LABOUR PARTY black sections drew national attention again over the weekend when Vauxhall Labour Party hosted a conference in support of black self-organisation meeting was held in response to the Labour leadership's latest attempts to silence black activists, by threatening to invalidate MP reselection meetings if black sections delegates take part.
In a front page article, described the fightback as 'the revolt' which posed 'the biggest internal problem for Neil Kinnock since he became leader 18 months ago.' ed they won't be fighting on the side of the status quo.
paign the flavour of a race riot. It dwelt on a statement by black section national committee vice-chair Linda Bellos, who said the national executive were 'making up the rules as they go along in an attempt to 'maintain white supremacist rule . institutional racism of the party is what makes Kinnock and the rest of the leadership respond so ferociously.
CHRIS black section national committee (writing in a personal capacity) reports on the Vauxhall conference. AROUND 100 delegates observers met in Lambeth Town Hall last Sunday to plan campaign to defend black pariv acuvisis Irom une latesi attack by the Labour ParThe NEC is telling conthat they Call® not accept MP nominations from their black sections or allow black secton delegates to vote al reselection meetings •on Inland 6 months £8;
within the The Monday's Daily Mail They're right. Black activists have already provThe racist Daily Mail attempted to give the camLinda's right. The fundamental challenge to the KHAMIS, assistant secretary of the Spain of declaring the reselection procedure Invalid. If parties refuse to tional leadership will dispatch its full-timers to those constituencies demand CYCL general committee delegate signs an 'oath of loyalty' to the party constitution.
This threat is currently directed at Lewisham East Vauxhall parties in South London. The SUBSCRIBE reselection process in both Lewisham East in fact will be visited by a national agent at the end of April. Last Sunday's conference called on all ШОСь ш ШШш ш ан show their support for black sections for Lewisham's stand.
Four other parties Deptford.
Wood Greeno Newham Newham West East — will soon be starting reselection rounds with blacks section delegates taking parl. Anu many other constituencies accommodate black secLOIS as they begin their reselection.
Sunday's meeting called on all parties to make provision for black sections in their own constituencies, to pass resolutions in support of Vauxhall and Lewisham East and against the loyalty oath.
Further support for black sections now The black section steering comutee press conferences to get their message across. and are seeking a meeting with party leader Neil Kinnock.
Lewisham lobby and for the model resoluagainst the loyalty Mass of an unbeaten population.
gress Thursday' 'bloody situation.
LATEST reports South Africa indicate that the townships the Eastern Cape are still simmering. Homes black councillors officials are sull belng stonea burned to the ground. Up to now the violence in the Eastern Cape has not spread to other parts of the country. For the govern- relief that the townships of the Vaal triangle, which includes Sharpeville Soweto have remained relatively calm.
On Wednesday April police reported that one of their vehicles had been set alight township on the outskirts of Johannesburg but they did the continue in AS FOUR more blacks died in South Africa this week at the hands of apartheid's police, 80,000 attended the mass funeral in a football stadium near Vitenhage of the 28 shot dead on 21 March. This was one of the biggest mobilisations ever of blacks in South Africa, showing the spirit and determination The coffins were carried to the cemetery draped in the colours of the banned African National Con— black, green and gold. As the resistance to March continues, CHARLIE VAN GELDEREN analyses the current township. The fact that they gave publicity to this isolated incident reflects their general e vo Ine authorities keeping a watchful eye on Crossroads, the shanty town near Саре Town where 18 people died in riots in December last.
It is proposed to move thousands of squatters trom Crossroads the township Dul JUSC of built black Khayelitsa.
This is part of the regime's policy of 'controlled urbanisation' of Africans in the Western Cape. Under South Africa's apartheid legișlation, this area was designated for 'coloured' Until recently the government tried to prevent any new African settlement there and for the TaSI years IrOZE development of established African the vicinity of Cape Town, refusing to build houses, schools or other facilities. Apart those already settled in the region, the only Africans who were to be allowed in were a limited number o1 rural migrants on temporary work permits.
While government regulations may propose. economic facts have tendency dispose. impoverished and disposs essed blacks, dumped the inhospitable and bleak nome alus Ciskei Transkei, inevitably their wav back toward Cape Town the Cape Peninsula. With nowhere else to go they established themselves Crossroads where today an estimated 70,000 people live in make-shift huts and tents.
Khayelitsa, to which the authorities are trying to get the squatters move, is a sprawling new township situated in the windblown sand dunes on Ine coast ot false Bay, about 15 miles from Cape Although superficially, the bleak soulless new township with its row upon row of iden tical two-room boxes, each supposed to house a family of five, may appear to be an improvement to the shacks of Crossroads, the majority of the squatter-town inhabitants have shown no eagerness to make the move In the first place it would be farther their places of work and travel costs make a big dent in the wages of black workers. Furthermore, Crossroads they pay no rent and have developed a measure of autonomy which they are reluctant to exchange for the tight controls to which they would be subjected in Khayelitsha. The move would also result in a §ort out "illegals' black people who in the region without the required permits and face the prospects of being 'deported' to the homelands.
So far the government's efforts to remove the people of Crossroads and also of the three long-established townships near Cape Town, Langa Nyanga and Guguletu has been fiercely resisted, culminating deaths in December Mail
----- pull-quotes -----
Labour Party black sections say:
vaily « We're fed up with having white people speak for us KINNOCK FACES RACE REBELLINN