/ j s . / a s .

W2

We tell it like it is

V olum e3 *Kimber 1 Non-profit Com m unity N ew spaper 20c March 1985

elects new executive

Svnton Ndou UDF vie* p m i d w

UDFAlthough facing a charge of high treason. Albertina Stftulu has been re­elected president of the UDF (Tvl), and beads an 18 member executive committee.Elections for the

UDF* new exex were held at its AGM on

The *GM also adopted a new con­stitution. drawn up after months of con­sultation with affihates.Samson Ndou

(Gawu). RamSaioojee (TIC) and IsmaU Mohamed (Tvi

Anti PC) were elected as the regional UDFs three vice- presidents. Others elected are

# Mohammed Valli and Paul Mashaule — genera) ie c re ta n es# Eddie Makue — minute secretary# Sydney Mafumadi — pubtiaty secretary

• Murphy Morobe — rural secretary• Azhar Cachalia and Titus Mofolo — treasurers• Mrwakhe Mbuli — media officer• Raymond Suttner — education officer• Dan Montsisi —

youth portfolio# Mathews Saihekge— student portfolio# Paul Maseko — labour portfolio

# Amanda Kwadi — women’s portfolio

# Arthur Mkhwar.azi— a vie p o rtfo lio

Speaking •tie- tne elections. Sarrson Ndou said the arrests of UDF leaders "will rxH deier us fror pur­suing our strugpe fcr a just causr”“Today s eter*on

means an iiueaBfici- tion of the stmgpe for liberation.’' he biu

Page 10

PeoplegovernVaal residents <**- their problems are theVaal residents tinuc to defy tNr authorities by not pay ing rents in what a becoming the loogeK ever rent boycott # Sooth Airican hist or-

Students continue *c demand Jemocranc SRC's ano better school condition against against tear- gas. sjamboks *°- threats to close dcrwr their schools.

Workers oontinue so demand higher wages- better working cona­tions and the right ;c work and to organise Thousands rcceiary

attended a rail) ** Tembisa to mark tae 30th anniversary ci the first Bon-raaal co­ordinating trade umor. body. Sactu

And women derrtaac food at prices » people can afford.

People all over e x country are fighecg for the right to govern With rents high, food

prices going up. the same thousands losing tfeer jobs — many mere people are aware

their problems are the result of an unjust and undemocratic system. Only when they have

rights to govern, will these problems be resolved.

It is thirty vears since the people declared their nght to govern This is the 30th anniversary of the Freedom Charter and organisations coun­trywide are celebrat­ing the occasion

The Freedom Char­ter. the most democ ratic document ever produced in South Africa, spells out the demands and aspira­tions of the people for a just and democratic country in which they would have the nght to decide their own lives.

Most of the grie­vances experienced by people 30 years ago remain, and they are more than ever oetoredetermined to achieve their demands as spelt out in the Freedom Charter.

“There has been a massive increase in

the numbers of peopie that have joined youth organisations unions, women's group* andcivics in the P*s: year,* a TIC •poke*- person said.

“The people have not oren intimidated tr, the fact that 15 UDF leaders have been charged tor h^b treason — or b1*. any other acts by the police for tnat mat­ter **The Release Marv

deia Committee saic -W ith the govern meat's refomstrategy in shamble* u the wake of the fo' polls in August ano the township turmoils after that, we neeo to move forward".

“We need to link our protests against the evils of apartheid and the unsatisfactory conditions in which we Jive and work with our ideas of a future soci- erv".The RMC. the

Transvaal Indian Con­gress. Transvaal Anti- PC, and Johannes­burg Democratic

With Freedom Charter

Action Committee (todac) and many other organisations are spearheading a campaign to spread the message of the Freedom Charter

-Who cannot iden­tify with the Freedom Charter. with its demands for living wages. adequate housing, land for all and so on." the Anti-

in hand. t h . p«ople 9° forward -det«mi.n«w

PC asked Organisations plan

to pamphleteer, visit people in their homes, visit churches and call meetings to inform people about the demands of the Free­dom Charter and encourage them to join the struggle to work for the realisa­tion of those demands.

