South Africa on 6 January, he expected the same rapturous reception which greeted his brother Bobby 10 years ago. But much has happened on the South African political scene in the last decade.
Most important is the political consciousness of the black bolised by the mushroom growth of the black and independent trade unions, the leftward development of the Black Consciousness Movement, and the advance of the black working class to the head of the struggle.
Kennedy's visit was hailed by the white liberals that section black people that supports the popular CHORUSL United Democratic Federation (UDr). Opposi tion came from the sup.
of the National Forum (NF), principally from the Azanian People's Organisation (AZAPO)
the Cape Action League (CAL).
The UDF also KnOWIl they 'Charterists' base themselves on the Freedom Charter which was drawn up by the Congress Alliance in 1955 and among others, by the African National ConTransvaal Indian Congress (ANC) the - has as its strategic programme political freedom all race groups, seeks to unite them in a na tional drive to win political freedom for all. They see the liberation struggle as an end in itself.
The National Forum and its affiliates are more concerned with a direct attack on the capitalist system. Il 1S capitalism, hey say, which oppresses the working class (which is mainly owners of the means of development of the people, symproduction mainly white).
Liberation In itself, thee to help the down trod- maintain, has done den workers most African countries which have achieved political independence.
The Forum manifesto therefore stresses that: 'the struggle against apartheid is no more than a point of departure in our liberation effort. Apartheid will be eradicated with the system of capitalism.
They have linked national and economic op pression and insist that the two cannot be separated.
These differences explain the different al titudes to Kennedy's reception. Greeted with open arms by Bishop Tutu Winnie Mandela UDF supporters hostiliti AZAPO who met him with posters proclaiming Kenneay Is a Yankee imperialist: we want a socialist Azania'.
The South African white liberals, including the Anglo-American busOppenheimer, will support the Charterists up to a point. draw back when thev see that the abolition of apartheid could mean the enc of the migrant which provides system them with cheap alic super-profits in tne gold and diamond mines.
But they undoubtedly favour OVe towards easing the explosive tensions within South Africa by some extension of the franchise to the blacks but one which would leave the capitalist system intact. black people from their homes in the designated 'white areas' and dumped in primitive wastelands ir the so-called homelands.
Does this aspirant
the presidency of the : Un• nothing of the history of his own country!
Does he not know of the indian. - those who were not exterminated by the white man's bullets who were uprooted from their ancestral homes and dumped into reserves exactly what the apartheid regime is currently doing to the black people? Does he remember the segrega tion laws in the South which were only brought to an end by the militan struggle of the black peo ple themselves?
Does he not know that CyCl segrated housing estates in today there the South; that black peo. ple throughout the United States are still very much second-class citizens when it comes to iob discrimina tion, housing educational Taclues. did so oll If Kennedy wants to tight racism let him go home and fight alongside the blacks, the Latinos ir his own country. If he is for self-determination, let him show support for the freedom fighters of Puerto Rico.
The black people of headed . by the will unense ive shackles of apartheid and which today hold them in bondage. They will look for support the workers of the world, and not to the Ken nedys and their ilk.