JPRS-SSA-86-103
10 OCTOBER 1986
Sub-Saharan Africa Report
[FBIS] FOREIGN BROADCAST INFORMATION SERVICE
JPRS-SSA-86-103
10 OCTOBER 1986
SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA REPORT
CONTENTS
INTER-AFRICAN AFFAIRS
Briefs
Shipping Line Expands
OAU, ECA Map Improvement Efforts
ANGOLA
UNITA Outlines Peace Offer to MPLA, Calls for Negotiations
(THE STAR, 1 Sep 86; SUNDAY TIMES, 7 Sep 86) ........ coe
Santos Government Denies Contact
Talks Reportedly Held in Europe, England,
by Stephan Terblanche
Civil War Spills Over Into Neighboring Countries
(THE STAR, 9 Sep 86) eeoeeveeveeveeeeeeeeeeeeoe ee eeee eeovoeveeeee
Lack of Transportation for Butane Gas in Huambo
(JORNAL DE ANGOLA, 2 Aug 86) eeeevevee e@eeevevevevev eee eeeoeveeveee
Agricultural Development Stations Benefit Lucala
(Feleciano Pacheco; JORNAL DE ANGOLA, 6 Aug 86) .........
Intra-Party Divisions on Economic Development Projects Noted
(Carlos da Matta; SEMANARIO, 14 Aug 86) ......ccceccecees ,
Briefs
Chipenda Defects From UNITA
Government Opposes Savimbi Book
Minister Investigates Petroleum Distribution
New Construction Directorate
~
ETHIOPIA
Mengistu on Constitution, Resettlement, Insurgents
ot Sees Be Ge WEE. o6s6 caveceebeneseecs Geees coccece °
Briefs
Bahr Dar Airport Opens
GHANA
Briefs
Kaolin Deposit Found
MOZAMBIQUE
New Anti-Communist Alliance Between Regional Rebel Groups
(THE INDIAN OCEAN NEWSLETTER, 30 Aug 86) ...... eccnccccce
New Cooperative Supervisory Commission Created in Gaza
(Bento Niquice; NOTICIAS, 5 Aug 86) .......... TTTTTTL LL
Technicians Attend Professional Training Center
See, OS Oe WP 8 6.660660506604000080468006085 ceseeses
Beira's Rice Marketing Campaign Encounters Obstacles
Coos ME 66 | PTT ITTTITITIT TTT TT
Briefs
State Administration Course Ends
Corumana Dam Works Continues
Soviet Journalist Donation
NAMIBIA
Attitude of National Party Criticized
(Editorial; DIE REPUBLIKEIN, 28 Jul 86) .............. eee
SWAPO Reportedly Engaged in Purge of Own Ranks
(DIE REPUBLIKEIN, 29 Jul 86) ......ceeeeeees eceesececcese
Differences Between DTA, SWAPO Objectives Viewed
(Editorial; DIE REPUBLIKEIN, 29 Jul 86) ....c.cwceccceees ‘
SIERRA LEONE
Problems Exacerbated by Flight of Capital, Near East Politics
(AFRICA CONFIDENTIAL, 20 Aug 86) ...... coves TETTTTTLETy
TOGO
National Corporations Offered for Sale to French Businesses
(Vincent Nouzille; L'USINE NOUVELLE, various dates) .....
=
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UGANDA
Qadhdhafi, Sankara Visit, Statements Described
(THE CITIZEN, 12 Sep 86) eeese#es *e*eeeeensee*eesee7e5nreeeensee@ee7ese##e#8e?e#
Bishop Kivengere Protests Qadhdhafi Remarks
[ Sne) oe Se Me Sineeeeeeest éeeueebbeeebeeeene
Rwanda Asks Naturalized Citizenship for Refugees
(FOCUS, 29 Aug 86) eeeeoeeeeeeeneteeeeeeeeeeeeeeee eeeeoeee4#eee#e#es?
Human Rights Inquiry Commission Formed
(AFRICAN DEFENCE JOURNAL, Aug 86) .....ccccccccccccccces
Obote's Paramilitary ‘Special Force’ Disbanded
(NEW VISION, 29 Aug 86; THE TELECAST, 4 Sep 86) ........
Folice Issued New Uniforms, by Sam Obbo
Guns, Normal Duties Restored to Police
Village Technology Center To Be Established
(Betty Balirwa; NEW VISION, 5 Sep 86) ........e... TeTTh
Description of Bazi Market Near Sudan, Zaire Borders
(THE THLRCAST, §& Sp GSS) scccesvcsssscccsssssesseseseses
Briefs
Police Force To Be Increased
ZAMBIA
Briefs
Starvation on Increase
UNITA Blamed for Trouble in Chavuma
SOUTH AFRICA
AFRIKANER/GOVERNMENT
Countermeasures To Sanctions Suggested, Advocated
(DIE AFRIKANER, 6 Aug 86; DIE VADERLAND, 7 Aug 86) .....
Specific Proposals Made
Implications for Neighbors
Bureau of Information Chief on Role of Organization
(Shirley Pressly; WEEKEND POST, 6 Sep 86) ....-eeeeeeees
Decentralization Viewed as Possible Solution to RSA Problems
(Piet Muller; BEELD, 6 Aug 86) ....ccccccccccccccccccceess
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Possible Merger of KP, HNP Disputed
(Hendrik Coetzee, Theuns van der Westhuizen; BEELD,
5 Aug 86) eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Nomination of 'Far-Left' NP Candidate Criticized
(DIE AFRIKANER, 6 Aug 86) ......ceeceeceees Sint bebo Fs os
Afrikaner-Volkswag Criticized for Politicking
CG. Ue GEE Gaceueseueeedcebebeeeeaunbeneees
Briefs
Student Politics Criticized
NP Congress Urged
Black Education Improvement Advised
BLACKS
ANC Officials Statements on ‘March Toward Freedom'
(Johnny Makatini; Addis Ababa Radio Freedom in English
CD Dee ees oS See PP 60554665 4505504500050% vette
Reporters Give Profile of Newly-Elected PAC President
(Howard Barrell, Sefako Nyaka; THE WEEKLY MAIL,
12-18 Sep 86) eeeeveees eeseevevoeeveenee e080 eeoeeeveeeveee e880 eeeese
Transkei Launches Investigation Into Misappropriated Funds
(Graham Ferreira; THE SUNDAY STAR, 7 Sep 86) ....... eee
New ‘Freedom School' Gives Classes to Sowetan Children
(Carrie Curzon; THE SUNDAY STAR, 7 Sep 86) ....... peves
Briefs
Kwazulu Seeks Free Port
SOCIOPOLITICAL/OTHER
Conflict Follows Discovery of AIDS Virus Among Foreign Miners
(Various sources, various dates) ....cesccccccceees seeee
Health Officials Pressing for Repatriation, by
Stephan Terblanche
Malawians Comprise Bulk of Virus Carriers,
by Claire Pickard-Camgridge, Max Du Preez
Crisis Situation Said Not To Exist, by Joe Openshaw
Government in Row With Chamber of Mines, by Sheryl Raine
NUM Reaction to Government Statement
Mixed Reactions to Government Plan for Greater Johannesburg
(James Clarke; THE STAR, 5 Sep 86) ........eee- errr Tr “a
Correspondent Reviews Achievements of Tricameral Parliament
(Dirk van Zyl; WEEKEND POST, 6 Sep 86) ......eeeeeeeeee
—
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Slabbert Criticizes Latest Session of Parliament
(Frederik van Zyl Slabbert; BUSINESS DAY, 12 Sep 86) .....
PFP Claims More Support Than Polls Indicate
(John MacLennan; THE SUNDAY STAR, 7 Sep 86) .......eeeeee.
Impoverished Whites Receiving ‘Massive’ Aid From Right Wing
(Hannes de Wet, Andre du Toit; THE STAR, 2 Sep 86) .......
Whites Urged To Acknowledge African Identity
(THE STAR, 11 Sep 86) eeeeenseeensvrmeeeeeeeseeeeeneeeneneeeneee eeeeee#2ee
Asian Students in White Schools To Need Special Permission
(Kitt Katzin; THE SUNDAY STAR, 7 Sep 86) ..... TeETTTTTT TT
Indian Teachers’ College To Be Open to Blacks
(Khalil Aniff; POST NATAL, 10-13 Sep 86) .......eeeee0% saae
Professor Welcomes New Approach To Teaching History
(Hermann Giliomee; BUSINESS DAY, 12 Sep 86) ........ » ease
Good Prospects for Indian Business in Orange Free State
(Bobby Harrypersadh; POST NATAL, 10-13 Sep 86) ...........
Rapidly Changing Face of Nation's Labor Movement Described
(Moira Levy; THE WEEKLY MAIL, 12-18 Sep 86) eeeeeeee eeeree
Experts Optimistic About Solving Black Housing Crisis
(David Jackson; SUNDAY TIMES, 7 Sep 86) ....ececeeeeces see
Expert Assesses Housing Backlog Situation
(Tobie de Vos; THE STAR, 9 Sep 86) ....cseeeceeves o6eeeees
Briefs
Refugee Flood to Durban Doubles
ECONOMIC
Australian Business Links Play Role in Dealing With Sanctions
(Nic van Oudtshoorn, Cas St Leger; SUNDAY TIMES, 7 Sep 86)
Chamber of Mines: Sanctions on Coal To Drive Up Price
(THE SUNDAY STAR, 7 Sep 86) ....ccecssceces soe6be0+eeeones
SATS: Export Shipments Outstripping Imports
(David Furlonger; BUSINESS DAY, 5 Sep 86) ...... rerrrrry .
Soaring Gold Prices May Herald Rise in Standard of Living
(John Spira; THE SUNDAY STAR, 7 Sep 86) ....eeeeeeeecveees
Drop in Foreign Tourists Leaves Thousands Jobless
(THE STAR, 11 Sep 86) eeeee#e#es @eeeeoeeeoeeeseeee#es eeeeoeeeseeee8se ee0e5485+veves?
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Researchers Say Half of Black Population Jobless
(Phillip van Niekerk; THE WEEKLY MAIL, 12-18 Sep 86) ....
Cape Town Workers Offer Scant Response To Skilled Job Offers
(Derek Tommey; THE WEEKEND ARGUS, 6 Sep 86) .......ee.. -
Economist Urges Tax Reduction for Growth, Lowered Inflation
(Azar Jammine; THE WEEKEND ARGUS, 6 Sep 86) .......e6- “os
Social Upheaval Predicted as Drought Continues in Transvaal
(Tue STAR, 1 Sep GS) .cccccce peeedesebeeseveeseeerenecees
Rumors of New Platinum Mining Complex in Bophuthatswana
(THE CITIZEN, 2 Sep 86) ........ Se eeeoessees ocecee ececces
INDUSTRIAL/S&T
Giant Water Project Aims to Double Vaal River System Supply
(Jaap Boekkooi; THE STAR, 9 Sep 86) .....cccccccvcccceees :
Sasol Profit Statement Analyzed, 'Nice Looking Results’ Seen
(Robin Friedland; BUSINESS DAY, 5 Sep 86) ......ceeeeeees
Briefs
Drop in Johannesburg Building Plans
/7310
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INTER-AFRICAN AFFAIRS
BRIEFS
SHIPPING LINE EXPANDS--The first wholly African-owned shipping line in East
Africa, Allied Oil Supplies has brought in second ship and is set to branch out
into the lucrative business of shipping and importing oil by the end of the
year, According to the company's general manager in Mombasa, Peter Mbendo,
this new venture will guarantee them the annexation of 60% of the market
served by foreign oil firms. Allied Oil was established last year and has
earned Kenya foreign exchange in excess of 30m shillings. No profit levels
have, however, been released, The company serves the eastern Africa states
of Seychelles, Tanzania, Somalia and the Comoros. The new ship was launched
on July 10th and will supplement the Sofia, launched a year ago. The new ship
will have a capacity of 6,000 tons of cargo. [Text] [Paris AFRICA DEFENSE
JOURNAL in English Aug 86 p 27] /9274
OAU, ECA MAP IMPROVEMENT EFFORTS--On 9 May, Cartography Year in Africa was of-
ficially proclaimed by the Organization for African Unity and the Economic Com-
mission for Africa (ECA), within the framework of a program that aims at the
establishment of more precise maps that will make a better contribution to de-
velopment efforts. Messrs Ide Oumarou, OAU secretary general, and Adebayo
Adedeji, ECA executive secretary, stated on this occasion that 23 percent of
the total surface area of the African continent had been accurately mapped at
present. In a joint communique the two officials stated that ''the lack of pre-
cise and well-documented information is one of the factors which for years have
slowed down the economic development of a continent endowed with abundant natu-
ral resources." In the course of this cartography year, the OAU and the ECA,
with the help of international organizations, hope to be able to make use of
various techniques, including teledetection and aerial reconnaissance, so that
the map of Africa may be complete by the end of the century. [Text] [Paris
AFRIQUE-DEFENSE in French Jul 86 p 28] 8117
ANGOLA
UNITA OUTLINES PEACE OFFER TO MPLA, CALLS FOR NEGOTIATIONS
Santos Government Denies Contact
Johannesburg THE STAR in English 1 Sep 86 p ll
[Text ]
JAMBA (Angola) — The Unita
leader, Dr Jonas Savimbi, out-
lined a peace offer to Angola’s
Marxist rulers yesterday, call-
ing for negotiations on with-
drawal of all foreign troops
and a national unity govern-
ment leading to elections.
“War is not good business.
Our people want to go home
and plough, go to their villages
and cows,” Dr Savimbi said in
an interview after the news
conference announcement at
his headquarters.
He said the “platform for
peace” was developed at a six-
day congress of the Union for
the Total Independence of An-
gola, which he said gathered
two thousand delegates from
all 16 provinces of the embat-
tled country.
Dr Savimbi said unofficial
talks had been conducted in
London and Paris with repre-'
sentatives of President Eduar-
do dos Santos’ government,
which has denied any contacts.
Both Unita and Mr dos
Santos’ Popular Movement for
the Liberation of Angola
(MPLA) fought for indepen-
dence from Portugal, but in the
1975 civil war that followed, Dr
Savimbi lost to the MPLA,
which is supported by Cuban
troops and Soviet advisers.
South Africa has supported
Unita in its 11-year struggle for
a power-sharing agreement
and the United States began
sending aid last April.
“United States aid is for the
purpose of promoting a peace-
ful solution. If peace negotia-
tions began, we would need no
more aid,” Dr Savimbi said.
But the Soviets would also have
to stop arming the other side,
he said.
“In 1975 while we were talk-
ing, they were arming.”
Dr Savimbi’s “platform for
peace” called for:
“An official and unequirocal
deposition from MPLA that it
is willing to negotiate, and we
will start negotiations imme-
diately ... to deal with the
problems of total withdrawal
of foreign troops from our
country.
“Then we can declare a
ceasefire between our forces
and MPLA forces and all na-
tional forces will maintain the
positions they have, leading to
a goverment of national unity
that will lead to peace in our
country and finally to elections,
so each will know the populari-
ty it has.”
At the news conference in
the camouflaged military
camp, Unita’s intelligence
chief, Brigadier Peregrino Isi-
dro Chindondo, displayed maps
showing recent battles.
There has been heavy fight-
ing against Cuban forces from
Munhango to Moxico on either
side of the 1500km Benguela
railroad that connects Angola’s
Lobito port to the food, min-
erals and trade of Zaire and
Zambia.
“We have cut the railway
and we have the intention of
blowing it up completely,” Dr
Savimbi said. “We know this
—— untold suffering to our
peopie. But we are suffering
from foreign intervention and I
do not think opening up the
railway will relieve our situa-
tion.”
Dr Savimbi was asked to re-
spond to a charge made by
American black civil rights ac-
tivist, the Rev Jesse Jackson,
that Unita was targeting
American oil company instal-
lations in the Cabinda coastal
province where 300 American
workers are stationed. Mr
Jackson had suggested that the
guerrillas might someday use
American-supplied weapons to
kill United States citizens.
“We are fighting in Cabinda
but we are avoiding hitting
those installations because we
want to avoid hurting Ameri-
cans,” Dr Savimbi said, adding
that the oil companies, Gulf
and Chevron, were encouraging
the Cuban presence in Angola
by employing Cuban workers.
“But I don’t think Jesse
Jackson knows a lot about all
those things,” Dr Savimbi said.
— Sapa-Associated Press.
Talks Reportedly Held in Europe, England
Johannesburg SUNDAY TIMES in English 7 Sep 86 p 16
{Article by Stephan Terblanche]
The “unofficial” meeting between
senior MPLA officials and Unita was
But it was not only economic pres-
sure that led to the talks, sources say.
Luanda is slowly beginning to recognise
that Unita cannot be defeated at war, so
it is considering the alternative —
shared power.
There are also reports of —
dissent between the MPLA and
leG@nanstin.
According to sources, members of
the MPLA delegation told Unita offi-
cials that there was a growing desire in
ee ee ona
Soviet “advisers”, as they had virtually
taken control of the country.
Several clashes have occurred be-
tween senior MPLA officials and Soviet
and Cuban officials. These revolved
around:
@A decision at the MPLA’s second
congress last year to demote pro-Mos-
cow radicals in the party.
@ A decision to move prepar-
ing for another + against Unita
in the south, to the northern oil and
diamond fields after e attacks
by Unita succeeded istracting
= troops from Hy offensive.
t between MPLA and
Pm dong owe military coramanders
about when and where the sev-ond offen-
sive should be launched.
19274
CSO: 3400/28
CIVIL WAR SPILLS OVER INTO NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES
Johannesburg THE STAR in English 9 Sep 86 p 9
[Text]
The Angolan civil war is spilling
into neighbouring countries. Unita
rebeis are now operating on a
small scale in Zambia’s Western
and North Western provinces and
there is evidence of increased
Unita activity in Zaire.
These developments follow las«
month’s threat by the Unita lead-
er Dr Jonas Savimbi to strike
back at Zambia which, he said,
has now given permission for its
territory to be used for attacks
‘against his movement.
In the last two weeks Zambian
officials have accused Unita
rebels of kidnapping Zambian cit-
izens and of launching a cam-
paign of terror in the border
areas of North Western province.
On Friday Zambian sources
also alleged that remnants of the
Mushala gang had reappeared in
the North Western province.
Zambian officials say two
women who had been abducted
escaped last month from the in-
surgents’ camp at Mwinilunga
Boma.
A top Zambian Government of-
ficial in North Western Province,
Mr Ludwig Sondashi, has banned
any statements on the security
situation there. He said, however,
that the police and the army had
been mobilised to deal with the
matter.
/9274
CSO: 3400/28
Last month Dr Savimbi said he
had information that President
Kaunda had given permission for
Zambia to be used by Cuban and
Angolan Government forces to at-
tack his forces from the east.
His accusation coincided with
reports circulating in Europe that
the Zambian Government had de-
cided to allow Angola Govern-
ment forces to be resupplied
from Zambia.
The Angolan Government was
unable to resupply some of its
garrisons because of Unita’s acti-
vities. Arms were thus flown
from Luanda to Lusaka and then
taken to the government forces
overland by truck, the reports
said.
Unita guerillas are said to have
retaliated by mining roads in the
border areas.
ETHNIC AFFINITY
In an interview at Unita head-
quarters at Jamba in south-east
Angola, Dr Savimbi said last
month that for “ethnic reasons”
Unita enjoyed great support in
Zambia and could easily make
life difficult for President Ken-
neth Kaunda.
Unita claims the support of the
Lunda and Luval tribes which in-
habit both sides of the border.
A similar ethnic affinity be-
tween Unita guerillas and tribes
in neighbouring countries is being
ANGOLA
exploited by the Angolan rebels to
infiltrate the oil-rich Cabinda en-
clave, separated from the Ango-
lan territory by a stretch of
Zairean territory and which also
borders the Congo.
“As long as I am here that rail-
way will never be opened,” said a
defiant Dr Savimbi at Jamba last
month when told that the Bengue-
la railway could be an alternative
rovte for the South African ports
and railways.
Relations between Angola and
Zaire reached a low point when a
group of Unita guerillas which in
March kidnapped 182 foreign na-
tionals from the mining town of
Andrada fled to Zaire with their
hostages. Despite demands by the
Luanda government to have the
guerillas arrested and extradited
to Angola the Zaire government
took no action.
Although no details of Ameri-
can help to Unita have been re-
leased it is believed that it is
from Zaire that the American are
channeling their military aid to
the Angolan rebels. American
military transport planes have
been seen at Kinshasa’s airport.
According to reports published
in Lisbon, 400 Stinger aati-air-
craft missiles and 20 launchers
for the missiles were initially
supplied to Unita by the Ameri-
cans.
ANGOLA
LACK OF TRANSPORTATION FOR BUTANE GAS IN HUAMBO
Luanda JORNAL DE ANGOLA in Portuguese 2 Aug 86 p 3
[Text] The popularization of the use of butane gas is one of the goals of
the party, and SONANGOL is expected to push for this during the 1986-1990
period; this will require a plan of action to improve and intensify not only
the supply system but also the distribution network.
In order to learn more about SONANGOL's efforts in this regard, and at the
same time about the poor supply and distribution of gas that has been the
cause of much criticism, we contacted the SONANGOL regional delegate, Joao
Cangombe.
We began by asking Joao Cangombe what sector of SONANGOL is responsible for
the planning and distribution for gas. "We have a gas management group that
is subdivided into two sectors: commercial, and operations, which is under
my direct control. Our main task is that of packaging and distribution. The
distribution is done to our so called direct customers, defined as those who
use large quantities of gas, and who because of this have their own installa-
tions for storing gas, and those who use large numbers of industrial size
55kg bottles. Hospitals, hotel chains, barracks, homes, pavty schools, and
others. The rest we distr. vUute through a retail network that we operate,
and a small amount goes to us directly for industrial and domestic use."
"Our major problem is transportation, since 65 percent of the gas we receive
from Benguela has to be shipped to Huambo. Bie gets 25 percent, and the rest
goes to the K. Kubango province. The distribution varies. We are limited in
terms of transportation. We have at present three 14-ton trucks. Each can
transport 1050 12kg bottles, which means that our capacity for each trip is
about 40 tons, or 80 tons per month. However, our loading facility is a
local resource, granted to us only on a provisional basis by the provincial
commisariat."
The SONANGOL delegate emphasized that management has made great efforts to
resolve the lack of gas in the region. An extra heavy duty truck has been
ordered, and should arrive in a few days. But this is not the main problem;
what really affects the supply of gas is the small number of trips per month
that are made. "We need to ship 150 tons a month in order to resolve our
supply problem, but we only make two trips a month when that number should be
doubled."
SONANGOL has 10 retailers in the home territory, where the population consumes
50 percent of supplies, while 40 percent goes to direct customers.
Joao Congombe said that there are retailers in all of the province's munici-
palities. "Only in Ukuma do we work through a concessionaire, who gets his
supplies from Benguela; all other retailers are our responsibility, and they
received 7/00 bottles in the past 6 months, which is not much, but is all we
can manage."
We asked what was the best way to go about obtaining a storage bottle, since
we understand that supplies of such bottles have been suspended.
“We had to do that in order to fight the trend in which certain people invent
a thousand and one reasons why they should have more than three bottles in
their home, with some having as many as five, while others have none."
He also warned that all those who are using industrial size 55kg bottles in
their homes are taking a risk, since such bottles require special installa-
tion procedures; such individuals should exchange the large bottles for the
domestic 12kg size.
Supply and distribution delivers to EDINBA 90 percent of SONANGOL's stove
production, leaving only 10 percent for the workers. On this matter the
delegate said, "All of the types of gas appliances, from stoves and burners
to gas lamps, that we receive go only t:o the workers. It is not SONANGOL who
should be selling to the public, but Internal Commerce. We received 600
burners and they have already been distributed to the workers."
The other side of the problem is that of repairs of gas burners. In Huambo
there is a repair center at SONANGOL that does all kinds of repairs.
"We have a stove repair center which gives high quality service," said Joao
Congombe. "I would say that this center is one of the best equipped in the
country in terms of both quantity of parts and quality of service."
12857/12859
CSO: 3442/302
ANGOLA
AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT STATIONS BENEFIT LUCALA
Luanda JORNAL DE ANGOLA in Portuguese 6 Aug 86 p 3
[Article by Feleciano Pacheco: "The Contribution of the EDA's in the Develop-
ment of the Lucala Municipality]
[Excerpts] Agricultural Development Station (ADS) are state companies with
local responsibilities, reporting to the Ministry of Agriculture, and created
for the support and development of the rural sector, particularly their as-
sociations and cooperatives.
The definition of the ADS as a structure for intervention is contained in the
Global Emergency Plan, and it is on the basis of this plan that they are set
up in the field. Lucala, a highly agricultural area, produces not only coffee,
but also corn, beans, manioc, yams, and other staples. Coreias 1 and 2 and
Pamba contain many hectares dedicated to the cultivation of these products on
a large scale, and, along with horticultural locations there, they constitute
the agricultural complex of Lucala.
The municipality is economically important to the province, and, since the
management structures which existed previously under the Ministry of Agricul-
ture were not responsive to the global needs of the sector, and the local
agricultural company created many bottlenecks, the ADS for Lucala was estab-
lished on 11 August 1985. The ADS has a broad responsibility for meeting
production needs of the farmers and has made an important contribution to the
resolution of problems of bringing goods to the market and the supply of food-
stuffs and farm equipment to the farmers.
The director of the Lucala ADS, Jose Mouzinho, told us, “The Lucala ADS deals
with 28 Farmers Associations involving 2,500 people." He said that the
greater part of the cultivated land in the area is subject to attack by plant
viruses, and that much of the land is contaminated. He also said, "The 1120
tons of production forecast for this area may be reduced because of irregular
rainfall in the region and the lack of utilization of fertilizers. The role
of the ADS is to offer services that will improve the situation.
The only ADS services paid for by the farmers are those of mechanization and
the bringing of goods to market. The ADS chief said, "During the 1985/86
production year, about 70 tons of seeds were distributed here, with 60 of them
for those farmers in the association, and 10 for isolated and small producers.
We also distributed some 3,000 farm implements such as hoes, rakes, and cut-
ters. The farmers received 13 tons of fertilizer for application at 14 demon-
stration fields for various products."
The Lucala ADS has about 30 people, including farm hands and rural consultants
(whose salaries have not been paid since last October), and it also runs eight
small agricultural producers who concentrate on flower production for the
parks in the municipality.
The station has five trucks, three of them heavy, and 15 tractors, which con-
stitute the means by which the station helps the associations and transports
their products. The lack of parts, spares, and tires, as well as a lack of
farming equipment such as boots and gloves for protection against chemicals
for the field workers are major problems. The ADS received 15.5 tons of food
from the state, and shipped 7 tons of goods to market.
12857/12859
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ANGOLA
INTRA-PARTY DIVISIONS ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS NOTED
Lisbon SEMANARIO in Portuguese 14 Aug 86 p 26
[Article by Carlos da Matta]
[Text] The conclusion drawn by many observers following the 2nd MPLA-PT
Congress that the party's internal conflicts would stop seems to be less and
less true. The departure of some of the "traditional" leaders and their
allies--who made up a group claiming exclusive ownership rights over the strug-
gle for liberation and who, as other MPLA-PT leaders, shifted back and forth
between leftist and rightist stands--was not enough to unify the group in
power.
Besides various examples observed in recent months in the central or provincial
party organs, we are now seeing a race for offices of "deputy" in the People's
Assembly and provincial assemblies, and it is aiready clear that these same
"traditional politicians" and light-skinned party members (either coincident-
ally or not) are the target of criticism and attacks tending to alienate them
from these organs. Accusations of attempted government take-over have even
been circulating.
This, however, is not the entire picture, and there are even frequent clashes
among the president's supporters, which explain the constant delays in complet-
ing the ministerial reorganization. There are also notorious conflicts with
regard to some large economic projects, such as the cement factory.
Cimangola's Losses
Cimangola--the successor of Secil do Ultramar, where the Portuguese capital
was nationalized--is a joint Angolan-Danish economic venture headed by Central
Committee member Joao Garcia (who uses the "nom de guerre" of Castelo Branco).
He is linked with Roberto de Almeida of the Politburo, in charge of ideology
and regarded as the leader of Marxism mixed with "negroism" (the ideology of
former Haitian dictator F. Duvalier, which better describes this trend in the
MPLA-P:: than Senghor's "negritude”").
As for the current leadership, the enterprise has accumulated incalculable
losses and is constantly having technical breakdowns, preventing it from pro-
viding even minimum supplies to the domestic market and causing a huge black
market in cement. Despite this, they decided to build a costly special pier...
for exports. This project was the responsibility of the Danish shareholder; it
has been completed and, obviously, has yet to be used, causing sarcastic smiles
among Luandans.
Moreover, despite the fact that existing furnaces are underused, the management
intends to build a fourth furnace, through the same shareholder. Pedro Van-
Dunen ("Loy"), a state minister very close to the president, argued that the
partners should be diversified and that this project should be given to a firm
from another country.
Mr Joao Garcia reacted by totally rejecting the idea, to the point of even
challenging "Loy," an apparently powerful official who, however, has come under
sharp criticism for signing the Kapanda dam contract.
Denmark is present in Angola through Danida as well, which finances and sup-
ports some projects, and through the capital and management of Secil maritima,
whose government representative is Mr Garcia himself. A virtual example of
"vyodka-coca cola"....
The finance minister drew up a report on the situation at Cimangola, which is
living from one bank loan to the next, and the President of the Republic is
expected to make a decision, but various aspects of this case show clearly how
the national economy is conducted and the limits of power, even at the highest
level.
Aversion to War
Meanwhile the war goes on and, despite the fact that we are already into
August, when a large part of the vegetation dies off and rivers dry up, it is
UNITA that is maintaining the initiative in various provinces. As for the
problem of FAPLA detractors and deserters, their numbers can no longer be
hidden, and even the JORNAL DE ANGOLA publishes a large number of arrest
warrants.
This shows the increasing aversion to the war and people are losing their fear
of saying so. For instance, an Angolan living in Luanda did not hesitate to
sign and send to "Jeune Afrique"--legally sold in Angola--a letter launching
"a strong appeal to President Jose Eduardo dos Santos and UNITA leader Jonas
Savimbi."" The Angolan people are fed up with the political, economic, social
and cultural situation in the country. The author of the letter, Domingos
Anderson, also appealed to African presidents (the letter was written prior to
the OAU summit and was published in that magazine's issue 1335) to step up
"efforts to stop the destruction of innocent lives and property which, with
time, brings us to despair."
Just a short time ago a letter of this sort was simply unthinkable, and it
shows the progress made by the peace movement, at least at a grass-roots level.
9805/12859
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ANGOLA
BRIEFS
CHIPENDA DEFECTS FROM UNITA--Do you know whom I saw passing by? Daniel
Chipenda. Although he greeted me, once I recognized him, I looked the other
way and did not speak to him. Isn't he now on best terms with the MPLA, going
around in a Luanda embassy car in Lisbon and all? He is living in high
style.... I have been told that after attending his mother's funeral in
Lobito, he returned to Angola again, was received there by Jose Eduardo dos
Santos, and gave himself up to the interests of Luanda, the MPLA, the Cubans
and Moscow. He received some benefits in return: he was made a sort of
"itinerant ambassador" in the employ of the Russians who are convinced that
they govern in Angola. And so the poor fellow is going around, as an errand
boy, knocking on doors everywhere to convince the fools that the MPLA people
are men of means and that we should drop Savimbi and UNITA. What a blow!
What is good is that virtually nobody is parrying the blow. What is funny is
that it seems that Chipenda still has the status of a "political exilee"! If
this is so, just as he was unable formerly to do politics against Luanda, now
he cannot do any politicking in favor of Luanda! Or isn't this the case,
gentlemen of the government? But this affair of Chipenda's "shift" is not so
surprising for him if you recall that he used to be a soccer player and that
this is still the season of transfers and "bonuses." [Text] [Article by
Bernarda A. Seca] [Lisbon O DIABO in Portuguese 12 Aug 86 p 6} 9805/12859
GOVERNMENT OPPOSES SAVIMBI BOOK--Perhaps a meeting between Eduardo dos Santos
and Jonas Savimbi, that would open the way for a negotiated settlement to the
Angola problem and a reconciliation for the people of that young country, is
not as far off as many people seem to think. Ten years of war have already
more than proven that such a long, bloody conflict will never find a solution
based on weapons and hate. Despite the obviousness of this fact, it seems
that many people still do not understand this, and the Angolan Embassy in
Lisbon certainly does not. This is evident from the pressure exerted by the
embassy to prevent publication of Savimbi's book, "Por un futuro melhor"
["Towards a Better Future"], recently published by Nova Nordica. All it was
able to do, however, was to transfer at the last minute the place where the
book was to be introduced. The Sheraton, threatened with losing the business
of the crews of the Angolan and Mozambican airlines, cancelled its commitment
to host the session for presenting the book the night before. It was held at
Novotel instead, and was attended by over 200 guests. Fortunately, in Portugal
today nobody can prohibit publication of a book by Savimbi, or Eduardo dos
Santos, or anyone, and any efforts in that direction would be fruitless, if
they did not bear the seeds of radicalization and thus a rupture of peace with
more days of suffering and death. "Por un futuro melhor" was initially pub-
lished in 10,000 copies, which have been distributed to bookstores throughout
the country, and will also be published in English, French and Spanish. [Text]
[Lisbon 0 TEMPO in Portuguese 8 Aug 86 p 32] 9805/12859
11
MINISTER INVESTIGATES PETROLEUM DISTRIBUTION--The Angolan vice-minister of
petroleum has been in Benguela since the day before yesterday in meetings with
the local authorities to analyze the problem of distribution of petroleum
and its derivatives in the central zone and in the south. Desiderio Costa
said on arrival that rational and efficient distribution of oil and its
products throughout the country vas of great concern to the party and the
government, emphasizing that "oil is one of the main supports of our economic
and social development." At Benguela's 17 September Airport the vice-minister
of petroleum was welcomed by the assistant commissar for production of the
province, Alexandrino Silva, and others responsible for provincial production.