“Through celebrat­ing the 30tt. anniver­sary of the Freedom Charter, wt w.l' be reaffirming our com­mitment to a united, democratic South Africa." said the TIC.Jodac pointed to the

inspiring role the Freedom Charter has played and added, “when we celebrate 30

J Win n» — —

years ot our O ar.er we will aisc br celeb­rating the prou: anc brave histor. ali South African*- si tt>e Struggle for x moc- racy in our cou*cr\

Many mors crpn*s> lions are expend to adopt the F-eedon Charter this yer-

• See page '

T h e re 's ano r g a n is a o o nn e a r yo uTerror L e k o ta ,

UDF p u b b c r ry se c re ta r y s p e e k s o n K e n n e d y s v is ft

C entrespsaa

shall

PA G E 2 S P E A K M a A C H 1985

Months of boycotts and protests have forced the Education and Training Depart­ment (DET) to ksten to student demands for tniJv democratic SRCs. 'The National Co —

ord mating committee of parents presented Deputy Education Minnie: Dr S de Beer

with a draft constitu­tion for SRCs in high schools and a memorandum listing student demands.The committee was

formed to investigate grievances of students throughout the coun­try.They talked to sru-

ients, parents and teachers before draw­

ing up the constitution and the memoran - dum.The memorandum

said the real cause of the unrests is that stu­dents do not have a say in decision mak­ing

It called for democ­ratic SRCs and demo­cratic parents govern­ing councils (School

Committees j to be established

The comroirtee also asked that the present SRC constitution (Communication Structure proposed by DET) should not be implemented while negotiation* are going onThe constitution

proposes SRCs do the

following• an as represent* oves of their fellow students in all matters concerning their edu­cation•a c t as a channel of communication bet­ween students, staff and the DET• organise social. cul­tural and sporting activities for students

# affiliate to any other organisation con­cerned with educa­tional matters• represent students of the school on a Reg­ional Students Coun til.

The DET has asked for six to e:ght weeks to stud> the constitu­tion and nai promised to investigate the

other demands The SL*usier aisc*

agreec tc a demand that the prefect system not be - —red on sn dents

Security policc har- rassmen: of students, teachen and parents was also msec a: the meeting and the Minister asaed for detailed information.

* ■ *. ' v -

Deaththreatsfrom

thugs

‘Councillors doing board

VAAL-Armed thugs are terrorising VaaJ residents — threaten­ing them with dearn. In recent montns

unknown men wield­ing grenades and other weapons lave threatened members of Vaai organisations and detaineesfamilies

A former SharpeviHe Gvic Association member who dki oot want to be named, toid Speak he was wokon up by three men and threatened “Open the door, we want money. Well burn down your house if you don't open." they shouted "Two men had guns wmle the third held a hand grenade."

“We had to p*ay a game of wait and see until the mommc when they disap­peared. The chil­dren were so scared they cned the wUoie hi£Ht.fc

Men artfted with knives and klriei have also thnct thrtitraed a detaiftte’i family

dirty work’TLADI — The Tiadi- Moletsane Gvic Association recently held its first public meeting to discuss residents problems The Tladi- Molet&ane Civic is a branch of the Soweto Civic Associa­tion (SCA).A five man comnut-

tee was elected at me end of the meeting to look into the problems of residents and con­sider wavs of fighting them. The committee was mandated to woi k

dosely with the SCA executive and report back within four weeks.

The Soweto Council and Wes? Rand Development Board came under heavy attack.

Mr AmosMasondo, publicity secretary of the SCA reminded residents of Tshab- lala's election promise to reduce rents to R5."These fais*: prom­

ises show that the

black ioca! authorities do not have real pow­ers to make cnanges,** he said.

“Instead the dirrv work of the administ­ration boards has been passed on to the coun­cillors. The- evict people and arc now responsiole foiincreasing rents and rates."

