Africa and to greatly reduce the amount of apartheid produce on sale in Britain by reaching all consumers, retailers and wholesalers. Other targets are: Shell, apartheid gold and coal imports, and tourism. 'Boycott apartheid 89' is expected to be one of the biggest campaigns ever organised by the Anti-Apartheid Movement. Nekin P311e* Ls he looks today a ner poster basad on the imprevsions of prison visitors is available from the AAth - - _ _ _ em i 1 2 ANTI.APARTHEID NEWS 6 FEBRUARY 1989 The Namibia independence plan ht ron into oem prohlems. The five permanent members of the UN Security Couccil, hewing to South African preure, hoie opened the door to reductions in the size of the UN Transitional Assistance Group (UNTAG). Reducing the number of UN military personnel from the 7,500 agreed in 1979 makes no sneo - especially since the Nmnibian populaton hos increased by an estimated 30% since 1978, to about 1.75 millon. Any reduction can only help the Pretoria regime in its manipulation of the election process. Pretoria is undoubtedly hoping to salvage its influence over Nmibie's future by achieving oirtol bentustan status for the coet"y, Key to this strategy is the achievement of vtote over the constitution. This is to be laewn up by the Constituent Assembly, which will be formed by the elections currently scheduled for I November 1989. A thoreaqrtm mejority of the assembly hes to approve the constitution. Pretorie's psuppets therefore have only to secore 20% of the ots to force SWAPO athe majority party into compromises which could distort Nmlsia's fotum for a long time to come. Morel and materii sepport for SWAP thsughoat the election campaign is vital to fol Pretoria'a meoauwes. P W Bothe has already assured National Party leaders in Namibia that he will Intorupt the independence process if there is any 'violence or intimidotion'. Thoworst thing Namibisa friends can do now is watch pensively whilst Pretod stocks the cards against SWAPO's election prospects. I ledp daoe is coing, but opponents of apartheid must nout relan if South Afrsa's efforts to retain influence am to he thvarted TAKE ACTION AGAINST APARTHEID The British pubic has a very powerlul weapon egirst apartheidin its hands: money. South Afrcds trade with the U K is vital to its economy, end it is desperately efrid of losing that hsndsom. The Aeli.Apatrsid Movement is calling on every single parson who believes asartheid is wrong to s on that belief - by refusing to buy South Afcrien goods or have any dealigos with South African companes, sad by preserisig the British goerement to impose mssotla onngit the aparthaid mime. If enough poplejoin the Beycott Apartheid 89 campaign, Thatcher win have to rethink her anti-snctiomn stance. ANTI-APARTHEID NEWS The newspaperoflthe Ani-Apsrid Movement EDfOtIAMOND 13 MandelnStreeL London NWI 0DWTel: 01387966 EDIT09 Ma~g.Li Ug EDITORIAt.ASSISTiANTtfirael Genre ADVERTISINWCIRCULATIONVaOOOa Ey ANNUAL SUBSCBIPTIONS: Ildishdfuns: UI £0; Eumpe £13.50; outside Europse sutace) 0.50; outside Europe (air- £13.50 Insafons UK -t E10; Eu pea -EoM .e-U outside Europe Isudcol - 1Z50; outside Europe (air) Giro Account N 52 513 004 AN1I-APARTHIID NEWS is ait snn to ell valtni members Of0e Ant-Aplseid Movemeat - sae membership hue on back pape for details. DESIGNED by Reper Huddle. Aetloeans TYPtSET by Nancy White PRINTED by EOs End Oflve Ltd. Empena Stat.aremley-y.-low. London E33lT £I003am NEWS OFROM SOUTHERN AFRICA WIT Early in January the World Campaign was informed by the West German government that it had cancelled the licence for the export of the electro-optical tracking system jointly made by the German finn MBB and British Aerospace. This means that the remaining two multi-sensor platforms cannot not be exported to South Africa. Of the those originally ordered, one unit was exported on 16 June 1988 - nine days after the first complaint from the World Campaig. This system can automatically track two targets simultaneously, including missiles, grenades and tanks, and prepare appropriate responses. It is used by the British Ministry of Defence for target trials at Royal Aircraft Establishrent ranges, and by other NATO countries for similar purposes. South Africa could use the system for testing weapons at well as battlefield deployment, but it has claimed it would only be employed to track weather satellites. This is a great victorysince South Africa was desperate to obtain the three units and some experts claim that at least three are necessary for the system to operate effectively. The World Campaign is calling for the return of