During his stay in Benguela, Desiderio Costa will visit the SONANGOL instal-
lations, as well as other sectors connected with petroleum, and will meet with
provincial management personnel. [Excerpt] [Luanda JORNAL DE ANGOLA in
Portuguese 6 Aug 86 p 3] 12857/12859
NEW CONSTRUCTION DIRECTORATE—A Defense and Security Council decree signed by
the president of the republic, Comrade Jose Eduardo dos Santos, has created a
Provincial Directorate of Construction and Housing as part of the Luanda-Norte
Provincial Commisariat. The Council of Defense and Security issued Decree
13/86 because of problems in housing construction in that province that have
been the subject of much discussion. The decree makes the new directorate
responsible for the management, orientation, and control throughout the
province for all economic and social activities in the construction and hous-
ing sector. The creation of the directorate does away with the Provincial
Delegation of Housing and the Engineering Nucleus of Luanda-Norte, and all of
the personnel, installations, equipment, and materials of those two entities
will become part of the new directorate according to the decree. The creation
of the directorate in Luanda-Norte complies with the State Local Entities Law
which governs the establishment of provincial directorates in response to con-
ditions prevailing in the province, and when circumstances justify this organ-
izational form for the management, orientation, and control of economic and
social activities. [Text] [Luanda JORNAL DE ANGOLA in Portuguese 2 Aug 86
p 1} 12857/12859
CSO: 3442/302
12
MENGISTU ON CONSTITUTION, RESETTLEMENT, INSURGENTS
Kampala NEW VISION in English 29 Aug 86 p 4
{Text ]
ted an interview by
Mengisu Haile Mariam. Following are excerpts from
interview:
Q: In June this year you sub-
mitted for public discussion a
drat constitution. How have
the people received this
document?
A: The constitution is meant to
offer a legal guarantee for the
enjoyment of the rights and
gains which the people through
their struggle have achieved.
The constitutional Drafting
Commission had the represen-
tation of all the major sectors
of society.
Considerable preparations
had to be done in order to pro-
vide and to create favourable
condition for the people to have
a full scale and uninhabited
discussion.
First of all, we printed two
million copies of the draft con-
stitution for distribution. The
Draft constitution was printed
in fifteen Ethiopian
languages - that covers more
than 90 percent of the people.
We set up 25000 fora on
which the people could discuss
freely. We assembled a large
number of revolutionary cadre
and gave them the appropriate
orientation to lead the
discussions.
Numerous and enriching
suggestions were put forth by
the masses. The Ethiopia
citizens over the age of eigh-
te. In their entirety par-
ticipated in these discussions.
The discussions were con-
ducted openly in public and
those who had the opportuni-
ty to see this by themselves
naturally can bear witness to
what has been done.
Of course, there is no point
in going into details here as to
what the people have said and
what questions have been rais-
_ed but the comments have
been given and the idea is to
collect all the comments and
integrate them where relevant
into the draft constitution.
When the constitution takes its
final and definitive shape it will
again be submitted to the peo-
ple for their decision.
Are the general masses really com-
petent enough to comprehend a docu-
ment as complex and make sugges-
tions for its tmprovement?
I did not want to comment
as to what the reaction of the
people had been towards the
proposed constitution burt [
thought that it was better to see
what the future would be. The
impression we have been able
to gather from these discusions
is that our people are highly
mobilised and politically ad-
vanced. It has given to us a
clear indication as to the level
of political consciousness and
the extent of the political
culture Ethiopians have attain-
13
ETHIOPIA
ed in the last twelve years.
Western countries and the
Western press have been very critical
of the way your government handl-
ed the drought crisis and the subse-
quent settlement and villagtsation
programmes. How do you defend
Jour policies?
Our party took immediate
action to face the disaster that
hit the country. One thing
which contributed to the effec-
tiveness of our activity was the
existence of the organisation of
Ethiopian People, a relief agen-
cy, which actually tried to pro-
vide reliet ar.d rehabilitation to
the affected. Through this
agents and also the various
state and party organs the first
effort was made.
This effort actually consisted
of identifying clearly the extent
of the calamity, of the type and
the nature of problem. It was
large scale devastation which
we had to suffer in Ethiopia.
The primary task was evident-
ly to make the Ethiopian peo-
pie and the world at large
aware of the situation.
First of all we had to
mobilise the local
resources - manpower and
material, plus the external
resources in the form of
assistance and then grading
this in a two phase pro-
gramme - long term and
short term programme.
The short term programme
consisted essentially of relict
supplies and this is where
foreign agencies mainly <on-
centrated their invaluable
effort.
Frankly speaking, there are
countries that did nothing on
their own in the face of drought
disaster. These countries were
massively assisted by the
Western countries to get over
the drought disaster. As a
result of this support, none of
these countries has given a
serious and a critical look at
this problem and how to deal
_ with it may it re - occur.
Of course there is no desire
on the part of the western
countries and to see any
African country solve its pro-
hlems with is own resources
and by its own decisions and
capability. They expect us to
face all these calamities quite
— and whenever they
ppen again, to stretch out
our hands and beg again.
Such action we feel has its
own moral and political conse-
quencies. Our ability to cope
with these problems emanates
from our revolutionary
organisation and from our
revolutionary preparedness.
Under MacNamara, the World
Bank had suggested to African coun-
tnes the destrability of moving the
scattered populations to areas which
were better endowed by nature and
to concentrate them in accessible
arcas where amenities (water, health
care, education) could be made
available to them. But your
uillagization programme aimed at
providing essential welfare to the
peasants seems to be opposed by the
same circles. Why is that the case?
They don’t have a positive
attitude towards the Socialist
revolution that is going on in
our country. and the
reconstruction effort that is be-
ing made in this country. On
the whole, they have no good
disposition toward us.
Obviously, they don’t want
us to pursue objectives of social
construction and development,
rather what they wish for us is
to get down in military ac-
tivities and social - economic
crisis.
The Ethiopian people
demonstrated their
resourcefulness and they talk-
ed this problem over with ef-
fectiveness. Especially when
they come with a long term for-
mula which will definitely do
away with this drought and
natural calamity.
We have formulated policies
of correct population distribu-
tion in the country.
14
Our enemies know that this
would in the long run con-
tribute to the strengthening of
the revolution.
Naturally, they are very ap-
prehensive of such develop-
ment and they don't want to
see it succeed. This is clearly
reflected in the journalistic
endevours of the bogus press
and in the antics of the exter-
nal enemies of the revolution
and the remnants of the local
middle classes.
But we will not change our
methods. The effort we have
made have already began to
pay off as evidenced by the fact
that the very peopie who have
been the objects of this pro-
gramme have become the
beneficiaries of these
endeavours.
It ts sard that your re - settlement
eramme has been harsh and your
officials have in some instances tm-
posed forced re — settlement. Was
this necessary?
The most outstanding thing
which has surprised us most 1s
that given the fact that the
world we see now - the
technological advancement,
the civilisation and
culture - are the results of
population movements trom
one part of the world to the
other. I don't understand why
the phenomenon on our coun- °
try, whereby people were
re - allocated from one part of
the country to the other should
figure as something strange,
while Australia and The
United States are the products
of popular people’s migration
and provide good examples in
human history.
Our situation is however a
simpler and slightly different.
It is a movement of people of
our country from 9one part of
their country to the other, from
one village to the other. [f we
. had to leave these people the
wav they were and didn't re -
allocate them elsewhere,
could there have been any
country or donor resourcetul
enough to permanently pro-
vide tood and feed these peo-
ple indetinitely without
themselves being involved in
any productive activitv?
In mest cases this assistance
was not forthcoming and if we
lett them there, evidently they
would ail have perished.
Our enemies understood the
correctness and the eminent
human motuvauon tiherent in
this project that goes beyond
solving the immediate pro-
blem. They are apprehensive
of the strength Ethiopia will
derive from this project. They
are nervous about the ex-
emplary nature of this project
and the possibility that other
African countries may emulate
it.
You have had a crisis of national
integration, of keeping the country
together as one national entity.
Enitrea threatening to break away,
and ali was not well in other parts
of the north. Would you say that this
situation ts under control?
When we launched the
revolution imperialism did not
want to see is interests under-
mined in the Horn of Africa
and it did not want to see
anything which would appear,
in the long run, to be jeopar -
dising its influence. At the
same time, it was not in its ir-
terest to see the counter revolu-
tionary forces against the
Ethiopian revolution budge or
‘conceed defeat.
Handsome offers were given
by our enemies to the local
reactionaries the feudal
elements, counter revolu-
tionary elements and anarchist
groups all made a joint effort
against the revolution at that
time. :
The enemy made good use
of this and they fanned, narrow
nationalists feelings and
chauvanism. They fanned.
religious sentiments and fann-
ed the physicological feelings of
the people and they lined up all
these groups of _ reac-
tionaries - the real class
enemies of the revolution.
It was tantamount to a full
scale civil war in Ethiopia
which was unrealised by the
world. Actually it was che
struggle against these forces,
that really constituted the
shouldering of the civil war in
Ethiopia.
This serious internal situa-
non of turmoil actuaily en-
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15
couraged external torces
(Somalia) to take advantage of
the situation and launch an
aggression on Ethiopia with
the view tc realise their
long - cherished objectives.
Since the overthrow of the monarcy
in Ethiopia what do you see as the
most significant land marks of this
historical period?
On the whole the lives of the
people of Ethiopia, both in the
urban and rural areas at that
time were entirely at the mer-
cy of the emperor, the
aristocrats and the nobility. It
was a life of total oppression
and suppression.
The main achievements of
the revolution was to complete-
ly do away with the situation
of injustice that prevailed in the
country. We are at the
tbreshold of completely con-
solidating the power of the state
and also the formation ot the
Peoples Democratic Republic
of Ethiopia (PRE).
What aspects of the Ethiopian
revolution do you consider to have
been the most challenging, for you
and for your colleagues in the
leadership?
The most challenging task
was to free our country which
had been tor centuries under
monarchial rule. Next to the
overthrow of the feudal order,
one step which has been taken
by the revoiution was the na-
tionalisation of the land.
The land reform programme
has been introducec to hand
over the land io che real
owners - the people. This
was indeed the rock bottom on
which our national democratic
rights revolution rested, on
which people enjoved their
democratic rights.
Inevitably this has aroused
the anger of the tew who stood
to lose land. The tormer land
owners were disgruntled and
they set out to challenge the
revolution.
ETHIOPIA
BRIEFS
BAHR DAR AIRPORT OPENS--The first modern international airport to be built by
Ethiopian professionals situated at Bahr Dar (capital of Gojam region, western
Ethiopia) was opened by Mengistu Haile Mariam on June 18th. An Ethiopian Air-
lines Boeing-727 landed at Bahr Dar town carrying the Secretary General of the
WPE Central Committee, PMAC Chairman and C-in-C of the Revolutionary Armed Forces,
Mengistu Haile Marian. It is thought that this international airport will con-
tribute to the social and economic development of the whole country and will
promote tourism in Bahr Dar town, which is highly valued by visitors for its
historical past and its beauty, its ancient monasteries and its location near the
source of the great Blue Nile river. The airport will also play a major part
in the development of Gojam and Cendar regions by transporting their industrial
products. In a speech, the Deputy Minister of Construction and Communications,
Aseged Wolde Amanuel, explained that the airport has a runway which is 3,120 m
long and is 60 m wide. He added that it has so far cost 46.8 million birr.
[Paris AFRICA DEFENSE JOURNAL in English Aug 86 p 27]
’
GHANA
BRIEFS
KAOLIN DEPOSIT FOUND--Kaolin, an important industrial substance in the manu-
facture of cement has been discovered in substantial quantities at Ahamansu
in the Jasikan District of the Volta Region. Traces of the substance have
therefore attracted technical experts at the CIMAO cement project in the
Republic of Togo to the site, This was disclosed by Nana Odumgya Amponsah
II, Omanhene of Ahamansu Traditional Area, Later during an insp»ction tour
of the site our reporter was shown a whitish substance lining tne surface
of the soil in the area, He therefore fetched a sample of the substance for
onward scientific testing. At the Geological Survey Department in Accra, Mr
G. 0, Kesse the Director confirmed positively that the substance was Kaolin.
The substance is also found in large deposits at Cape Coast and Saltpond thus
forming the raw material base for the Saltpond Ceramic Works. [Excerpts]
{By Tim Dzamboe] [Accra PEOPLE'S DAILY GRAPHIC in English 4 Sep 86 p 1]
1/9274
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17
MOZAMBIQUE
NEW ANTI-COMMUNIST ALLIANCE BETWEEN REGIONAL REBEL GROUPS
Paris THE INDIAN OCEAN NEWSLETTER in English 30 Aug 86 p 2
[Text }
Claims that the rebel Mozambique Resistance Movement, Renamo, is being
given substantial militery aid by South African sources, and that the
African National Congress is again using Mozambique as a base for attacks
on South Africa are threatening what is left of the Nkomati accord,
signed by the two countries two years ago.
The latest upsets have occurred as a _new alliance is being created
between the southern African rebel movements = Renamo in Mozambique,
the openly South-African backed UNITA in Angola, and the ZANU group of
the exiled Reverend Ndabiningi Sithole in Zimbabwe.
Though the forces comprising this "anti-Communist" association are
scattered over a considerable area, and ZANU is not highly regarded, the
alliance has the potential for raising the level of armed conflict in the
region. The alliance has close links with America. It is reported to have
been inspired by the right-wing U.S. Heritage Foundation to take a role
fighting Communism in southern Africa. The Foundation has links with the
White House and President Ronald Reagan, although the U.S. administration
denies any involvement in the alliance. The United States is involved
with UNITA and is supplying it with arms.
The reports of South African aid for Renamo, which are denied by
Pretoria, come from Maputo and Lisbon, and
are backed by Western
intelligence sources. A Mozambican information official said his
government had proof of renewed flights *rom South Africa to landing
strips in the Mozambican bush, where "tons" of arms and ammunition had
been handed to Renamo in the last three weeks. South Africa is also
accused of using border camps containing Mozambican refugees as
recruiting centres for Renamo.
There are conflicting views in South Africa about the source of the
Renamo supplies. The deputy minister of foreign affairs, Ron Miller,
claims that there is no need for South African supplies, as Renamo has
sufficient stocks of its own and obtains equipment from
Portuquese-speaking ex-Mozambicans and from the Middle East. Sources
close to the South African military, however, claim that Renamo gets arms
and other supplies by plundering Mogambican military supply columns.
The recent escalation of the Mozambican civil war is linked with
sanctions moves against South Africa. Renamo has been focussing on the
18
Beira corridor providing road, rail and fuel pipeline links between
Zambia and Zimbabwe and the harbour of Beira. The strategic corridor
would be vital if Pretoria, hit by sanctions, should squeeze their import
and export routes via South Africa. Indeed, the frontline states have
been working for several months on plans to tackle such a scenario.
Mr. Miller maintains that the accord is operating at the same level as
before, despite the disbanding of the joint security commission by
Mozambique's President Samora Machel, ANC's presence in Maputo ana the
fact that the agreement had realised only part of its potential.
I.0.N.- South Africa also dentes involvement in the southern Africa
alliance, but the country's military, closely connected with UNITA and
Renamo, would need little urging to become embroiled in an
anti-Communist "holy war,” and it would not be the first time that the
Pentagon would give covert encouragement to such an adventure. There
have been at least five Renamo attacks on the oil pipeline in the last
month, and attacks on the road and ratl links are becoming more
Srequent. There have been frequent clashes between Renano rebels and
Zimbabwean and Mozambican government troops in the area. The last time
the accord came under pressure was when Mozambican yovernment forces
overran the main Renamo base at Gorongoza and discovered the so-called
"Vaz diaries" -- the reports of assistants to Renamo leader Afonso
Dlakhama. These claimed that the South African military had continued
to contact Renamo after the signing of the accord. Recently, Joaquim
Vaz was seen in Renano's office at Durban, which opened last June.
, /9274
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19
MOZAMBIQUE
NEW COOPERATIVE SUPERVISORY COMMISSION CREATED IN GAZA
Maputo NOTICIAS in Portuguese 5 Aug 86 p 2
[Article by Bento Niquice]
[Text] A new structure to supervise the operations of cooperative trade was
set up a few days ago in the city of Xai-Xai, capital of Gaza Province. Called
the Consumer Cooperatives Commission, the new agency will replace the inter-
cooperatives. Until its official opening scheduled for next September, new
commissions to promote this Socialist-type trade have been created.
This decision was announced at a meeting organized by the Xai-Xai Party Com-
mittee Secretary for the Economy, Ernesto Jaime Maluleque, which was also
attended by several heads of cooperative trade in the province, among other
officials.
Also participating were the presidents of the 12 consumer cooperatives in Xai-
Xai and representatives of Democratic Organizations of the People and Profes-
sional Partners, banks and the Provincial Agriculture Directorate. Secretar-
ies of communal districts in the city of Xai-Xai were also invited.
Anselmo Sitoe, head of the Cooperative Trade Department in the Provincial
Trade Directorate, explained on the occasion that the new structure in Xai-Xai
was the first step of a project that would soon be extended to cover all the
districts in Gaza, to adjust this type of trade to a new stage in its develop-
ment.
"We set up inter-cooperatives as a first step in structuring cooperative trade
in our province," Anselmo Sitoe said, adding that the consumer cooperatives
had now reached a stage in their development where a new structure was needed
to handle the growing trade.
Work Commissions Created
At the same meeting it was decided to set up commissions of liquidation and
establishment, which will handle all the preliminary work until the inter-
cooperatives are completely phased out, probably by the end of next September.
It was also announced that these commissions will work together to establish
the "Conference of Commissioners," the highest organ of the new structure.
These commissions were also charged with setting up the Cooperative Council
and Management and Control Commissions, as executive organs for the new direc-
ting structure.
Besides working jointly, the new commissions will also perform some separate
tasks. The Establishment Commission is in charge of hancling all organiza-
tional matters related to setting up the new structure, and will conduct an
exhaustive survey of the work performed by the inter-cooperatives since their
creation in 1980.
The Liquidation Commission in turn, which began operations the day after it
was created, will inventory and liquidate all the financial and material as-
sets of the former inter-cooperative commission and decide what to do with
the remaining assets at the end of the survey.
The move to set up a new structure to direct cooperative trade in Gaza Pro-
vince is regarded as an important step, particularly in light of the fact that
at recent meetings, the Gaza government has discussed the need to give prior-
ity to supplying consumer cooperatives with essential commodities.
One of the main activities to be developed by the new structure is to train
officers to manage the consumer cooperatives, and it is felt that this will
alleviate the financial crisis affecting several of the consumer cooperatives,
since part of the crisis is attributed to poor management resulting from a
shortage of staff with experience in this area.
9805
cso: 3442/290
MOZAMBIQUE
TECHNICIANS ATTEND PROFESSIONAL TRAINING CENTER
Maputo NOTICIAS in Portuguese 5 Aug 86 p 2
[Text] Beginning 18 July two courses for draftsmen and mechanics, and indus-
trial designers, fitters and electricians have been held at the Professional
Training Center on Avenida Angola in Maputo to train skilled workers. A source
told our reporter that the Center's administration hoped to put to good use
the technical knowledge of the workers now in training, who were marginalized
by the colonial system, and make them dynamic, active technicians serving our
economy.
Training technicians for the various sectors of the national economy has al-
ways been one of the major concerns of the Party and government structures.
They have joined efforts and, despite current difficulties, are sponsoring
technical and professional courses on a national level for the main purpose
of imparting the technical know-how needed by Mozambican workers so that they
can do their jobs better and improve production.
Because it was not in line with their interests, Portuguese colonialists never
made it possible for the large masses of Mozambican workers to improve the
practical knowledge they acquired by receiving scientific training or educa-
tion in the various professional branches of the economy.
Up to the defeat of Portuguese colonialism, there was a capitalist system in
Mozambique that just took advantage of cheap labor, although a short time be-
fore the Portuguese were forced out, they tried to cover up this fact by quick-
ly organizing small professional training courses which, however, did not
serve the country's true interests.
How the Center Started
Based on the principle that without skilled and politically trained workers,
it is impossible to conduct successfully the difficult struggle to rebuild the
country and construct a Socialist society, in 1979 the production councils
that were formed after independence began contacts with the Syndical Institute
for Cooperation with Developing Countries of the Italian Confederation of Work-
ers (ISCOS), that culminated in the reorganization of the Professional Training
Center of the State Secretariat of Light Industry and Food.
22
"This Center is the result of a cooperative agreement signed between the
Mozambican Workers Organization [OTM] and the Italian Syndicates to train
Mozambican workers," Juliao Jonas, director of the Professional Training Cen-
ter, told us.
According to what he said, this new Center is part of the second phase of
cooperation between the OTM and ISCOS. The first phase, completed in 1983,
involved installation of a full set of equipment for courses in welding and
electricity at the Professional Training Center of the State Secretariat for
Light Industry and Food.
The Center's director explained: "After the equipment for the welding and
electrician courses was installed, the Mozambicans felt a need to expand the
SEILA Center, and the Italian Syndicates assisted us by providing all the
equipment that made this new Center possible."
According to information given to us, this new Professional Training Center
has everything necessary to operate effectively as a modern training center.
"This Center has up-to-date equipment capable of providing advanced and solid
training to Mozambican workers. The training given through the courses will
be truly professional, because we have the necessary equipment at our disposal,"
one of the technicians who teaches at the Center told our reporter.
Teaching Staff
The new Professional Training Center on Avenida de Angola currently has 34
students, 19 of whom are attending the course for electricians and industrial
fitters, with the rest training to be draftsmen, mechanics and industrial de-
signers.
Five instructors teach both courses. Four are Italian technicians who teach
specialities, including technology, physics, design, applied mechanics, office
practices, electrical measures, schematic design, electrotechnology and math-
ematics. The single Mozambican instructor teaches only subjects that are
part of general education, namely Portuguese, history and geography.
"We are also concerned with providing a solid education for our students be-
cause, at the end of the courses, we will select some of the best to assure
continuity and take over the work of the Italian technicians when they return
to their country," Director Juliao Jonas said. He added that they expect to
attain the objective of selecting several of the best students to later serve
as monitors, since the Center has the means to do this.
Meanwhile, while talking to one of the Italian instructors, our reporter
learned that all the Italian teachers are prepared to do everything they can
to ensure that the Professional Training Center will contribute effectively
to developing technicians in Mozambique.
9805
CSO: 3442/290
23
MOZAMBIQUE
BEIRA'S RICE MARKETING CAMPAIGN ENCOUNTERS OBSTACLES
Maputo NOTICIAS in Portuguese 5 Aug 86 p 2
[Text] The 1986-87 agricultural marketing campaign begun in the city of Biera
last 3 June may be jeopardized if priority is not given to providing trading
incentives, agencies involved in the campaign informed our reporter. Up to
now, only 30 tons of rice and 400 kilos of maize have been sold.
Rodrigues Amadeu of AGRICOM enterprise said that "this situation is really
unfortunate, since producers around Beira have harvested large quantities of
rice, and AGRICOM is not going to be able to market it all."
What will happen to the surplus? Some of the producers are trying to trade the
rice with certain cooperatives and private stores in exchange for articles
these establishments have, such as soap, sugar, and enamel cups, dishes and
pans.
However, because these establishments do not have enough of these articles,
the farmers are channeling their products, and specifically rice, through the
black market, according to reports by some citizens contacted by our reporters.
According to these same sources, many farmers who are unable to find a legal
market for their surplus for the reasons already given, or because the goods
available for barter do not interest them since they already obtained them
last year, sell the rice unhulled for 1,500 meticals per 20-liter container.
Hulling Factory Intervenes
This year, however, the rice factory will help market the rice after it is
processed. This production unit located in the Manga area outside the city
of Beira was unable to hull the marketed rice last year for financial reasons.
"At present, the factory has financing to enable it to operate effectively
and purchase the rice directly from those marketing it,'’ Rodrigues Amadeu in-
dicated. According to him, the 70 tons of rice sold last year, which are
stored at the Supply Enterprise in Beira, are already at the factory to be
hulled, and part of it has already been distributed to consumer cooperatives.
9805
CSO: 3442/290
24
bl
MOZAMBIQUE
BRIEFS
STATE ADMINISTRATION COURSE ENDS--The second course to train officials for
future administrative posts as presidents of community executive councils and
district directors for support and control was recently completed at the Pro-
vincial State Administration School in Agostinho Neto Communal Settlement in
Inhambane. The course, which lasted 45 days, had 32 participants who were
instructed on the Party's role in leading the government and society, the ori-
gin of the State, the defense of Socialist legality, and operations of the
State's directive organs including agriculture and fisheries, as well as an-
cillary subjects related to collecting government revenue and operations of
labor unions in Mozambique. Addressing the participants, Inhambane Provincial
Governor Jose Pascoal Zandamela spoke of the importance of training officials
for the State apparatus, to work for the national economy. Jose Pascoal Zan-
damela also said that the best standard for truth lies in practice, or in
other words knowledge acquired in the course will be valuable only if it is
put to use at a grass-roots level. In order for the Provincial State Admin-
istration School to be self-sufficient in food, the Inhambane governor de-
fended the need for involvement in productive activities, on both barren land
and farmed plots. To support the second general elections, the participants
in the course contributed over 3,500 meticals. [Text] [Maputo NOTICIAS in
Portuguese 5 Aug 86 p 2] 9805
CORUMANA DAM WORKS CONTINUES--An operation to temporarily divert the bed of
the Sabie River in Moamba district, Maputo Province, began last 2 July. Ac-
cording to Altenor Pereira, director of the Water Works Management Unit, the
purpose of the operation is to build an earthen dam in order to continue work
on the project to build Corumana Dam throughout the rainy season, which is
drawing near. The bypass consists of two deep discharge channels built in
the rocky slope of the right bank of the Sabie River, shaped like a horseshoe
in cross-section and measuring 7.5 meters in diameter at the circular base.
According to the director of the Water Works Management Unit, with the two
channels operating, 1,200 cubic meters per second can be drained off. "Before
the next rainy season, the dam will be completed up to a point that will per-
mit work on building the Corumana Dam to continue in perfect safety," Altenor
Pereira explained. The Corumana Dam is being built in the Sabie River, the
main tributary of the Nkomati River, about 140 kilometers from the city of
Maputo. This project is primarily designed to regularize the flow of the
Sabie for use either in irrigating land immediately downstream from the dam
25
in the Sabie valley or in increasing the flow for irrigating land in the mid-
dle and lower Nkomati during the dry season. The Corumana Dam will also
make it possible to reduce considerably the flood points in that river, down-
stream from the dam. [Text] [Maputo NOTICIAS in Portuguese 17 Jul 86 p 1]
9805
SOVIET JOURNALIST DONATION--On Wednesday morning the Union of Soviet Journal-
ists offered to its Mozambican counterpart five typewriters and an equal
number of copy machiens during a ceremony held at the facilities of the Na-
tional Organization of Journalists (ONJ) in the capital. The donation, pre-
sented by the representative of the Union of Soviet Journalists to the 2nd
ONJ Conference, was accepted by Botelho Moniz, provincial director of informa-
tion in Sofala and DIARIO DE MOZAMBIQUE. In a message read out yesterday
afternoon by the representative of the Union of Soviet Journalists to the 2nd
Conference of the National Organization of Journalists, the Soviet organiza-
tion of information professionals stated its willingness to support our coun-
try in training journalists. The photograph shows the UJS representative
presenting the typewriters and copy machines to the ONJ, with Botelho Moniz
at the right accepting the donation. [Text] [Maputo NOTICIAS in Portuguese
17 Jul 86 p 1] 9805
CSO: 3442/290
26
NAMIBIA
ATTITUDE OF NATIONAL PARTY CRITICIZED
Windhoek DIE REPUBLIKEIN in Afrikaans 28 Jul 86 p 4
[Editorial: "No Funny Games"]
[Text] The reaction of the Southwest NP (through its newspaper under new
editorship] to the DTA executive committee's resolution to stand by its
Okahandja declaration of earlier this year is simply dumbfounding. Is it
wrong for a political organization to stand by a previous resolution? Mr
Kosie Pretorius is the very man who quotes the resolutions of congress,
executive and emergency committees to show how his party does not deviate from
previous resolutions! (But we must admit: Mr Pretorius does not quote
resolutions on Southwest as a fifth province of South Africa and on
territorial apartheid. That resolution has simply evaporated; it's only the
useful ones that count). No "honorable talking partners" would want to force
any "population group" into an arrangement where it did not want to be; that
is what the little Nationalist newspaper writes. But then his party has
indeed taken part in a swindle from the start of the VPK on; for parties
assembled there, not .population groups. And, moreover, Swanu and Swapo-D did
not want to hear anything about "group rights." The Southwest NP must also
have known that, shouldn't it have? (But the Southwest NP sits and smiles at
those two parties. It's just friendliness and smiles; just smiles all the way
when the "liberalist," Dirk Mudge, and his "liberal" associates in the DIA
state the cause of population groups and do not want to accede to the
arbitrary change of constitutions by people who do not have any support. And
the NP men can smile! Just see how it looks in the National Assembly. "They
stink to please" [tr's quotes; in English in original]. But the new editor of
DIE SUIDWESTER will not know that. No, his men fight, they "stipulate." Oh,
they perform miracles).
The DIA would no longer like to conduct negotiations within the framework of
the Government of National Unity. It would {like to] create an atmosphere
outside the government. Wha* then is the Southwest NP dealing with when it
enters into talks with Mr Werner Neef? What is it dealing with when it
issues a statement on behalf of the "Conference of Representative Authorities,
when there was only an opposition member present from Kavango, and only an
independent member from Caprivi and no member from the DIA Representative
Authorities? Was it dealing within the "framework of the Government of
National Unity?" Something is going crazy; really crazy.
27
Would the DTA now like to return to resolution 435? The Nationalist
newspaper asks this by implication. May we ask: Have the RSA, the USA and
the Western powers then totally rejected Resolution 435? The newspaper asks
in its childlike simplicity: Does the DTA now want to negotiate with the
govermment of the RSA, which, in turn, "has categorically undertaken" not to
negotiate with separate parties? May we ask: Is nobody talking with Peter
Kalangula? Is nobody talking with Mr Garoeb? Were there no talks on the Cape
Verde Islands? Does the DIA reject the Cape Verde Agreement? DIE SUIDWESTER
wants to know. May we ask: Was not the essence of the "Cape Agreement" that
the transitional government would take over the national government and draft
a constitution for the country in the shortest possible time?
If the "Cape Agreement" should be tantamount to the amendment of AG 8 and the
preservation of R101, then the DTA definitely does not plan to stick to that
"agreement." The DIA has from the beginning gone up in the government with
the supposition that all would realize that there is no time to waste. The
DIA does not see any chance for a "gepoer-poer" [conference?]. It has gone
out of its way to give others the chance to make a contribution. They won't
play their own funny little game on the back of the DTA. That's what it's
about, over and done with.
13084
3401/181
28
NAMIBIA
SWAPO REPORTEDLY ENGAGED IN PURGE OF OWN RANKS
Windhoek DIE REPUBLIKEIN in Afrikaans 29 Jul 86 pp 1,5
[Article by Chief Editorial Staff: "Terrorists Want to Murder Own People")
[Text] Swapo is engaging in an intensive purging process in its own ranks in
order to counteract disloyalty, and violent action against some of its
internal leaders is also being planned. Plans to intensify violence outside
the operational area in SWA/Namibia are being delayed at this stage only
because the Swapo leaders, and especially PLAN (the military wing of Swapo)
are afraid of leaks in the organization. This, as well as other information
from Swapo's inside circles, came into DIE REPUBLIKEIN's possession yesterday.
The names of Mr Danny Tjongarero and members of the so-called Elders'
Committee appear on the list of "puppets" who cannot be trusted and who must
be eliminated. The purging process in Swapo has already led to dozens of
people landing in punitive camps in Angola and Zambia. According to
information, the Swapo leadership body is now satisfied that Swapo's external
wings have been "purged." However, there is still great concern in Swapo
about the leaks within Swapo's internal wings. The activation of a "purged"
internal wing and greater cooperation between PLAN and Swapo-internal also
form part of that organization's latest offensive.
According to the information, Swapo members have also been instructed to
infiltrate all organizations in SWA/Namibia. According to the sources, an
organization like NANSCO (Namibia National Students Organization) is still
regarded as hostile-minded and must also be infiltrated. Intensified violence
in the central and southern parts of SWA/Namibia also forms part of the new
offensive, as well as the political activation of the masses. The
perpetration of sabotage and other violence has been delayed up to now because
the Swapo leaders fear leaks among Swapo-internal.
13084
3401/181
29
NAMIBIA
DIFFERENCES BEIWEEN DTA, SWAPO OBJECTIVES VIEWED
Windhoek DIE REPUBLIKEIN in Afrikaans 29 Jul 86 p 4
(Editorial: "No, Niko!"]
A difference of approach between Swapo and the DTA stood in glaring contrast
when Niko Bessinger appeared before a Swapo hearing in Katutura on Sunday as
co-secretary of foreign affairs. Bessinger says: The price of freedom can be
high and freedom sometimes demands sacrifices of extremes. People must
remember that they will not necessarily taste freedom themselves, but everyone
has a duty to concern themselves with deliverance for their children.
First, the price of freedom.
This is a rather hollow cry coming from Bessinger. The “price" and the
"sacrifices" that he calls for point most clearly to the armed struggle which
Swapo is conducting in the north. But he himself sits as a professional man
in the safety that the security forces offer him in Windhoek. It's easy to
ask another man for his life when one's own is not jeopardized. But he asks
for this "price" and these "sacrifices" against the background of a lost
struggle. The intensity of Swapo's military onslaught has diminished in the
presence of their losses. They are losing the warm, not winning it. That is
precisely [why Swapo] has made it assume the form of a hit-and-run war where
ordinary civilians are the target. In short, the people who should be
"liberated" are being shot dead.
In contrast, the DIA position is that this "freedom" is available and that it
can be attained along a peaceful route. But South Africa will truly not grant-
it while anarchist forces with Russian AK 47's are prowling around the bush
and shooting peace-loving people to death. That blocks freedom, does not
offer it. That is the very basis of the outward movement which the Alliance
has always advocated. That is what made the Alliance share in the Lusaka
deliberation, but there it and other parties within the Multiparty Conference
found Swapo to be an extremely unwilling talking partner--doesn't want to
talk, but shoot. This conviction that independence can be extricated in a
negotiation policy also forms the basis of decisions at the past Executive
Commitee Meeting of the DTA. And if the DTA cannot get the assistance of
other parties in this connection, it is willing to undertake the trip to
independence and freedom alone. That is exactly what is included in the talk
30
which is sought with the secretary general of the UNO, [as well as what is
included in] the contact which must be renewed with the Western Contact Group
and newly contemplated direct liaison with South Africa. The circle in which
not only the internal parties, but also Swapo, move must be broken; for,
although the armed fighting in the north has now lasted for 20 years, a —
takeover lies further in the distance than when it was started. |
Secondly, Bessinger says people will perhaps not pluck the fruits of their
sacrifices in their lifetime, but then their children can reap the harvest.