Pat Lephunya, sec­retary of the SCA explained why elec- tr*dry bills were sc

Pop© Moiefa. UDF national aocrwtarv. address** Tladi r«s.dertshigh. Thebehab and Tshabal<iia made large loans to upgrade ser­vices in the townships, but there have hardly beer, any improve­

ments. Thev are now forcing the people to repay the ioans “Those wno man­

dated iheTshabalala's to take une loans must

pay the ioa^s, nol the residents * be said He called on rcsi

dents to u ite ana force tne councillors to resign.

Health plan breeds apartheidThe Government's move to create four different healthdepartments would only serve to further entrench apartheid, lb condemning the

move, Transvaal lftditn Congress set retary tifiiaiiMomoniat. on

all communities to resist the proposals

He said already attempts are being made to force this sys­tem.

• Indian nurses, pre Viously paid fron Comftatmn Hospita1

are now being paid from Johannesburg Hospital.

# Some departments at Coronation will he moved to the old Non- European Hospita! in Hillbrow with the intention of making it lor Indians only. And

Coronation Hosptt^J will remain exclu­sively for coloured peopk

• Barag^anath Hos­pital has been treaung Africans ever since itwas built.“Financing four

departments will add

to the ever-increasing cos; ic medicines and health care Poorer people w:li find it dif­ficult to afford health care services." he said.“This *ouid lead to a

deterioration in health of many people in our communities " lamail Momoniat

— TIC secretary

SPEAK MAJICH 1985PAGE 3

“Our struggle is for peace”JAB ULAN!-Our people camt lo celch- Tim bo speak ' he tree dom offer lH)rn»->» M M J I M ri— M M .U -____ . .m i _____JAB ULAN!-Chir Struggle for Libera tion is a Straggle for Peace Against the

backdrop of thss UDF banner. Bishop Desmond Tutu brought home the Nobel Peace Pnie for the people, and jailed ANC leader Nelson Mandela spoke to South Afnca for the first time in 21 yean Almost 10 000

people came to celeb­rate the pnze with Bishop Tutu at Sow­eto* Jabuiani Amphitheatre Bishop Tutu said that

he and others like him were leaders by default-because the true leaders had been jailed or exiled

“Many of you young people have never heard the likes of Mandela, Walter Sisulu or Oliver

Tam bo said“But when 1 say to

you: Who are your leaders0 — there is absolutely no doubt."But the people at

Jabuiani cbd hear Mandela speak — through his daughter ZlTUiIt was the moment

the crowd had been waiting for — io hear Mandela 's response to the Government s

free dom offer“I am not less life-

Jovjng than you are, but 1 cannot sell my birthrigh;, nor am I prepared to sell the birthright of the people to be free." he said

But the day was not only filled with politi­cal speeches.

Music, poer-s and dance by mam diffe­rent groups all made the day a success

•jar * - ■ --- - • '___ M Bk_____________ _

Nobel PMC* Prize wmrwr B uhcp Dwm or o Tutu gr*«tw Zinii Mandal* who broognt _________ ^bom«2_^£_f£thgf^4gl»o^Mar>d»ii_rgp<y to PW Both* fr—dom 0*1*'

“Free them now”Cosaa m em w ri form a cjuarc of honour for Albertina Sisuiu on h*' •rrrval at Jabuiani Ma Sisulu has b»an arrartad on hig- t*< charge*

“Detenuons prove ihat peoples organisa­tions are growing stronger while the government is nor", said NIC executive member, Zac Yacoob at a 1000 strong meet- ing in Lenasu to pro­test against the arrest of 16 UDF leaden — four of whom are trade unionists.

“The state hoped to

frighten our leaders and the communioes with detentions, bui this meeting is an indi­cation that we are not afraid and we will not sit back while our leaders are jailed."Yacoob called upon

ail communities to “remain strong and united and to cam­paign for our leaden release".

“What justice is there", he asked, “when our leaden are refused bail and made to sit in prison for three months because the state is not ready for the trial."

“It is detention WITH trial," he said

“If there was any genuine evidence that they had committed treason, then why wait

so lonp for the t r u 1 to begin"Similar sentiments

were echoed at a prayer meeting called bv the Transvaa. Am»-PC.

