SPEAKING IN the recent Commons debate on South Africa, foreign secretary Geoffrey Howe expressed 'our complete and absolute condemnation township, he said, had been 'an alarming and deeply moving experience'. characteristic of the Tory government's hypocrisy — no doubt at the thought of approaching black despite Thatcher's best efforts to the contrary, the pressure for Britain to impose sanctions against the Wicclill?
Al.ne and the invitation to ANC Thatcher government will their triends wil go to to DOULI uc wu uycslcals.
cease' before negotiations the ANC and other black LNUSA 1 ColH.
ON TUESDAY 17 June the House of Commons debated a Labour motion for 'the imposition of effective economic measures against the government of South Africa'. Needless to say, it was lost. Speaking during the debate TONY Newham North, put the case for sanctions against the white minority regime. tracts from his speech.
THE government's attitude to South Africa and apartheid onc of breathtaking LIVDUCIISy The Eminent Persons Group (EPG) of which we have heard so much today, was originally device designed prime minister to try to delay takmig ally actioll She expected it to come back saying, 'do nothing' or 'do very little'. She certainly did not expect it to come back saying that economic sanctions should be imposed.
Lord Barber is alleged to have said that he would not have become member of the EPG if he had known at the outset that it would recommend sanctions. In my opinion, it is clear that he was colluding WILfl CLINC prunc minister in thinking, that LIC ZIOUD would be means of delaying definitive action.
we have heard today from the government the His own past visit to the Soweto disappearing down the drain. But, o une oromeremeele between president Tambo and a lorv minister is thal too has refused to meet the This is still a long way Africans) as a counter to sanctions is proof enough al a UTCNS ing of his visit to Britain, that Britain might now try It is beginning to look as if the Čommonwealth 'and that Britain is taking saotken on BANKS, MP for We reproduce below exritual denunciation. of apartheid, but they revealed themselves to be stead. lastiy opposcu lo any elfective measures to end it r nc cove muenl ac avarAfrica. They are as much a mainstay of apartheid as the whips and guns of Botha's police twisted justification the vl llie unprincipled, Tecuve against South because of the profits that British That applies what investNamibia.
The racist regime in South Africa was clearly afraid sanctions, Tambo pointed out. Botha had made it an offence encourage them, under the state of emergency.
The leadership has called for 'effective measures against apartheid dispatched shadow foreign spokesperson Denis Healey al lival. lllal respect the laws of the country while I'm here' stands in contrast to his denunciation ot the mınority regime in his opening speech of the. Commons .'We have in South Africa today, he said then, 'a police state which the government's agents have a licence to ar. rest without explanation and to • kill without OCHE called to account. South ments in South Africa are worth about £3 billion.
heard the foreign secrerav sav that South Africa is part of the frec That also should make what happens there our responsibility.
do not accept, however, that South Africa is part of the free world The MP for Perth Kinross (Fairbairn) should to tell that to the million blacks denied the right to vote or oraanse eviae ln lue lrcd world is a pretty sick joke We also hear that sanctions will seriously damage the interests of blacks in South Africa the front-line states. That concern comes ill from Conservative members. They have never before shown any interest in the blacks in I prefer to listen to the genuine representatives of black South Africans such as the ANC, and representatives of front-line states such as Kaunda and Nyere. I should also like to know what damages the interests of blacks most, sanctions or apartheid. It is not surprising that, although they know they will suffer from sanctions, many Dlacks their representatives Africa today suffers from a news blackout (sic) far more compiele Inan . Cl1) Communist country has ever known.' His meek compliance to that police state gives no room for confidence that in power, would act decisively against the apartheid regime. After all wnen a Labour government, including Denis Healey, had chance to impose salll on South Atrica li did not do so. It is a sad TOC CLICHI on the part' that one of its leaders lacked even the courage of the Archbishop Canter bury's envoy, Terry Waite defying Lue media reporting embargo.
Despite the intransigence of the British government, wavering of oculawc acauc us. sanctions against theid must applied there must be are prepared to say that they want sancuions ow because the evils of apartheid are so much worse.
The third argument is that South Africa has made some progress In dismantling apartheid and that, if we impose sancwill imperil that Luls. we progress. Whatever miserable concessions have been made, have been made onbecause of domestic unrest external pressure.
The people who tell us now nor o muoose sare tions are the very people willu sure, even the Gleneagles anicculcil sporting sanctions.
The truth is that Botha and his government understand only force. They are terrified of that force and look to the Tory government to protect them trom it.
This speech, the foreign secretary made no DUSILIVe suggestions referred only to the need to negotiate. I believe that he deceives himself, and that deceive himself willingly President will not negotiate apartheid out of existence. He has said as much, and the EPG pressure to force this issue.
This Dressure will comt the • actions of the mass movement. Standing in solidarity with their black sisters and brothers in South Africa, the acof anti apartheid avutes movement campaigners on the streets of their own. cities is the best way to ensure that the growing nae or revulsiol against South Africa's wite racists become. unbearable weight on gorealenls The shift by the Thatcher government should be taken as the green light to build the biggest aemonstralion ever on luc streets of London against lne rollen system ol apaltheid. Saturday 28 June is the besi lacuita UOoUl tunity for anti apartheid activists in Britain to mand: Sanctions Now! Break All Links With Apartheid! verifies it. He will concede only when he is faced. by force The government's amendment the opposition motion calls for an end to violence on all sides. Apartheid institutionalised VIO CECe The black majority is denied the •Dall political process of South Africa. is denied. th right to form its own organisations, and it is not allowed to vote. We know that will not negotiate, , so what is the black majority to do?
Is it to sit and wait for the Conservative governto introduce a fen mild sanctions that will not work and that are designed not to work? What options does the black majority have, other than armed resistance?
The fuse in South Africa has almost burned cowu. loweconone dn‹ sanctions might - but only just -brIE about fundamental change.
I feel that South Africa is now firmly cause of the coming bloodbath relates entirely to the brutal system of apartheid.