Transcript Lecture 6

South Africa
“You are either
alive and proud or
you are dead . . .
And your method of
death can be a
politicizing thing.”
--Steve Biko
[From Radio Interview,
Munich, just before arrest
1977]
Cold War and South Africa
 If Congo ‘theatre’ of Cold War, South
Africa ‘script writer’:
-Central Southern African player giving voice
to ‘threat of Communism’
-Had ear of America, western world
- participated in targeting of Lumumba
- argued ‘domino theory’ in context of Congo,
Angola, Mozambique, Rhodesia
Cold War and South Africa
 Argument:
- Black ‘freedom fighting’ parties in South
Africa essentially communist
- System of Apartheid :
- keeping lid communist revolution SA
-keeping southern Africa safe from
communists (like Lumumba), socialists
(like FRELIMO in Mozambique)
- preventing ‘domino effect’ by which
all southern Africa would ‘fall’
Cold War and South Africa
 Argument Effective:
- West continued to support fascist, brutal
Portuguese regimes in fear of ‘alternative’
[see ‘Mozambique’ April 7]
- backed off of protecting Lumumba
- ‘backed’ Mobutu who promised them
Katanga (and he succeeded)
- invested in, supported South Africa during
years Apartheid constructed
Cold War and South Africa
 Question often asked: why would West,
especially America support building of racist,
segregationist regime just as it was beginning
to deconstruct its own?
- because NOT a question of ‘race’ for west
but rather ‘victory’ in Cold War
- South Africa seen as ‘bulwark’ in war west
could not afford to lose
- South Africa used existence of Cold War to
implement Apartheid legislation
Cold War and South Africa
 Key Race legislation Race Relations Act,
Mixed Marriages Act, Group Areas Act
BUT …
 Key ‘implementation’ legislation:
Suppression of Communism Act, 1950
1950s, 1960s single most important
legislation for arrests, imprisonment, banning,
house arrest
[see ‘Additional Readings’ for full act]
Cold War and South Africa
To declare the Communist Party of South
Africa to be an unlawful organization; to
make provision for declaring other
organizations promoting communistic
activities to be unlawful and for
prohibiting certain periodical or other
publications; to prohibit certain
communistic activities; and to make
provision for other incidental matters.
(Afrikaans Text signed by the Officer Administering
the Government. Assented to 26th June, 1950.)
Cold War and South Africa
‘Communistic’ defined among other things as:
“[that] which aims at bringing about any
political, industrial, social or economic
change within the Union by the promotion
of disturbance or disorder, by unlawful
acts or omissions or by the threat of such
acts or omissions or by means which
include the promotion of disturbance or
disorder, or such acts or omissions or
threat;…”
Cold War and South Africa
 South African Government declared the
People’s Congress 1955 as meeting of
communists, seized all literature as being
‘communist’ literature, arrested leaders as
‘communists’ and declared the famous
‘Freedom Charter’ to be a Communist
Document’!
[see “Freedom Charter” in ‘Additional Readings’]
Cold War and South Africa
 Critical
Headings:
- The People Shall Share in the Country's
Wealth!
- The Land Shall be Shared Among Those Who
Work It!
- All Shall be Equal Before the Law!
- There Shall be Work and Security!
- There Shall be Houses, Security and Comfort!