"I’ve racked my brain, to think ol what sort of things they can charge my husband with. “ said Mn Mohammed, wife of detained Anti-PC

Prof

Peaceful protest is no cause for treason

P a a l D a r i d - N l C e x c r C u r b * N k o o d o - R V C

T k k o b l y

f u r t h e r b d f b t e n I n m a n

a n d c o n f l i c t be S o u t b

A f h c a .

T h e c h a r f e a c o a t a f t e r B M u n t m f p r m u r t t h a t t b < I t t d m b e c h a r f v d o r

r t t r — f d .B u t b o c h a r g e o f t n e a a o n

a g a i n * : p e o p * * w h o

o p p o s e a p a r t h e i d c a r b e

• erer frowmf mmsrr mod e paiusatton. aati the form* Doc of the UDF• reyecooo of anrirmnr rabc Black Local Authorities

• opfMMrfuoe to tae new

A r c h * C a a » r i r U P F

S 4* b * v - U D F

T h e y h a v e n o t

a c t e d o a t h e i r o w a b u t

w t t b t h e f a l l a a p p o r t o f

t h e p a o p f c . A B t h e y d i d w a a r t p r r a e n t t h e r t e w i

a n d a a p t r a t i o c n o f t h e o p p r ea o e d I n S o o t h

A f r i c a .

To c h a r t? them b to e h a rfe thaoaanda upoc

of freedom South Africans

S im Biw uW m e

H)K<Mm >N1Cu k

T h e r i f h t t o p r o t o n , t o a t r a o l e * la u n d e r a t t a c k .

peaceful proiasf u

apphed to Soatfc Africa. Here, nothing tinki thr law with Jaatkx, A frica* unjust and D lefitinatr rule.

T r e a a o o c h a r f e i a aD

th e G o v e r n m e n t c a n r e a p o o d w i t h a f t e r t h r

a e n c a o f b lo w s t o b e e u

d e a i t o r e r t h e laud f e w

y e a n . T h e r e h a s b e e n - • m a j o r o p p o c n i o o to

R e p u b l i c D a ;

# o r e r w h e i m i a g

b o y c o t t o f t h r S A I C «4 e c -

• c a m p a i g n * f o r t h e

u n c o f w i iU o u a J rrfc r w of N e i s o c M a n d e i a a a d aU

p o h r i c a i p n a o o e r i

T b e e r h a r t o i l h e r o p o r t

o f a j u s t * tn * j^ g » » f o r

d e m o c r a c y . I n e y « a o f

t h e m a jo n < % o f S o o t h A f n c a o s t n e t i * * d r r s

h a v e c o m m i t r d a o m u v c .

T h e c a i i f o r t h e i r

i m m e d i a t e a n d a n c o o d i - u o n a J r e i e a v <o»i«4e r r r e t ~ d i <

chairpcrsor. Mohamm-d “Is he a traitor

because he stood up against injustice and tried to do someihing about it?.*' she asked Mrs Mohammed

descnr*ed how the sec­urity police searched their home for 12 hours.“They took away all

our photo-albums, my school reports from the 1940‘s and even letters my husband had written to me in 1952,” she said.

The Hendrickses and Rajbansis are now as much to blame for the arrests, said Anti-PC member. Achmat Dangor.At the TIC meeting,

Gawu president. Sam­son Ndou recalled the 1956 treason tnaJ in which after four years 156 people were finally acquitted.

“The state hoped to crackdown on democ­ratic organisations at the time The present detentions areanother attempt to do just that," he said.

Other speakers at the meeting were Helen Joseph, one of the 1956 treason triaJists. and Firoz Cachalia

Cachalia warned the Government “Wc will meet you on any terrain for our free­dom "

u n i t e a g a i n s tn r t fT C

p ./ m c f a k e z

i n i i i i i i n i i i i i i i i N EP O CfNEM A

3/ 2/85 9 .0 0 a m

“Strengthen the struggle for unity”

TEMBISA-In a new year message the Tembisa YouthMovement said the Tembisa peopic had forged their unity through struggle It called on the youth, students, workers and parents to strengthen this unity.Unity in struggle

had:•united parens and students in demands for truly democratic SRC’s•forced open the doors for DEI tc lis­ten to thrm.•brought women together undei the Tembisa '<*'omrn s Group — whc joined in the figfiT against high renti. bus r^res. GST etc