The DTA differs with this in essence. Continually postponing a solution is
nothing more than participating in the game of delay, for which SWA/Namibia
has already acquired international notoriety. The DIA wants to move out NOW,
undo the red tape around the diplomatic packages of the past and unravel the
Gordian knot. When Swapo held a meeting under its own banner for the first
time in five years, we thought that it would eventually have more than
violence to offer the people of SWA/Namiba. It didn't. Will Swapo thus be
able to take people amiss if they now spit it out of their mouths like
lukewarm water?
13084
3401/181
SIERRA LEONE
PROBLEMS EXACERBATED BY FLIGHT OF CAPITAL, NEAR EAST POLITICS
London AFRICA CONFIDENTIAL in English 20 Aug 86 p 7
[Text] President Joseph Momoh is trying to convince the
public that he can act independently of those of ex-
President Siaka Stevens’s associates who still retain
influence. Some of them are unpopular. Momoh is
also facing formidable economic problems. Some
leading businessmen, finding both the economic and
political climate unfavourable, appear to be turning
their attention away from Sierra Leone. Other com-
panies are moving into the resulting commercial
vacuum. Changing commercial alliances inevitably
have political implications.
The tendency of businessmen to leave Sierra Leone
is especially true of the important Lebanese commun-
ity. Sierra Leone’s best-known businessman, the
Afro-Lebanese Jamil Said Mohammed, is giving up
his interests in the Government Gold and Diamond
Office and the National Diamond Mining Company.
He also appears to be having second thoughts about
planned projects, such as the joint-venture rice sch-
eme with the Chinese company Agricon, which has
not yet commenced operation. It was due to start in
1986 (AC Vol. 26. No. 23).
Jamil is also reported to have been the subject of
an extraordinary speech in parliament. In late July,
James Musa Gendemeh, the member of parliamen:
for Kenema north-east, publicly called on the govern-
ment to investigate Jamil’s business activities. Until
recently such a public attack on a man of Jamil’s
standing would have been unthinkable.
Perhaps partly in response to the flight of
Lebanese and Afro-Lebanese capital and business
acumen, the government has embarked on a number
of rapidiy-conceived commercial deals to keep the
economy afloat. In one case, the BRN company of
Fort Worth, Texas, contracted to supply Sierra
Leone with a cargo of Nigerian crude oil at $18 a
barrel, at a time when the world oil price was falling.
It is notable that the University of Sierra Leone is
acting as agent. In fact, the university’s constitution
forbids such a practice. Evidently the strength of
32
academic representation in government has enabled
the financially hard-pressed university to explore
unconventional means of funding.
One of the relative newcomers to Sierra Leone
which thinks that the country’s long-term future is
rosy is LIJAT. This company, which is based in
Frankfurt, has assumed a prominent position in
Freetown business ircles. Its interests include trans-
port, low-cost hous.ug projects, agriculture and civil
engineering. Its biggest planned project is the con-
struction of an cight-kilometre bridge across the
estuary from Lung: to Freetown at the remarkably
low cost of $17-20 million.
LIAT is run mainly by Jewish Russian emigrés
who, understandabis, have connections with Israel.
The company’s managing director, the able and
politically astute Shaptai Kalmanovitch, has gained
the confidence of leading figures in Sierra Leone,
including Momoh. LIAT’s Freetown representative
is Bill Davidson, an American of Russian-Jewish
extraction. LIAT has established an efficient com-
mercial reputation elsewhere in developing countries,
such as in the South African ‘homeland’ of Bophu-
thatswana.
It is not yet clear whether LIAT’s presence has
precise political implications. However, since LIAT
does appear to have good connections in Israel, the
sensitive issue of re-establishing formal relations with
the Israeli state might be raised in due course. For
example, it was noticeable that Ruth Dayan, the
wife of the late Israeli military hero General Moshe
Dayan, attended Momoh’s presidential inaugura-
tion. At the time, this did not seem significant, for
Nabih Berri, the leader of the powerful Shi’ite Anal
militia in Beirut, was also present.
The connection between Lebanon and Sierra
19274
CSO:
3400/3a
Leone results of course from the presence of a well-
established Lebanese or Afro-Lebanese community
in the country. While some Sierra Leone-based busi-
nessmen, such as Tony Yazbeck (AC Vol. 25, No.
24), are said to sympathise with the Christian Phal-
ange in Lebanon, others are rather in favour of rival
factions in that unhappy country. Jamil for example
is said to have contributed funds regularly to Amal.
Nabih Berri was actually born in Sierra Leone.
To complicate matters, Yasser Arafat’s Palestine
Liberation Organization (PLO) has recently re-estab-
lished a representative office in Freetown following
a meeting he had with Momoh.
In late July, minister of state Daramy Rogers was
obliged to jump to safety from the window of his
house when shots were fired into the room. The
victim has made no suggestion that this was a politi-
cally-motivated attack. President Momoh alleged at
a press conference that security guards of Jamil Said
Mohammed were involved in the shooting incident.
Two people of Middie Eastern origin have been
expelled from Sierra Leone.
Though we have no information to suggest that
LIAT’s interests are connected to those of the Israeli
government, the latter is certainly keen to develop
bilateral links with Sierra Leone, partly no doubt to
gain a better understanding of the relations between
Sierra Leone and Beirut. In the longer term, the
Israelis, mindful of the commercial and political
benefits of diplomatic relations, might offer
Momoh’s government security assistance, perhaps in
the form of an Israeli-trained and managed presiden-
tial guard. In neighbouring Liberia, the Israelis pro-
vide a wide range of security requirements, including
regular briefings by Mossad, the Israeli secret service
(AC Vol. 27, No. 8). The politics of the Middle East
have spilled into Sierra Leone.
NATIONAL CORPORATIONS OFFERED FOR SALE TO FRENCH BUSINESSES
Paris L'USINE NOUVELLE in French 24, 31 Jul, 7 Aug 86 pp 43-45
[Article by Vincent Nouzille]
[Text} It was a curious scene last 27 May, around a green table in the huge
Assembly Hall of the Togolese People, right in the heart of Lome. The Togo-
lese minister of national corporations, Koffi Djondo, surrounded by a constel-
lation of his colleagues, sat facing a French delegation of business leaders
led by Rene Lapautre, the president of the ACP [African, Caribbean and Pacific
countries associated with the EEC] committee of the National Council of French
Employers (CNPF).
"We wish to convert to the private sector some of the many national corpora-
tions that have not been successful. Come visit them. We are ready to sell
them to you. Everything is open," explained Koffi Djondo, proud of his frank
revelation of these basic facts, yet basically prudent withal. The questions
of the French businessmen, partly diplomatic and partly based on self-interest,
then began to burst forth. Each "dossier'’ opened up a "parley" which would
then be pursued in a private meeting.
On paper, and if you listen to the speakers, the denationalization process is
moving ahead in Togo. Here, as in other French-speaking African nations, the
winds of economic liberalism are beginning to blow. Efforts at "African-style”
industrialization under state control have floundered. The public corporations
have very often come to grief. At times they are oversupplied with sophisti-
cated materiel that is poorly adapted or in a state of disrepair; they are of-
ten frustrated by the lack of outlets, capital, management and competent per-
sonnel; and they are always fettered by the administrative bureaucracy and by
corruption--if they are not accumulating all of these handicaps at once, while
still continuing to encumber the national budget.
To supply a little life-giving oxygen, the chief international financial back-
ers, with the IMF and the World Bank at their head, advise those nations that
suffer from an anemic economy today to play the game of going private, of mov-
ing toward the private sector, both to energize the life-force of small and
medium-sized industries on the long term and to stanch the hemorrhage of the
public subsidies to the public sector on the short term.
"Four or five years from now, the privatized corporations must be making a pro-
fit. The state must no longer be financing them,'' stresses the Togolese minis-
ter in charge of restructuring the public sector of this tiny country of 3 mil-
lion inhabitants now in the process of economic recovery. A difficult task in-
deed, even in Togo where pragmatism has always been the rule.
The state, in fact, has been managing 33 joint corporations. The denationali-
zation or the release of capital to private investors, both foreign and domes-
tic, involves a total of 24 enterprises. Four have already been turned over,
under the form of rental-managership contracts, "an intermediary arrangement
preceding acquisition pure and simple, which the foreign partners seem to pre-
fer,'' according to one observer. That is the case with the SNS (steel works),
taken over at the end of 1984 by the American group, Ibcon, and renamed the
Togolese Iron Metallurgy Corporation. All the industrial installations are not
being used by the American tenant, who is manufacturing concrete reinforcement
rods and commercializing scrap iron. Since 1984 the French group, Gemag, for
its part, has been managing Sotexma (agricultural equipment storehouse), but
the experiment does not seem conclusive at the present time. In August 1985
the Shell Oil Company, under a rental-managership arrangement, resumed control
of the STH (refinery and warehouse), a gleaming, unexploited behemoth. Only
the activity of keeping up the supply of refined products is currently a going
concern. Finally the Danish group, Emidan, took over Soprolait (dairy) which
was renamed Fan Milk.
These beginnings appear timid in the eyes of the Togolese, who e t substan-
tial returns from them in the form of jobs and value added canes |
"The agreement signed with Emidan provides for a minimum of two years to right
the Soprolait ship. We do not believe in miracles. But it is clear that the
nation needs technical and financial guarantees for the fresh starts being made
by these corporations and requires the partners not to give us the impression
of having swindled the Togolese by underpricing the rentals or acquisitions,"
specifies Koffi Djondo.
Eight other corporations are currently the object of cautious negotiations with
foreign investors. Thus the two French groups, Schaeffer Textiles and Texunion,
are interested in the Togotex plant and in the ITT printing establishment.
Certain Korean and American groups have also entered the lists. "The location
of Lome is regionally important for the textile market," explains Francois Vri-
nat, the president-director general of Schaeffer, which is already managing a
number of industrial units in Ivory Coast, Benin, Niger and Congo. 'We had
been talking about ITT for several years. With the inauguration of its program
of converting units to the private sector, the Togolese government wishes to
turn over Togotex and ITT together. The new negotiation is in progress. We
are relatively confident."
In the present case, the dossier includes a number of facets. First of all,
certain factory installations are obsolete. The Togotex plant never really
"converted."" The evaluation of these corporations cannot therefore result sim-
ply from a strictly accountable audit. All the more so because the state puts
forward the creativity of Togolese workers and considers itself ready to facili-
35
tate the authorization of reconstruction credits for the textile sector, even
once it has become private. Next the market study seems to indicate a risky
situation, given the fact that Togo dances so much to the tune of its unpredic-
table neighbor, Nigeria. Because of a particularly favorable rate of exchange
with the naira (the Nigerian currency unit), Nigerian textile products are cur-
rently inundating Togo and the neighboring countries. The profitability of a
Togolese plant oriented toward exports remains difficult to assess and predict,
therefore. Has not one Gabonese textile plant just gone under, while two others
are carrying on with great difficulty in Mali and Congo? Finally, the negotia-
tion is political, since one of the “privatizable" units is located in the home
country of the Togolese president, Eyadema. So....
Thus both the aboveboard and the undercover operations of each national corpo-
ration put up on the auction block become the object of official audits and
off-the-record discussions.
The French Company for the Development of Textile Fibers (CFDT), already pres-
ent in Sotoco (cotton), is looking closely into a possible takeover of Ioto
(cotton oil and palm oil). Lyonnaise Navigation, through its subsidiary, PFG,
is interested in Sotoma (marble works), as are some Norwegians. Also up for
sale in the first stage of the process are ITP (plastics), Sodeto (detergents),
Sototoles (galvanized iron), Sotcon (ready-made clothing) and Otodi (records).
Approximately another ten corporations will become private at a second stage.
Koff£i Djondo does not want to rush anything. 'We have received many offers.
Certain ones came from French business firms. But aside from the intentions
displayed, the good climate of relations between France and Togo and our desire
to unburden ourselves completely of the management of these corporations, we do
not want to make any more mistakes. Privatization must be more than a word for
Togo." The stakes go far beyond the vulnerable borders of this "peaceful Afri-
can Switzerland," for, as one international banker stationed in Lome remarked:
"If it doesn't work in Togo, where can it work?"
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36
UGANDA
QADHDHAFI, SANKARA VISIT, STATEMENTS DESCRIBED
Kampala THE CITIZEN in English 12 Sep 86 pp 1, 4, 5
[Article: Gaddafi: An Asset or Liability?"]
[Text] Time stood still as most Ugandans looked on in awe as over half a
dozen planes descended on Entebbe International Airport and strange faced
chaps took strategic positions completely ignoring the presence of NRA troops
who were made to look like an extremely bad handwork of a toy made by an ex-
tremely careless child,
"Death to the Americans’, thundered the strange faced fellows and amidst this
refrain Colonel Muammar El. Gadhafi descended from his plane to be greeted
by the Ugandan leader Yoweri Museveni.
The visit of the colonel and the other super son of Africa Capt Thomas
Sankara was to continue showing this mysterious aura as long as it lasted or
even before it ever began.
Ugandans first heard urmours of these visits when they say "workers of the
Kampala City Council holsting strange along the capital's roads and streets.
Speculations continued tliroughout as to what was about to happen but later
radio Uganda broke the news: Thomas Sankara and Muammar Gadhafi were coming
to Uganda, Mostly out [of] curiousity people gathered in small groups if only
to cast a glimpse on the sons of Africa said to be the most revolutionary.
Meanwhile NRA soldiers and members of the police were lining up the entire
vista from Parliament buildings in Kampala to the tarmac of the airport run-
ways at Entebbe.
In the evening during a press conference President Yoweri Museveni confirmed
that the two leaders were indeed coming. The same evening Thomas Sankara
arrived but without the colonel.
In his initial meeting with the press Sankara praised himself, Jerry Rawling
of Ghana, Muammar Gadhafi of Libya and Yoweri Museveni of Uganda as the
revolutionary leaders who had defeated imperialism in Africa. Many African
leaders before them, he said, had succumbed to external pressures and indeed
danced to the tune of imperialism. The Burkina Faso leader did not seem to
have been impressed by the revolutionalism of such past leaders like Kwame
37
Nkrumah, ben bella, Gamel Nasser, Patric Lumumba; and of existing leaders
like Keuneth Kaunda, Samora Mackel, Mengitsu Marriame, Santos, Babangida and
Julius Nyerere (formerly of Tanzania).
On Saturday, Col Gadhafi flew in with an estimated 500 cheerers and
security men, The cheerers immediately burst into chorus calling upon death
to strike the Americans down. To many Ugandans the relevance of the re-
frain was not clear: was it addressed to the Ugandan leaders for their known
ties with the USA or was it a routine Libyan refrain and part of their propa-
yanda machinery against imperialist USA?
“Later the Colonel while speaking said that the political situation in Libya,
Lburkina Faso and Uganda was nearing an ideal. He said such a situation is
carried at first by destroying monarchism which he described as the auto-
cratic despotic regimes that exploit citizens, The next stage is to destroy
republicanism which is founded ‘on self-aggrandisement' and to establish rules
based on people's council as the repository of people's power. This, he said,
is true democracy.
On later occasion Col Gadhafi characteristically lit his torch of Islamic
fundamentalism by calling upon moslems to raise and spread Islam throughout
the world, He said it is a duty of all moslems through various means and-
ways to take Islam to all corners of the world. In this respect he vigorously
attacked the USA because he said it was its aim to eliminate Islam.
On his cooperation with Idi Amin he told the astounded Ugandans that he had
given him support only in his initial state. He did this because he thought
Amin was a revolutionary leader especially because he had thrown Israelis out
of the country,
Later the colonel's entourage spent quite a bit of imperialist dollars pur-.
chasing goods manufactured in imperialist countries from Kampala shops. At
the end of the day these seemed to have been the major highlights of the visit
for nothing like a joint communique was issued. In fact some Ugandans still
wonder at what the visit was all about for short of showing the colonels
'revolutionarism' which Ugandans still remember very well there was only one
other point of vital importance.
In one of his speeches Gadhafi called upon the Ugandan authorities to close
down both the British and American Embassies in Kampala. No comment on the
issue was made by the Ugandan authorities and when everything is said and
done the wisdom of such uw comment would have been ill advised especially if
prompted by the colonel,
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38
UGANDA
BISHOP KIVENGERE PROTESTS QADHDHAFI REMARKS
Kampala THE TELECAST in English 15 Sep 86 pp 1, 10
[Text] The Bishop of Kigezi, the Rt Reverend Festo Kivengere has strongly re-
acted to the remarks made by the Libyan Head of State, Col Gaddafi, when he
made a state visit to Uganda last week.
Bishop Kivengere argues that Col Gaddafi should not have used Uganda as a
platform to attack other countries. He further says that Gaddafi should not
have used the occasion to try to convert non-Muslims to Islam. Below is
Bishop Kivengere's press release in full.
As a citizen of Uganda, I don't agree with any Head of State to use the
privilege we give him or her, to attack other Heads of Government using our
country as a platform. For instance I don't approve of any Head of
State calling other Heads of
State names away from his own
country because it would
jeopardize the relationship
between that country and the
ones he attacks. One country’s
political enemies are not
necessarily enemies to other
countrics. Uganda’s __ political
enemies) are not necessarily
Libya’s.
Secondly, I do not believe it
is an acceptable internation:!
policy for one leader of one
country to accuse other countries
from the country he is visiting.
We expect that the visiting Head
of State will respect our independ-
ence and therefore will not take
it upon himself to be our spokes-
man.
In the same way we expect
a visiting Head of State to respect
the institutions of the country
he is visiting. And here I speak
as a Christian leader in Uganda.
I was very much disturbed to hear
remarks our friend from Libya
made to the Muslim leaders in
Uganda.
Instead of encouraging the
Muslim community to contribute
positively to the construction of
Uganda, he encouraged them to
convert the non-Muslim Lo
Islam, which is the normal
attitude: of any religious preacher
in any place, but not the duty
of a Head of State who came
not as a Moslem preacher to
Uganda.
And what makes it more
serious to me is that he made
the same statement publicity when
he visited Amin. I would not have
expected him to make the same
attack on Christianity under the
present government. I am sure
when our President visited Libya
recently, if he had attempted
to make the same statement in
Libya, Muslims perhaps would
have stoned him to death and
they would have been right to
react like that because that would
not have been his duty.
The remarks against Christian-
ity in. Uganda in particular and
in Africa in general consisted
of such words asj the Church in
Africa is colonising, Christianity
is not the Afncan faith and
Chnistians are colonialists. To me
these remarks are either very
provocative or very hostile in
their aim and I believe the latter
is what they were aiming at.
If Christianity is identified
with colonialism because mission-
aries who brought it came from
European countries from which
colonialists came, that to me is
an exaggerated interpretation of
history and very debatable indeed.
Now if we turn history on to
Islam which is supposed to be
African faith, then we have to
admit that the missionaries who
brought Islam in Africa came
with the Koran in one hand and
a chain for binding slaves in the
other. Islam cannot deny the
1/9274
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fact that its missionaries were
involved in slave trade.
However, if we dwell on digging
up the bones of bad things in
history the possibility of living
in this world together will be nil. 9.
We in Uganda had our religous
wars in the last century, we do
not want any .more of those
wars here. In fact we have had
too many wars because of bad
politics and now live together in,
peace.
I sec Moslems in my Church
listening to the message of God's
love. And when I am asked by
Moslems to address them I do
not hesitate to do so. This does
not mean that I want them all
converted when I speak to them;
but when they are convinced
that it is God’s message and they
convert; they are free to use
their choice without pressure.
For instance, if a christian
becomes a Muslim we _ respect
his decision and we do not follow
him to kill him, for to us Christ-
ians, killing a person because of
his conviction is completely
opposite to our faith. In fact
any killing for us Christians is
a curse and we do not believe it.
1. In concluding this statement,
I am challenging the govern-
40
.I challenge
ment to come out with a
statement On where they
stand with regards to what
President Gaddafi suid.
I challenge our friends of the
Muslim community to come
out with a statement whether
they support what President
Gaddafi said about Chnistian-
ity in Uganda.
the Christian
community in Uganda to
come out with a statement
whether they stand with
what President Gaddafi said
about us. The challenges to
slave trade in Africa as well
as colonialism have come
predominantly if not wholly
from Christian leaders. The
,good current example is the
Archbishop of Cape Town
Desmond Tutu. Anyone
who has read and heard him
speak cannot entertain the
idea that the church is a
coloniser in Africa at least
not today.
UGANDA
RWANDA ASKS NATURALIZED CITIZENSHIP FOR REFUGEES
Kampala FOCUS in English 29 Aug 86 ppl, 8
[Text] The RKwandese government has at last spoken out on the Rwandese refugees
issue by appealing to the Uganda government to naturalise Rwandese refugees in
Uganda saying that Rwanda is incapable of guaranteeing additional population,
Rwanda also made the same appeal to the international community wherever
Rwandese refugees are to naturalise and integrate Rwandese refugees living
there.
It however warned armed Rwandese refugees who would like to return home by
force of arms.
"With regard to the return of refugees by force, with arms, which would
threaten the peace, security, unity and national harmony, the people of Rwanda
would not tolerate that, values which have been achievea through great ef-
forts be jeopardised'"’, the Rwandese government has warned. [as published]
This is contained in a statement made by the Rwandese ruling central commit-
tee of the National Revolutionary Movement for Development (and presented to
the Uganda government by the Rwandese Embassy in Kampala with regard to its
position on the problem of Rwandese refugees).
It categorically pointed out that under the present conditions, Rwanda is
absolutely incapable of quaranting [as published] not even food security to
an additional population resulting from a massive repatriation of Rwandese
refugees, Yet the absence of food security causes all sorts of other in-
securities,
"eno reasonable person can ignore the constraint of population pressure
that Rwanda faces within her borders or the consequent lack of arable land,
neither the absence of natural resources which can generate jobs, nor her
difficulties in providing education and medical facilities to her children",
it added.
the Rwandese government revealed that through its policy of good neighbouri-
ness, it has always appealed for international solidarity by way of integra-
tion and naturalisation of those refugees in the local population. It thus
called on international organisations such as the United Nations High
41
Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) to propose this option to those countries con-
cerned, and also convince the concerned Rwandese people on the "Logic and
correctness of this stand",
On its part the Rwandese government pledged to "always grant those Rwandese
refugees settled, naturalised or not, facilities to come and visit their
relatives and compatriots as long as their entry and stay in Rwanda is done
according to international conventions Law and regulations of the Republic and
do not carry seeds of insecurity",
kwanda also promised to continue examining with good will the requests for
individual, free and voluntary repatriation in light of the conventions of
which it is a signatory and the regulations in force in Rwanda.
The regulations stipulated among others are that a refugee who may be con-
sidered for repatriation is one who has never taken arms against the Republic
of Rwanda.
Others are that he has never participated in subversive activities against the
interests of the Republic of Rwanda, This is in addition to showing that he
is able to cater for his subsistance needs and self-realization when repatri-
ated,
"Having, said this, despite that the country is small, overpopulated and among
the list developed countries of the world, Rwanda will always offer asylum in
the framework of the conventions she signed.... However, once the conditions
for their return to the countries of origin will be set, Rwanda will respect
their individually expressed will to return to their motherland the MRND
statement said,
It declared that there has never been an exodus of an ethnic group from
t‘yanda and that the majority of the people of Rwanda; hutu, tutsi, twa
wished for, made and supported the moral revolution of 1973,
"Beyond the cheap talk on the history of Rwanda which reduces it wrongly to
either the history of a dynasty or to the ethnic quarrels between the hutu and
the tutsi, and without denying that tlese issues marked it, it is fitting to
recall that this country has always been covetted. With a fertile soil, a
rich forest and a very good vegetation, kwanda suited the farmer. the cattle
keeper ana the hunger, But our ancesters were not able to ensure an equit-
able distribution of resources", the hwandese government elaborated.
The Kwandese Embassy in Uganda has already distributed the MKND document to the
Uganda Ministry of Foreign Affairs, all diplomatic and consular missions and
international organisations accredited to Uganda, among others.
/9274
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UGANDA
HUMAN RIGHTS INQUIRY COMMISSION FORMED
Paris AFRICAN DEFENCE JOURNAL in English Aug 86 p 25
[Text ]
The Minister of
Justice and Attorney General, Joseph
Nyamihanga Muilenga, has appointed
a five-man commission of inquiry to
look into all aspects of violation of
human rights, breaches of the rule of
law and excessive abuses of power
committed against the people of
Uganda by the regimes and govern-
ments duriug the seriod from October
Mh, 1962 to January 25th, 1986.
The commission will also probe into
the activities of the regime’s servants,
agents or agencies and look into poss-
ible ways of preventing the recurrence
of violation of human rights, breaches
of the rule of law and excessive abuses
of power in the country.
They will especially inquire into: (a)
The causes and circumstances sur-
rounding the mass murders and all
acts or omussions resulting in arbitrary
deprivation of human life committed
in various parts of Uganda ; (b) the
causes and circumstances surrounding
the numerous arbitrary arrests, conse-
quent detentions without tnal, arbit-
rary imprisonment and abuse of
of detention and restriction
under the Public Order and Security
Act of 1967 ; (c) the denial of any per-
son of a fair and public trial before an
independent and impartial court cs-
tablished by law ; (d) the subjection of
any person to torture and cruel, inhu-
man and degrading treatment ; (e) the
/9284
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43
manner in which the law enforcement
agents and the state secunty agencies
executed their functions, the extent to
which their practices and procedures
employed in the execution of such
functions may have violated the
human nghts of any person and the
extent to which the state security
agencies may have interfered with the
functioning of law enforcement agen-
cies ; (f) the causes and circumstances
surrounding the massive displacement
of persons and exciusion of people, in-
cluding Ugandan citizens, from
Uganda and the consequent disap-
pearance and presumed death of some
of them; (g) the subjection of any
person to discriminatory treatment by
virtue of race, tribe, place of ongin,
political opinion, creed or sex by any
person acting under any recent law or
in the performance of the functions of
any public office or public authority ;
(h) the denial to any person of any
other fundamental freedoms and
rights described under Chapter Three
of the Constitution of Uganda or the
unlawful interference with the enjoy-
ment of any person in Uganda of the
said freedoms and rights ; (i) the pro-
tection by act or omission of any per-
son that perpetrated any of the afore-
said things from due process of law ;
(j) any other matter connected with or
incidental to the matters aforesaid
which the commission may wish (to
examine and recommend.
UGANDA
OBOTE'S PARAMILITARY 'SPECIAL FORCE' DISBANDED
Police Issued New Uniforms
Kampala NEW VISION in English 29 Aug 86 p l
[Article by Sam Obbo]
[Excerpt] The Special Force has been disbanded, highly placed sources at the
police headquarters in Kampala have disclosed.
The government has at last decided that the Special Force which virtually
ceased to exist since January this year, be disbanded forthwith.
The force which was set up in 1981 as a para-military force for former Presi-
dent Milton Obote was to check and counter any apparent threats from the
former Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA). And this was evidenced by
fatal exchanges of gunfire between the two forces on the first day the Special
Force paraded in their new uniforms in Kampala. More than five Special Force
men were killed then.
The force which was generally characterised by brutality towards civilians
was later used by Obote to fight the National Resistance Army (NRA), the
Uganda Freedom Army (UFM/UFA) and the Federal Democratic Army (FEDEMU/FDA),
which were waging a guerrilla war to topple hin.
The estimated 1,500-man force has been disbanded after a screening exercise
instituted by the National Resistance Movement (NRM) government early this year.
The exercise included the police force.
Some of the special force soldiers deserted soon after the July 1986 coup that
deposed Apolo Milton Obote from power.
Subsequently, the Uganda Police Force uniform has been changed from blue to
frawn (colour between yellow and khaki). The new uniforms which have been
manufactured and imported from England, are to be worn with effect from Monday,
September 1, 1986. All policemen in and around Kampala with the exception of
policewomen who have not yet received theirs will be required to be dressed in
the new uniforms.
"Police-women and upcountry policemen who may not receive their new uniforms in
time due to transport delays between the United Kingdom and their stations (up-
country stations and un its) may be excused for the meantime," said a police
source.
44
Guns, Normal Duties Restored to Police
Kampala THE TELECAST in English 4 Sep 86 pp l, 8
[Excerpt] All the Uganda,Police Force duties which have hitherto been handled
by the NRA were yesterday handed back to the police.
According to Mr Masembe, the Public Relations Officer in the police force the
police has now been allowed to repossess guns and carry out their normal
duties which had been taken over by the only force to guard government
installations, escorting Ministers and other duties with the exception of
investigations in several cases, where they need assistance due to lack of
manpower.
On Monday the police force received a new uniform replacing the old one which
had been issued three years ago.
Asked why the police force had earlier on been relieved of its duties, Mr
Masembe said that the NRA had every reason to act so since there were many
bad elements in the police force. Now that the screening exercise in the
force has been completed, with over 2,000 policemen axed, the remainder has
been allowed to resume their duties,
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45
UGANDA
VILLAGE TECHNOLOGY CENTER TO BE ESTABLISHED
Kampala NEW VISION in English 5 Sep 36 p 3
[Article by Betty Balirwa]
[Text] A National centre to coordinate rural development activities in the
country will soon be established,
The centre was inaugurated last Friday after a one week workshop on Inte-
grated Rural Development at Mukono District Farm Institute.
Participants from various ministries did not say when the centre would be
established but recommended and resolved that the Integrated Rural Develop-
ment Centre (IRDC) will run its activities through an inter-ministerial and
inter-agency committee under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister.
Participants said lack of political will and commitment had resulted in the
abandonment of growth-oriented programmes in Uganda. They noted that due to
undirected efforts and competition between relevant agencies, there has been
duplication of efforts and wasteful use of resources.
It was against this background that participants recommended to government
that an autonomous body be immediately established to streamline the country's
“participatory approach to rural development".
They identified village technology as one of the basic service project approach
to uplifting rural welfare standards.
At the closing of the workshop last Friday, the Minister of Agriculture and
Forestry Mr Rob ert Kitariko challenged leaders to implement growth-oriented
programmes from grassroots.
He said there was need to increase research on the village technologies that
will benefit the small or peasant farmer.
The aim of research should not only be to increase production crops or animals
per unit area, but also to ensure an economic return on investments of small
farmers...who seldom adopt input or output technologies.
46
—
All our efforts shall be directed to fighting poverty, ignorance disease and
hunger in this nation,
To promote local initiative in the field of agriculture and improve on rural
technologies, simple devices have already been set up at Mukono District Farm
Institute, The officer in charge of this village technology, Mr P. Etyang
said in a report he presented at the workshop that the ministry of Agriculture
will launch a training programme to educate the rural people on how to make
and use these devices.
The new methods include making and maintaining locally, threshers winners,
mudbrick silos, cement stove silos and to improve on the traditional-granner-
ies to make them rodent and moisture proof. They will also be taught to
make solar driers and fuel fired driers for food storage.
Mr Etyanga said the above approach was a means to reduce the present heavy
losses of food grains at the post harvest stage, which arose from poor proces-
sing techniques and inadequate storage facilities.
Poor storage methods have led to serious rodent, fungal, pollution and insect
destruc- [paragraph not completed],
Another yet cheaper method is the common storage giant baskets used as gran-
neries, common in eastern and northern Uganda. These have been found with a
lot of potential in the making of roof basket tanks.
Farmers are also to be educated on how to use and make simple yravel-charcoal
filters which they will use to remove suspended matter and colour from water
yet reduce bacterial contamination.
The ministry of Agricuiture is also working out the use of longer lasting struc-
ture for rural housing.
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47
UGANDA
DESCRIPTION OF BAZI MARKET NEAR SUDAN, ZAIRE BORDERS
Kampala THE TELECAST in English 4 Sep 3&6 pp 3, 4
[Text] The market at Bazi, just across the Sudanese border from Zaire, is a
sprawling, ramshackle affair,
The stalls are built from wood and reeds, and old sacks have been sewn to-
gether to provide awnings, At the entrance, seated on the up-ended beer-
crates, a group of young men in Western tee-shirts and flared trousers sit
with their bundles of Zairean banknotes. The quivalen of $2,500 is sitting
out in the open, while the young men laugh and joke with the market crowds
as they jostle past.
A mile up the road, by the weishing scales and the two new push-bikes, sit
the Arabs. They lounge outside their dukas, or shops, on rush-mats, sipping
tiny cups of coffee. The dukas themselves are full to bursting with the same
commodity. You can buy a 100 kz sack of coffee for 700 pounds L560 at the
official rate, but most purchasers prefer to drive down with a pickup full of
new bicycles from Juha or Yei. At present, a bike is worth 120 kg of coffee
beans.
A Time When...
One of the traders, called Hassan, explains: "There was a time when business
was really good. Ugandan soldiers and traders used to bring lorry-loads from
the South, There was even a new road built through West Nile to Kaya to make
the journey easier. Coffee prices were high then--you could exchange a truck-
load of coffee for a brand-new truck. For less than two tonnes, you drove
home in a Toyota Scout."
Kaya, some eight miles Southeast of Bazi, lie at the point where Sudan, Zaire
and Uganda join. By 1979, the town had a population of less than 300. But
then when Ugandan leader Idi Amin was deposed, many of his troops fled with
their new weapons from their home district of West Nile, to the sanctuary of
Kaya District in Sudan. There are now 11,000 Ugandans settled around Keya,
Many of them sympathisers or members of the Uganda National Rescue Front
whose guerrillas still dominate the northern section of West Nile. Both
Amin's ex-soldiers and the UNLA were in the habit of selling their guns in
the Kaya-Bazi area, The purchasers included Arab hunters, Nilotic cattle-
raiders, and guerrillas from the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) or John
Garang.
48
Ugandan Supplies
Illicit business is still thriving on the Zairear side of Bazi. Jerry cans of
petrol, which is in short supply in both Sudan and Zaire, are on sale at every
shop, having been purchased by the drumload from the Kaya. There is a hefty
cover-charge for transport up the steep hill that separates the two towns.