theone unit already delivered to South Africa FINLAND Finland has decided to proceed with the purchase of the Crotale missile system made by Thomson CSF of France. This system was originally developed with direct South African involvement, and in the mid- 1970s Norway reversed its decision to purchase it due to this link. The World Campaign is appealing to individuals and organisations to send appeals to Finland not to proceed with this deal since it will also benefit Thomson CSF, which is notorious for its long history of military collaboration with South Africa. WESTLAND In November 1988 it was reported that several former Westland engineers were engaged on secret work for the Pretoria regime. The South African Defence Force (SADF) has several Westiand helicopters which are fairly old, and these engineers have obviously been recruited to update them and work on other helicopters. Westland officials say that they were not involved in the engineers going to South Afrfca/but that when they retu rn at th end of, this year they could he o-mployed by thecompany, AAM took up this matter with the Foreign Office, which insists that UK citizens ae free to take up employment in South Africa and that this does not constitute an offence against the am embargo. Paddy Ashdown, MP for Yeovil, where the Westland group is ba-d, is also pursung the cas. * yoetyPasasIsaon amsomeVSmnrstoeexutranlminen Sthe"Apartheid is o Holiday protest at the World Travel Ma"ko trom Patrick Heseltine of They were subsequently the Foreign and Common. ordered by Pretoria not to wealth Office attacking return to Britain to face Margaret Thatcher for her trial, while five British double standards on citizens who were also 'terrorism' and pointing out charged in the Coventry that Britain took no action case were convicted. The in 1984 when four South British government did Africans were charged for nothing. As Heseltine wrote, offences against the arms 'Mrs Thatcher failed to embargo. denounce Mr Botha's refusal A subsequent Guardian to surrender the four "terroreport charged that there rists".' had been British government collusion in getting the four back to South Africa just prior to the visit of P W W Botha to London in June World Campaign against 1984. They had been on bail Military and Nuclear and through a special high Collaboration with South court hearing were able to Africa, PO Box 2, regain their passports and Lindeberg Gard, N-I007 depart for South Africa, Oslo 10, Norway with the ball - put up by Tel: 010-472 301345 the first secretary of the Fax: 010472 303381 South African embassy in Telex: 72314 AAMN London - increased from Telegromms: Antiapartheid £100,000 to £400,000. Oslo. Apartheid's fellow travellers Anti-apastheid campaigners took the orgenisms f thu World Tre" Mdkdt at Olympia, London, by brprise on3 Deceombehers they staged both a picket und a sit-down protest. Their aim waste highlight South Africa's participation in the tourism exhibition, the'imgest of its kind in the world. In Boycott Apartheid '89, the AAM planst: * Ioate Sooth Africa from the international toad= scene byParsuadiog the company which rnsthe World Travel Market, Reed Exhibitions Ltd. to cse inviting the apartheid rgime. I Exposethe British tour operatorswho areignorn the switary ban an the 1 promsewonof toeeismto Soth Af rica. I SSth mit aitn of tseh c compaie"s for onsideration y tholemgleg eflhee Cornalthdsf Forign Ministeet conto group in Haoerem in February. Foglowing reprts in they lent honue of'Ant-Apartheid Onus' andsleerelon the media 'that the Associatin of Britis Travel Aye nto(ABTA) wassnsidaring holdhng a ceevemsian in Seouth Africa, floods of pretestletters veere met to ABTA end to the Btriiahgevement. Ina miguous reply, ABTA sengltte, eect criticisn byaying its nexconventin [would be i Meie, and implying that the protests were hued on misinfornation. But presed by persistent critis, ABTA hen refused to give an undertking that no future onmention will be staged in South Africa. Flying low Advertiements for South African AirNays shown by ITV prevoked a nomher of siewers to wrto to the Independent Broadcasting Atherity to complain. The chtir of the IBA. Lord Thomson, replied thatthaidert 'hs now finished its cycle of transmissions and I understand that it is unlikely to return in the form in which you saw it' in otherwords, the offending ad has heewithdrawn. He went on to say, 'I understand that it is the polity of oll the [TV companies to comply with the government's request fora voluntary ban by British bsinm on the promotion of tourism to Soauth Africa.