•strengthenec tne Tembisa C m : Assoa ation in m figh? against under'-ocranc community councils, high rents, e kernel tv, water and transport fares, and for the anih- drawai of me arm) from the towns£^> •united worker and communitv orramsa- oens in the Simiw dis­pute to win a victory for worker's denands •sw ellcj the rstks 0? youth moveir>er3ts in campaigns acams: conscnpooc. com­munity couno. tri- cameral parLa^em elections.•achieved worker suppon for srsient demands throci' the stavaw*av

PAGE 4 SPEAK MARCH W 6

I residents stand firmand that the p v r s of

Over eigh'y people have been detained including most peopie in the Vaal Civic Assoaauon. Vaal Cosas and the Vaai

V aai m a k in m s show thnir support for Black C h m rtm aa a! meetingbooks that they sboulcJ fear

“The detention- io ei^reis their gne-were seen at a tactic to vances,' a member of disorganise us and' instill fear in the hearts of the people so

Youth Steering Com­mitter Many have spent more than five roontns in detention and some without vis­its, food parcel* or

the Vaai Detainees Parent: Support Com­mittee said “Bft they

havr not been success­ful ’

Proof tha*. people c3-« full be mobilis'd we ciea^lv dem?m.trateJ at Chnsnn**

At 2 prayer meeting on Dcccr;r>er 23. tr.e Vaal Uifonrtatn u Ser­vice. Deuincr* Parents Support Com­mittees anc Cosas cal­led for peopie to observe Chnstmas as a penod of mourning

unrest cleaned

“On Chmatas daythe - note iocaaon was practicallymobilised." a member of the DPSC saiu “Thousands of

people Chrocftd the sueeu walking to the gTavei anc partici­pated in oeamng them SnarocvUle residents were joined by the peopie from Boiparong

“After cieamni the grave? we went to Bcpheiorj where we did the verw saxne thing It »*? songs of freedom ail the wa> .And B.acr Onstma" liienll) btcaxr e black C hntura

"The peoof* or the Vaai had oc.ee more lemmstraied the>r salioanrv w w the detainees £-*? Vaai In'ormaton Servicr and Cosas w tt e respected forspearheading such a venture

Ovwcrow ded Bnmgwarsnth MospnaM nign n r m i ror pow

Increasing medical costs, but no cure for the poorHoepctal and d in k fees a re join* “P •* d cmm' muai;> o rpm ration* a re ou tra fed mi the

50% wr c iu r^ fb r after f c ^ n mod weekend raact to

“I t is a drain on tbe salaries of w orkers, especially m tbe present tcowom k: d u n a le .” a spokeaper- im for tbc Health W orkers Aasodottoc (HWA) aaid.

**Tbr recent cxbort>il - ant increase in hospital tariffs fu rthe rIncreases the burdeo for survival on the labouring masses. Tbev are the hardest h it.”

A spokesperson for

the Lenasia Federa- tioc of Residents Association (FK A ) said: “W t cm* ’I afford to pny ren t, we can ’t afford to pay transport caffe, and now . w* c a n 't afford to fe t rick .”

Eric Motobi of the Sowelo C hrk Aaaoda- tioc coodem ned the Increases saying they havr come when peopie can least afford them.

“The increases In health services occur simultaneously with increases in ren ts, electricity charges, tran spo rt fees and basic foods.** he said.

He also pointed out that w orkers need health care most

because they have the mo*? aerioc* health problem s. O ften their work ts dangerous and unsafe and they are forced to lh* in unbealiJty conditions.

A recent survey showed the : v o ic e s cleaning buildings in JohannesOurg earned onl> R20O a m onth and would spend up to 26% of their wages on d in k fees. These women — often b read ­w inners and su p p o rt­ing as man v u ? people — would have to s u r­vive on less than R150 per m onth. Even people earning R600 a m onth, would have to pay R20.00 for each da> they spent in hos­pital.