Cold War and South Africa
156 people tried for treason:
- led to famous ‘Treason Trial’
- lasted 4 years: all acquitted
- attracted international attention
- gave future leaders opportunity to ‘unite’ and
strategize
- Nelson Mandela among accused
- lead defense attorney
- among charges: ANC a ‘communist’
organization, advocating for creation of
‘communist state’
Cold War and South Africa
 Nelson Mandela and Rivonia Trial:
- after underground, self-exile, returned and
was arrested with others at Rivonia
- charges against Mandela infused with
references to his ‘communism’ and role of
foreign, ‘communist’ influences [see ‘Statement
from the dock’ in Additional Readings]:
- state charging that ‘people’s struggle’
orchestrated, provoked by foreign communists
(reference back to Communist Party and articles of
‘Suppression…Act’)
Cold War and South Africa
 Nelson Mandela and Rivonia Trial:
- state repeating accusation that ANC and
Communists had same aims, policies
(Mandela noted that had been dismissed at the
Treason Trial)
- points to important ‘differences’ between
means of achieving shared goals while
underscoring importance of having ‘support’
- co-operation does not mean each ‘partner’ is
the same or shares all values
Cold War and South Africa
 Nelson Mandela and Rivonia Trial:
- Umkhonto We Sizwe, military arm ANC
- state claiming it was created by
‘communists’; Mandela argued it was
‘created’ by ANC, then supported by SACP
Mandela went on to defend acceptance of
communist ‘support’, acknowledging
difficulty for ‘whites’ to understand:
Cold War and South Africa
- in fight against colonialism, cannot let
theoretical arguments ‘divide’
- only SACP supported African workers,
Africans for decades
- colonial experience taught many Africans
western democracies do not support their
freedom
- international support: Communist ‘block’
more supportive of African-Asian
independence movements
Cold War and South Africa
- goes on to question whether there is a
‘particular’ role for communist party at this
moment (as distinct from communists as
individuals who share ANC goals)
- notes his own ‘personal’ support for
democratic, parliamentary system – and for
capitalism
- finishes by saying that suggesting struggle of
black people in SA for real freedom is only an
extension of Communism is insult
Cold War and South Africa
“Our fight is against real, and not imaginary,
hardships, or to use the language of the State
Prosecutor, 'so-called hardships'. Basically,
we fight against two features which are the
hallmarks of African life in South Africa and
which are entrenched by legislation which we
seek to have repealed. These are poverty and
lack of human dignity, and we do not need
communists or so-called 'agitators' to teach us
about these things.”
[from ‘statement from the dock’, Nelson Mandela]
Prison at Robbin Island
Nelson Mandela spent 25 years here, 1964-1989
Cold War and South Africa
 Impact:
- application of Suppression of Communism
Act used to undermine leadership of all
resistance movements
- contributed to 1958 ‘split’ from ANC of Pan
African Congress (PAC): divided over role of
‘non-black’ Africans but many ‘whites’ in
movement were communists (eg Joe Slovo)
- real objection of many to communism not
colour
Cold War and South Africa
 Impact:
- once convicted, led to many being put under
house arrest (eg Helen Joseph) or banned
- ‘sample’ banning order (1966): Ian
Robertson
- effective control of geographical movement
as well as association
- renders most overt political activity
impossible
- prohibits basic civil rights
[see ‘Banning Ian Robertson’ in Additional Readings]
Cold War and South Africa
 Act Condemned from outset:
- “ it is against every concept of the rule of
law and the principles of democracy…”
[The Guardien, Cape Town, May 1952]
- reference to fact that Suppression of
Communism Act used to remove leaders from
all organizations ‘threatening’ to government
- lead-up to Defiance Campaign 1952:
Cold War and South Africa
“The Non-European people are pledged
through the decisions of the conferences of the
African National Congress and the South
African Indian Congress and the countrywide
demonstrations of April 6th to implement the
plan for the Defiance of Unjust Laws. The
joint meeting of the executives of the ANC and
the SAIC which meets at Port Elizabeth on
May 31, is called upon to meet the new
situation fairly and squarely.”
Images of Oppression: 1950s-70s
Cold War and South Africa
Did anyone object?
- Sharpeville!
- 1961 South Africa ‘repeated’ in own way UDI
(Rhodesia): withdrew from Commonwealth
-Britain ‘ambivalent’ (not everyone agreed,
although public protest to support ‘withdrawal’
high)
- ultimately Canada took lead in accepting
decision as appropriate
[ see ‘South Africa Out of Commonwealth’ in Additional
Readings – short video clip]
Cold War and South Africa
Video
“You Have Struck a Rock”
[excerpt]
Post-Script
With no internal base left, many departed to
continue struggle from outside the country.
Government took up rhetoric of
‘Independent Africa’, promoted policy of
‘Grand Apartheid’ or ‘separate development.’
New president, Verwoerd argued that
Apartheid would bring equal rights to all –
each in their own part of the country.
Post-Script
Policy of ‘separate development’ kept best
land and all minerals in hands of Afrikaners
- 1966 Verwoerd assassinated.
- Previous minister of ‘justice’, Vorster
continued policies.
- 1974 homelands presented with plan for
independence.