There are also Sportsman cigarettes, which have travelled from Kenya through
Uganda (and sometimes Rwanda) to Zaire and Sudan. Other items on sale
include paraffin, smart Western dresses, packets of tea (mainly from Uganda),
sugar soap, vegetables, flour, bundles of second-hand clothes and crates of
Skol lager (from Zaire). In the opposite direction from Sudan go motorbikes,
pickups. bicycles, bales of cloth, radios, fish and cooking oil.
All this illicit trade takes place with the connivance, or active participa-
tion, of the Zairean border officials.
Most of jit is conducted by Uganda girls and women, who prefer commerce to
digging in the refugee settlements and who encounter resistance from the
Zairean militia and police than do their male counterparts, who are fre~
quently imprisoned as suspected guerrillas. Mahy of the girls raise their
original capital by selling themselves in Zaire's hotels and bars, though
it would appear that once they have sufficient money, they abandon prostitu-
tion to concentrate on business.
On the black market at Kaya and Bazi, $10 fetches 90 or 2,000 Zaires, or
40.000 Uganda shillings.
Maka is 21 and has been doing runs to Zaire every few weeks for the last four
years. She is one of the old-timers in a gang of 28, whose ages ranze from
14 to 38. They exchange business information and gossip and travel together
in small groups to where the best bargains can be had.
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49
UGANDA
BRIEFS
POLICE FORCE TO BE INCREASED--Uganda is likely to build up its police force
from the estimated 9,000 to between 23,000-28,000 police personnel in search
of efficient services which are supposed to be offered by the police force
such as maintaining law and order. This was revealed by the top officials of
the Ministry of Internal Affairs during a press conference held at the Minis-
try headquarters in Kampala on Monday this week. [Text] [Kampala WEEKLY
TOPIC in English 27 Aug 86 p 6] /9274
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50
ZAMBIA
BRIEFS
STARVATION ON INCREASE--Lusaka--Malnutrition among children in Zambia was on
the increase and becoming a major health problem, a Zambian official has said.
Dr Lumbwe Chiwele, assistant director for medical services, said 70 percent
of child deaths in Zambia were caused by malnutrition. [Text] [Johannesburg
THE STAR in English 10 Sep 86 p 1] /9274
UNITA BLAMED FOR TROUBLE IN CHAVUMA--Lusaka--Zambia has accused Angolan refu-
gees of being involved in activities against Zambia. Mr Ludwig Sondashi, of
UNIP's Central Committee, said the activities of some of the Angolan refugees
in the Chavuma area were "very dirty". The area has been the scene of land-
mine blasts and abduction of vi-lagers. Zambian authorities have blamed the
Angolan rebel group Unita. [Text] [Johannesburg THE STAR in English 10 Sep
86 p 1] /9274
CSO: 3400/13
51
SOUTH AFRICA
COUNTERMEASURES TO SANCTIONS SUGGESTED, ADVOCATED
Specific Proposals Made
Pretoria DIE AFRIKANER in Afrikaans 6 Aug 86 p 1
[Article: "Sanctions -- Hit Back!"}]
[Text] South Africa should hit back hard if sanctions are imposed against it.
That is what DIE AFRIKANER's authoriative Financial and Economic Committee
declares. The committee, which has made a thorough study of the sanction
question, says that the proper counteractions by South Africa would have
painful consequences for the United States and European market countries if
they impose sanctions against South Africa. The committee made detailed
comments on the sanction proposals which are soon going to be considered by
the American Congress, and suggested counteractions.
--All bank accounts of the South African government, its officials and state
corporations should be frozen. Although this measure would hurt South Africa,
the response to it should be to freeze all non-private American assets in the
RSA, irrespective of what purpose they would be used for. Such a
counteraction should thus also include political and semipolitical funds. All
debts to the USA ought to also be deferred for an indefinite time.
--Powers to President Reagan to sell American gold supplies in order to force
down the price of gold and in that way bring the South African economy to its
knees. - The American government is experiencing a big deficit in its balance
of payments and may consider such an action in order to lessen this deficit.
South Africa's response to this ought to be to repatriate all foreign workers,
which would strikingly demonstrate how dependent the whole subcontinent
actually is on South Africa and job opportunties here. Another countermeasure
that ought to be taken here is the transfer of all American investments in
South Africa to the government. Unemployment could be fought in this way.
European and other banks would certainly make make use of the opportunity to
buy gold, the committee predicts. The Americans would ultimately only punish
themselves by such an action.
-—-The suspension of the South African Airline's landing rights in the USA. The
response to this is an embargo on selected imports from the USA, breaking away
from the dollar as a means of payment and severing financial ties with
America.
52
-—A ban on investments in South Africa. No action is needed against this. The
existing American investments ought to be diminished in addition. New
investments ought least of all be promoted.
-—-A ban on the import of South African steel, cement and uranium. The obvious
cour*eraction in this case is a ban on the export of strategic minerals to the
USA. Such a ban should also be coupled with the instituting of a quota on
supplying other countries, so that strategic minerals do not reach the USA by
a roundabout way. Such a ban should preferably be instituted for a long
period, say a decade.
-—-The denial of visas. An appropriate counteraction in this connection would
probably be a ban on travel of longer than a short period (for example, three
weeks) of South Africans to the United States. This would also immediately
put an end to the continual visit to the United States for "studies" and
"training," which is nothing other than politically inspired.
The committee states that the international flow of goods through
international and bilateral agreements is regulated. These agreements are
forced on the world mainly by the Americans, with a view to furthering their
own interests. The agreements would be broken by the United States and EEC
countries if they tum to sanctions against South Africa. South Africa would
in turn then be free to take suitable countermeasures.
Implications for Neighbors
Johannesburg DIE VADERLAND in Afrikaans 7 Aug 86 p 6
(Article: "Revenge Will Be of No Use"}
[Text] Many South Africans' reaction to the sanctions campaign is probably
that we should now hit back; close our borders to the neighboring countries,
hold back our minerals from the West and in general answer sanctions with
countersanctions. This is a human reaction, and those who think like that are
also the very ones who are loyal South Africans to the marrow of their bones.
However, it is dangerous to allow emotional reaction to dominate in times of
crisis. And there is no doubt that we are in a crisis situation. That is why
sober composure and level-headed analysis are needed to get the wagon across
the ford.
Minister Pik Botha said South Africa is not planning retaliation, but the
country's interests must be protected. We do concur in that government
decision. The question is what South Africa could attain through retaliation.
They would not persuade the sanction countries to have other opinions. An
article elsewhere shows that America has already committed itself to help our
black neighboring countries against the effect of sanctions. Such help will
increase, from other quarters also, as the need heightens. As a matter of
fact, it is probable that those countries would use sanctions as an excuse to
get aid against damage which is not even sanction damage. The Jonathan
government has already used the formula. The Western economies are too strong
to be seriously damaged even by a South African mineral boycott. It would
drive them to other sources and other alternatives. As a whole, it would
aggravate the aggression against South Africa, make the raging urge to destroy
us more relentless.
53
It is more in South Africa's interest to harvest as much as we can while
something can be harvested, in spite of sanctions. That is also the way to
steer clear of sanctions. Protecting South Africa, however, also means that
the specific interests of South Africans must get priority. It will therefore
be necessary that certain things are done which hurt our neighboring countries
and their people, but then out of consideration of our own peoples' interest
and not [out of revenge] [translator's note: part of text missing in
original]. Thus, a South African, black, white or Colored, is entitled to
preference over an alien regarding available emoluments. Therefore, it is not
revenge, but self-protection, if South Africa sends back workers from other
countries and closes our borders so that more South Africans can earn their
livelihood. The outside world cannot expect to make a quarter of a million
people in the farming business unemployed by sanctions and for the business to
still have to allocate some of the remaining jobs to citizens of countries
that are carrying on sanctions against us. Even the Bible teaches you must
love your neighbor as yourself, not at the expense of yourself.
13084
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54
BUREAU OF INFORMATION CHIEF ON ROLE OF ORGANIZATION
Port Elizabeth WEEKEND POST in English 6 Sep 86 p 1l
[Article by Shirley Pressly]
[Text ]
THE Bureau for Informa-
tion’s Port Elizabeth office
chief, Mr Carel van der
Westhuizen, and his staff of
20 are determined to
spread “a message of hope,
co-operation and peace” in
the Eastern Cape.
Interviewed at a time
when the bureau is being
widely criticised for its
R1l,5-miilion “‘song for
peace” project, Mr Van der
Westhuizen said’his job was
“to act as public relations
officers for the Govern-
ment”.
It also included “bringing
the Government to the
people and promoting the
concept that the Govern-
ment is working for the
people”.
Mr Van der Westhuizen,
who was transferred to the
bureau from the Depart-
ment of Foreign Affairs in
September last year, took
up his post in PE in May.
Asked how he viewed his
job. Mr Van der Westhuizen
said: “I find it most exciting
because the main task of
the bureau is to promote
better inter-group relations
and to improve communi-
cations between the State
and its citizens.
“My office is also com-
mitted to counteract forces
of division, violence, pessi-
mism and hatred,”’ he said.
/9274
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“It is my intention to help
create in the Eastern Cape
an atmosphere among the
people in which the princi-
ple ‘Let South Africa speak’
can flourish.
“We shall also act as a
catalyst of a message of
hope, co-operation and
peace among all people in
this region.”
The bureau’s function, he
feels strongly, is dealing
with people. He wants to
get away from seeing any
community as a grey mass.
“We want to personalise
Government to the people
of every community,” he
said.
His staff complement for
the Eastern Cape bureau
has been fixed at 33 but
only 21 of the positions have
been filled so far.
Asked how the bureau
was going to get itself
across to the people, Mr
Van der Westhuizen re-
plied: “We are going to use
any means of communica-
tion available to us, be it
commerical advertising,
the media, projects such as
‘Let South Africa Sing’ or
whatever,” he said.
The main sections into
which the bureau is divided
are: liaison, media, guest
section (hosting foreign
‘isitors), and planning.
The liaison section's
:nain task is to further con-
55
tact with all people in the
Eastern Cape, to promote
and create forums where
people from different com-
munities can contact one
another via lectures. semi-
nars and forums.
A long-term goal is to
open an information centre
attached to the bureau's
office where anyone can
get information on any
Government activity.
Mr Van der Westhuizen
said the power base of de-
mocracy in South Africa
had broadened to include
many communities and the
Government was working
towards including black
South Africans. It was vital
that contact at grassroots
level be made with all
members of the commu-
nity.
It was unfortunate that
some newspapers inter-
preted the presentation of
the facts without sensation
by the information arm of
the Government — the
bureau — as censorship.
Mr Van der Westhuizen
said one thing he had
noticed in the Eastern Cape
was the similarity between
Afrikaners and Xhosa
speakers.
Both were proud and also
hardnekkia (stubborn) but
this in fact made for a lot ot
common ground hetween
SOUTH AFRICA
the two and should be used
as a basis for unification
and not division.
“The Eastern Cape is
special. It has its special
problems. Instead of find-
ing division we should find
common ground,” he said.
Asked about contact with
the African communities.
Mr Van der Westhuizen re-
plied: “We are making con-
tact and we would like to
broaden the contact. I can
sense that they want to
speak and want to be lis-
tened to but they still have
that raw fear.
“Our black communities
have been intimidated for
such a long period that the
psychological effect is still
being experienced,” he
Said.
One aspect which wes
common ground with iil
people was the aspiration
of parents to improve their
children’s future. He would
like to see concerned
youths and their parents
get together in a forum.
“We are concentrating on
the silent majority o1 South
Africans in the astern
Cape. We know they are the
majority. The radicals, e1-
ther to the left ur to the
right, are of secundary in-
terest hecause we believe
they are in the minority.
said Mr Van der ‘Vest-
huizen.
SOUTH AFRICA
DECENTRALIZATION VIEWED AS POSSIBLE SOLUTION TO RSA PROBLEMS
Pretoria BEELD in Afrikaans 6 Aug 86 p 8
[Article by Piet Muller: "Westminster's Ghost -- Is There an Alternative to
Decentralization?" ]
[Text] South Africa has survived several international campaigns against it
since the 1960's. It is to be hoped that it will also be able to counter the
current sanction campaign with its inherent economic power. Yet one must
assume that sanctions will exert a serious inhibitory influence on the economy
for a long time. In fact, there are signs that at least certain people in the
foremost sanction countries are already beginning to realize that they have
created a dilemma which is going to yet cause them as well as South Africa a
lot of trouble: how does one undo sanctions after one has once instituted
them? There is little that a white-dominated government can do in the future
to get sanctions lifted, simply because countries will not be able to lift
their sanctions without losing prestige or exposing themselves to emotional
extortion. If one looks back at a quarter of a century of international
rancor against South Africa, one notes how the emotions against the country
have each time flared up just a little bit higher than the time before. At
present this has gone beyond everything preceding it, and South Africa will be
realistic if it asks itself what international punitive measures will be
contemplated next time. Military intervention perhaps?
Strong Public Pressure
However one looks at it, South Africa is involved in a race against time. On
the one hand, there are the blazing expectations of the international
community and. on the other hand, the growing pressure for full political
rights by the country's black residents. Add to that the growing desire of
white voters for finding a solution which can satisfy everyone, and one sees
that there is really reason to tackle the constitutional problems with speed
and meaning. There is actually already such a strong public pressure for an
acceptable solution that one must seriously wonder what is preventing such a
solution. One of the biggest stumbling blocks is of course the country's
Westminster heritage. The government has several times already stated in
public that we will have to move away from the Westminster system before a
solution is possible. But old traditions die hard. The current tricameral
system is actually just the Westminster system in disguised form. The big
56
problem that the Westminster system causes in a heterogeneous society is that
the largest group always tries to get the central power in its hands and can
make life bitterly uncomfortab!e for smaller groups. The constitution of 1983
did not eliminate this problem; therefore, blacks cannot become involved in
central political decisionmaking by way of a fourth chamber. There are
already numerically so many blacks, and their population growth is so high,
that the other three chambers would plainly have been handed over to the
fourth chamber. The tricameral parliament is thus not the final answer; at
most a new turning point on the way to the answer.
The government is indeed solidly on the right path with the other leg of its
constitutional reforms; namely, devolution of power to lower government
bodies. Where there have been successful constitutional solutions to
multiracial problems in the world, it has almost always been based on
decentralization. In a country like Switzerland there is hardly even talk of
a central government, and even the presidential post is held by someone else
every few months. This sort of solution has remarkably many adherents in
South Africa: from Dr Piet Koornhof, who was the first to introduce the term
"canton system" into political talk, to Mr Leon (Vryemark) Louw as the very
latest convert. There is almost no political party which cannot be reconciled
to the idea of decentralization. This makes one again wonder why devolution
and decentralization of power are being implementned with so little enthusiasm
in South Africa. What devolution there has been so far has been accompanied
by a dangerous amount of centralized supervision and control.
Totally Inconceivable
The same holds true of regional solutions. It has already been said often
that South Africa is too large and its problems too complex for one umbrella
solution. It is indeed clear that a person in the Western Cape will be able
to find a different solution on a regional level than, for example, in the PWV
area. Yet there is a clear lack of enthusiasm among our constitution drafters
for this approach, as is evidenced by the government's lukewarm attitude about
the Natal indaba. Can it be that it is again the ghost of Westminster
standing in the way? Have we gotten so used to the central government using
its authority to ban local affairs such as dog races in Transvaal or Sunday
movies in Natal that a government without the authority to interfere in local
affairs is totally inconceivable to us?
One can realize that decentralized government must look like a complete
abdication of authority to a generation of politicians and officials who grew
up with the Westminster system. Yet, the very fact that South Africa has a
state president with extraordinary powers makes it possible to have the
transition from centralized to decentralized government proceed smoothly and
without shock. Do we have another choice?
13084
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57
SOUTH AFRICA
POSSIBLE MERGER OF KP, HNP DISPUTED
Pretoria BEEID in Afrikaans 5 Aug 86 p 4
[Article by Hendrik Coetzee and Theuns van der Westhuizen, political editorial
staff: "KP Says a New 'Unification Party' Is Coming--HNP Says 'We Are Not
Merging'")
[Text] Cape Town--While the Conservative Party [KP] spoke yesterday of the
possible establishment of a new "unification party" between itself and the
Herstigte Nasionale Party [HNP], the HNP said there is no question of that at
this stage. Enmity between leading figures of those two parties and
differences of principle over the two parties' policy directions concerning
the Indians, the language question, a state deliberation [body], Mr John
Vorster and the Afrikaner-Weerstandsbeweging [Resistance Movement] are
obviously still the biggest stumbling blocks in the way of closer cooperation
between those part parties.
Mr Frank le Roux, MP for Brakpan and executive committee member of the KP,
told BEELD upon inquiry last night the two parties are moving toward a merger
to create a united rightist front "as a viable alternative." In contrast, Mr
Jaap Marais, leader of the HNP, said there is no question at this stage that
the KP and HNP may merge. Mr Marais said cooperation is indeed possible, but
not merger. The differences of principle, about which the HNP holds a strong
view, have to be ironed out first. "As far as we are concerned, there has
never yet been any doubt that we must cooperate as far as possible so that a
spirit of mutual trust can be created, but merger has never yet been an
alternative. If there are KP members who talk of merger, they are definitely
not doing it on behalf of the HNP."
Mr Le Roux said the "unification of the KP and HNP is an important priority."
The KP and HNP must now get together to iron out any differences that still
exist. Talks are going on between those parties at the highest level. The
KP's position is that a "unification congress" should be held as soon as the
differences have been ironed out, "and, if it is necessary, even establish a
new party and the category of things as we now can agree on." Mr Le Roux said.
To the question whether this means that a new party with a new name and
constitution will be founded, he said: "Let us just keep to the word
unification. These are all things that lie in the future. The nucleus of our
position is that we fight the NP as one political party. About the possible
bridging of existing differences of principle between the two parties, Mr Le
Roux said he did not want to anticipate that. These are matters that
definitely "will receive attention, and we entertain the highest expectations
that differences which exist will be ironed out."
--In reaction to a report that the SABC has decided to give coverage only to
ministers and party leaders in the Klip River by-election, Mr Marais said the
SABC cannot act as if the ruling party's speakers are of greater interest than
those of the opposing party. The HNP has just as great a chance to win the
by-election as the NP. An election speech deals only with the support of a
candidate, and a minister thus cannot have more news value than another
speaker. The HNP candidate, Mr Chris Wolmarans, is right when he says SABC TV
is discriminating against the HNP, Mr Marais said.
13084
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59
SOUTH AFRICA
NOMINATION OF 'FAR-LEFT' NP CANDIDATE CRITICIZED
Pretoria DIE AFRIKANER in Afrikaans 6 Aug 86 pp 1, 13
(Article: "NP Nominates Far-Leftist in Klip River")
[Text] The NP has nominated a far-leftist, Mr Jaco Maree, as its candidate in
the Klip River constituency. Mr Maree, nominated in the place of Mr Thys
Wessels, who suddenly died, has for several years served on the editorial
advisory committee of an extremely left-oriented magazine, DIE SUID-AFRIKAAN.
Other persons who are involved in the publication are the controversial
writer, Professor Andre Brink, Professor Johan Degenaar of the University of
Stellenbosch, Professor Jakes Gerwel of the University of the Western Cape,
Professor Andre du Toit, also of the University of Stellenbosch, Professor
Francis Wilson of the University of Cape Town, and Professor Tjaart van der
Walt, rector of Potchefstroom University. The editor is Professor Herman
Giliomee of the University of Cape Town. Those involved in the publication's
political viewpoints vary from leftist to far-leftist. Professor Brink has
for years been known for his anti-white statements, while Professor Wilson is
involved in the End Conscription Campaign, an organization that endeavors to
abolish compulsory military service. Professor Du Toit is a vehement opponent
of all forms of separation among races, as also appears in his books,
including Die Sonde van die Vaders [The Sin of the Fathers].
DIE SUID-AFRIKAAN's appearance two years ago was attended with great
controversy in the light of the publication's far-leftist strain. In
particular, a little poem in the first edition gave rise to wide public
aversion. It read: [in English] "If I pour petrol/ on a white child's face/
and give flames/ the taste of his flesh/ it won't be a new thing/ I wonder how
I will feel/ when his eyes go pop/ and when my nostrils sip the smell/ of his
flesh/ and his scream touches my heart/ I wonder if I will be able to
Ssleep...." A well-known Pretoria architect and former member of the
Publication Board, Mr Johan de Ridder, lodged a complaint at the Publication
Board at that time. In giving his reasons, Mr De Ridder characterized the
poem as "sadistic." It also speaks of undisguised hatred of the white man, he
claimed. Professor Van der Walt later stated that he had "serious
reservations" about the content of the publication. He said that if a
solution were not found, he would reconsider his position as under-chairman of
the editorial advisory committee. However, Professor Van der Walt never
publicly dissociated himself from the publication.
13084
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60
SOUTH AFRICA
AFRIKANER-VOLKSWAG CRITICIZED FOR POLITICKING
Cape Town DIE BURGER in Afrikaans 9 Aug 86 p 8
[Letter to the Editor: "The Volkswag's 'Fig Leaf' Has Fallen Off"]
[Text] Grower from the Western Cape writes:
Professor Carel Boshoff has from the beginning loftily claimed that his baby,
the Afrikaner-Volkswag, is a cultural body and not a political one, in spite
of the fact that the founding assembly of the Volkswag looked more like an
emotional political party rally than a cultural gathering. They reacted
furiously whenever they were accused of politicking. And now? Now the fig
leaf of "culture" has fallen off, and the Volkswag stands stripped naked of
all pretense, for at its recent congress Prof Boshoff talked of a plan "to get
control of town councils and other local bodies." He also further said that
"All Afrikaners who agree with the volkstaat [ethnic state] concept should now
join forces" and that "quick and effective" action must be taken if
opportunities arise to get control over local bodies.
Shameless
Professor Alkmar Swart said at the same congress that he "can announce with
pride that the Volkswag has gotten control of several school committees." He
said that the members must be alert like watchdogs to liberal tendencies in
the educational system and that they must start planning for Boer national
education for "when one day we rule over our own volkstaat." So, from the
horse's mouth! If that is not politics, what then is politics? What is going
on here is a shameless politicizing of local bodies by the Volkswag, which in
turn is nothing other than a masked political arm of the far-rightists, but in
particular of the KP.
Acceptable
Volkswag members are quick to say that the FAK [Federation of Afrikaner
Cultural Associations] is nor longer able nor enthusiastic enough to take care
of the Afrikaner's cultural interests. If by that they mean that the FAK is
not willing to take over control in locai bodies, they are entirely correct,
for the FAK has never yet been guilty of such a thing, and will also never do
it, because that is not its duty. It is a genuine, pure cultural body which
61
deals with the Afrikaner's culture and leaves politics to the politicians.
(Strangely enough, the FAK was wholly acceptable to the Volkswag when the
latter petitioned for affiliation with the FAK. The FAK was also still wholly
acceptable to them when Professor Boshoff still had a seat on the FAK's
executive committee. When the Volkswag's petition for affiliation did not
succeed and its attack ,or rather attempt to take over, on the FAK's executive
committee was not successful, then just as suddenly the FAK was no longer good
enough to handle the Afrikaner's cultural affairs! But that just
incidentally. )
This self-acknowledged action of the Volkswag is nothing other than the
permeation of politics to local committees and boards. It is potentially
self-destructive for the Afrikaner. For the sake of fancied political
benefit, far rightists are willing to weaken and paralyze the Afrikaner in all
spheres of life by fomenting and spreading discord, strife and bitterness. It
is urgently necessary for people who have Afrikaner cultural promotion at
heart to see to it that there is effective resistance to this politically
inspired obsession for taking over and politicizing extra-political spheres of
life.
13084
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SOUTH AFRICA
BRIEFS
STUDENT POLITICS CRITICIZED--It seems inevitable that tough party politics is
for the first time going to be a factor in the student council election of the
University of Pretoria. As a matter of fact, there are indications that a
Struggle between rightists and verligtes Lmoderates] is going to be the most
important factor in the course of the election, the primary goal of which is
to appoint leaders for the largest student community in the country. The
recent course of the ASB LAfrikaner Students' Union] congress proved that the
day is past when student politics can revolve around purely student affairs.
As a matter of fact, as is the case in any sphere of South African society
today, political discord is also felt on our university campuses. This
principle of a politically active student community cannot be faulted. The
fact is that South Africa allows its young people to vote starting from their
eighteenth year, so that it is only logical that political groups will also
exist on the campuses and that in elections preference will be given to
candidates who hold certain political views, while their role in the
advancement of student interests is no longer of decisive importance. What
DIE TRANSVALER is against is where student politics is carried on in such a
manner that the academic activities are disrupted, even leading to
rebelliousness, as just recently happened at the University of the
Witwatersrand. New tensions are being created at the UP [University of
Pretoria] with the rightwing Afrikaner Students’ Front, which was just banned
from operating on campus. Nevertheless, we trust that the political
differences at that university will be handled in an intelligent manner, so
that it will not be necessary to hang one's head in shame later on. (Text J
LPretoria DIE TRANSVALER in Afrikaans 1 Aug 86 p 12] 13084
NP CONGRESS URGED--If there is a suspicion since the announcement of the
state of emergency that a moratorium on reform has entered the picture, then
recent events concerning sanction actions will only strengthen that suspicion.
This reference is specifically to political reform, for there are numerous
examples of elimination of socio-economic discrimination, such as, among other
things, salary parity for the teaching profession and also the nealth
services. The latter, however important, is unfortunately only one half of
the reform that can be called spectacular or visible reform. We are still
wrestling with political rights which meet the requirements of democracy, and
63
it is about that we are standing in the center of world opinion. It cannot be
disputed that a sort of stalemate position has been reached. The expectations
which were aroused with the announcement at the start of the year about’ the
Statutory Council have not materialized into reality. The situation of unrest
had a lot to do with that, for it is precisely the aim of the ANC and its
henchmen to make reform fail, because the democratic formula does not suit
them. Nevertheless, it remains necessary for the impasse to be ended--for a
breakthrough to occur that will awaken new expectations. The government must
play an important role in that. The question is whether the NP's Federal
Congress next week, along with the rest of the parliamentary shift, can bring
a turnabout--a turnabout which will foster the common man's peace of mind and
will generate business’ confidence. LText] LPretoria DIE TRANSVALER in
Afrikaans 4 Aug 86 p 16] 13084
BLACK EDUCATION IMPROVEMENT ADVISED--We often lose sight of how great the
cnaiienge is which awaits the country and its black people. Dr Gerrit Viljoen
touched on that yesterday when he pointed out that South Africa's population
will possibly be 78 percent black in scarcely 30 years. By that time there
Will simply no longer be enough Whites to provide all the services which now
assure that the wheels keep rolling smoothly. Hence the big task ahead: from
now on education will have to be provided for 5U,UUU new black students’ each
year; 060U new schools must be built every year, 1,50U teachers found, and 6U
experienced people must be made available as heads of those schools. If that
does not happen, even the government may by that time be partly in the hands
of people who are not all equal to their task, and millions of untrained
persons will be without work. Dr Viljoen has already said the Verwoerdian
dream of an educational system which permanently Keeps blacks in a subordinate
position is impracticable. It is of the utmost importance that black
education be depoliticized and improved. Good disposition and more money are
needed for that. As regards that, talk of sanctions was a blessing in
disguise. Foreign companies which on the one hand want to soothe their
consciences and on the other satisfy their stockholders (or their country's
politicians) are making large sums available for student scholarships and
better training facilities. The quicker the handicap is overcome in the field
of black education, the better. [Text] LPretoria BEELD in Afrikaans 6 Aug 806
p 8} 13084
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SOUTH AFRICA
ANC OFFICIALS STATEMENTS ON 'MARCH TOWARD FREEDOM!
EA061932 Addis Ababa Radio Freedom in English to South Africa 1930 GMT
5 Sep 86
[Commentary with recorded statements by Johnny Makatini, head of the ANC
International Department; Joe Slovo, chief of staff of the Umkhonto We
Sizwe; Mac Maharaj, ANC Executive Committee member; and (Chris Kandit
Ilevani), a commissar of Umkhonto We Sizwe; date and place not given]
[Text] Compatriots, the events in Soweto these days have proved [word
indistinct] that we can no longer be stopped in our march towards freedom.
We have finally managed to make our country ungovernable. Botha can no
longer govern us with his laws and decrees. [sentence indistinct] Our
main task now is to move from ungovernability to the seizure of power. How
do we do that? In our program tonight we present to you several members
of the National Executive Committee of the ANC discussing the way forward
to victory. Firstly, our head of the International Affairs Department, Com-
rade Johnny Makatini, noted that our determination to fight on and reject
all Botha's constitutional maneuvers and reforms has won us international
admiration.
[Begin Makatini recording] Firstly, to tell my people that by the [words
indistinct] that is all the South African patriots of all races, particularly
the black people, and the @nd of that stage [words indistinct] African people,
the so-called colored people and people of Asian origin [words indistinct]
have won our struggle international respect and admiration. It is ina
way a challenge to the international community to move from rhetoric to action,
because, I mean, there are few examples in the history of mankind where
[words indistinct] oppressed women and oppressed people is given some half a
loaf and say no: Keep your stale bread, keep your poisoned bread. We do
not just want the whole loaf, we now want the whole bakery. This is what
the people have said [words indistinct] having the immediate effect of con-
solidating these alliances and putting our people on the road for the revolu-
tion. That is now inevitable, if not imminent.
Now, as to the message I am giving to (?the people) [words indistinct] re-
mains desperate. We have reached the end of the (?tarmac). The struggle is
65
about to take off in earnest. [Words indistinct] and one to guide us all
the time is that a people united can never be defeated and therefore, do not
listen to those who preach tribal politics, racial politics among those
that aim at dividing us.
This is the correct [words indistinct] the regime. This is what frightens
the allies of the regime [passage indistinct] we are dealing with a regime
that is obstinate, that is fascist, and it will impose [passage indistinct]
But our task now is to make that constitution unworkable, the apartheid system
unworkable. And already you have done that. We have just heard of the news
of how you defied and [words indistinct] our people defied the laws outlawing
--the decree outlawing--the funerals. You have outlawed--I mean you have
unbanned the [word indistinct]--you have made it a living instrument in fact,
a continuing (?one).
When you meet (?the) family, some [words indistinct] some of us are going to
be arrested, some of us are going to be injured, some of us are going to even
be killed, and those of us who escape those hardships must redouble their
efforts to ensure that those who shall have died will not have died in vain.
(?The patience) of Nelson Mandela [words indistinct] at any moment. He is
going to know how to use [words indistinct]. Now is the time [words indi-
stinct]. There will come a time when instead of (?praying) [words indistinct]
the ambition of everybody to get a weapon that he can hide somewhere to that
when the time comes instead of throwing stones he can be throwing a hand
grenade instead of [passage indistinct] We are not observers in this revolu-
tion. We are all participants. [End recording]
Comrade Joe Slovo who isthe COS of Umkhonto we Sizwe took this situation and
assessed the level of armed struggle, which is very vital at the present
stage of the struggle.
[Begin Slovo re:crding] The [word indistinct] of the [word indistinct]
which is developing at the moment amongst the people is a situation which
demands an escalation of armed activities whose intensity must be increased.
The blows against the enemy tuust happen more than they have in the past and
it is important in particular for enemy personnel to feel the sting of
Umkhonto we Sizwe. We have not had in the past and have never hidden the
fact [word indistinct] is the unfolding of peoples war in South Africa. It
is the only way. There is no way for the African oppressed or indeed for
the black [word indistinct] generally te bring about any meaningful trans-
formation without the revolutionary overthrow of this racist regime. (?7I
mean) the end will only be achieved by a combination of mass political strug-
gle [words indistinct] uprising together with the unfolding of peoples war,
and peoples war means involving the people in armed struggle.
That is our objective and this is what we must be working for more and more.
And in contemplating this objective and assessing its possibilities we
must be [words indistinct] that the youth remain ready to give their lives
for liberation and that is the starting point for peoples war, where the
66
mood of anger, the mood of frustration, the mood of confidence reaches a
point where the youth develop a [words indistinct] and are ready to go out to
face the enemy and that is what is happening in South Africa today.
And our task as a liberation movement the one to which we are devoting our-
selves is to harness that mood into a mass organized assault on the enemy
forces and his installations and to make that assault more widespread than
it is at the moment. And this task, let me say, is not merely the task of the
leadership factor of ANC or the command factor of Umkhonto we Sizwe. It is
the task of all of you who are listening to this broadcast. You must your-
selves to out amongst your friends, among those who attack. Organize to-
gether for the purpose of creating levels which will begin to have the
capacity to act against the enemy not just in street [word indistinct], but
in {words indistinct] assaults against the policeman who walks in the
streets, against the police station which is there to send out the armored
cars and armed soldiers and police to shoot down the children, against the
enemy installations. It is something which you can do. It is something
which you can do under the general leadership and banner of the ANC and its
armed wing, Unkhonto we Sizwe. [End recording]
Comrade Joe Slovo continued and assessed the impact our determination to
defeat the enemy has had on the international community.
[Begin Slovo recording] Everywhere throughout the world you have roused the
admiration and the support of democrats, of people who are dedicated to help
you with the ending of the racist regime. And everywhere there is a feeling
based on what you have actually done with your courage and your heroism.
There is a feeling that the racist enemy can be crushed. And you have shown
once again and you are continuing to show even as I speak that the struggle
for liberation is moving towards its inevitable victory. And if my message
could be summed up in one sentence, it would be this: The enemy and his
collaborators must be given no rest. Amandla. [End recording]
Comrade Mac Maharaj, on his part, stressed the need for us to be tempered in
struggle ande be vigilant at all times. He stressed the point that we are
nearing the end of the road.
[Begin Mahara recording] He must be tempered in our (?leadership). As
people with the responsibility of leading our revolution, we must be very
tempered. We are in a ruthless struggle. We are faced with a ruthless and
brutal enemy with immense resources and tremendous backing from the imperial-
ist community. The imperialist community is afraid of lifting the lid slightly
in case the whole lid is blown off. So [words indistinct] the events un-
folding in our country, the maturity, the defiance of our masses, the
spirit of revolt sweeping through every corner of our country is an extremely
heartening development. It is a development that makes the blood in all
our veins race, because the long-cherished dream of freedom is drawing near
at a tremendously rapid pace. No one can predict how quickly that situation
will blow up out of proportion; out of proportion from the point of view of
67
the enemy so that he will be totally incapable of even maintaining any
facade of control over the developments. I think there is in that sense a
tremendous excitement in all our blood.