Explaining why fees have gooe up Eric Molobi said rh ' gov­ernment is iooking for ways to spend its*

‘The economy, hit by drought, a long recep­tion and inflation is- facing a crisis.

*The increasing expenses of a bureauc­ratic struciurt unci worsening internal and external instabil­ity fails to harness the militarisation and arms builoup whicn demands billions of rands.

“The government, being the largest employer and spen­der, opts to cu td n w n on health expenses —

the very corr>erstooe of community life.**

He said this meant: •higher hobpitai and dinic fees and less drug prescription^ ♦shorter periods in hospitals•extra hocn work for b«mith worker? with­out extra pa '•freezing employ - ment on “non vita!’' poetsAll this means that

fewer and fewer people will be able lo afford hospital fees. People will be forced to leave their illnesses untreated and health will become even more of a lu x u n than it is already. There has alreadv been a signific­ant drop in the number of patients.

RAT AND A — “Or­ganise or be home­less,’’ called the Ratanda Gvic Associ­ation (RCA) and over 700 people in this small township near Heidelberg attended a meeting in protest against a R5-60 increase in rents “We will not pay the

higher rents and will stand behind anyone who faces eviction." a resident said a! the meeting. “If they evict one of us, they must evict all of us "The meeting fol­

lowed the distribution of East Rar.d Development Board (ERDBi pamphlets warning tenants to pay their rent arrears or face further action.

When tents first went up last yea:, strong protest by the com­munity forced the ERDB to suspend the increase Residents a*so got the entire community' council to resign, and no one stood as candidates in fresh elections held soon after “Now the Board is

trying to intToducc the increase through the back door." Zakius Maghitje. an execu­tive member of the RCA said.The community is

also boycotting taxis

Danin- Nko*i — RCA Lxoc momboe

since singi? fares to town were raised from 60c to 80c Ar.er dis­cussion with the RCA the Taxi Assooanor. agreed to bnrg fares down to 70c. bu: resi­dents rejected this at the meeting saying that as recently as December fares went up from 50c -o 63c without tHe comrnurr- ity being enrolled The RCA *s to asi

Laxi owners :o suspend the increase mdcf> mteh »'h,-*e .a l i s with residents continue

Guest speakers at the meeting wc:e L'DF Genera] Secretary Popo Moiefc and Pai Lephurvi &. tnc Sow­eto Civic Assoaatioi.

Mr Moiefe totd resi­dents they w m no: alone in the:: siruegif - similar barJes were being fougn: in Kat­ie hong. Tembisa. Parys and the \aa!

He said democratic civic organisations are vital in the ngtht foT justice and peace

VAAL — Threats of eviction, a police and army invasion, eiec- tndt) cut offs and attempts by posse* to deduct rent from salaries, have not stopped Vaal resi­dents from ending the rent boycott “We will not pay rent

until the rents are reduced to R30 and wc do not intend pay­ing arrears", said a resident.Murphy Morobe of

the TJDF saluted the “courage and determi­nation" of Vaal resi­dent*

“Never before in the history of our snuggle has a rent boycott lasted for long."be

SPEAK MARCH 19t5 FkGZ 5

They ran and ran, and ran...

KATLEHONG —Katie hong town coun­cillors fled for their lives when angry resi­dents chased them from a rent meeting called by the council And now the council

has suspended the rent increases Mayor A P Kiiumalo

told the meeting that rent increases, which came into effect on January 1, were neces­sary becauv* the coun­cil was bankrupt “But when we tned

to ask him what hap­pened to the money he did not give us a chance to talk," said one resident This angered the

crowd of 6 000 who bombarded council­lors with stones and other missile* Coun­cillors ran for cover Eye witnesses claimed a councillor shot a 14 year -old girl in the back When order was restored Mr KhumaJo

announced rent increases were sus­pended.Later that afternoon

about 2 000 residents attended a meeting called by the Kat- lehong Action Com­mittee at the Methodist church The committee is tak­ing up the commun­ity s fight against high rents.

An elderly resident complained “council­lors treat us like chil­dren — they want us to listen to them when they cannot take care of then affairs."