- All except Transkei refused.
Post-Script (1979)
1970s
1974: coup in Portugal which led to the
ending of colonial rule in Mozambique 1975
- Collapse of Portuguese colonialism gave
new hope to Black African youth
- Led to the rise of Steve Biko and Black
Consciousness
Steve Biko and Black Consciousness
“I think basically Black Consciousness refers itself to
the black man and to his situation, and I think the
black man is subject to two forces in this country.
He is first of all oppressed by an external world
through institutionalized machinery, through laws
that restrict him from doing certain things, through
heavy work conditions, through poor education,
these are all external to him and secondly, and this
we regard as the most important, the Black man in
himself has developed a certain state of alienation,
he rejects himself, precisely because he attaches the
meaning white to all that is good, in other words he
associates good and he equates good with white.
This arises out of his living an it arises out of his
development from childhood.
[Steve Biko, in court, September 1974 in I Write What I Like, 1978, p. 100]
Spirit of the 1970s: students
SOWETO: 1976
Protest march by students in SOWETO,
June 16 1976,
- SOWETO was to the 1970s what
Sharpeville had been to the previous decade:
- Watershed for African resistance, for world
opinion, for government action/reaction.
- Marked ‘generation gap’ and frustration of
youth
SOWETO: 1976
Achieved nationwide impact.
- Students all politicized: protest against
instruction in Afrikaans became demands for
freedom and an end to Apartheid.
- A new generation was willing to die for
Independence; Steve Biko did.
SOWETO (SOuth WEst TOwnship)
http://www.afh.org.za/Newsfeatureaug06.php
Biko the Legacy
1980s: road to independence
[In the 1980s, everything became political.
- Community organizations, mass movements
reminiscent of 1950s demanded change.
United Democratic Front (UDF) formed 1983 :
[August 20] “The United Democratic Front is
formally launched at a meeting in Mitchell’s Plein,
near Cape Town.
The meeting, attended by delegates from over 320
community groups, trade unions, women’s groups
and students organizations,
committed itself to oppose the government’s
constitutional proposals and pledged itself to a
single, non-racial and democratic South Africa. “
UDF Resources:
http://www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/history/udf/index.html
UDF Organizes
Rev. Alan Boesak, speaking at the Transvaal Anti-SAIC
Commitee, at which he
first mooted the formation of the United Front
(Photo: Omar Badsha)
Dr Alan Boesak, Archie Gumede and Mrs Naicker at the launch
(Photo: Omar Badsha)
All
photos: http://www.sahistory.org.za/pages/mainframe.htm
1980s: road to independence
Congress of South African Trade Unions
formed in 1985; highly politicized.
- Result of four-years negotiation with 33
unions, half-million workers
“ COSATU believes in a democratic society
free of racism, sexism and the exploitation of
the working class. We believe in a society
where workers have full control over their
lives. We are determined to work with other
democratic forces to do away with all forms of
oppression and exploitation”.
[See: http://www.cosatu.org.za/aboutcos.htm]
1980s: road to independence
International reaction led to sanctions and
disinvestment.
Between 1984-1986:
- violence in townships escalated
- Port Elizabeth, new young leaders
emerged: Mkhuseli Jack; Janet Cherry
- New strategy of opposition: non-violent
consumer boycott
1980s: road to independence
- Increased pressures for international economic
sanctions and divestment
- 15 Aug.1985: Botha’s infamous “Rubicon”
speech –anticipated he would announce
dismantling Apartheid; instead increased power
of National Party, saying that he “would not give
in to hostile pressure and agitation from abroad”
- Rand fell precariously, economic sanctions
implemented
- Followed 1986 by United States'
Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act (CAAA)
http://training.itcilo.it/actrav_cdrom1/english/global/guide/antia.htm
1980s: road to independence
- government
resorts to crack-downs--“states of
emergency”
- by 1986 South Africa had become virtually
ungovernable
- 1987 negotiations began in secret with ANC.
- 1989 F. W. de Clerk elected president; “state of
emergency” relaxed; political prisoners released
- 1990 ANC and SAPC unbanned, Apartheid laws
dismantled; Nelson Mandela released from
Prison]
- 1994 Elections held, Mandela elected president
Mandela and De Klerk
African National Congress
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