But in the midst of battle it is necessary for us as leaders, for our move-
ment, the ANC, to allow for every eventuality and plan for every eventual-
ity, because what is at stake, comrades, is victory. So, in our planning
we must go to take advantage of every positive development. Every element
that makes the hegemony, the cohesion of the ruling class crack must be
exploited. Every element that brings the unity of our people in action
must be taken a step further. We must press on with more determination at
every momant that the enemy hesitates. But in pressing on, we must also open
our eyes to every trick that the enemy will be pulling out of his bag to sur-
vive. [words indistinct] correctly launched within the strategy of our
movement, a strategy of protracted peoples war in which partial and general
uprisings of the people will play a vital role.
That rule that (?holds) practically is unfolding. The masses are showing
how important the instrument of mass uprising is, how powerful. What I am
saying, comrades, is with all the excitement in my veins, with all the
visions that dreams is now near. [as heard] I can be seen. We can feel
it. We can say even more truly, like our Chief Luthuli said, Freedom in
our lifetime. We see that coming and we are working for it day and night.
But I say that in a cause of a people who have been enslaved for so long by
such a powerful enemy, we must at all times yield our claim to our birth-
right and we must be prepared to fight this enemy to the death, at whatever
cost and however long. I believe, however, comrades, that time is shorten-
ing. That the protracted war strategy does not remain protracted for every.
At some time, a point in time, a protracted war comes to an end, to victory.
But the elements for that, the elements for that victory are now coming to-
gether in our country. Mass action, unity of our people, Umkhonto we Sizwe's
ability demonstrated and now no longer denied by anybody--Nkomati or no
Nkomati--that Umkhonto is rooted among our people; that the ANC underground
is rooted amongst our people, that our people are no longer watching the
activities of the ANC and Umkhonto like spectators at a sports match, foot-
ball match, who cheer the team but themselves sit still relaxing in the
stadium seats; that in fact our people have left the stadium seats and gone
into the football pitch. They are active participants now and cannot be re-
moved from the (?pitch). These elements all have to be built upon and it is
the job of all the advanced cadres steeled in facing the enemy bullets,
steeled in battles to come in a disciplined way into the political formation
of the ANC, in a disciplined way into the army formation of Umkhonto we Sizwe.
And at the same time, never to leave their roots amongst the masses, because
that is our (?creed). So I believe, comrades, we are nearing. Events are
moving at a rapid pace. I think that victory is in sight, but how long
(2it will take), no one can tell. [End recording]
Finally, Comrade (Chris Kandit Ilevani), a commissar of Umkhonto we Sizwe,
says that although it is clear that no force on earth can ever stop us now,
we still have to prepare ourselves for the tough times ahead. He says we
must prepare for a long winter.
68
[Begin (Ilevani) recording] We are still going to fight (?probably) for a
very long time. And thus it [words indistinct] a properly organized
army prepares itself for any eventuality, prepares itself for a long cold
winter in its campaign. But our people must be prepared to fight under any
conditions, they must expect a ruthless and determined enemy to (?track)
them, that the spirit of sacrifice should be the key word, that our people,
in fact, must arm themselves.
In the call issued by our movement, a lot of attention is paid to this ques-
tion of people arming themselves. There are arms everywhere in that country.
The white community is a militarized community. Every shopkeeper, every
dealer, every farmer has got weapons in his house. The people must grab
those weapons and use them against the enemy. Every weapon is important in
dealing with that regime. So, the workers, the peasants, the agricultural
workers, the students, women, and everybody else must see himself as a sol-
dier of Umkhonto we Sizwe, as a member of the ANC, and must equip himself
with the instruments of destroying that regime, which I think I could empha-
size, is the importance of unity, unity in action. [as heard] The people
must not allow wedges to be driven between them. They must not allow them-
selves to be pushed, to be diverted from concentrating on the enemy. They
must help those who have not yet understood the proper definition of the
enemy to understand that definition. People must (?know) that unity and
that unity must also be achieved in (?constant roles). It must be a unity
that is a product of a disciplined struggle against the enemy.
The working class must remember that it is a vital and decisive force in our
revolution. They must build the unity of that working class, the unity of
the TU movement. They must act together in cohesion. They must move out as
the [words indistinct] to challenge that regime, to challenge the state of
emergency, to challenge the right of that regime to rule our people. They
must know now that time has gone, where TU's could afford the luxury of
concentrating only on economic issues, because the defects of our working
class, the ills and the poverty and unemployment, will only be solved when
the workers have got power in their hands and can be voted for and vote for
a government of their own choice. [End recording]
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69
REPORTERS GIVE PROFILE OF NEWLY-ELECTED PAC PRESIDENT
SOUTH AFRICA
Johannesburg THE WEEKLY MAIL in English 12-18 Sep 86 p 8
[Article by Howard Barrell and Sefako Nyaka]
[Text ]
ZEPH MOTHOPENG will attend no
international conferences, shake no
prime ministers’ hands, make no
major speeches, tread no red carpets,
hear no acclaim.
Zephania “Uncle” Mothopeng was
last month clected president of the
banned Pan Africanist Congress. But
it may be a while before he arrives to
take up his post.
For Zcph Mothopeng is currently
serving his third spell in a South
African prison, this time for 15 ycars.
He was found guilty on charges
under the Terrorism Act at the
marathon Bethal trial in 1979.
Sentencing him, Justice J Curlewis
said Mothopeng had acted “to sow the
seeds of anarchy and revolution which
had led to the 1976 riots”.
Born in 1913 at the north-eastem
Transvaal township of Daggakraal,
near Amesfort, Mothopeng taught at
Orlando High School for 17 years. He
left to teach in Lesotho in 1956
because of his opposition to Bantu
education. |
He returned in 1958 and joined
Robert Sobukwe and others who were
disenchanted with the African
National Congress. They founded the
PAC in early 1959.
In 1960 Mothopeng, who holds a
Bachelor of Arts degree, was arrested
for his part in the PAC anti-pass
campaign and sentenced to two years
imprisonment. At the time of his
arrest he was about to write his legal
exams.
70
Shortly after his release, he was
arrested and detained under the 90-
day law.
He was later charged with carrying
on the activities of the Lanned PAC
and was sentenced to three years
imprisonment.
In May 1976, he was released and
banished to Witzieshoek where he
occupied a 4m by 3m corrugated iron
shed. While there, the then
Department of Bantu Administration
and Development offered Uncle Zeph
a labourer’s job at 65 cents a day.
The department also offered to
assist his wife, Urbania Mothopeng,
and her children with arrangements to
stay in Witzieshoek.
Both offers were turned down and
six months later Mothopeng was back
at his Meadowlands home, where he
was placed under stringent banning
orders that virtually confined him to
the house.
In 1970, when his daughter Sheila
announced her engagement to Ionian
Choir cellist Mike Masote at a
gathering, Mothopeng was forced to
leave the house. He stood shivering in
the cold outside while Security Police
watched.
He was given special permission to
attend his daughter’s wedding the
following year.
Mothopeng was again arrested in
1976 and, after nearly three years in
prison, he was convicted. He received
two 15-year sentences.
The 74-year-old is only the second
person to hold the post of PAC
president. The other was PAC
founder Robert Sobukwe, who died of
cancer in 1978, nine years after his
release from Robben Island.
Potlako Leballo, who led the PAC to
disastrous infighting and decline in
Sobukwe’s absence before being
deposed and later expelled in 1979,
was only chairman of the PAC.
Leballo died earlier this year.
The PAC has recently sought to
promote the case of the ageing
Mothopeng and to present him in
international fora as the PAC’s
“Mandela”.
PAC chairman of one year, Johnson
Mlambo, also a former Robben Island
prisoner, stays on as chairman of the
central committee under Mothopeng’s
largely titular presidency. Mlambo
succeeded John Pokela, PAC
chairman who died in Harare last
year.
Mothopeng’s image and the
leadership of Mlambo will be
important contributions to the PAC’s
attempts to buy time in order to try to
regain some of the vast amount of
ground it has lost over the past decade.
But the seal test remains the PAC’s
ability and will to engage the South
African state politically and militarily
— two areas in which its prospects do
not look good.
There have already been isolated
military clashes involving PAC
cadres. And under Mlambo’s
leadership the PAC has mounted a
renewed diplomatic offensive.
Part of the campaign has been to
allege a conspiracy between the South
African government, the ANC and
journalists to ignore the PAC and its
activities.
But, asked at a press conference at
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71
the Non-Aligned Movement summit
in Harare last week to list recent PAC
military and other actions inside South
Africa, Mlambo said he would not.
Instead, he referred journalists to
Statements by South African
government officials that the PAC was
active and to a trial in the Cape.
According to Frontline state
sources, PAC officials have also
claimed responsibility, in private, to
foreign government officials for
attacks which, according to
overwhelming evidence available in
neighbouring states, were in fact
carned out by the ANC.
The PAC diplomatic offensive has
also seen at least one sharp about-tum
in the past five years. From a position
of strong support for Iraq in 1982, the
Organisation has now swung around to
backing [ran in the Gulf war.
According to usually reliable
sources, the PAC currently has a total
of some 400 guerrillas. This is about
four percent of the ANC total of about
10 000 guerrillas and is as many as,
according to sources, the ANC
currently has operating inside the
country.
Mlambo has impressed some
foreign officials and even those
sometimes termed his “rivals”.
The PAC’s current diplomatic push
has been an attempt to secure for itself
all those privileges to which it might
formally be entitled as a “liberation
movement” accredited by the
Organisation of African Unity.
Among the things it is seeking to
correct is the refusal by Angola,
Mozambique and Zambia to allow it
an official presence on their soil.
These three countries currently allo=
only an ANC official presence.
SOUTH AFRICA
TRANSKEI LAUNCHES INVESTIGATION INTO MISAPPROPRIATED FUNDS
Johannesburg THE SUNDAY STAR in English 7 Sep 86 p 4
{Article by Graham Ferreira]
[Text ]
A high-level investigation
ito alleged misuse and
misappropriation of huge
sums of money in the
Transkei Department of
Works and Energies has
been ordered by the Trans-
kei Auditor-General, Mr
Jyana Maquebela.
The former head of Dur-
ban’s Commercial Branch, Mr
John Trickey, has been ap-
pointed to head the investiga-
tion.
It follows months of ru-
mours and complaints about
regularities which some in-
rormed sources believe involve
hundreds of millions of rands. .
A source in the Transkei Gov-
_ @mmment said the investigation in-
volved “people at a high level in
Heth the Transkei and South Afri-
ca”.
The Department of Works and
Energies was responsible for one
of! the projects which will come
under close scrutiny — the
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R20 million white elephant hous-
ing estate built by Jalc Holdings
with foreign capital.
Recently Durban’s Sunday Trib-
une reported that the housing
project at Isibeleni, just outside of
Queenstown, was undertaken by
Jalec on behalf of the Transkei
Government “with approval at
the highest level”.
Of the 330 houses built two
years ago, 300 are still unoccu-
pied, and questions are being
asked about how the project was
given the green light in the first
place and how valuable foreign
capital was used in this manner.
Recently a South African build-
ing firm declared itself bankrupt
after it had already received
R10 million from the Transkei
Government on winning a tender
for a massive housing project.
In another case, a company was
awarded a tender and was paid
up-front money. Soon afterwards
it declared itself bankrupt.
Leading members of that com-
pany then formed a new company
under another name and won the
tender again.
Chief Justice van Heerden’s ju-
dicial inquiry into the Department
of Commerce and Industries is in
the throes of winding up its busi-
ness and finishing its report.
A commission source said the
newly-appointed inquiry into the
Department of Works and Ener-
gies would “really rock the boat”.
“It was while we were looking
at the Department of Commerce
and Industries that the can of
worms in Works and Energies
began to open up. One thing led to
another,” he said.
“The problem is that while all
this money is being thrown
around, the South African taxpay-
er ultimately has to foot the bill.”
A source close to the Transkei
Government believes that the
Transkei is being used by South
African businessmen to “launder”
money from South Africa to over-
seas countries.
SOUTH AFRICA
NEW 'FREEDOM SCHOOL' GIVES CLASSES TO SOWETAN CHILDREN
Johannesburg THE SUNDAY STAR in English 7 Sep 86 p 12
{Article by Carrie Curzon]
[Text]
MOST Soweto kids want to learn
and these are no different: the Free-
dom School where they are being
taught has expanded so fast that
lessons are sometimes given on the
stairs.
‘The school — the only one of its”
kind on the Reef — opened in Feb-
ruary and already has 100 eager
pupils, thirsty for knowledge.
“The optimum number is really
45,” sighed the teacher responsible
for it all, Mrs Lucie Pursell.
“But it is hard to turn them
away. They are so keen to learn
and they demand high standards.
They don’t want inferior teachers.
They know when someone is good
or bad. They are highly critical and
kick up a fuss if you are late for
class.”
Schooling for these youngsters
whose parents cannot afford pri-
vate education, means a disused
warehouse for a classroom, a
maths lesson on the stairs, a foot-
ball game in the streets. a science
experiment in jam tins.
It also means remembering to
hide schoolbooks for fear of repri-
sals trom ar.gry comrades. For this
reason, the school keeps a low pro-
file and The Sunday Star has
agreed not to identify it.
“Beg, steal and borrow is the
motto here.’ Mrs Pursell said. “We
live from dav to day. We have ex-
panded. but we will soon have no-
where to go.”
Mrs Pursell’s gravest problem is
the building in Roodepoort she has
used tree of charge is to be !et. She
said: ‘We are desperate tor prem-
ises. We have to move out by the
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CSO: 3400/18
end of the year. We are already
having to cover R10000 of unpaid
fees”.
Those parents who can — and
only about 40percent do — pay
R145 a month to cover tuition and
travel.
Fortunately the South African In-
stitute of Management. deciding
this “black initiative project” was
worthy of their support. has taken
up their cause.
Despite daunting problems the
Freedom School is a happy place of
learning.
“We are desperately short of
basic equipment and lots of the kids
have no textbooks at all. But they
are very keen to learn and always
help to clean up on Friday after-
noons,” Mrs Pursell said.
The happy smiling faces of her
keen young students — those who
managed to get out of Soweto on
yet another day of funerals — sup-
port her views.
“It’s just not true they are a
bunch of hooligans,” she said. “I
think 80 percent of the township
kids really want to learn.
“We have very few discipline
problems — surprising when you
realise Soweto is riddled with drink,
sex and drugs.”
It depresses Mrs Pursell that her
conscientious charges face so many
handicaps in their education.
She said:“We have no facilities
for sport for example — sich a nec-
essary part of school life. They
have to play soccer in the road, and
the other day the ball hit a SADF
car and the guy got out and pulled a
gun on one of my pupils”.
And she points out another stu-
73
dious lass who was brutally raped
in Hillbrow a couple of weeks ago.
“They daren’t take their school-
books back to Soweto; they are al-
ways having their cases pinched.”
“Their stock phrase is ‘the situa-
tion is tense’, which covers a multi-
tude of things. ,
“We have to improvise with
everything. We do science experi-
ments in jam tins and manage to
teach anatomy without a skeleton.
When the school is flush with
money I go out and buy a whole lot
of equipment.”
The venture started when Mrs
Pursell was asked by a parent to
give private tuition to a couple of
children. “I am black,” the female
caller warned. “No problem, we'll
start on Monday,” promised the
courageous Johannesburg teacher.
The two became 12, and when the
number grew to 20 it was suggested
Mrs Pursell open her own school.
A mother of three, Mrs Pursell
works fulltime at the Freedom
School, helped by nine teachers who
work on a shift basis for R10 an
hour.
Apart from teaching, she keeps
the books, does the administration,
pays the salaries and provides
lunch for her students. She also pro-
vides a home for two of her pupils
and hopes to find accommodation
for others in the northern suburbs.
School is Monday to Friday 8am
to 4 pm tor these diligent pupils and
the only holidays they have had
since February were the Scweto
boveott davs. “Then the kids are in
danger of their lives, Mrs Pursell
said
SOUTH AFRICA
BRIEFS
KWAZULU SEEKS FREE PORT-—Durban—The debate over the possibility of estab-
lishing a free port or export processing zone to serve the KwaZulu region has
been boosted by a White Paper on Development Policy tabled in its Legisla-
tive Assembly recently. The White Paper, explained in detail in the latest
KwaZulu Finance and Investment Co.poration magazine, The Developer, points out
that the first step towards a free port (in either Durban or Richards Bay)
will be for the KwaZulu Government to improve channels of communication
with central government to allow KwaZulu more input to macro-economic policy-
making. The call for a free port comes in a section of the White Paper
which deplores the fact that monetary, fiscal and economies policies have made
little or no impact on regional growth in the past. The KwaZulu government,
it says must now exercise its right as a regional authority to influence
macro-economic policy. This influence should be used to: --Reduce fluctua-
tions in economic activity to a minimum, making it easier for the private
sector to plan future growth. --Encourage a pattern of economic development
suitable for the needs of a wider South Africa. [Text] [Johannesburg THE
SUNDAY STAR in English 7 Sep 86 p 8] /9274
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74
SOUTH AFRICA
CONFLICT FOLLOWS DISCOVERY OF AIDS VIRUS AMONG FOREIGN MINERS
Health Officials Pressing for Repatriation
Johannesburg SUNDAY TIMES in English 24 Aug 86 p 14
[Article by Stephan Terblanche]
[Text ] HEALTH officials are press-
ing for the repatriation of
of migrant work-
ers and illegal immigrants
whom, they say, are carrying
infectious diseases into South
Africa and placing a huge
burden on State medical ser-
vices.
They argue that if neigh-
bouring states impose eco-
nomic sanctions on South
Africa, the Government will
have every justification for
sending foreign workers
home.
In support of this view, of-
ficials have assembled evi-
dence that contagious
diseases such as AIDS, mal-
aria and cholera are being
carried hy people from
neighbouring states where
reventative health services
ve all but collapsed.
The health threat comes at
a time when the Manpower
Minister, Mr Pietie du Ples-
sis, has warned that foreign-
ers would be repatriated to
give job preference to South
Africans if sanctions were in-
troduced.
In 1985 it was found that 46
percent of traced malaria
cases in the Barberton dis-
trict came from Mozam-
bique.
Malawians Comprise Bulk of Virus Carriers
Johannesburg BUSINESS DAY in English 29 Aug 386 pp l, 3
[Article by Claire Pickard-Cambridge and Max Du Preez]
[Text]
GOVERNMENT'S an-
nouncement of likely
steps to repatriate
Aids virus carriers
conflicts sharply with
a Chamber of Mines
plan to retain them.
National Health and
Population Develop-
ment Minister Willie
van Niekerk said yesterday the Depart-
ments of Foreign Affairs, Mineral and
Energy Affairs and Health, together with
the Chamber of Mines, were giving “ur-
gent attention to suitable steps to repa-
triate these identified workers”.
Chamber of Mines industrial relations
adviser Johann Liebenberg said. howev-
er, the industry had chosen the compas-
sionate route of keeping on 130 affected
employees.
He stressed that there were no proven
cases of Aids in mining.
Preliminary findings from tests on
27 000 workers indicated that the identi-
fiec workers, mostly Malawians, were
simply carriers of a virus which may
cause aids, the human immunodeficiency
virus (HIV).
Liebenberg said he hoped government
would not make it difficult for the cham-
ber to retain affected employees who
were being counselled about the disease.
It was not known how many HIV carri-
ers would eventually get Aids.
If the chamber did not support affect-
ed workers it would be letting employees
down.
Findings of a survey to establish the
prevalence of the HIV virus in mining
indicate that the presence of thousands
of workers in single-sex hostels has not
contributed to the spread of the disease.
The survey was done by the chamber
and the SA Institute of Medical Re-
search. It showed that the prevalence of
HIV in mining was comparable to low-
risk areas internationally, excluding em-
loyees from one high-risk country,
alawi.
Results indicated that 4% of the Mala-
wian workers — who also comprise the
bulk of the identified carriers — had
been exposed to the virus.
Chamber spokesmen said the higher
prevalence of the virus among Malawian
employees appeared to indicate it had
been contracted in the workers’ country °
of origin. : tt
Casual contact with an infected person |
could not spread the virus and the cham-
ber had concluded repatriation of infect-
ed miners was unlikely to have a signifi-
- ower on the spread of ‘he disease
in SA.
we the Chamber has suggested
t:
QC No known HIV carriers should be en-
gaged for work and that new recruits
rom Aids-prevalent areas be screened
before being sijzned on;
C) Patients suifering from sexually-
transmitted diseases — a high risk group
— should be tested routinely;
C Aids carriers should be clinicall as-
sessed and counselled and those fit to
work will not be discharged;
O Services of clinically well HIV carri-
ers who return home between contracts
will not be terminated;
QO) Only when HIV- or AIDS-infected em-
ployees were clinically unfit for work
should their services be terminated and
they would then be repatriated on medi-
cal grounds.
Liebenberg said the only effective way
to combat the spread of the virus was
through major educational programmes
on sexually-transmitted diseases.
Crisis Situation Said Not to Exist
Johannesburg THE STAR in English 29 Aug 86 p 1
[Article by Joe Openshaw]
[Text ]
The mining industry will take a
humane and compassionate
stance and cont..ue to employ
the 130 mineworkers found to be
infected with the AIDS virus, Mr
Johann Liebenberg, the industri-
al relations adviser to the
Chamber of Mines, said in
Johannesburg last night.
He was addressing a Press
conference at which details of a
Chamber of Mines survey to es-
tablish the prevalence of human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
— the virus which can cause
AIDS ~— among all races in the
South African mining industry.
The survey was conducted
with the co-operation of the In-
stitute for Medical Research
and the Department of Health.
Mr Liebenberg said the
Chamber would embark on a
major education and counselling
programme to teach infected
miners how to live with the in-
fection and how to prevent
themselves falling prey to the
freqeuntly fatal opportunistic
diseases to which HIV-positive
people are extremely vulner-
able.
“This is not a crisis situation,”
stressed Mr Liebenberg, who
made the results of the survey
— in which the blood of 26525
miners were tested and 130
miners found to be infected with
the AIDS or HIV, virus — avail-
able for publication. “There is
not one proven case of AIDS on
the mines.”
Mr Liebenberg said homosex-
uality in the single-sex mine
hostels has not contributed to
the spread of the disease.
The Chamber says the spread
of the virus will be controlled.
No known carriers of the
AIDS virus will be engaged for
work on the mines and new re-
cruits from AIDS-prevalent
areas will be screened.
All miners suffering from
sexually transmitted diseases —
a high risk group — will be test-
ed routinely.
Employees who are AIDS car-
riers will be clinically assessed
and those fit to work will not be
discharged or repatriated.
Clinically well AIDS virus-in-
fected workers who return home
between contracts will not have
their disease used as a pretext
for terminating their contracts.
Government in Row With Chamber of Mines
Johannesburg THE STAR in English 29 Aug 86 p 13
[Article by Sheryl Raine]
[Text ]
The Chamber of Mines and
the Government are at log-
gerheads over what to do
about the 130 mine em-,
ployees known to have been
infected by the AIDS virus.
The Minister of Health, Dr
Willie van Niekerk said yester-
day that his Department and
the Departments of Foreign Af-
fairs and Mineral and Energy
Affairs together with the
Chamber are giving urgent at-
tention to “suitable steps to re-
patriate the identified work-
ers”.
In addition, workers from
foreign countries entering the
country will be subjected to
compulsory tests for AIDS.
The Chamber agreed that
new recruits from foreign
countries coming to work on
South African mines should be
screened for AIDS and prevent-
ed from working here if blood
tests prove positive.
However, Chamber spokes-
men said at a press conference
yesterday they believed no car-
rier of the virus presently
working in South Africa should
be repatriated until such time
as he is clinically unfit to ren-
der service.
Asked whether there is an ul-
terior motive behind the Gov-
ernment’s desire to repatriate
foreign AIDS carriers to re-
duce the number of foreigners
employed in South Africa, Mr
Johann Liebenberg, industrial
relations adviser to the Cham-
ber said: ‘We don’t think the
Goverment would want to use
this opportunity as a subter-
fuge for repatriating foreign
workefs.”
So far none of the 130 car-
riers identified in the biggest
survey of the virus ever done in
Africa, have the disease. The
Chamber has emphasized there
is no AIDS scare.
The Chamber believes it
would be inhumane to victim-
ise the 130 carriers or to ostra-
cise foreign workers who come
from Malawi. The survey
showed the prevalence of the
AIDS virus among Malawians
to be higher than in other
workers.
There are about 20 000 Mala-
wian mineworkers employed
on the mines. Central Africa
has been a known high-risk
area for AIDS for several
years.
The Chamber spelle? out a
policy of mass education and
counselling for AIDS carriers
and mine employees in gener-
al.
And it seems the Chamber
has the majority of mining
unions on its side in taking this
sympathetic stand. _
All of the black and white
unions involved in the industry
have been consulted and
briefed on the results of the
survey and future Chamber po-
licies.
“The National Union of
Mineworkers would not like to
see infected workers repatriat-
ed,” said Mr Liebenberg. “We
Network Debates Fate of Mineworkers With AIDS
also met the Council of Mining
Unions, which represents eight
unions, and the comments we
got from them indicated they
definitely do not wish to see
carriers repatriated.”
Mr Robbie Botha of the Mine
Surface Officials Association
said his organisation welcomed
the Chambers’ education pro-
gramme and was impressed
with the employers’ initiative.
“We do not feel workers
should be repatriated if they
are just carriers. If one extend-
ed the investigation beyond the
mining industry one would find
many AIDS carriers. There is
nothing one can do about them.
We should not be harsh abcut
this. Intimate contact is needed
to transmit the virus.
“We believe the Chamber’s
programme is a good one be-
cause it aims to keep the syn-
drome above board and will
not drive it underground.”
However, Dr Marius Bar-
nard, the PF'P’s health spokes-
man supported the repatriation
of AIDS carriers.
He said: “AIDS is a most se-
rious disease and I would ex-
pect the health authorities to
take every opportunity to mini-
mise the risk in South Africa. If
there is any suspicion of non-
South Africans wivh this trans-
ferable disease it is totally
acceptable health practice to
send them back to where they
came from. It is also important
to screen people coming into
the country.”
AIDS, the sexually transmitted killer disease which has been disco-
vered among 130 South African mineworkers, was a topic of dis-
cussion during the SABC television programme Network last night.
“We are faced with two choices,” said Mr J Liebenberg, an indus-
trial relations advisor. ‘We can either repatriate the affected
workers or we can carry on employing them.
|
~
~-“} think we should adopt a compassionate view. To repatriate the |
workers would be to drive the disease underground.
“We need to look after the affected workers. We need to give
them counsel on the subject,” he said.
Dr George Watermeyer, Deputy General of Health, said the gov-
ernment was worried about the health of the economy.
“We have to try and keep the ‘at risk’ numbers as low as possi-
ble,” he said, but added, towards the end of the programme, that
the government was willing to enter into negotiation.
The government had “not made up its mind” whether or not to
repatriate the workers, Dr Watermeyer said.
“African AIDS seems to be different to the strain found in other
parts of the globe. Before making a final decision, we need to
discuss the matter fully with all parties concerned.”
Mr Liebenberg accepted Dr Watermeyer’s offer regarding fur-
ther talks.
Mr Jack Metz, representing the South African Institute for Medi-
cal Research, said that as many as 10 percent of South African men
might be carriers of the virus.
He said stricter medical control of sexual habits was needed.
“Through education and counselling, we might be able to estab-
lish a sort of control over the disease,” he said.
The panel discussion was chaired by regular Network presenter
Mr John Dishop.
NUM Reaction to Government Statement
Johannesburg THE STAR in English 30 Aug 86 p l
[Text] The National Union of Mine Workers (NUM) has reacted to a Government
statement made yesterday threatening to repatriate all foreign workers found
to be carriers of the HIV virus--which may lead to the development of AIDS.
The union says single sex hostels must be done away with as they lend them-
selves prey to such diseases,
/9274
CSO; 3400/20
78
SOUTH AFRICA
MIXED REACTIONS TO GOVERNMENT PLAN FOR GREATER JOHANNESBURG
Johannesburg THE STAR in English 5 Sep 86 p ll
[Article by James Clarke]
[Text ]
The Government has decided
what to do with rebellious
Greater Johannesburg —
freeze it.
Apart from proposing to
curb Johannesburg’s develop-
ment, it seeks to control entre-
preneurial and residential
growth throughout Central Wit-
watersrand. It feels the area
is heading towards ‘‘conges-
tion” and growth must be re-
directed to the Rustenburg-
Pretoria-Middelburg axis.
In a 250-page report issued
last month, “The Central Wit-
watersrand Draft Guide Plan”,
the Government recommends
rigid, immutable zoning regu-
lations. If the region ever gets
regional government, its char-
acter will have already deen
indelibly drawn by the Govern-
ment.
The report states that “it can
be expected that the Central
Witwatersrand will become
less important within the
broader national context... and
that provision will have to be
made for channelling new work
opportunities to other favour-
ably situated areas”.
Other recomendations in-
clude:
@ Because the committee
found “‘there is not enough
land” to expand townships to
accommodate even the natural
growth of the present black
population, more and more
blacks will have to move out.
@ No more industrial expan-
sion will be allowed in Johan-
nesburg.
@ In the rest of the region, if a
small industry becomes too
successful it will be induced to
move out.
@ “No large-scale provision of
industrial work opportunities is
envisaged” in the interests of
“the prevention of over-concen-
tration”.
@ All future development on
the Central Witwatersrand
must confoim to the Govern-
ment’s national development
strategy of decentralisation.
Another aspect is that the
Transvaal Administrator —
nowadays a Government ap-
pointee beyond the reach of
voters — will remain Johan-
nesburg’s boss of planning.
For instance, SATS will be
able to develop its extensive
properties as it sees fit, Escom
will be able to design power
lines and the province will be
able to build highways “if, in
the opinion of the Administa-
tor’, the developments are
compatible with the Govern-
ment’s intentions.
The public has less than a
month to object to the docu-
ment. Once passed, it becomes
binding on Government and pri
vate enterprise.
79
BASIC BELIEFS
Planning critic Mr Conrad
Berge commented: “The Gov-
ernment planners are fired by
two basic beliefs — that physi-
cal planning can vindicate the
Governinent’s social policies
and that good planning works
from the top down.”
The plan follows four years
of meetings between bureau-
crats and, towards the end,
black township representa-
tives.
The 2000sqkm area of the
Central Witwatersrand accom
modates half the Rand’s popu-
lation and 18 percent of South
Africa’s population.
The Central Witwatersrand
produces 18 percent of the
Gross Geographic Product
(GGP) and 27 percent of its ter-
tiary output (finance, commu-
nication, etc). But, says the doc-
ument, its role is declining be-
cause of “spontaneous decon-
centration (and because of) the
influence of Government mea-
sures to restrict industrial
growth in the Central Wit-
watersrand’”’.
The draft guide plan has
been greeted with mixed emo-
tions by planners. Many are
outraged.
To me it reads like a Russian
five-year plan.
In parts it appears to be a
vague bluenrint of how the
Government intends to control
market forces and natural
growth trends. If its sugges-
tions are ratified, it could mean
the economic sacrifice of the
very region which largely fin-
anced 20th-century South Afri-
ca.
The report claims, again re
peatedly, that Johannesburg
must be saved from becoming
“congested”. Yet the report’s
population projections reveal
that the metropolis would, by
the end of the century, still be
one of the world’s least dense-
ly-populated urban regions.
New York City has treble
this region’s population in half
the space. Greater London has
nearly treble in 25 percent less
space.
The report expects the pop-
ulation of the region to reach
3733250 by the year 2000.
Some demographers will argue
it is already nearly that. The
report concedes “the aforemen-
tioned estimates are regarded
as conservative in some quar-
ters”.
MULTI-NODAL
According to the report,
Johannesburg — target for
most of the more stringent con-
trols — provides 66 percent of
the job opportunities in the
Central Witwatersrand area.
It sees the future role of the
Central Witwatersrand as
being a multi-nodal commer-
cia! (tertiary) region, but which
will, nevertheless, have to find
jobs for just over 1 million new
workers between now and 2000.
But it adds: “No large scale
provision of industrial work op-
portunities is envisaged.”
Among the “objectives” list-
ed in the guide plan are:
@ “The relative levelling off of
growth (as regards both popu-
lation and employment) in the
area in order to bring about a
more even national distribution
pattern, but without detracting
from the key role played by the
Central Witwatersrand in a na-
tional and regional context.”
@ ‘The elimination of over-
population and congestion, and
the effective combatting of pol-
lution.”
@ ‘The creation of sufficient
work opportunities ... within
the framework of national de-
velopment policy.”.
The aim is to divert growth
to the Rustenburg-Pretoria-
Middelburg axis. Other areas
to be favoured are Brits, Ross-
lyn and Bronkhorstspruit.
The report says the Govcrn-
ment would allow the Central
Witwatersrand to create “light
industries and service indus-
tries on the borders of the
larger black townships’. The
idea, it says, is to broaden the
economic base of these towns
and provide work within easy
distance of black residents.
Although the report advo-
cates greater residential densi-
ties and more strategic public
transport, it states that “care
must be taken’ not to allow
public transport systems to
“increase the load on various
core areas, thereby hampering
the de-concentration process’.
Despite the region’s wealth
being taken away from it, the
Government accepts that the
region “will continue to grow
and provision will have to be
made for the controlled crea-
tion of employment opportuni-
ties in this area”.
It says that in channelling
growth away from the region it
is “important to take into ac-
count the investment alteady
made in respect of infrastruc-
ture in this area, and in partic-
ular in the Johannesburg city
centre”.
THREE AXES
It sees “second order cores’
(as opposed to the “first order
core” of Johannesburg’s CBD)
becoming established in, name-
ly, Liefde-en-Vrede and Rand-
burg.
The report identifies three
axes of development in the re-
gion:
@ The mining belt.
@ A belt which follows the rail-
way from Pretoria through
Tembisa, Kempton Park, Ger-
miston, Alberton, Tokoza and
Katlehong.
@A development axis from
80
Pretoria through Midrand,
Sandton, the northern suburbs
of Johannesburg, the city cen-
tre, and then south-westwards
via Soweto, Diepmeadow, Dob-
sonville and Eldorado Park to
Lenasia and Ennerdale.
It wants future development
confined to these belts and “de-
liberate development of suit-
abie points on these axes in
order to also put the black resi-
dential areas within easy reach
of centres of activities.
