EARLY LAST WEEK the South African government announced it was to grant 'citizenship' inhabitants of the homelands. Two days later the influential president's council recommended scrapping South Africa's notorious FREEMAN exposes the fraud behind the claims of reform.
ON THE day the press hailed the "new reforms', Financial Times reported five people shot Capetown, 8. black students shot Soweto, and the murder of an Azapo supporter Durban. So much for reform.
Neither of the steps announced last any rea prospect of advance for black 2O1LO Africans. They simply represent a policy shift in favour of a wing of South PUNICSS WIIUSC aim is to create a bigger black workforce closer to the industrial centres.
The new measures closely follow proposals from the Urban Foundation an organisation set 1976 to study ways to head off a repetition Soweto uprising of that ycal • long advocated The steps have been by Harry Oppenheimer, Ine most authoritative spokesperson of South Aircan business.
The aim of the changes is to create a larger black worktored the townships for the benefit of South African business.
Hence such magnanimous steps as guaranteeing tnal 'no one' will hve to travel for more than an hour and Inland 6 months £8; 12 months £15 Overseas (12 months only)
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'to the pass laws. ALAN a half to get to work'.
Granting 'citizenship' to people forcibly deported to the 'homelands' does no than recognise which state attairs already exists. As the regime's opponents were quick to point out, ting a status which already belongs by right black person born 01 LI Africa. will not affect apartheid's racist - because these are drawn up so as to apply to people who are not white, whether or not they citizens. Freedom Most important of all, black people will not receive the one citizenship right which would alter the situation: vote. Black people will still be governed by they cannot remove. OpHas always been, and remains, oppos ed to one person. one volc in South Africa as does the South African government.
Pretoria's promise
abolish the pass laws has received wider publicity internationally, and created Send to: Socialist Action Subs, PO Box 50, London NI 2XP. bigger illusions in change. But black people are nightly cynical about governHOPE ALCOOTS.
The pass laws suspended atte Sharpe ville but only in the context be reaffirmed later when the resistance was crushed. This time, is possible that the hated 'passes' will be phased out period of time - but their place the movement of black labour the so-called 'Book of Life'.
"'his is an identity document or internal passport introduced after Sharpeville the president's council proposed should the basis of a SYSLCIA neory. all people, of control. black and white, them but it is obvious that only black ‚peoples' movements and rights will De restrictea Dy wien The new measures are not intended to ameliorate the situation of black people, but to put a cosmetic gloss over the explosive that black resistance to the apartheid regime created. The aim to appease American British capital, fearful for stability of their profits and the Pretoria ment.
Botha's measures are no change for South Africa's DIacKs.
• Reagan's fake sanctions: see page 8.
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