Must we keep work­ing. only to see the council eat our money?"Tbe meeting resol­

ved to:% Demand council­lors resignations• Stop paying rent until it is reduced to an affordable amount.• Boycott businesses owned by councillors

Low rentals, less police - say Alex residentsALEXANDRA — Alex residents are angry about the coun­cil's plan to establish a private police force in tbe area.

And they have all tbe right to be, residents said at a meeting cal­led by the newty- formed Alexandra Residents Association (ARA).

While the council wants to spend R700 000 of residents money on a private police force, hundreds need houses at low rentals - especially the aged and handicap­ped

Recently some resi­dents were forced to move tsto the .new Phase One area. Some cannot afford the high

rents there.Mayo: Sam Buti ha ̂

admitted his council made a mistake in allocating sitei irev peenve of whether people could afford the rentsHis 1982 promise of

rentals for sub- econemic homes at between R10-R30 has backfired In 1984 he tried to force rents of

R160 to R 180 for the sutveconomic homes.

It was pointed out at the meeting that it was the duty of the stai e to ensure a township's security rather than private armies

Township “peace­keeping forces" could be used as persona-’ armies to proieci councillors

Residents also demanded tha’ rne council provide per­manent housing at affordable rents

• Meanwhi»e 300 families faced with removals to maxe way for a sewage system have vowed not to move until they are given proper aiirrna live accommoda

Mayor Sam Buti whila tha p#opi«

A handbook on detention

D«i*gat»s at tha §CA Annual vjortorai moe ting

civic plansThe Soweto Civic Association will soon be getr.ng an office where resiocnts can meet with members of the SC A Execunve and discuss their prob­lems.The decsioti to open

an office was taker, at the SC A Annual Gen­eral Meeting in December last year

The a GM also decided to employ an organiser.“A central place

where activities can be co-ordinated and where residents can find us. will be an important step

towards building the SCA," said Am^s Masondc. publicity secretary“The AGM was a

watershed in our his­tory,” said the newly elected recording sec­retary Pat Lephunva “I? 'vas attended by

more people than ever before and with a great deal of rank and file participation " he saidThe AGM dccided to

replace the Commit­tee of Ten with a executive committee

Members of the new executive are Dr. Nhato Motlana (presi­dent) Rev. Frank

Chikanc (depurv pres­ident i. Isaac Mogase ^viee president),Amos Masondo ( pub­licity secretary). Pat Lepnunya (recording sectrctary), NatRamagopa ( trea­surer) , Vusi Khanvile (organ'smg secretary! and Pinlhp Kgasag> (additionjd member;The SCA has pro­

duced d bookie' whicft details its recent activities and records what happened a* the AGM Copies ars available from mem­bers of the SCA or from Soeak, P.O Box 261677 Excom Johannesburg 2023

Have you ever been woken up b- the loud knock of lb* security police aoo thought, uIk> ! kiw>vr what my rigfe is a re?**The Detainee*

P a re n ts S u p p o r t Corri- m ittr* mac I t s c o t i n ave p uN ish*-? a ly*ok.

n n m i— c haotlboufc on detentions *\Tracmg tnt cx&cs of

seven oeople it describes every possi­ble inciden: ihai can happen to a detainee, whaf their rights art and how they could respondNor doc5 it forget

friends and relatives. It contains advice for them as well a*. *ug£t>-

t»« rts on how ip str up detainee suf><ori grrK'Os and cwsjcit- iee>.

And i f the detaaee* goes lo court and pi iso*, the book ej*es inrormnboo afeout

oor's rights and wfcai lo extxrci. loo.

Inxim* Locate »«o is being *o*d lo*- 5i> cent anrf is from tbe DPSC tHe DDF offices at khecso Hou.«<, 42 De ' iber? Street, Johannef*urxCopies may abc be

obtained fron. Speak if you tend a 75 crats postal order to .-r*er postage. W nu to Speak, P.O. box 261677 Exco« . Johannesburg 2013.

U N Z IM A LOM THW ALOSoweto

SOWETO CIVIC ASSOCIATION Annual General M eeting

1 December 1984

A WATERSHED IN OUR HISTORY

SPEAKYesterday’s Legacy

S udi m m action at tb t r r m 1m trmr ha> mm tar a kw{ O w b o a a n .