On the question of industrial
growth it says: “there is no real
need to make additional indus-
trial land available” — except
“limited areas ... for light and
service industries in, and adja-
cent to, Dobsonville, Diepmea-
dow and Soweto, Tokoza, Kat-
lehong, Lenasia and innerdale
to provide for the local needs
of the various communities.
LEVELLING OFF
On black residential expan-
sion it says: “Although the
growth rate of the black popu-
lation of the area is expected to
level off in future, it will be
necessary to make available
additional land for township
development in order to ac-
commodate the forseeable
black population increase.”
Within the guide plan area
itself there is, however, little
space available for this pur-
pose. It proposes a large town-
ship in the northeast, already
dubbed ‘‘Norweto”’.
“Only a part of the needs for
township development for
black people can be met (by
these proposals) because there
is not yet sufficient suitable
land available in the guide plan
area to accommodate the
needs of the expected natural
increase in the black popula
tion”.
“The guide plan committee
is theretore of the opinion .
(that) provision for township
development for black people
should be made outside the
boundaries of the guide plan
area.
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/9274
CSO:
CORRESPONDENT REVIEWS ACHIEVEMENTS OF TRICAMERAL PARLIAMENT
Port Elizabeth WEEKEND POST in English 6 Sep 86 p 10
[Article by Dirk van Zyl]
[Text ]
CAPE TOWN — With the
tricameral Parliament
having reached its second
anniversary this week, the
question must be asked:
has it been a worthwhile
exercise?
The answer cannot be
an unqualified yes or no.
On the plus side, from
the point of view of those
accepting that a non-ra-
cial democracy is the only
guarantee for peace in
South Africa, it could be
argued that at least some
people of colour have been
brought into Parliament.
This, it could be argued,
represents some move-
ment in the desired direc-
tion.
The interaction between
the coloureds and Indians
and white MPs — and here
one thinks particularly of
Afrikaner Nationalists of
various persuasions — has .
without doubt broken
down some of the tradi-
tional racial prejudices,
and opened lines of com-
munication.
This is generally ac-
knowledged by MPs of all
parties as having been a
particularly positive as-
pect of the joint standing
committees, where con-
sensus is sought on pro-
posed legislation.
It could be argued fur-
ther that since the inaugu-
ration of the tricameral
Parliament a number of
racial laws have been
scrapped.
These include the Mixed
Marriages Act, Section 16
of the Immorality Act, the
Prohibition of Political In-
terference Act and, of
course, the pass laws.
On the other hand the
new constitution, with its
tricamerai Parliament
and executive State Presi-
dent, has failed to come to
terms with the central
issue of broadening de-
mocracy — accommodat-
ing the political aspira-
tions of the majority of
South Africans.
This flaw was obvious
from the start, and led to
the founding of the United
Democratic Front to fight
the plan outside Parlia-
ment. Opposition groups
also stressed this failing in
the 1983 referendum, but
the majority of white vot-
ers went along with the
scheme, believing it would
be the start of better
things to come.
As Parliament ad-
journed its 1986 session
yesterday, progress to-
wards overcoming the sys-
tem’s major fault re-
mained woefully lacking.
Indeed, the warning of
82
SOUTH AFRICA
Dr Frederik van Zyl
Slabbert, former Leader
of the Opposition, during
the referendum campaign
that the new constitution
would lead to escalating
violence has, tragically,
been borne out. The Gov-
ernment, although it
claims to be engaged in
“extended negotiations”
with black leaders, has not
even been able to persuade
moderate organisations
and individuals like Chief
Mangosuthu Buthelezi, the
National African Feder-
ated Chambers of Com-
merce (Nafcoc) and the
Urban Councils Associ-
ation of South Africa
(Ucasa) to agree to partici-
pate in its mooted
National Statutory Coun-
cil.
Their demand is
straightforward: there can
be no participation in the
council, which the Govern-
ment says is a vehicle for
bringing blacks into Gov-
ernment at the highest
level, until Nelson
Mandela is released and
the African National Con-
gress is unbanned.
It seems the Govern-
ment has painted itself
into a corner by convinc-
ing its followers that the
ANC is beyond the pale.
Any informed observer
9274
CSO:
3400/5
knows that until negotia-
tions start between the
country’s two biggest na-
tionalist movements — the
Nationalist Government
and the ANC — the pros-
pects of breaking the poli-
tical deadlock will remain
almost nil.
Here it is worth recall-
ing the words of Dr
Slabbert in his resignation
speech in the House of As-
sembly in February:
“I am afraid that this
Government — I do not
say this in an acrimonious
sense — does not under-
stand the principles of ne-
gotiation, or, if they do,
they do not abide by them.
“The dismantling of
apartheid has nothing to
do with negotiation. It is
simply the first step to-
wards negotiation. Apart-
heid is not up for negotia-
tion. It has to go
completely. What is up for
negotiation is its alterna-
tive.”
The Government has
not yet grasped the nettle.
This is illustrated only too
well by the “own affairs”
and “general affairs” ar-
rangement underpinning
the current system of gov-
ernment.
The Opposition accused
the Government this week
of itself undermining the
standing of the tricameral
Parliament by bringing
the whole parliamentary
machinery back into
operation for a three-week
resumed session at an esti-
mated cost of R20 million,
to discuss largely minor
legislation.
And the way it got two
controversial security
Bills passed by the Presi-
dent’s Council in June
after two of the Houses
had rejected them did not
help the system’s credibil-
ity, either.
For the Labour Party,
particularly, this proce-
dure has created major
problems about whether
to continue participating
in the tricameral Parlia-
83
ment.
The LP has said it will
seriously consider its posi-
tion at its national con-
gress in Port Elizabeth in
January, after it had ini-
tially said such a review
would take place in 1989 —
five years after the institu-
tion of the new constitu-
tion.
The party and others
holding similar views are
increasingly frustrated at
apartheid cornerstones
like the Group Areas Act
and the Population Regis-
tration Act (race classifi-
cation) remaining intact.
And the continuing
existence of these laws is,
of course, a fundamental
cause of the Government's
reform programme failin
to grip the imagination o
the majority of South Afri-
cans — especially blacks
— and, indeed, of the
world.
People subjected to the
provisions of a law which
confines them to living in
impoverished townships
and denies them access to
facilities enjoyed by their
more affluent countrymen
can hardly be blamed for
being unenthusiastic about
“reform”.
On a functional level,
the tricameral Parlia-
ment has shown itself to be
cumbersome, with its in-
herent triplication of de-
bates and other activities.
There will be an im-
provement on this score,
at least, when a recom-
mendation of the joint
standing committee on
Rules and Orders for joint
debates on certain issues
is implemented in the new
chamber due for comple-
tion in the second half of
next year.
These joint debates will
probably start only in 1988.
Perhaps the new debat-
ing chamber will help
open the way for the coun-
try to address its funda-
mental problem more ef-
fectively, but the question
is: does South Africa have
that kind of time left?
SLABBERT CRITICIZES LATEST SESSION OF PARLIAMENT
Johannesburg BUSINESS DAY in English 12 Sep 86 p 6
[Article by Frederik van Zyl Slabbert]
[Text }
TOWARDS the end of the latest
session of Parliament the whole
process seemed to seize up like a
car whose pistons refused to pump
anymore. And that after we were
given to expect that this extra ses-
sion was going to be a “crucial
one,” with government tabling
critical Bills about the constitu-
tional future of tiie country.
Earlier on in tite year there was
tion that the sp&cial feder-
congress of the National Party
would clear the decks for govern-
ment to use this extra session of
Parliament to put us all into a new
gearshift towards the future.
Instead, government came to
Parliament with precious little to
say and nothing to offer, and ail
opposition parties agreed the situ-
ation was a farce and refused to
give their co-operation.
The deadlock was resolved by
government agreeing to a special
debate on the killings in Soweto
and then closing shop. That was it.
Legend
The constitutional paradox
which has always been part of Par-
liament in SA is now fully matured
and cannot be resolved by hoping
for a miracle to emanate from the
ritual of parliamentary procedure
itself.
It is this: the enduring legend of
parliamentary government is that
it is representative government,
reflecting the will of those gov-
erned and calling to account those
who exercise this mandate.
| The social conditions under
which this has to take place must
| allow for freedom of organisation,
‘movement and speech and the
rules of the game must allow for
fair competition between the con-
ae parties vying for the sup-
port of the electorate.
The paradox in SA is that those
representatives in Parliament
spend a great deal of time making
laws and allocating resources that
vitally affect the lives of the vast
majority of ple who did not,
9 not and cannot elect them to
O it.
How to resolve this paradox?
Obviously by extending constitu-
tional government. But how to do
that?
This is where the rub lies and
that is where, I fear, the reason is
to be found for Parliament uncere-
moniously spluttering to a stand-
still.
The man who has the formal job
of resolving the paradox is, of
course, Minister of Constitutional
Development Chris Heunis.
The manner in which he appar-
ently chooses to resolve this para-
dox, as well as the circumstances
in which he has to do so, make it
impossible for him and his govern-
ment to be successful.
To understate the point, I think it
is highly unlikely that constitution-
al government in SA can be suc-
SOUTH AFRICA
cessfully extended if the social cir-
cumstances which have to make
this possible are absent or deliber-
ately undermined.
Consider the following: since
1984 we have a a whose
sovereignity, to sa e least, is
ambiguous, if not diffuse.
Most of us rightfully —
that final authority rests with an
executive President who governs
with a security establishment and
where both are not subject to ac-
countable Feng proce-
dures for all their actions.
Major political organisations
who cannot be represented in Par-
liament are banned and their lead-
ership detained or in prison, and
those who would wish to demon-
strate their support for them or for
their organisations outside of Par-
liament do not have freedom of
organisation, movement or speech
and government has passed secur-
ity laws giving itself the discretion
to maintain or impose these condi-
tions as it sees fit.
Predefined
Against this background enters
Chris Heunis, determined to re-
spect democratic procedures, pro-
mote negotiations and to seek con-
sensus.
But, he says, those who wish to
enjoy the benefit of having consti-
tutional government extended to
them must accept that they can
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3400/16
only do so within the involuntary
context of a predefined racial
group — i.e., as a legally classified
coloured, Asian, black and white,
-and, furthermore, must cl-
“pate only within those racial con-
stitutional structures which
Heunis and his government have
created.
Once they are prepared to do so,
they are free to negotiate about
their constitutional niche in
society. The latest offering is
called a National Statutory Coun-
cil, with the State President him-
self as Chairman, no less.
The Bill that was going to give
legislative content to this constitu-
tional gem was what the extra ses-
sion of Parliament was called for.
But Heunis did not table the Bill,
because those who were supposed
to devate it did not represent those
who were going to be affected by
it, could not care less and were
definitely not interested in the
manner in which Heunis and his
government were interested in ex-
tending constitutional govern-
ment.
Government is determined to
resolve the paradox of Parliament
by compounding it. Instead of ex-
tending constitutional government
by creating circumstances in
which consent can be demon-
strated, they are deliberately mak-
ing the manifestation of consent
impossible.
ey insist that they want to talk
to “real leaders,” but will not allow
“real leaders” to lead. The more
they arrest, detain and ban the
more they demand that people
come forward and talk.
Because they have destroyed
consent, they perforce have to rely
on coercion and co-option. And
those who are pre to be co-
opted under conditions of coercion
are as useless for successfully ex-
tending constitutional government
as =. = have to decide for
people they do not represent.
t is why the pistons of Par-
liament have sei
Self-delusion
Parliamentary government,
when functioning properly, re-
flects the social conditions of
society in which such a govern-
ment is possible.
To demand that Parliament be
Parliament in social circum-
stances which contradict the very
nature of Parliament is the same
as comforting oneself with self-de-
lusion.
But to furthermore insist that
such a Parliament under such cir-
cumstances can be an effective in-
strument to extend constitutional
government is to make of self-de-
lusion an incurable pathology.
PFP CLAIMS MORE SUPPORT THAN POLLS INDICATE
Johannesburg THE SUNDAY STAR in English 7 Sep 86 p 4
[Article by John MacLennan]
[Text]
SOUTH AFRICA
The Progressive Federal Party says that 40 percent of whites support
the party but only 20 percent are prepared to vote for it during elections.
This is because people see the party a3 being overly critical, and they don't
know what its alternatives are.
Women, especially, are so put off by news of violence and unrest that they
are unwilling to read newspapers--the party's main avenue of presenting its
views to the public.
These and other
conclusions have
emerged
trom a PFP analysis of
various independent sur-
veys and form the basis
of the party’s first com-
plete and long-term
strategy aimed at taking
power.
The struggling
Progressive Party
worked initially at secur-
ing Mrs Helen Suzman’s
platform in Parliament.
It did this successfully
and then went for its next
target — to become the
official Opposition.
It achieved this and is
now polishing up its
strategy for the next logi-
cal task ... becoming the
Government.
The main reason for
the lack of support from
women is that events of
the past 18 months have
made them uncertain and
most concerned with per-
sonal security.
86
They are also loath to
read newspapers because
of the daily diet of death
and destruction. They
therefore miss out on the
PFP’s alternatives for a
new tomorrow.
The party estimates
that fewer than
50 percent of
women read news-
papers regularly,
They do watch TV, but
the party does not re-
ceive adequate opportu-
nity to air its views
through this medium.
Other features pin-
pointed in the analysis in-
clude the fact that the
Government is paralysed
because it has a comple-
tely “incoherent” power-
base.
On a question such as
whether hospitals should
be open to all races, the
PFP is able to depend on
an unequivocal “yes” of
87 percent.
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CSO:
3400/5
The NP supporters, by
contrast, registered
46 percent “yes”, 32 per-
cent “no” and 22 percent
“don’t know”.
The same divisive pat-
tern is seen among NP
supporters on other
issues and leads the
PFP’s Mr Ken Andrew —
chairman of the party's
federal council — to re-
mark that the NP is in
“dead trouble” because,
on almost any issue, it
is unable to speak with a
clear voice.
The NP, he says, has
been able to be
‘all things to all
people, but under
pressure it will
face major splits.
“The Government is
making an enormous
mess by any yardstick
and we have a marvel-
lous chance of picking up
87
aisenchanted voters who
supported the NP before.
“We don’t have to
change people's attitudes.
We merely have to get
people who share our at-
titudes to support us.
“For the first time in
10 years the PFP really
has a strategy and knows
where it is xoing.
“At the same time we
have the management
people, we have more
money and we have the
~t-s1t—
SALLLS.
to 55 seats in the House
of Assembly.
This will make it a real
contender for power in
the eyes of the so-called
New Nats who are said to
number some 35.
With the help of these
dissidents — either as
members of the PFP or
in coalition — the PFP
could take power.
SOUTH AFRICA
IMPOVERISHED WHITES RECEIVING 'MASSIVE' AID FROM RIGHT WING
Johannesburg THE STAR in English 2 Sep 86 p l
[Article by Hannes de Wet and Andre du Toit]
{Text }
The Government is providing food aid to an average
of 95000 people a month in a massive fight against
poverty among people of all population groups.
And the AWB has launched its own mercy mission
to aid needy white children, especially Afrikaners.
The Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk is involved
in similar relief efforts.
Dr Colin Cameron, co-ordinator of the Emergency
Feeding Scheme of the Department of National
Health and Population Development, said:
“In July, we helped 17000 families — which
amounted to 95 000 people. This is a fair reflection of
the monthly average.”
Mr Eugene TerreBlanche, leader of the AWB,
claimed yesterday his movement was the main force
behind aid to destitute white families. The primary
goal of the AWB initiative was to provide relief
to Afrikaner children — although other white chil-
dren also qualified.
The scheme includes help to people in the drought-
stricken areas of the Western Transvaal.
R35 000 SET ASIDE
At Groot Marico, the manager of the local farmers’
co-operative, Mr Jaap Coetzee, said farmers from
Groot Marico up to Lichtenburg were sending food to
the Witwatersrand.
The assistant-secretary of the Corminiccion for So-
cial Services of the NGK, Mrs JH Mollet, said that
in the first three months this year, R35 000 was bud-
geted for food to the needy
‘A total of 2.000 people older than 10 years and a
thousand under the age of 10 were provided with
food.” she said
/9274
cso: 3400/15
88
The general secretary of the AWB, Mr Willem Oli-
vier, said: “During the past few months, there has
been a definite increase in poverty in the Transvaal
and Free State — and the indications are that the
Situation will get worse.”
According to him, the aid included clothes
Calling on other organisations and institutions to
help. Mr TerreBlanche told The Star: “We cannot
keep on looking after the country’s children alone.”
He also made a plea to the Government to intro-
duce a levy on gold and platinum exports.
JOB OPPORTUNITIES
“Due to the current exchange rate, South African
gold and platinum are achieving unrealistic prices.
The result is that mining houses are making a fortune
while more and more people are getting poorer,” he
claimed.
“A levy on every ounce of gold sold will mean
billions of rands that could be used to create job op-
portunities,’ Mr TerreBlanche said.
According to a survey conducted by The Star on
the Witwatersrand and the Transvaal platteland,
farmers were donating produce on a regular basis.
“I'm getting 40 dozen eggs a week from Benoni,
milk from Heilbron and vegetables from Marble
Hall,” said Mrs Swannie Swanepoel. who runs a daily
soup kitchen for children in Mayfair, Fordsburg, Cot-
tesloe and Jan Hofmeyer.
She said she was feeding 300 children and a number
of adults every day.
In the Zeerust district. one of the worst-hit drought
areas in Transvaal, AWB members are involved in
running soup kitchens.
The Conservative Party is also said to be planning
aid
WHITES URGED TO ACKNOWLEDGE AFRICAN IDENTITY
Johannesburg THE STAR in English 11 Sep 86 p 19
{Text ]
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CSO:
3400/3
Failure by white South Africans
to accept and understand their
African identity could put them
in danger of becoming aliens in
their own land.
This warning was sounded by
Mr Neil van Heerden, the depu-
ty director-general of foreign af-
fairs, in an address at Pretoria
University.
White South Africans often
gave dubious acknowledgment to
their African identity, said Mr
van Heerden.
He said he did not wish to
deny the European and West-
ern heritage of white civilisa-
tion in Scuth Africa.
“But if it separates us from
the indisputable realities of the
world in which we live in Afri-
ca then we run the danger of
becoming aliens in our own
land.”
Mr van Heerden asked wheth-
er South Africans should not do
More to make their acceptance
of their African identity com-
plete.
“We have indeed becume one
with our physical environment,
but what of our human environ-
ment?”
Was not the unrest in the coun-
try due partly io the incomplete-
ness of the whites’ identification
with this environment?
OPPORTUNITY
Their best opportunity for sur-
vival and therefore their biggest
challenge lay in achieving the
greatest possible harmony across
community boundaries so a dis-
pensation could be created that
would be accepted by the major-
ity, he said.
While protecting and extend-
ing their own vaiues whites must
also know and respect the values
of the different black communi-
ties.
He asked whether whites read
black newspapers and maga-
zines, visited black residential
areas, asked themselves how
blacks spent their holidays or
thought about whether they
would get pensions in their old
age.
“Rather than becoming fixed
in negztive stereotypes of each
other — which often amount to
nothing less than naked racism
— we must search for that which
we have in common.”
Mr van Heerden called for
whites to abandon racism not
because the outside world de-
manded it but because this was
an investment in the future.
Whites, he said, must appre-
ciate the blacks’ yearning for po-
litical participation.
With its own house based on
strong foundaticas, South Afri-
ca would be in a position suc-
cessfully to carry out its regional
responsibilities in the subconti-
nent, he said.
“And for this very reason it
is important that our African
identification be complete”.
SOUTH AFRICA
SOUTH AFRICA
ASIAN STUDENTS IN WiilTE SCKOOLS TO NEED SPECIAL PERMISSION
Johannesburg THE SUNDAY STAR in English 7 Sep 86 pp l, 2
[Article by Kitt Katzin]
[Text] In an astonishing move that has sent shock waves through the educa-
tion profession, the Government has decided that hundreds of Chinese and a
smaller number of Japanese children will in future need special permission to
enroll at white State schools in South Africa.
The decision by the Department of Education and Culture reimposes a ruling made
several years ago and will be strictly enforced by the provincial departments
of education.
It appears from a directive by the Transvaal Education Department (TED) ob-
tained by The Sunday Star, that all Chinese and Japanese pupils will as from
w be compelled to apply in writing to be admitted to Government schools.
The bombsheli disclosure comes in the wake of Foreign Minister Mr Pik Botha's
diplomatic shuffle to the Far East te woo the Japanese government and others,
and to persuade them to hold off on sanctions against South Africa.
In terms of the new directive which relates to the Transvaal, the Director of
Education will have sole discretion in approving or rejecting admission appli-
cations from Chinese and Japanese pupils.
The ruling, however, has been extended to all provinces, and applied to en-
rollment at both primary and high schools.
It also applies to Chinese and Japanese pupils already attending Government
primary schools who are due, with thousands of fellow-SA pupils, to enter
provincial high schools.
They. too, will have to apply to the Director of Education for admission
through the principals of the schools concerned.
Pupils already posted to high schools will not be affected and will write
matric,
90
Several hundred Chinese and a growing number of Japanese have attended Govern-
ment schools in Johannesburg and other centres for many years
without applying to any provin-
cial education department.
However, in terms of the la-
teat directive — a clear reversal
of policy going back to the 1970s
when permission for Asians to
attend State schools had to be
aought — the Government has
confirmed fears that it is serious
about its hardline education pol-
icy,
It has left no doubt, say in-
formed sources, that it intends
to apply school apartheid in its
strictest and broadest sense.
Yet, this aside, and apart
from the blow it will have to
the credibility of the Govern-
ment's reform iniatives, top
educationists expressed aston-
ishment at the political hypocri-
Sy surrounding the timing and
motive of the ruling.
How, they aak, can the Gov-
ernment discriminate againat
Chinese and Japanese at the
very time Mr Pik Botha pleads
with Japan, on the one hand, net
to impose sanctions, and coercas
Taiwan, on the other, to /a-
crease trade with SA?
And compounding the anora-
ly is the fact that the Japanrse
and Chinese schools in Johan-
neaburg are situated in white
residential suburba. |
The Chinese School — Itself a
Government achool and run by
the TED — ia in Bramley Park,
Sandton, and the Japanese
School, funded by the Japanese:
Government and run privately,
is in Emmarentia.
The new TED ruling waa In
cluded in a confidential direct-
ive — the newest “Manual on
General School Organisation”.
dated April 10, 1986.
Under a sub-heading, Admis-
sion of Chinese and Japanese
pupils to provincial schools, it
/9274
csO: 3400/5
has this to aay:
(1) “Only the Director of
Eduction may approve the ad-
mission of Japanese and Chinese
pupils to provincial schools.
2) “Applications to admit
these pupils should he directed
through the principal of the
school concerned to the Director
for his decision.”
In subsequent briefings to
principals, TED inspectors have
made it clear that the ruling is
to be strictly enforced and that
it applies to all Chinese and Jap-
anese pupils, including those
graduating from Go ernment
primary schoola to high schools.
The Sunday Star asked Mr
Piet Clase, the Minister of Edu-
cation and Culture (white edu-
cation) in the House of Assem-
bly, to comment.
In response, Mr JDV Terb-
lanche, chief executive director
of the Department of Education
and Culture, issued a brief state-
ment in which he confirmed the
ruling had been made.
It said: “This arrangement
has been standard procedure for
some time and has proved no
restriction to the admission of
pupils concerned.”
Asked if \t applied to all prov-
inces, Mr Terblanche said it did,
and to primary schools as well,
but that no problems had been
experienced.
He would not say why, if
there had been no problems, it
had been necessary to reimpose
the restriction.
He was told his statement
was inadequate, but flatly re-
fused to discuss it further or say
if the ruling would be strictly
applied.
“I have given you my com-
ment and I have nothing to
add,” he said.
Dr P H Bredenkamp, Director
of the TED, said that since The
Sunday Star had made inquiries
at a higher levei, he had no
comment.
Meanwhile, opposition to the
91
measure is growing and educa-
tionists are demanding that it be
scrapped.
Several headmasters in the
Transvaal are known to be vit-
terly unhappy, but say they are
unable to comment.
Yesterday, PFP Education
spokesman Mr Horace van
Rensburg said he was appalled
to hear of the decision, and
warned that it would lead to
deep resentment among all
communities and damage SA's
image abroad.
Informed sources say tliat it
is clear that the ruling is aimed
at reinforcing separate educa-
tion in the narrowest sense, even
if it means removing Chinese
aand Japanese pupils, let alone
Asians or coloureds, from so-
called white schools.
The Sunday Star was told that
for the past few years, Chinese
and Japanese pupils coming
through Government primary
schools had no problem entering
high schools.
The most frightening aspect
of all, said one source, was that
the fate of these pupils would
now lie in the hands of one per-
son, the provincial Director of
Education.
Inquiries show that, in the
case of the Transvaal, several
hundred Chinese pupils are en-
rolled at Government schools.
In the case of Japanese
pupils, some are at Blairgowrie
and Ermmarentia Primary
Shools, and at least two high
schools. A few are at private
schools.
INDIAN TEACHERS'
COLLEGE TO BE OPEN TO BLACKS
Durban POST NATAL in English 10-13 Sep 86 p l
[Article by Khalil Aniff]
[Text ]
BLACK matriculants
will in future be able
to enrol for a teach-
er-training course at
Springfield College of
Education.
The decision to open
Springfield to blacks
was confirmed yester-
day by Mr Amichand
Rajbansi, chairman of
the Ministers’ Council,
who said discussions
had already been held
between the Indian
Minister of Education,
Mr Kassie Ramduth,
and KwaZulu’s Educa-
tion Minister, Dr
Oscar Dhlomo.
Further discussions
are due to be held
soon.
Neither Dr Dhlomo
nor ‘tis education sec-
retary, Mr John Zimu,
was available for
comment.
Tke move to mix at.
Springfield follows the
opening of Indian
schools to black pupils.
Many have already en-
rolled at Indian
schools but the exact
number could not be
obtained yesterday.
Mr Rajbansi said his
1/9274
CSO: 3400/15
Council’s decision had §
been conveyed to the
KwaZulu Government.
He said when black
teachers qualified they
would return to take
up posts at their
schools.
“There is a great |
shortage of properly
qualified teachers in
black schools and this
will help alleviate
their teaching prob-
lems,” he said.
Black teachers will
not, however, be al-
lowed to teach at In-
dian schools because
of prohibitions under
the Education Act.
Mr Rajbansi said it
would be a good idea
for blacks to teach in
Indian schools and
vice versa, but Educa-
tion Act regulations
would not allow this
yet.
“Inter-relations be-
tween Indians and
blacks must not be
confined only ic the
classrooms — they
must extend beyond
and spread on to the
sportsfields and other
facets of life.
92
“I believe there
must be a form of
artnership between .
ndian and black
schools,” Mr Rajbansi
said.
Mr Pat Samuels,
president of the
Teachers’ Association
of South Africa, wel-
comed the new devel-
opment but regarded
it as “tokenism”’.
“There is no need
for the College to be
open to blacks only. It
must be open to all
South Africans,” he
said, adding that TASA
believed education
should be a general
affair.
Mr Samuels said
33 000 blacks matricu-
lated last year com-
pared with 6000 In-
dians, but the majority
of them did not pursue
careers because they
did not have the op-
portunity to do so.
“The quota system
for admission should
not apply and trainee
teachers should be ac-
cepted on merit.
“It goes without say-
SOUTH AFRICA
ing that black schools
need qualified teach-
ers more than anyone
else. They have the
_potential but lack
opportunities.”
Mr Samuels said he
believed blacks would
be as good as any
other teachers provid-
ed they had the facili-
ties and opportunities.
“Colleges such as
Edgewood, Spring-
field, Laudium, and
the various universi-
ties must open their
doors and encourage
more teacher-training
at such institutions.”
_ Meanwhile, TASA
‘resolved at its national
council meeting in
Durban at the week-
end to call on the Gov-
ernment to open all
tertiary institutions,
including colleges of
education, to all South
Africans.
It rejected the pro-
posed multi-million
rand teacher training
college at Cato Manor,
dismissing it as an In-
dians-only college.
PROFESSOR WELCOMES NEW APPROACH TO TEACHING HISTORY
Johannesburg BUSINESS DAY in English 12 Sep 86 p 6
SOUTH AFRICA
{Article by Hermann Giliomee, professor of politics at the University of Cape
Town]
[Text]
HE ALARMING fiasco of
the recent short session of
Parliament confirms the
impression that govern-
ment has fallen far behind in its
attempt to give some institution-
al form to.the turbulent proces-
ses of change in our society.
To discern the changing con-
tours of SA one increasingly has to
look to new developments in areas
such as capital-labour relations,
the educational system and the
extra-parliamentary movement.
A significant indicator of social
change in any society is what may
superficially appear to be a rather
mundane matter — the syllabuses
for school history.
After more than 10 years of the
same syllabus, all government
schools in SA are in the process of
introducing new history syllabuses
for Standards 5 to 10. New sylla-
buses for Standards 5 to 8 are being
introduced this year, the new Stan-
dard 9 syllabus next year and the
one for Matric in 1987.
The new syllabuses were final-
ised in 1983 by the Joint Matricula-
tion Board, on which all the univer-
sities and the head of state’s
education departments are repre-
sented.
Since Afrikaner nationalists
control the political system they
have a decisive say in the histori-
” truths selected for posterity in
A.
T. historian Leonard Thomp-
son notes in his new study — “The
Political beng | of Apartheid”
(Yale University ) — that the
textbooks strongly reflected the
two dominant themes of Afrikaner
nationalist ideology.
Tie first theme is the Afrikaner
liberation from British (or South
African English) domination in the
political, economic and cultural
spheres.
Accordingly, the text books have
given prominence not only to the
Afrikaner Wars of Independence
and the Great Trek but also to
obscure events such as the rebel-
lions at Graaff Reinet and Slag-
tersnek in 1795 and 1815 respec-
tively.
The second theme is the racist
theme — the idea that the Euro
ans are superior and that the dif-
ferent races are incompatible. In
the last two decades this has been
supplanted by an updated variant:
SA is comprised of “separate na-
tions” with profoundly different
“cultures”.
Even the more sophisticated
versions tell a story in which
whites make the history and main-
tain their identity, while the other
groups merely respond or make
their own separate ethnic histories
in a very minor key.
In a study analysing the current
secondary school textbooks (which
93
are now due to be replaced), a Pot-
chefstroom graduate, Johanna du
Preez, found that ee A were rid-
died with what she calls 12 master
symbols.
H.. list starts with the following
four:
C Legitimate authority is not ques-
tioned;
OC Whites are superior, blacks are
inferior,
O The Airikaner has a special rela-
tionship with God; and
O SA rightfully belangs to the Afri-
kaner.
It is little wonder that children
in all the black groups have in
recent years angrily rejected the
“official” version of history, up to
the point of burning text books.
Not surprisingly, “People’s His-
tory” is a key subject included in
the general demand for an alterna-
tive “People’s Education”.
The black, coloured and Indian
education authorities have warned
unofficially that any textbooks
which contain a hint of racism, or
even unacceptable terminology,
will be rejected.
B ut even in white schools the
“official” school history has come
to be seen as unproductive or even
counter-productive.
In English-medium schools the
brighter children are turning away
in great numbers from a history
which they consider as having
little relevance to the kind of
future they will face.
In Afrikaans schools a similar
trend is evident, but here there is
also another concern. Studies have
shown that the —— of Afri-
kaner youth for 3 tical participa-
tion — and in history plays a
vital par‘ — is producing a culture
of extreme political isolation.
In 1985, studies by RAU scholars
Hennie Kotze and Susan Kotze con-
cluded that Afrikaner youth have a
“pre-occupation with internal tri-
vialities at the expense of develop-
ing a consciousness of the issues
pertaining to SA at large”.
Lawrence Schlemmer showed
that the Afrikaner youth did not
attribute the black uprising of 1976
to real grievances but rather to
artificial causes or the role of agi-
tators.
It is on this kind of political iso-
lation and incomprehersion that
the Conservative Party and other
ies of the far Right can cap-
italise when new unrest flares up.
At the recent Free State
Congress, Piet Clase, Minister of
Education and Culture, expressed
concern about the lack of “political
literacy” among white pupils.
A ccordingly, he has launched an
investigation into the possibility of
introducing political science as a
subject or sub-division at school.
is kind of thinking would
never have occured if history at
school had served its on! edu-
cational function — namely, to
prepare the youth for participation
in the life of their society. It is
against this background that the
new syllabuses are being intro-
duced.
While the syllabuses for higher
school standards are still preoccu-
[paragraph ends
héte],
The themes of “reaction” and
“extra-parliamentary activity,”
with reference to the National
/9274
CSO: 3400/16
94
Convention and to government’s
racial policies after 1948, are in-
cluded for the first time.
The introduction of the theme of
“extra-parliamentary” activity
implicitly contradicts the old no-
tion of single, legitimate authority.
This 0 the way for a proper
declan of the history of the
African National Congress since
1922 and of the dynamics of our
politics beyond the activities of the
white political parties.
In the new syllabuses there is
also. a welcome new emphasis on
economic history, which will en-
able history teachers to introduce
two key actors to their pupils —
namely, the business and black
workers class.
It can teach through history a
lesson ye egy = 4!
learning y — that ry
not only being made by the politi-
cally tte but perhaps even
more importantly by the poor and
the underprivileged.
T. great American educat
ist John Dewey had a point wn
he said that economic history is
more democratic than political
history.
Whites still consider themselves
as the core of the South African
nation. This is still barely conceiv-
able today, when there are about
five-million whites to more than
30-million blacks.
But black numbers are projec-
ted to rise to 50-million by the year
2000 and 80-million by the year
2020. Some genuinely multi-racial
centre will have to be found if our
society is not to disintegrate like
that of Lebanon.
To build such a multi-racial cen-
tre it is crucially important to
teach the youth a history which
will prepare them for a quite dif-
ferent future. The new syllabuses
provides openings for enterprising
teachers and textbook publishers
to embark on such a venture.
GOOD PROSPECTS FOR INDIAN BUSINESS IN ORANGE FREE STATE
Durban POST NATAL in English 10-13 Sep 86 p l
[Article by Bobby Harrypersadh]
{Text ]
1/9274
CSO:
INDIAN business near
Bloemfontein is set to
boom as industrialists
prepare to move into the
country’s most conserva-
tive white stronghold.
And accommodation in.
the white rightwing city -
appears to be the least of
the probiems. |
Helping to assist busi-
nessmen making their
move and setting up their
companies is Verulam in-
dustrialist Mr Iqbal Ma-
hamed, who is Natal
manager of the South
African Development
Trust Corporation.
