knows that it can continue to ignore the call negollahons governments of the maJor countries have undertaken, almost as a matter of principle, that they will not act against the racist regime despite its continued failure to respond to the universal demand for an end to the apartheid system and its replacement by a democratic social order. It was obvious from the very beginning that Sir Howe's Africa, last year, would not succeed, precisely for me reason lal bowl wie British government and the EEC were committed to avoiding any ettective against apartheid South Africa.
Measures It the kev to negotiations were in our hands, we would long have used it to open the door. have been proposed for us to adopt, namely, the cessation or suspension of our armed struggle or the unmaterai proclamation of a moratorium, will do not pile doout accolarvis The Pretoria neconae nor pecause lnerers an armed struggle, but because it is unwilling to give up white minority domination The source of violence in south Africa, Namibia and our region is the apartheid system and the racist regime. What must cease is the violence that arises from the administration of aparbecause the theid. For that to happen, the system of white minority domination must be brought lo all cla strange reasoning that we, the victims of violence, should be asked to respond to the continued terror of the Pretoria regime against the peoples of Southern our armed resistance, porarily or permanently. The Pretoria to soutr regime has blocked the path to negotiaUmons. une recent wrestly cecon in South Africa have confirmed PW mination to resist all change and further to entrench the apartheid system.
tries that awaited the results of this ittheir answer.
Such measures as the position in which they in fact, to connive at its perpetuation, refusing to an alternative democratic power within • South Africa, an indigenous product of struggle then have to decide whether it takes the side of this alternative power and the rest of the anti-colonial and anti-racist it seems to us Africa by committing ourselves to cease whether temmations which united.
Botha in his view that white South Africa stands with him in his deterlo icalsallull The governments of the Western counPeace legitimate electoral process now have This places the western powers in say we have to choose either to work for the total elimination of the apartheid system or, as they do now. Sooner or later they will come to realise that there has emerged which holds the future of South Africa in its hands. The West will exists, forces of the continent of Africa made. up of nearly five hundred million people, or whether it ties itself to the doomed course followed by far less than five million Africans of European origin. It is no longer possible to run with the hares and hunt with the hounds The broad perspectives of our country's democratic power are spelt out in the Freedom Charter. Organisationally, it is represented by many forrecognise the leading role of the ANC in the struggle for a democratic non-racial South Africa. Whether or not they support or engage in armed stuggle, they are at one with us in seeking this outcome and are active in the struggle for I should staie here that when we are fighting for a united, alle Ul- alid.
Africa, we mean what we say. It is very clear to us thal uness our county becomes such an entity, we shall know no peace. To propose any so called solutions which fall within the parameters of the apartheid system is no more than to prepare a recipe tor a continuation ol the conflict which has already claimed too many lives. As longs as this system whatever guise it assumes, so long will the Front Line and neighbouring states be victims of aggression and destabilisation. For all this to end, for of these masses in all fields of human activity. Not only should these not be boycotted, but more, they should be supported, encouraged and treated a the democratic counterparts withir South Africa of similar institutions and internationally. This means the ANC, the broad democratic movement in its various formations within South Africa, and the international solidarity movement need to act Everywhere in our country, and atter a vear of national state of emergency, the democratic forces are at work to expand and strengthen their ranks and to raise the level and intensity of the offensive against the apartheid regime to new heights. For its part, this regime prepare itselt atrocities, for the campaign of repression of which PW Botha boasts - as though to shoot and kill children, to imprison and torture them and their parents, to carry out one outrage after another against independent Africa were the worthiest activities that one could ever imagine terrible collision between ourselves and our opponents is in evitable. Many battles will be fought and many lives will be lost throughout our region. Yet the outcome is not in doubt. Having reached the crossroads the masses of our people have decided that our count) must advance as rapidly as possible to the situatio where they, black and white, will govern Whatever the cost, there is no doubt that we will win.
The above are extracts from a speech made by Oliver Tambo, presi dent of the ANC, on 28 May in Lon don. He was speaking at the Canon Collins Annual Memorial Lecture.
Socialist Action 5 June 1987