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On Afro American History For The Struggle is My Life by Nelson Mandela Special offer four months issues for £5 The following selection of books on South Africa is available by post from Other Books: Class and Colour in South Africa 1850-1950, Jack and Ray Simons, International Defence and Aid Fund, 702pp, £5.00 plus £1.33 postage. Part of My Soul Winnie Mandela, Penguin, 159pp, f2.95 plus 25p postage.
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Nelson Mandela: The struggle is my life, IDAF, 208pp, f1.85 plus 46p posiage. Make cheques or postal orders payable to IMRS. Orders with payment should be sent to: Other Books, PO Box 50, London NI 2XP. for the liberation struggle. brings unions with a combined membership of nearly half a million and food.
COSATU, as the federation is called, is the product unity talks which have spanned four years, and brings together the now-to-be-disbanded FOSATU, the NUM and the unions affiliated to the United Democratic Front.
The Congress's President is Elijah Barayi, 0-year-old vice presider ›f the National Union ‹ Mineworkers and a former activist in the African National Congress before it was banned Speaking the 10,000-strong launch rally Sunday, under the banner of counTecerallul try', Barayi called for abolition of the pass laws nationalisation the and for disinvestIlllcs. ment by foreign panies.
answered the arguments of those like Thatcher that sanctions or SOnin ATTIC WOld more harmful to black than to the WOrKCIS since 1652', said; referring to the date when whites started to settle in 'COSATU is therefore in favour of sanctions': he declared despite it being illegal to call for sallcliol under South Africa's apartheid Jaws In an interview after the rally Barayi further explained the role of the new federation. COSATU's main function, he said wold be to 'organise and educate the black masses, just wage bread-and-butter issues OUIL broader issues too'.
Another speaker at the ally was Cyril Ramaphosa general secretar NUM Ramaphosa also took up the political role the federation 'COSATU he liberation contribute the struggle', he declared, adding that such political involvement should not be at the expense OT suppori on the shop floor.
Ramaphosa went on to explain that "the fac! that there is no clear pollca direction among the workIng. class is a lilitallol COSATU to point a direc- This want tion for the working class The new federation The political direction of the Congress was further underlined by the DI Cocace of United Democratic Front members Billy Nair and Kenneth Ndlovu who were welcomed by the 900 Congress delegates as observers The also callea ior uroops le out of the township and for the release of ANC leader Nelson Mandela. secrelary is Jay Naidoo, ot COSATU's Sweet, Food Allied Workers Union. An Indian, Niciion cle ibe nolCauol growing unity between dif ferent sections of the black workers and an affirma tion of COSATU's non raciai comatlsene unitary state: one federa - one country!
Not attiliated to the new federation are CUSA the Council of Unions of South Africa with 180,000 members and the smaller Azanian Confederation of Unions - both of which are associated with 'black consciousness' DOINICa organisations. The official state-regulated federation, TUCSA (which has dramațic unaergonk decline with the rise of the new independent unions), is excluded The importance of the new federation in welding logether a united force of the black working cannot be overstated.
Elijah Barayi showed in speech what movement represents wnel delivered ultimatum lo the regime over the pass laws, which require blacks per manently carry documents proving they Slave 'permission' work Blica. 'White arca.
'COSATU gives Botn six monins io gel ra o passes', he declared thunderous applause that does not take place we will DUT of the black man ... I want to give PW Botha a lasi warning 1o get rid of the pass laws and lo withdraw the troops from the lownships before the country burns.
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THE LAUNCH of the new Congress of South African Trade Unions last weekend is a milestone
dustry — in the mines, engineering, automobile, tex- tile and transport sectors — as well as in retail trade
together 34 of the country's independent It will represent workers throughout basic in- of this country'