Job opportunities for
thousands of workers will
be provided when the
factories are established
in Botshabelo, which has
been earmaiked as a
QwaQwa border town
near Bloemfontein.
One factory is almost
ready for production, an-
other two are concluding
arrangements to make .
the move and 16 more in-
dustrial applications are
being processed.
Massive decentralisa-
tion benefits are luring
many companies over-
burdened with high over-
heads and labour costs to
the Free State.
Development manager
for the Bloemfontein City
Council, Mr Neils Booy-
3400/15
sen, said: “Indians will be
welcomed here, as has al-
ready been done in the
town itself. Representa-
tives of at least three In-
dian firms are staying in
hotels or rented homes.
“Eventually when the
Group Areas Act is
scrapped, they will be
able to buy homes here.
“No matter what peo-
ple may say, the Bloem-
fontein City Council's of-
ficial decision is that In-
dians may stay any-
where.
“Asian industrialists —
from Taiwan — have
95
been staying in Bloem-
fontein for some time
now.”
Mr Booysen said many
Indians found it conve-
nient to stay at Thaba
Neau which is cluse. to
the industrial area.
Mr Mahomed, who was
among the first industri-
alists to set up a factory
in Isithebe near Eshowe,
said he had been respon-
sible for assisting Indian
firms — such as Lockhats
who were provisionally
liquidated in Durban
some months ago — to
move into Botshabelo.
The Paruk family, who
also have clothing fac-
tories in Durban, may
also be moving to the
area.
Mr Mahomed said: “I
have been going to the
Free State fairly regular-
ly in the course of my
work for the past three
years, and in my experi-
ence, the people there
have been friendly and
helpful.”
SOUTH AFRICA
SOUTH AFRICA
RAPIDLY CHANGING FACE OF NATION'S LABOR MOVEMENT DESCRIBED
Johannesburg THE WEEKLY MAIL in English 12-18 Sep 86 p 4
[Article by Moira Levy]
[Text]
RECENT shifts and disaffiliations by
a number of local trade unions are
changing the face of the South African
labour movement.
Major realignments are already
taking place, with the steady decline of
the former labour giant, the Trade
Union Council of South Africa
(Tucsa), and the proposed merger
next month of the Azanian
Confederation of Trade Unions
(Azactu) and the Council of. Unions of
South Africa (Cusa).
The planned new federation has
publicly claimed it will have the
support of 500 000 members, the
equivalent of the largest existing
federation in the country, the
Congress of South African Trade
Unions (Cosatu).
However, labour researchers at the
University of Cape Town have
estimated that together Cusa and
Azactu combined have more like
250 000 members. Last year Cusa
lost its largest affiliate, the 100 000-—
strong National Union of
Mineworkers, to Cosatu.
The proposed new body is expected
to endorse a policy of nonracialism,
together with black trade union
leadership. The proposed new
federation has gone on record as
Saying it does not see itself as an
alternative to Cosatu. Relations
between the two labour giants will
“remain sound”, according to Azactu
co-ordinator P Nefolovhodwe.
It seems likely the new federation,
like Cosatu, will blur the divide
96
ottween political and factory floor
issues. “We have never seen a
difference between life in the factories
and life in the ghettoes,”
Nefolovhodwe said.
Tucsa’s reluctance to tackle political
issues publicly has lost it significant
support in recent years. The growing
politicisation of South African trade
unionism has, according to acting
Tucsa president Robbie Botha, had
some part to play in the federation’s
steady decline.
The largest trade union federation
in the country until Cosatu was
launched in December 1985, Tucsa
has experienced a serious decline in
recent years. Membership has more
than halved since its heyday in 1983
when Tucsa had 57 affiliated unions
representing a total of 478 420
workers. In the past year, eight trade
unions have withdrawn from Tucsa;
in August, its membership had
dropped to about 275 000.
The subject of the federation’s
decline in membership and support
was expected to be discussed at an
emergency meeting of Tucsa’s
national executive, scheduled this
week to plan policy after the
cancellation of Tucsa’s annual
conference.
According to Botha, the conference
was cancelled at the last minute
because affiliate unions could not
afford to send full delegations, but
observers believe the move is
indicative of the federation’s growing
financial and organisational
difficulties.
Tucsa is losing members from both
ends of the political spectrum.
Rightwing unions have disaffiliated
because they fear the federation is nc
longer protecting white collar
workers.. Other unions are
disenchanted with what they see as the
federation’s failure to state its oppo-
sition to government policy clearly.
Botha is indignant about cnticism of
Tucsa’s multiracial, as opposed tc-
nonracial, policy. “Some say we are :
not fighting the policy of apartheid.
Others say we are ineffective,
notwithstanding all that Tucsa has.
done over the past few years for
labour, both nationally and
internationally.”
To some extent, he agrees Tucsa’s
declining fortunes are the product of
growing politicisation in the labour
movement and impatience with the
federation’s commitment to factory
floor issues.
“There is growing polarisation in
the political sphere between the
extreme Right and the extreme Left. I
have heard whisperings of black
unionists who feel Tucsa is controlled
by whites, although I don’t know how
they can say that. They do participate
in elections once a year.”
Botha believes Tucsa will weather
the crisis. “We have survived many
crises in the past. Tucsa is intent on
surviving. We will pick up the pieces
where they fall.”
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CSO: 3400/16
97
‘In the latest blow, the more than
50 000-strong Garment Workers
Union of the Western Province
(GWUWP) announced that at its
general meeting this weekend it would
almost certainly vote to withdraw
from Tucsa.
General secretary Cedric Peterson
said the question of GWUWP
disaffiliation has been on the cards
since May. The decision was
temporarily shelved to give acting
secretary Fred Roux a chance to
revive the federation. Roux’s
unexplained and sudden resignation
after only two months “reopened the
discussion’’, Petersen said.
Blaming Tucsa’s decline on lack of
leadership, Petersen praised the
efforts of acting office bearers, Botha
and Ruth Imrie. “Hats off to them,
they have done a miracle keeping the
pieces together — but the federation
needs permanent staff in leadership
positions,” he said.
Like most of the unions that have
left Tucsa, the GWUWP will not join
another federation. “The workers we
represent live on the poverty line. I
think we need to look at the immediate
problems that affect them. It is far
more valuable and relevant to work
with local community organisations at
grassroots level instead of sitting
around a confederation table debating
national issues.”
SOUTH AFRICA
EXPERTS OPTIMISTIC ABOUT SOLVING BLACK HOUSING CRISIS
Johannesburg SUNDAY TIMES in English 7 Sep 86 p 12
[Article by David Jackson]
[Text ]
OUTH Africa’s criti-
cal backlog in black
housing could be
ted within 10
to 15 — boosted by
BaRES
ages
3
a
at
Hie
i Fil
rie
trating developers.
Across the country, excit-
ing and innovative housing
for blacks are roll-
evelopments which give
blacks as well as whites the
option of buying on leasehold
or freehold.
A. the country’s building
industry, now suffering one
of its worst slumps, is itching
to get moving on home build-
ing — which in turn would
provide a stimulus to the eco-
nomy by providing jobs for a
host of allied tradesmen.
Experts this week gave
warm but qualified approval
Authoritative estimates
t the present backlog in
Black housing (including
coloureds and Indians) at
anything between 530 000
and 575 000 homes.
And one forecast of the re-
quirement by the turn of the
century is such that even if
the country develops 100 000
houses a year for blacks, only
about 50 percent of the need
will be-met by the year 2000.
In some townships, an
average of 16 people or more
are living in a single home —
with up to 42 people in a sin-
gle two-bedroomed house in
some extreme cases.
Some say that even if the
Government’s R750-million
was immediately poured into
a crash housing drive, it
would reduce the backlog
only by about five to 10 per-
cent.
But hopes are pinned on a
snowballing effect which —
with schemes such as the
“self-help” housing projects
being initiated by the Urban
Foundation — could see the
housing shortage drastically
reduced within a decade.
Says Mr I W Robinson,
managing director of the gi-
ant LTA construction com-
pany: “Money is not the real
problem ... we are short of
98
can then take that land, build
houses and sell them quickly.
“We have to wait a long
time to get a return on our
investment, whereas if we
get the serviced land we can
start selling houses within
four or five months of actual-
ly starting work — and start
generating a cash flow.”
A...... to Mr Robinson,
there is already a backlog of
homes for blacks who have
the means to buy them —
basic bricks and mortar, two-
bedroomed houses, in the
R20 000 to R60 000 range.
“As a rule the black man
requires space. This is a big
incentive and ‘whether the
finishing is a bit rough is not
really the main concern. We
/9274
CSO:
3400/3
dards of housing. We are at-
tempting to provide First
World accommodation in a
Third World environment at
the moment.
“We have to provide a
house which is first of all af-
fordable, and secondly in an
area where the black man
wants to live.
“He wants to live where he .
doesn’t have to travel about
three hours to get to work in
the morning.
“The environment is also
very important ... we don't
want to see Sowetos spring-
ing . + over the place. This
can
planning. So one
Mr Robinson says that in
theory the backlog could be
cleared within 10 years.
One of the keys to low-cost
housing could lie with the
“self-help” schemes.
Mr Matthew Nell, general
avoided with careful |
|
manager of the Family Hous- .
ing Association — a housing
tween R350 and R400 a.
utility company established
by the Urban Foundation in
the Transvaal — explains
that these schemes, which
link individual owner-build-
ers with building society
finance, have approved
building plans, bulk-pur-
chased materials available
to them on-site, plus a level
of technical supervision and
advice available during con-
struction.
The owner-builders then
take ey for organ-
ising the building them-
selves. Thev find their own
local contractor and employ
him on a labour-only basis to
produce the goods.
Says Mr Nell: “Our lowest-
= house is going with a
uilding society bond at
about R10 000 at the moment.
We are able to get down to
household incomes of be-
month.
“This means between 50
and 60 percent of families on
the Rand can afford houses
with this type of self-help, as-
suming they are employed.”
This type of housing can be
99
produced within four ‘to six
months by the owner-builder.
Such schemes are being
run in Katlehong and Tho-
koza (formerly Natalspruit),
and by the end of the year
100 to 125 houses a month
will be coming off the pro-
duction line.
There are similar schemes
in the Eastern and Western
tu Bloemfontein and Dur-
n
In a second version of the
“self-help” scheme, people
are given access to a ser-
vi site where they take
occupation, erect a tempo-
rary structure and over a
period ranging from three to
eight years provide them-
selves with a house.
This means they don’t have
to find the finance for the
whole product all at once.
- But, warns Mr Nell: “The
allocation of funds is only one
of the elements which have to
be dealt with.
“It’s critical to resolve the
land supply question, to stim-
ulate the local home-building
industry, and to tackle the
whole red tape issue — such
as the administrative re-
quirements in order to regis-
ter ownership on each indi-
vidual.
“On the credit side. housing
is now receiving a level of
priority which increases our
optimism that these factors
will be addressed.”
D. Llewellyn Lewis, presi-
dent of the Institute of Hous-
ing, also believes the black-
housing backlog could be
eliminated within 10-15 years
if the tempo of expenditure is
maintained and there is an
increased Government allo-
cation for black housing.
“I think the Government is
in earnest, because it wants
to create employment and
stimulate the economy.
“The package could be a
major engine for growth and
I'm optimistic, particularly
because the private sector is
becoming involved in various
innovative and creative ways
on the financing side.
“The constraining issues
are land and f‘nance. Techni-
cally, we can solve our prob-
lems ... there is nobody in
the world who can teach us
anything about housing.”
EXPERT ASSESSES HOUSING BACKLOG SITUATION
Johannesburg THE STAR in English 9 Sep 86 p 12
SOUTH AFRICA
[Article by Dr Tobie de Vos, chief econcmist of the Building Services Division,
National Building Research Institute at the CSIR]
[Text]
The population of the
Republic of South Africa is
expected to increase from
20 million in 1985 to about
34 million by the year 2000
when a projected 83 per-
cent will be living in the
urban areas compared
with 66 percent at present.
The white group presently has
a housing surplus of about 37 000
units. This does not necessarily
mean all households are without
problems.
Financial hardship, overcrowding
and the occupation of inadequate
homes is often found. The fact that
vacant units are not restricted to
the relatively expensive category
indicates that affordability
problems are also experienced by
whites.
Although statistical analysis
indicates a shortage of 52000
housing units for the coloured
population, information obtained
from a number of local areas seems
to indicate the present shortage
may be as high as 100 000 units.
The Indian population has a
shortage of about 44000 housing
units.
The main housing problem facing
South Africa concerns the black
population. This is not only because
of the size of this population, but
because previous government
policies restricted the building of
homes, and imposed influx control
and group areas legislation.
Generate demand
While the present backlog for
blacks amounts to more than 500 000
units, the relaxation of influx
control, together with the natural
population increase, will generate a
demand for an additional 1,3 million
homes by 1990.
An estimated 2,7 million homes
will have to be providea before the
year 2000 if every household is to
occupy a separate dwelling by then.
About 3,2 million homes in all
need to be provided in the urban
area of the RSA before 2000. This is
more than 200000 on average per
annum.
The ability to provide low cost
housing units depends, among other
things, on the cost of the dwellings,
the ability of households to afford
them, the availability and cost of
the land, labour and the funds
available for subsidisation.
Unit cost
The cost of providing a low-cost
housing unit in 1986 is R20 000
100
including land and services.(A
low-cost house is defined as a
55 sqm to 69sqm home containing
three living rooms, a kitchen and
bathroom with no cupboards and
only basic storage space in the
kitchen. Ceilings are provided and
the floor finishes are relatively
maintenance free. Electricity. hot
and cold water and waterborne
sewerage are included.)
The ability of households to
afford accommodation can be
evaluated, inter alia, in terms of
their disposable income for housing.
This disposable income is
considered to be that portion of
household income available for
housing after transport costs of the
breadwinners have been paid as
well as the items necessary to
maintain a minimum standard of
health and decency.
The Institute of Planning
Research at the University of Port
Elizabeth has found the Household
Subsistence Levels (HSL) for blacks,
Indians and coloureds to be R345,
R401 and R368 a month respectively
in 1985.
As similar studies have not been
undertaken for whites, it will be
assumed the HSL for Whites is the
same as for Indians.
Current and projected urban housing requirements: 1985-2000
Population Housing Stock Housing requirements
group 1985 1985 1990 1995 2000
Whites* Requirements |1 299 000 1 262 000 | 1 332 000)1 430 000)1 517 000
Cum. shortage +(37 000) 33 000} 132 000} 218 000
Coloureds*| Requirements 394 000 446 000 487 000} 538 000) 586 000
Cum. shortage 52 000 94 000} 144 000} 192 000
Asians* Requirements 141 000 185 000 200 000} 218 000} 234 000
Cum. shortage 44 000 60 000 77 000 93 000
Blacks** |Requirements 466 000 1 004 000 | 2 299 000)2 724 000/3 161 000
Cum. shortage 538 000 | 1 833 000/2 258 000/2 695 000
+ Surplus
* RSA and National States, excluding TBVC countries
** RSA, excluding the National States and the TBVC countries
Households
According to the 1985 All Media
and Products survey (AMPS) the
average declared monthly income
for households in South Africa
(including the TBVC countries and
Namibia) ranged from R352 for
blacks to more than R2 000 for
whites.
In terms of this analysis, only
2,4 percent of white households are
financially unable to make any
contributions towards their housing.
The corresponding figures for
coloured, Indians and blacks are
31,l percent, 8,2 percent and
26,4 percent.
About nine percent of all white
households need assistance to
acquire a low-cost dwelling. More
than half the coloureds, 30 percent
of the Indians and no less than
84 percent of the blacks cannot
afford a low-cost dwelling with
some form of subsidy.
The one-third interest rate State
subsidy which first-time home-
owners receive allows 94 percent of
all white households to acquire
101
low-cost dwellings whereas the civil
service subsidy allows 96 percent to
do so.
The corresponding percentages
for coloureds are about 53 and 61,
for Indians 78 and 85 and for blacks
24 and 33.
Loan funds
According to tables reflecting
loan funds required for subsidised
low-cost housing, it can be
calculated that at least R8 000
million is needed to eradicate the
1995 backlog. This is 11 times the
R720 million the Government has
made available.
If the housing backlog is to be
met by 1990 at the standard
suggested and assuming prices,
costs, interest rates and house-
hola incomes remain constant,
the astronomical amount of
R27 000 million will be required in
the form of loanable funds on which
no interest or capital redemption
payments can be made initially
Too many households in South
Africa have become accustomed to
either the State or their employers
largely subsiding their
accommodation. This has created a
dependancy syndrome which has
detrimentally affected the natural
growth of the housing market.
Informal sector
About 70 percent of white
households receive some form
of housing subsidy while a
considerably larger proportion of
other population groups enjoy this
privilege.
The involvement of each
household in the provision of its
housing is probabiy the most
significant way to reduce the need
for low-cost housing finance. The
encouragement and development of
the informal economic sector,
specially in the erection and
maintenance of dwellings, is of
particular importance.
For such a system to be
successful, building standards
appropriate to the technologies
employed and to the associated
financial constraints will have to be
actively encouraged and approved.
The role of the State in the
provision and financing of housing
in South Africa has often been
underestimated. It is not generally
known the State has in recent years
been responsible fur the direct
financing of more than one-third of
all housing constructed in South
Africa.
Plots available
As far as coloured, Indian and
blacks are concerned, the Govern-
ment has been investing about
R350 million per annum to provide
about 23000 homes a year. Despite
this, the housing backlog has
increased steadily. This state of
affairs led to the adoption of a new
housing policy at the beginning of
1983 in terms of which active
support of the public sector is
sought.
In an attempt to use available
funds to the best advantage, the
Government now gives priority to
the provision of serviced building
plots.
These plots are made available
to all persons who can, either from
/9274
CSO: 3400/3
102
their own financial resources or
with the assistance of their
employers or financial institutions,
accept responsibility for the
construction of their own homes.
For the group earning:
@ Up to R150 per month, the local
authority is responsible for
providing a serviced site and
dwelling utilising State funds.
@ R150 to R450 per month, the local
authority provide: only a serviced
stand utilising State funds. The
property owner is eligible to receive
financial assistance for building
materials up to a maximum of
R4 000.
@ R450 to R800 a month, the local
authority is required to provide a
serviced site only, utilising State
funds.
@ R801 and above, the housing needs
must be met by the private sector.
New strategy
pa had
The campaign launched by the
government in 1983 to sell 500 000
housing units at very reasonable
prices is indicative of an endeavour
to promote home-ownership.
Although this new housing
Strategy of the Government is
laudable, it has not yet met with the
success expected. This is mainly
attributable to delays in finalising
surveying and township establish-
ment procedures, as well as to
pressure not to purchase homes
brought to bear on tenants by
Opposing political groups. Recent
evidence seems to indicate sales are
now picking up.
Loss offset
It is impossible to promote
large-scale provision of low-cost
housing in South Africa without
some form of subsidy and incentive.
Effective incentives will offset
any potential loss of revenue or
expenditure of funds, whereas
subsidies imply the reallocation of
resources.
Subsidies should ideally relate to
the ability to pay. They should be
granted only in cases of proven
need to achieve viable objectives. If
correctly applied. sbsidies can
make a significant coniribution to
the financing of low-cost housing.
SOUTH AFRICA
BRIEFS
REFUGEE FLOOD TO DURBAN DOUBLES--Durban--About 100 stowaways, mostly from
Tanzania, have landed in Durban since January--twice the number for the same
period last year, They say they are fleeing from hunger and lack of work.
The number of stowaways who make their way to South Africa has increased
dramatically over the years, said Captain G, D. Stobbs, of P and I Associates.
He said the Tanzanians were so desperate to get out that one report claimed
a group of them had hidden in a ship's bilges for two days before they were
discovered. "Whenever there was a search on board, the stowaways would dive
into the water in the bilges, using a tube to breath," said Captain Stobbs.
Some of the stowaways—mostly in their 20s--had malaria, leprosy and sleeping
sickness, he said. If they had the necessary identification and travel docu-
ments, they were eventually sent back home, "If not, they are put back on the
ship they arrived in."' He added that the repatriation of stowaways cost ship
owners and insurers thousands of rands. [Text] [Johannesburg THE STARK in
English 11 Sep 86 p 13] /9274
CSO: 3400/3
103
SOUTH AFRICA
AUSTRALIAN BUSINESS LINKS PLAY ROLE IN DEALING WITH SANCTIONS
Johannesburg SUNDAY TIMES in English 7 Sep 86 p 9
[Article by Nic van Oudtshoorn and Cas St Leger]
[Text ]
AUSTRALIAN Prime Minister Bob
Hawke’s first sanctians against
South Africa are already being
busted — by a Labour Party state
government.
The federal government has been seri-
ously embarrassed by revelations in Aus-
tralia this week that the state
ment in Victoria has business li
overn-
with
South Africa through the Aussie-based
engineering company, Comeng.
The Labour state govern-
ment is involved in a joint
R285-million deal with Co-
meng Holdings, which owns
nearly half of South Africa’s
biggest rolling stock manu-
facturer, Union Carriage and
Wagon Company, through its
holding company, Australia
National Industries.
Although official Labour
Party policy forbids any gov-
ernment assistance to com-
panies trading with South
Africa, the Victorian state
government and Comeng
have signed the R285-million
agreement to join forces in
manufacturing and selling
trams to Hong Kong.
An embarrassed Victorian
Transport Minister, Mr Tom
Roner, admitted the deal this
week.
Stunned
The revelations have
caused red faces in the Victo-
rian and federal govern-
ments and have angered
many members of the La-
bour Party, particularly the
leftwing and ysnti-apartheid
groups.
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The Rev Dick Woottun, an
anti-apartheid group leader
in the powerful United
Church, said he was stunned
by the news of the deal.
“This sort of business link
is providing direct assistance
to the South African Govern-
ment’s. war machine,” he
said.
At the Labour Party’s
national conference in July,
at which Mr Hawke pushed
for sanctions against South
Africa, it was decided that to
fight apartheid there should
be a “withdrawal of govern-
ment assistance from: Aus-
tralian companies maintain-
ing trading links with South
Africa”.
Yet despite this, the Victo-
rian government, through the
Meibourne Metropolitan
Transit Authcrity, joined
forces with Comeng and
jointly signed the multi-mil-
lion dollar agreement in
August to construct a 34 km
tram system for Hong Kong.
Comeng, Australia’s
largest rail equipment manu-
facturer, is far from being a
mere passive shareholder in
South Africa’s Union Car-
riage and Wagon.
Its holding company, ANI,
owns 42 percent of Union
Carriage and regularly sends
engineers from Australia to
South Africa to assist in de-
sign and to provide other
technical expertise.
Links
In announcing the joint
Hong Kong deal, Transport
Minister Mr Roper made ne
mention of Comeng’s exten-
sive links with South Africa.
Comeng refused this week
to disclose any details of its
South African operations, be-
yond confirming the 42 per-
cent shareholding.
However, Comeng annual
reports have shown an annu-
104
al profit for some years of the
equivalant of more than
plage from the
operation of Union Carriage
and Wagon.
Union Carriage’s assistant
managing director, Mr Her-
man Hu:nan, said the com-
pany was set up in South
Africa by Comeng in 1958.
Comeng had tendered for a
contract, indicating it would
construct a factory if it was
awarded the contract.
On receiving the successful
tender, Union Carriage’s Ni-
gel factory was built.
The South African com-
ow had no links with the
ong Kong tram deal, Mr
Human said.
He said Comeng’s 42 per-
cent South African share-
holding was taken over by its
holding company, ANI —
with Australian directors [fr
N R Jones and D H Gray on
Union’s board — but the con-
trolling holding was in local
hands
Anglo American and Gen-
cor have a joint 47 percent
stake in Union Carriage — an
unlisted 7 — through
Mainstraat Beleggings in
which Anglo has a 30 percent
interest and Gencor 50 per-
cent.
In the stockbroking world,
informed sources say that
should the Australian con-
nection be forced to sell its
South African shares, Anglo
would be likely to pick them
up owing to the strategic na-
ture of Union Carriage as an
investment.
SOUTH AFRICA
CHAMBER OF MINES: SANCTIONS ON COAL TO DRIVE UP PRICE
Johannesburg THE SUNDAY STAR (Finance) in English 7 Sep 86 pp l, 3
[Text ]
THE South African coal
industry has issued a
warning to the |
world of the conse-
quences of imposing uni-
lateral bans on the coun-
try’s coal exports.
The Chamber of
Mines of SA, the umbrel-
la organisation repre-
senting the majority of
South Africa’s massive
mining industry, claims
that if coal sanctions do
“bite” they will force up
the international price of
coal dramatically.
In its most recent
newsle<ter (released yes-
terday), the Chamber
points out that last year
South Africa provided
the world markets with
41 million tonnes of
steam coal — mainly
used for powering elec-
tricity stations — and
nearly 3,8 million tonnes
of anthracite, with a
combined value of
R3 100 million.
These volumes make
South Africa the fourth-
largest coal exporter
with more than 12,6 per-
cent of the total world
export market and more
than 30 percent of the
market for sea-borne
coal.
Yet little over a dec-
ade ago South Africa
provided less than one
percent of international
exports.
The industry’s phe-
nomenal growth, says
the Chamber, was in re-
sponse to urgent de-
compara-
tively low production
costs and az enviabie
reputation for reliability.
“Such is South Africa’s
i as an inter-
national supplier of
steam coal that the im-
position of sanctions
would almost certainly
be accompanied by a
rapid increase in price
on world markets.
“This is because the
South African industry is
a cost leader with the
ability to supply coal at
cif prices far lower than
all major competitors.
The effect of even par-
tial disruption of sup-
plies of low cost South
African coal to interna-
tional markets needs lit-
tle elaboration,” main-
tains the Chamber.
The Chamber report
follows its ominous
statement late last
month, backed by statis-
tics from the Transvaal
Coal Owners Assocition
(TCOA) that the initial
effects of the mounting
international sanctions
campaign againt South
Africa were beginning to
impact severely on the
coal mining industry.
As a result, and in an-
ticipation of further
saactions coming into
force, the collieries in
South Africa said they
had begun planning a
massive retrenchment
programme, which, if
impact
on the livelihoods of
more than 200000 men,
women and children —
most of them black.
The Chamber added
last month that as a re-
sult of the sanctions im-
posed to date, South
African coal exports this
year had already fallen
17 percent on 1985 levels
and there was a strong
chance that this down-
ward trend could accel-
erate.
Coal, after gold, is the
second-biggest earner of
foreign exchange for
South Africa, ahead of
its much-vaunted dia-
mond and piatinum ex-
ports. Last year coal
earned the country more
than R3000 million in
export sales. Only gold
exports, which totalled
R15 500 million, earned
more for the country.
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Many of South Afri-
ca’s minerals — among
them gold, platinum,
platinum group metals,
vanadium, chrome and
manganese — are to a
large extent “sanction
proof” because South
Africa is either the only
or a major world suppli-
er.
In contrast, South
Africa’s coal exports
face a world supply
overhang ‘and conse-
quentially depressed |
prices. -
Another negative fac-.
tor is that because of the..
large volumes of coal
being exported, it has
been extremely difficult
to disguise their source
and thus much easier for
anti-South African or-
ganisations to monitor.
According to the
Chamber newsletter, .
98 882 people are em-
ployed by South Africa’s
coal mines, including
85 749 blacks. An estimt-
ed 17150 black workers
are migrants from out-
side the country’s bor-
ders
The Chamber claims
that should sanctions be
‘applied against coal ex-
ports, the inevitable. job
losses would affect black
workers most.
Another point raised
is that black migrant
coal workers send large
sums of money and
benefits in kind to their
homelands, many of
which — especially Le-
sotho and Mozambique
— are heavily dependent
on remittances as a
source of much-needed
foreign exchange.
“Indeed, identifiable
remittances from all
mineworkers in South
Africa to Lesotho were
estimated to be equal to
some 60 percent of that
country’s gross domestic
product in 1984.”
Continuing its almost
Dante-like portrait of a .
post-sanctions South
African coal industry, .
the Chamber comments:
“The effects of sanctious
would not be limited to
coal mine employees. In
1984 coal mines pur-
chased goods and ser-
vices from other sectors
of the economy to the -
value of some R1 600
million.
“Sanctions, thus, could
well affect the livelihood
of thousands of workers
in coal-dependent indus-
tries and their depen-
dents.”
_ The livelihood of
workers in industrialised
western countries could .
also be affected, since
coal mining in South
Africa is capital inten-
sive -and a purchaser of
sophisticated equipment,
much of which is made
overseas.
“The phenomenal
growth experienced by
the South African coal
mining industry is ex-
pected to continue, with
exports in the region of
80 million tonnes fore-
cast for the year 2000.
“Sanctions now could
thus affect the job pros-
pects of many black
South Africans,
106
SATS;
SOUTH AFRICA
EXPORT SHIPMENTS OUTSTRIPPING IMPORTS
Johannesburg BUSINESS DAY in English 5 Sep 86 p 2
[Article by David Furlonger]
[Text]
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3400/6
EXPORT shipments through SA’s
main harbours are running at up to
nine times the level of imports.
Figures from SA Transport Services
show exports in July totalled 7,2-million
a compared with imports of 970 000
ons.
Although official figures for other
months this year include trans-shipment
of local cargoes from one port to an-
other, they show clearly the extent to
which imports are lagging.
Trans-shipment is so small — of the
tetal 8,38-million tons handled by har-
bours in July, only 175000 tons were
trans-shipped — that total figures give a
clear picture of import-export levels.
In April, harbours imported 872 000
tons, compared with exports of 6,8-mil-
lion; in May, the figures were 926 000 and
8,i-million, and in June 856 000 and 5,8-
million tons.
Seaborne mineral imports in July, ex-
cluding trans-shipment, totalled 194 000
tons, of which nearly half — 94 000 tons
— are listed under “other mineral pro-
TOTAL CARGOES
toys HANDLED BY SA PORTS
RICHARDS BAY 4.1 m
| ] OURBAN 2:2 m
Cees SALDANHA BAY 0,829 m
(PORT ELIZABETH 0,606 m \
Jor TOWN 0.353 m
(east LONDON 0,326 m
§ Mosse BAY 5 238 Tons
ducts” as classified information.
Of the 1,5-million tons of minerals
exports, 1,3-million tons are classified.
er major imports included fruit,
vegetable and grain products (160 000
tons); chemicals, plastics and rubber
(190 000); and vehicles, aircraft and
spares (89 000).
Leading exports, in tonnage terms,
included fruit, vegetable and grain pro-
ducts (581 000); timber and pee pro-
ducts (597 000); and base metals (617 000).
SOUTH AFRICA
SOARING GOLD PRICES MAY HERALD RISE IN STANDARD OF LIVING
Johannesburg THE SUNDAY STAR in English 7 Sep 86 pp l, 2
{Article by John Spira]
[Text]
SOARING gold and platinum prices will
soon put more money into the pocket of
the man in the street.
The past three wéeks of booming precious
metal prices is therefore good news for con-
sumers reeling from the effects of the three-
year economic recession and the sky-high in-
flation rate.
Economists are elated with calculations which re-
veal that the frenzied buying of gold and platinum in
world markets translates into a whopping annualised
$2000 million in additional South African foreign ex-
change earnings compared with prices of three weeks
ago.
The figure is equivalent to almost the total amount of for-
eign debt repayable by South Africa until mid-1987.
This is the good news that could ulti-
mately spill over into meaningful stan-
dard of living improvements for all
South Africans.
Already the additional money flowing
into the country in the wake of the pre-
cious metals boom has exerted down-
ward pressure on interest rates — which
means (immediately) cheaper over-
drafts and (eventually) reduced pay-
ments on hire purchase contracts and
mortgage bonds.
And Mr Jimmy McKenzie, Barclays
Bank's senior general manager, believes
‘hat scupe exists for further interest
rate reductions.
He points out that Barclavs has just
reduced the interest rate it charges on
home loans and suggests that ‘!ere :s
now irresistible pressure on the building
societies to follow suit.
108
Booming precious metal prices mean
massive profits for the country’s mines
— a factor which, in turn, translates
into considerably increased tax receipts
for the Government.
And although tax relief for individuals
will have to await next year’s Budget,
should the gold price maintain its up-
a prospect.
The heightened level of
economic activity which
is bound to be generated
by South Africa’s im-
proved cash flow should
also create more jobs in
due course.
But perhaps the most
positive impact is psy-
chological. In spite of the
growing intensity of
sanctions pressures and
the legacy of a crippling
recession, the business
sector — and, indeed,
John Citizen — is begin-
ning to take a brighter
view of the future.
Most encouraging is
that the Reserve Bank
has allowed the rand to
move up in unison with
buoyant gold and plati-
num prices.
Economists point out
that during the 1976-80
gold boom — when the
gold price rocketed from
$100 to $850 — the rand
was not allowed to rise
by more than 16 percent.
The resultant massive
rise in rand gold prices
/9274
CSO:
triggered off a tremendous credit explosion,
which enabled the economy to grow at
8 percent for a single year but resulted in
inflation, recession, ve Interest rates, un-
employment and social unrest In the follow-
ing five years.
As economist Dr Azar Jammine notes:
“This time round, !f the rand !s allowed to
appreciate !n line with gold, the initial im-
pact on economic growth might be some-
what muted.
“But in the longer term, it will result in
less growth in the money supply, less infla-
tion, lower interest rates, more confidence
and higher growth — all, hopefully, loading
to a reduction in unrest.
“Ironically, the need to repay high levels
of foreign debt is imposing a financial disci-
line on the authorities which did not ex-
st in 1980 and which can therefore be seen
in a healthy light.”
Boosting confidence, too, was Friday's re-
3400/17
109
duction in the bank rate, a move that
rompted the country’s major banks to {fol-
ow sult on their prime | g rates.
Mr McKenzie says Barclays is a
an aggressive interest policy and will not
hesitate to drop its rates if conditions
prompt such a move, pointing out that every
decline in interest rates puts more money
into the pocket of the man in the street.
He draws attention, too, to the 15 percent
benchmark rate that !s currently levied for
purpeses of perks tax.
He ts convinced that this rate, established
when the prime rate was a high 20 percent,
is bound to come down in line with the:
general pattern of interest rates, in the pro-
cess — again boosting take-home pay.
In addition, a reduction in the 18 percent
perks tax benchmark would provide a
much-needed fillip for the motor and build-
ing industries.
DROP IN FOREIGN TOURISTS LEAVES THOUSANDS JOBLESS
Johannesburg THE STAR in English 11 Sep 86 p 8
SOUTH AFRICA
[Text] Cape Town—Thousands of people in the hotel and related industries
have lost their jobs as a result of the decline in the number of foreign
visitors.
A memorandum submitted by
the SA Tourism Board to the ec-
onomic affairs committee of the
President’s Council now sitting
in Cape Town says that in “good
years” the hotel industry pro-
vides between 60000 and 85 000
job opportunities.
This figure has dropped to
about 55 000.
About 10 percent of the people
employed in the industry are
whites
Between 40 and 50 percent of
the employees were in the semi-
skilled and unskilled category.In
the non-hotel accommodation
industry the figure was between
60 and 70 percent.
There are 1321 registered
hotels in South Africa with a
total of 91 362 beds.
Between April 1985 and May
this year the average occupancy
of beds for the various grades. of
hotels ranged from 32 percent
(for one-star hotels) to 45 per-
cent (for three-star hotels).
FIVE-STAR HOTELS
Five-star hotels, of which
there are 11 with a total of 5 687
19274
CSO: 3400/6
110
of 36
Tour operators and travel
agents, which employ about
5 000, have been hit.
In a relatively undeveloped-
field with “enormous potential
relating to agricultural activi-
ties, package tours are already
being offered, such as to the
wine, wool and crayfish route.
The tourism industry is al-
ready making a large contribu-
tion to job creation in the infor-
mal business sector.
An even bigger contribution
could be made in this field as
tourists are eager to buy hand-
made articles and art work.
“The cultural diversity of the
South African population lends
itself to the development of this
sector and we believe many job
opportunities can bé created in
this way, especially for un-
skilled and semi-skilled work-
seekers,’ the memorandum says.
Oral evidence on job creation
was given at the hearings by
two directors of the SA Tourism
Board, Mr Kobus Roux and Mr
Johan Fourie
beds, had an average occupancy
percent.
SOUTH AFRICA
RESEARCHERS SAY HALF OF BLACK POPULATION JOBLESS
Johannesburg THE WEEKLY MAIL in English 12-18 Sep 86 pp 1, 2
[Article by Phillip van Niekerk]
[Text] SOUTH AFRICA is facing a massive social
disaster with between four and six million
blacks out of work, according to estimates by
two researchers at the University of the
Witwatersrand.
Professor Jeremy Keenan of the Department
of Social Anthropology and Michael
Sarakinsky, a post-graduate student, say half
the country’s economically active blacks could
be unemployed.
In a “Memorandum on Unemployment”,
they say that income levels have declined and
poverty has increased dramatically since 1976.
| in black households.
The estimates could have explosive
implications for the sanctions debate, where
one of the main pegs of the anti-sanctions lobby
has been the threat of black job losses. °
Unemployment is also often cited as one of
the main.causes of the civil unrest which has
burnt across South Africa for the past two
years. 3
Many of the jobless are locked into the
burgeoning squatter cities on the periphery of
the metropolitan areas.
These include Onverwacht, Winterveld,
Crossroads and Khayelitsha, KwaNdebele and
the shanty towns which ring Durban and Port
Elizabeth.
Keenan and Sarakinsky accuse the South
African government of minimising the
unemployment levels.
They say the exact level of black
unemployment is unknown because of the
“appalling lack of reliable data’’.
In their memorandum they dismiss as
“ludicrous” the most recent official figure of
black unemployment, which stood at 519 000
in June 1986.
The authors base their figures on the
pioneering work into unemployment done by
Charles Simkins at the University of Cape
Town in 1977 and 1981.
111
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3400/6
In 1977 Simkins estimated there were 2,3-
million unemployed, while in 1981 he revised
his calculations and estimated there were two
million unemployed.
Simkins made his calculations before the
recession began in the early Eighties, wiping
out jobs in many industries and leading to a
levelling off of growth in employment.
Keenan and Sarakinsky use the
generally accepted estimate that
250 000 new workers reach the job
market every year and that 250 000
jobs have to be found if
unemployment is to remain static.
The authors quote figures from the
Central Statistical Services which
show there was a net decrease of
16 000 jobs in the modern sector of
the economy between 1977 and 1985
and a decrease of 181 000 between
1981 and 1985.
Thus since 1977 there has been an
increase in unemployment of two
million and, since 1981, an increase of :
1,2-million.
_ However, this excludes agriculture
where — the authors estimate — there
was a decline of about a quarter of a
million job opportunities between
1977 and 1985.
In the independent homelands, also
excluded from the CSS figure, the
authors estimate that since 1977 an
extra 1,1-million people have joined
the unemployment scrapheap in
Transkei, Bophuthatswana, Venda and
Ciskei.
Their estimate is based on an
estimate of 1,8-million unemployed in
these areas, two-thirds having become
jobless since 1977.
Added to Simkins’ base figures and
the other estimates, they say, this adds
up to an estimated overall range of
between 4,8-million and six million.
However, the authors say, there are
a number of factors — such as the
under-enumeration of the population
— which lead them to believe the
estimate is in fact conservative.
Simkins — of the University of
Cape Town’s Department of
Economics — said yesterday he had
given up talking of gross amounts of
unemployed because the government’s
Statistical information was so poor.
“I do not intend to leap in with a new
figure,” he said. “But if you added on
everyone who has joined the labour
force since 1981 to my 1981 figure,
you would have a figure weil in excess
of three million.”
SOUTH AFRICA
CAPE TOWN WORKERS OFFER SCANT RESPONSE TO SKILLED JOB OFFERS
Cape Town THE WEEKEND ARGUS (Business) in English 6 Sep 86 p 2
[Article by Derek Tommey]
[Text ]
WITH the end of the recession
in sight companies throughout
South Africa are looking for
extra staff. But the response
from Cape Town to their ad-
vertisments so far has been
poor.
Mrs Val Middleton, manag-
ing director of Admark, Cape
Town, a company which spe-
Cialises in the p tion and
— of job advertisements
ox skilled staff, said today
ther had been a steady in-
crease in the past few months
in the number of jobs being
advertised.
May had been a record
month for Admark and so had
August, with help-wanted adds
up 30 percent on May. Septem-
ber had opened on an incredi-
bly busy note so this could be a
record month too.
However, recruiters were
finding there was a grave
shortage of skilled workers.
Some placement advertise-
ments drew as little as seven
responses.
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3400/19
Mrs Middleton blamed the
emigration of skilled workers
and the reluctance of people to
move from existing jobs for
this situation.
“There has been a horrific
brain drain,” she said. “Every
day people have been emigrat-
ing.”
Recently a British company
had recruited 27 computer pro-
grammers from South Africa.
A large number of engineers
and accountants had been go-
ing to Australia and the United
States.
But another factor militating
aginst the recruitment of staff
was the unwillingness of people
to move from their present
jobs.
People were feeling insecure
and were most reluctant to
take a chance and move to an-
other job. It was not unusual
for successful applicants to re-
fuse at the last minute to move
to the job offered them.
This shortage of skilled peo-
ple has meant that recruiters
were having to offer a bigger
carrot.
113
But though there was a skills
shortages, many good “7
were still looking for jobs.
Their difficulty was that they
did not have the right skills.
School leavers and university
graduates, especially women,
were also having difficulty
finding work. Employers usual-
ly wanted people with at least
a year’s experience so it was
not easy to place young people
Straight out of school or
univesity.
MORE APPLICATIONS
Mr Michae! Lane, manager
of the appointments division of
PE Corporate Services, Johan-
nesburg, confirmed there had
been an increase in the number
of companies seeking staff in
the past month or so. But he
had experienced an increase in
the number of applications —
though perhaps not from Cape
Town.
A specialist in appointment
of senior executives, Mr Lane
said people living at the coast
seemed far less willing to
change — than was the case
on the Reef.
The financial services field
had experienced a serious
brain drain. The answer was to
step up the training of blacks.
At present South Africa had
only seven black chartered
accountants.
He was increasingly working
on the deveiopment of black
management.
SOUTH AFRICA
ECONOMIST URGES TAX REDUCTION FOR GROWTH, LOWERED INFLATION
Cape Town THE WEEKEND ARGUS (Business) in English 6 Sep 86 p 2
[Article by Azar Jammine, chief economist of Econometrix, and NIC NEL, tax
consultant]
{Text }
INTEREST in the of
the Margo Commission of En-
quiry into the Tax System is in-
tense for the outcome could
radically improve South Afri-
cans’ living standards.
What follows is the sub-
stance of our original proposals
to the Margo Commission —
proposals which revolve
around tax cuts and the propo-
sition that tax cuts ~ally do
work.
We offer nin: convincing ar-
nts and we have volumes
of detailed research available
to back them up:
Our arguments are:
@ The lower the rate of tax,
the less upward pressure there
is on prices. Low-rate, broad-
based taxes are less inflation-
ary than are high-rate, narrow-
ly based taxes.
@ The less the economy is
taxed, the greater the amount
left in the economy from which
production can be generated in
future years. Economic growth
is thereby enhanced. This can
result in an increasing stream
of tax receipts generated at the
new (lower) tax rates which
will exceed the receipts which
would have been obtained at
the old (higher) tax rate.
@ By removing the disincen-
tives of high tax rates, cutting
taxes enhances growth and in-
creases fiscal revenues. Rais-
ing growth by increasing pro-
ductivity and profitability
works through the economic
system exponentially, leading
to a spiral of growth, both cf
the economy and of the fiscal
revenues collected at the lower
tax rates.
@ The lower the company rate
of tax relative to the individual
rate of tax, the greater the po-
tential for productive capital
formation. In the interest of
economic growth, individuals
must be encouraged to spend
— not save — and businesses
to retain their capital for pro-
ductive . A lower tax
rate on businesses as against
individuals achieves this.
@ Taxation is effectively a ma-
jor cost to businesses and this
cost is passed on to individuals
in the form of higher prices.
The major determinant of em-
ployment is a demand for
oods and services which can
supplied at a satisfactory
profit.
Permanent increases in de- :
mand are actually driven by
factors controlled by producers
— such as price levels, levels
of investment and product
variety /availability.
These factors, in turn, are in-
fluenced by producers’ costs —
one of which is the level of tax-
ation. The lower the rate of
taxation, the lower the level of
prices, the higher the level of
demand and the higher the re-
sultant levels of investment,
114
employment, incomes and eco-
nomic growth.
@ Taxation is not only a cost to
companies but also a cost to in-
dividuals, because companies
tend to pass costs on to the
consumer. The lower his tax
rate, the more disposable in-
come is available to an
individual.
@ Government spending on
current account iends to be in-
flationary and rarely has posi-
tive long-term effects for the
economy. This is because gov-
ernment is not answerable to
shareholders and is not moti-
vated by profit. However, fixed
domestic investment by gov-
ernment must be highly benefi-
cial to the economy.
Direct government spending
tends to require the mainte-
nance of high tax rates and this
tends to be inflationary be-
cause it increases unit costs of
production. Borrowing by gov-
ernment is a squeeze of capital
out of the private sector which
tends to push up interest rates
and stifle investment and eco-
nomic growth in the long term.
Incentives are different and
enable the market to contrib-
ute to the achievement of gov-
ernment objectives, voluntari-
ly. It is for this reason that
spending, for example, on
black housing would be better
applied in the form of a tax
concession than in direct
expenditure.
@ There is a tremendous
amount of vested interest
among big institutions and
business against tax and eco-
nomic reform. Big business,
particularly the life insurance
companies and the mining
houses and their representative
hodies, carry a disproportion-
ately low burden under the
present system and are not im-
mune to acting in their selfish
sectoral interests.
Most of our biggest corpora-
tions pay less than 6 percent of
their profits in tax. The com-
bined payments of the life as-
surance companies last year
was only R288-million — less
than the R355-million GST paid
on used cars in the same
period. ’
@ The corollary of all the
above is that tax cuts really do
promote economic growth, cre-
ate employment, and, if cor-
rectly introduced, reduce infla-
tion aad increase fiscal
revenue.
On all purchases .
This brings us to the me-
chanics of how best to achieve
tax cuts to the benefit of all
concerned.
Our proposals for the tax
system hinge on a tandem sys-
tem of a combined transaction
tax and a flat rate tax.
The transaction tax is a tax
of small proportions, as re-
gards rate, on all purchases of
goods and services by all per-
sons (including cc mpanies,
trusts, businesses and individ-
uals) in the economy.
Where the transaction is
19274
CSO: 3400/19
cleared by a bank or other fi-
nancial institution, the tax is
collected automatically — in
the same way banks collect
their charges.
An estimate of the current
base of this tax is R3 400-billion
a year. A rate of 0,74 percent
will therefore collect -bil-
lion a year in fiscal revenues
— two-thirds of the govern-
ment’s current revenue
requirements.
About 80 percent of this rev-
enue will be collected automat-
ically by computer accounting
through the financial institu-
tions, reducing manual inter-
vention and costs of collection
to minimal proportions, com-
pared with an ordinary tax and
even a GST.
A prerequisite for the deduc-.
tion of an expense for flat rate
tax purposes is the payment of
the transaction tax. This can be
ascertained easily — if a
cheque has been drawn, the
transaction tax has been paid.
With developments in elec-
tronic banking, there may
come the day when not even
businesses will need to lodge
income tax returns, other than
a statement of assets and li-
abilities at book value.
With the special problem in
South Africa of large numbers
of semiliterate and unsophisti-
cated taxpayers, the system of
a withholding tax at source of
remuneration, obviating any
need for an individual to have
to complete a tax return at all,
must be very attractive.
The rates proposed are, ini-
115
tially, 0,74 percent for the
transaction tax and 9 percent
for the flat rate tax.
The transaction tax at this
“high” rate is only a temporary
tax measure, as an alternative
to selling government assets, to
finance the deficit in the first
years of taxation cuts.
The 9 percent flat rate tax is
an optimum rate and it is fore-
cast that it will, within about
five years, be sufficient to col-
lect virtually all government
revenue requirements.
Full amount
This, in turn, would enable
the transaction tax, installed
initially at 0,74 percent, either
to be abrogated or to be held in
place at about a tenth of that
rate.
At the 0,74 percent/9 percent
rates proposed, the combina-
tion of transaction tax and flat
rate tax would have had the
ability to collect revenues in
the 1986 fiscal year of about
R41-billion — the full amount
of expected government expen-
diture this year.
We propose this tandem tax
system as a replacement of in-
come tax, GST, import duty
and all other taxes, imposts
and levies of a fiscal nature.
As against a VAT system,
which would cost a fortune to
install and require at least two
years to be put in place, the
tandem system we propose can
slot in with the existing sys-
tem, virtually overnight.
The systems we propose dc
not require new law, merely
deletions from existing law.
SOCIAL UPHEAVAL PREDICTED AS DROUGHT CONTINUES IN
Johannesburg THE STAR in English 1 Sep 86 p 7
[Text ]
The drought in the Western Transvaal-could
not only deprive thousands of people of a.
livelihood, but also disturb the whole social
structure of the area with the prospect of
thousands of black people moving to Ork-
ney and Klerksdorp sceking jobs.
fessor Petrie a ie of the Bu-
reau of Manpower and Management Research
at Potchefstroom University, said the Ork-
ney/Klerksdorp area would have to brace itself
for up to 1 million new black residents from
farms in the Western Transvaal and Bophutha-
a in years to come should the drought con-
ue.
According to the bureau, every farm provided ac-
commodatior, for between 20 and 30 black families.
What caused the greatest concern, Professor
Schutte said, was the falling water table. The whole
of the Western Transvaal was dependent on under-
ground water, and on many farms boreholes had al-
ready dried up.
Boreholes dry
“Things cannot get worse,” said Mr Boet Pelser,
manager of the Marico Kodperasie. “Dams such as
the one at Kromelienboog will hold only until Novem-
ber. I don’t know what will happen after that.”
Mr Jaap Coetzee, the tive’s branch manag-
er at Groot Marico, told The Star that he still had
some cattle on the farm Schoongezicht, but on more
than 400 ha of land he only had enough grazing for 29
head of cattle.
On another farm he had, Krokodildrif, also in the
Swartruggens district, all the boreholes had dried up.
Nothing to do
Mr Gert Visagie and his wife Poppie of Onverwacht
farm near Boons had the same experience.
“We do not even have enough water to run a veg-
etable garden and have to buy everything we need in
town.” Mrs Visagie said. Her husband works as a
carpenter for a businessman.
“We still live in the farmhouse but there is nothing
116
to do. You cannot carry
on farming without
water,” said Mrs
who had taken up a job as
a school ’
At Swartruggens the
owner of the local hotel,
Mrs Pam van Vuuren,
had the same story to
tell. “Until recently all
our drinking water came
from Zeerust. All the
boreholes had dried up,
but luckily we had a bit
of rain that filled up the
town’s dam.”
But the worst-hit area
according to co-operative
officials could be the
Lindleyspoort Irrigation
scheme.
Abandoned
Of the original 150
farmers, there were per-
haps not more than seven
who could still call them-
selves full-time farmers.
Others remained on their
farms but do other jobs
to make ends meet.
Many farmhouses have
been abandoned and
some farmers, desperate
for cash, were willing to
let farmhouses for as lit-
TRANSVAAL
SOUTH AFRICA
tle as R60 a month.
Co-operative officials
are also worried about
the social implications of
co-ops going into the red.
“In the past we used to
help institutions such as
the Suid-Afrikaanse
Vrouefederasie and old
people’s homes, but now
we have to start looking
after ourselves,” Mr Boet
Pelser explained.
Suicide
“We are also worried
about elderly people who
have to leave their farms
and seek jobs elsewhere.”
An official of one co-
operative said that there
were even instances of
wealthy farmers who
now had to live in hovels.
“In the Marico district
the plight of the farmers
is such that one debt-rid-
den farmer even commit-
ted suicide,” the official
added.
The manager of the
Koster Kodperasie told
The Star that many
farms in his district had
fetched very low prices
during recent auctions.
In the searing heat of the
Western Transvaal cattle .
graze the dust under a.
sky so pale it is almost
white.
Real rain has not fallen
here for five years —'
after nearly 2000 days
like this one, there are
children who have learn-
ed to talk but do not
know what “rain” means.
Water comes from the
ground, and when the
boreholes dry up, they
have learnt, you buy it at |
R2 per drum
Some of their fathers |
have cleared their land
and planted crops they
never harvested — how
can you harvest dry
stalks and dust? Some did
not bother and the aloe
and black doringboom
dominate
“I am not an atheist,
but how can I pray now?”
asks a grim-faced woman
in the bar of the Derby
Hotel, where local farm-
ers are discussing the
drought and the financial
problems of their co-op.
_ “Things are at a turn-
ing point — and from
now on they'll only get
worse,” a farmer agrees.
“You can try as hard
as you like, but no one
can change it.”
Desperation has settled
/9274
CSO:
3400/17
on the district like the
powdery dust that clings
to everything and lies
inch-deep on the farm-
Like Tennessee dust-
bowl nomads, couples
and families hitchhike
through the villages, set-
tling on those that offer
food and shelter.
The group in the bar of
the Derby Hotel casts
around for someone to
blame.
Their lives are falling
apart and “PW Botha
has abandoned them” —
(this is Conservative
Party territory).
There is not enough
You Camnot Harvest or Live on Dust and Dry Sticks...
food for them — and the
blacks “must go back to
their homelands, or bet-
ter still, over the border”
(to Botswana).
These farmers are
among the few that have
remained on the land.
Many have simply locked
their doors, sold the last
skinny cattle and moved
to the city or the mines.
“They’ve gone to the
gold fields,” an old man
guarding the local dam
says when asks why all
the farms nearby are de-
serted.
The dam is the lowest
he has ever seen it, he
says.
117
The small towns are
dying a slow death. In Ot-
toshoop — subjected to a
fruitless hunt for dia-
monds recently — the
single road through the
town is bracketed or one
end by the local school
which closed down in
1984, and the police sta-
tion, where the last poli-
ceman 7’as packing to
move out this month.
Only one store re-
mains, and children treat
the barely-used main
road as a playground.
In Groot Marico the
shopkeepers survive on
giving credit: Mr AA
Daya estimates he is
owed about R7 000,
money he does not expect
to see.
At the store next door
Mrs Mohamed Rajan,
minding the second-gen-
eration family business
while her husband and fa-
ther-in-law sought other
work, told The Star her
day’s takings were fre-
quently as low as R8.
Across the road the
local borehole contractor,
Mr Frederik van Rens-
savs there is water
available but no one has
the money to drill for it.
“It has been reaily
slow in the past two
years. Work is scarce.”
He sometimes sells
water at R2 the drum.
His grandson Corrie
(12) ig a Std 4-pupil at the
Groot Marico I[.aerskool,
where a feeding scheme
is now run. The children
are given sandwiches
every day: ‘‘But the
teacher told us the chil-
dren do have food, they
just forget it at home.”
RUMORS OF NEW PLATINUM MINING COMPLEX IN BOPHUTHATSWANA
Johannesburg THE CITIZEN in English 2 Sep &6 p 23
[Text ]
/9274
CSO:
RAND Mines yesterday
refused to comment on
persistent rumours that it
was planning to start a
huge platinum mining
complex in Bophutha-
tswana.
According to certain in-
formed sources, Rand
Mines was issued with a
prospecting permit re-
cently for a period of five
years on the farms Nooit-
gedacht, Bospoort, Pearl,
portion of Wonderkop,
Leeukop, Wolvekraal
and Kareepoort.
The Merensky Reef
(MR) and the U.G72 is de-
veioped over these prop-
erties and is expected to
yield a grade of between 5
and 9 grams a ton. It is
believed that each reef
should yield a tonnage of
between 30000 and
40 000 insitu tons per hec-
tare.
According to Ecologi-
3400/17
cal Survey’s recent seis-
mic survey in the Bush-
veld, it was shown that
the dip of the platinum
reefs became flatter with
depth.
In the past it was
thought that the MR and
U.G2 would be too deep
to mine economically.
The survey has shown
that these reefs dip at
shallow angles or become
flat. If this is the case then
the area is of much great-
er significance than was
previously believed.
Informed sources point
out that grades of the
west platinum mines im-
prove with depth.
Schaapkraal, the Gold-
fields farm apparently has
intersected high grade va-
lues. To the east of Leeu-
kop, the old Pandora
property which now be-
longs to Rustenburg Plats
showed values of 5,5 to 6
grams a ton.
It is believed that
grades of between 6 and 9
grams a ton are likely to
be in existence on this
ing lease.
There is speculation
too that apart from plati-
num, Rand Mines have
the right to exploit the
vanadium bearing mag-
netite beds outcropping in
the area.
With U.G2 being a
chromitite seam _ with
Rand Mines being closely
involved in chromite min-
ing and in the down-
stream ferrochrome pro-
duction at Middelburg
Steel and Alloys, this is a
major plus factor for the
company’s entry into this
field, that is, producing
platinum and _ chrome
from a single mine. Few
companies can equal the
118
SOUTH AFRICA
expertise of Barlow Rand
in this field.
Informed sources point
out too that Rand Mines
has an overriding option
over a further 8 000 ha to
the north. This is such a
large prospect situated in
a well-known district for
platinum that it is almost
certain that a major pro-
duction complex can be
expected in the future.
The rumoured negotia-
tions of Rand Mines with
the Wansa platinum prop-
osition at Kennedy Vale
is significant in its own
right and is possibly the
reason why the shares
have been climbing re-
cently. But compared
with the Leeukop project,
it pales into insignifi-
cance, informed sources
say.
SOUTH AFRICA
GIANT WATER PROJECT AIMS TO DOUBLE VAAL RIVER SYSTEM SUPPLY
Johannesburg THE STAR in English 9 Sep 36 p 3
[Article by Jaap Boekkooi]
{Text ]
The Government is considering a giant plan
which aims to more than double the water
supplies of the entire Vaal River system by
piping Zambezi water 800km down south
through a network of canals, pipes and
| pumping stations.
_ The existence of the project was confirmed
today by Mr Claus Triebel, chief engineer (plan-
ning) of the Department of Water Affairs, who
said it was one of his department’s long-term
plans.
The Zambezi would be tapped at its confluence
with the Chobe River in northern Botswana, near
Katima Mulilo and the Victoria Falls, from where
water would flow down to southern Botswana and
the Rand, and be lifted by: pumping stations
across escarpments.
The plan would produce 2 400 million cum of
water a year, 133 percent more than the current
annual extraction of some 1 600 million cu m from
the greater Vaal River system which stretches
from Standerton to its confluence with the Or-
ange River.
This makes the “Zambezi Plan” the country’s
largest potential water project. It is designed to
/9274
CSO: 3400/27
exceed the Lesotho Highlands Scheme supply by
200 million cu m a year.
Details of the plan have been discussed by its
designer, Professor Guenter Borchert, a specialist
Africa geographer of Hamburg University, with
planning officials of the Water Affairs Depart-
ment. They agree that at a current cost of about
R9 000 million the projected Zambezi water
would be too costly for irrigation purposes and
should, therefore, be used exclusively for dom
estic consumption and industry.
Official agreement
“In broad terms we agree with Professor Bor-
chert’s proposals. The water that would be made
available will be equal to the present consump-
tion in the entire Pretoria-Witwatersrand-Vereen-
iging area,” Mr Triebel said.
“But it will also require an official agreement
between all the governments of Southern Africa,
including Angola, Zambia, Botswana, Zimbabwe
and Mozambique.”
Four of these governments are already co-
operating om the Limpopo Basin Technical Com-
mittee with the South Aareon Department of
Water Affairs.
119
SOUTH AFRICA
SASOL PROFIT STATEMENT ANALYZED, 'NICE LOOKING RESULTS' SEEN
Johannesburg BUSINESS DAY in English 5 Sep 86 p 6
[Analysis by Robin Friedland]
[Text]
ASOL HAS produced some
nice looking results for the
year ended June 28, 1986:
earnings on the consolidat-
ed income statements are up by
14,9% to R3 638m, excluding ex-
cise duties and levies.
Net operating income has risen
by a powerful 27,5% to R1 326,6m.
ividends received (from the
. group’s half share in Sasol 3) are
virtually unchanged at R25,9m.
Interest paid shows a sharp de-
cline from R221,5m to. R164m, re-
flecting the repayment of the
group’s debt to the Central Energy
Fund (CEF). The profit statement
notes that the amount repaid was
R1 100 approximately.
And the 1985 balance sheets
show that group debt at the end of
the previous financial year was
just short of R2000m (actually
R1 998m). Of this sum, R479m was
repayable within one year and was
included with short-term loans in
the accounts.
The amount of loans outstand-
ing, therefore, looks like R900m in
round terms.
It is apparent that the exception-
al profits earned in 1986 were part-
ly applied to advancing the obliga-
tory schedule of loan repayments.
Returning to the profit figures,
the net operating income already
recorded translated into income
before taxation of R1 185,5m, an in-
crease of 40,8%.
Tax was a whopping R487.3m,
leaving income after taxation of
R700,4m after deduction of a nomi-
nal amount for the interest of out-
side shareholders. The tax rate
was 41%, compared with 40,5% in
the previous year.
An amount of R125m was trans-
ferred to an “equalisation reserve”
(of course, this application has no
influence on tax).
a attributable to ordi-
nary shareholders were R575,4m,
an increase of 14,6%. But the trans-
fer to equalisation reserve should
really be included, in which case
the increase in attributable earn-
ings is 39,6%.
The mainstay of Sasol’s business
is the production of synthetic fuels,
mostly at Secunda. But only Sasol 2
(a wholly-owned subsidiary) is
brought into the consolidated ac-
counts. The important 50% share
in Sasol 3 is accounted for in the in-
come statements only by way of
dividend.
In 1985, earnings per share (ac-
cording to the consolidated fig-
ures) were 89,1c. But Sasol 3 made
R435,2m in 1985. So Sasol Ltd’s at-
tributable share on its one-half
holding (and 562,5-million shares in
issue) was 38,7c. So a consolidation
of Sasol 3 would have given earn-
ings per share of 127,8c.
In 1986 Sasol 3 came heavily into
tax (at a rate of 33,2%, as capital
allowances were used up). But sig-
nificance attaches to a drop even
120
in the pretax profit at Sasol 3 —
from R435,2m to R392,9 (9,7 7%).
T.. drop clearly relates to an
unfavourable combination of
movements in the dollar oil price
and the rand-dollar exchange rate
— of which more will be said later
in this analysis.
As far as 1986 goes, consolidat-
ing the half interest in the taxed
profit of R262,4m of Sasol 3 (or
23,3c for Sasol’s interest) gives a
figure for earnings of 125,6c (a de-
crease from the comparable figure
of 127,8c).
To round off the figures, the divi-
dend of 45c showed an increase of
15,4% from the previous year’s 39c-
Cover remained unchanged at 2,5
on the consolidated figures.
Before launching any discussion
of prospects it is important to real-
ise that Sasol’s operations extend
beyond synthetic fuels, although
the preponderance of profits un-
doubtedly derives from this area.
The transfer pricing of the coal
mined at the group’s mines is set so
as to generate a modest return.
There are considerable sales of co-
product chemicals (such as the
high-grade waxes produced at Sa-
sol 1 and many other substances of
commercial value).
Sasol now has both fertiliser and
explosives divisions making use of
co-product nitrogen, resulting
from oxygen production.
A. Sasol, through its 52,5% in-
terest in the Natref refinery, is in-
volved in conventional oil refining,
too.
We are not allowed to know too
much about the economics of oil
refining, but it is generally under-
stood that government allows the
refineries some kind of cost-plus —
basis for their operations.
It is also known that Secunda’s
large synthetic fuels production
has backed a significant propor-
tion of imported crude oil out of
the SA market, leaving the refiners
operating well below capacity (fig-
ures of 60% to 70% are guessed
. about). Sasol has improved the effi-
ciencies of Natref in various ways
described in the 1985 accounts.
The decline in the profit before
tax at Sasol 3 — from a pure syn-
fuels operation — underlines the
statement in the profit statement
that there has been a fall in the
rand value of petroleum products.
This statement could well be de-
scribed as euphemistic: the rand
equivalent price of oil per barrel
has actually crashed.
If we assume a peak when Saudi
light crude was $34 (but SA prob-
ably paying more) and the rand
was, say, 35c, we come up with a
price of R75 per barrel. Now if we
call the effective oil price $15 per
~ or at 42,5c we get R35 per bar-
rel.
It should be explained that the
pricing of Sasol’s output of synthet-
ic fuels is determined according to
a formula (“the slate”), which is
based on the price of petroleum
products at four refineries — one
at Bahrein on the Gulf and three at
Singapore.
A. shift in these prices away
from the pump price fixed by regu-
lation produces either a deficit or
{9274
CSO:
3400/27
surplus in Sasol’s books, which is
corrected at intervals through a
retail price adjustment.
And the cost of any premium
paid by SA over international
rices does not figure in Sasol’s
ks. But we may take the inter-
national price in dollars as a crude
proxy for the posted prices.
O FORECAST FOR 1986/87: Two
major economic parameters have
to be estimated — the dollar oil
price and the rand-dollar exchange
rate.
It is very much to be doubted
whether the current conditions of
over-supply and locked-in produc-
tion capacity within O mem-
bers will change much for the
better during the current year, de-
spite Saudi Arabia’s desperate ef-
forts to prop up the market.
But US production could well
falter under the impact of relative- |
ly high production costs, while So-
viet production has topped out for
some time to come.
S. an educated guess for oil
prices should be in the $12 to $18
per barrel range (but a rise to
around $20, while not likely, is pos-
sible).
The reinstatement of the levy
rebate (of 35c SA per litre of syn-
thetic production) is a strong sig-
nal that government accepts that
the era of super-profits derived
from an ultra-high import parity
price is well and truly over.
The rebate operates, in effect, as
a subsidy to local synthetic fuels
and (on a wild guess at production)
could be worth more than R200m a
year from July 1, 1986.
The rand is yd to rise to the
US$0,45 to US$0,50 level, but could
rise much more if the dollar col-
lapsed. But a dollar collapse would
probably reflect in higher dollar-
denominated international oil
prices.
We can therefore assume rough-
ly static to moderately lower syn-
fuel profits for 1987, taking
account both of the rebate and of
40% lower synfuel profits in the
~ last four months of the year.
Oil refining could pick up some-
what as the level of activity in the
SA economy rises. No further
meaningful increases in output
from Secunda are to be attained,
notes the profit statement.
Chemical sales will probably
continue at present or better lev-
els, taking account of a local im-
provement. A good season for rain-
fall could help fertilisers, while
explosives will doubtless continue
to advance. This, it should be not-
ed, is a new venture. And further
debt repayment will reduce the in-
terest bill again.
Trin a line through all these
difficult extrapolations but also al-
lowing for traditionally conserva-
tive accounting, one might guess at
earnings per share for 1987 at, say,
10% above the 1986 figure.
The market reacted positively
to the statement, taking the share
to 800c for a dividend yield on dis-
tribution of 45c of 5,6% and an earn-
ings yield on earnings inclusive of
Sasol 3 of 125,6 of 15,7%. These
compare with 4,7% and 10,6% for
the industrials board as a whole (on
August 25).
0 CONCLUSION: Although the
yields are above the industrial
average, the uncertainties sur-
rounding the current year’s profit-
ability suggest strongly that the
share is fairly fully valued at 800c.
For all that, its guaranteed market
for synthetic fuels is a buffering
factor.
But there are likely to be much
more rewarding buys on the indus-
trial board as recoveries get under
way in cyclically-geared concern.
So Sasol is best characterised at
this stage as a strong hold rather
than a buy.
SOUTH AFRICA
BRIEFS
DROP IN JOHANNESBURG BUILDING PLANS--Johannesburg building statistics for July
show, that although the number of building plans submitted fell by comparison
with July 1985, the Johannesburg City Council's Bu ag Survey branch had
1,097 plans in the pipeline, More than half of those, 652, were awaiting
alterations and the remaining 445 were being examined by the municipal plan-
ners. The figures disclose that the number of building plans submitted to the
council in July was 550 compared with 690 in July last year. The number ap-
proved, however, rose to 473 against last year's 462. But their value fell
from more than R58 million in July 1985 to just under R43 million this July.
The value of buildings completed during the month also fell from R27 million
to R20 million. [Text] [Johannesburg THE CITIZEN in English 1l Sep 86 p 11]
/9274
CSO: 3400/27 END
122
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