Thousands — b aU communities — refused !o passively accrpc the i f f limit law and prefect %y%- Itm. biffe res ts aad dummy councils, forced removals and the andem ocrabc ae» co o jth boo Aad with the November 5 and 6 stays**» all grievaaccs aad ttru g g k s were united ia Angie u r a t y of opposition to apartheid ru k

Almost no-one la oppressed communities was left uatovched by these mass struggle* a n experiences. Y esterday’s legacy is a people toda more united, m orr aw are, more determ ioed

The call to the people now ORGANISED!

W herever you may be — in the towns o r coun­try tide . ia schools, townships or factories — you have a dem ocratic organisation. Join it. W here there are none, form one.

Only through such organisations are the people able to rem ain united. Only with such unity aad organisation can the people defend themselves against farth e r attacks on their living standards and the ir livelihoods, against repression aa undem ocratic cootrol over their lives.

W 5 brings with It an even greater need f« anJty aad organisation. The economy b la crisis and the burden inevitably falls on the people

But to be united and organised is also the way to go forw ard

With 1985 comes the 30th anniversary o f the Freedom C harter.

The people's struggles will not only be AGAINST age limit laws, retrenchm ent, repres-

i, high rents and inadequate housing, bui< FOR opening toe doors of leam in f cu ltu re, for work and security. houses and com fort, peace and friendship.

Only a South Africa free from oppression and exploitation will guarantee this. Do what the G overaroem may — detention and charges, batons or bribes — the people are determ ined to overcome apartheid and win their ngb t to govern.

Sharpeville speaksIn b letter urging Speak to exp o se the p resen t leaders o f the Sharpeville Civic A ssocia tion , a resident says that the Sharpeville Civic A sso cia ­tion has s in ce the detention o f som e o f rts founding m em bers been taken o ve r by peo p le who do not have the peo p le 's in terests at heart and are no different from the com m unity coun­cillors.

Such se r io u s concern cannot be dism issed , and Speak pub lishes the le tter in the in terests o f the com m un­ity.

Buy a 1985 UDF CALENDAR

R1.50Available at UDF offices, Khotso House, 42 De Villiers Street. Johannesburg

Subscribe!P.O. Box 261677 Excom JohannesburgName: __________________________A d d re s s ______________ __________________

S A Overseas Individual R 5 00 R 15 00 Organisation KI5 00 R3(J 00

Dear Mr. Editor Give me that oppor­tunity to speak the truth — the truth of our democratic strug­gle in the VaaJ which has been shadowed for sometime. I believe it is only when the truth prevails that justice will be doee

In Sharpeville. afteT the rent protests a few well respected leaden fell that an organisa­tion with broad rep­resentation needed to be established to cater for ail aspects or mat­ters emanating from the rent issue eg. casualties, detentions and the welfare of soc­iety m these troubled timesSharpeville civic

So it was decided to form the Sharpeville Civic Association (SCA) The founding members were some­how divided as to what should be done to resolve the rent issue. One individual felt that the matter should be taken to court, while others, includ­ing Mongezi Radebe wno is new on tnai, felt peaceful protest soouid connnut until we get an answer.The argumer’ was. can >ou atke a govern­ment institution :.e. the Orange Vaal Development Board

to governmentcreated courts and hope to win Are not the iaws of the country designed by the pow­ers to dominate and exploit blacks0 Has there been any prece­dence of success in court0 People have only w od their demands through united action.

Peoples’ handsDespite the differ-

ences, the ultimate decision lay in the hand* of the people. And in a mass meeting on 4 November, the need for court action was not considered The same meeting

also elected an SCA executive which included Mongezi Radebe as chairman

and Matsoso: Ramakauas additional member.

After the two day stay away Mongezi and Matsosa were detained as well as other prominent figures m the VaaJ Civic Association such as Rev Lord McCamel. and Petros Mokoena

This was a partem which took place Most people feit it was some kmd of tactic designed to d/sor gantse the masses and instil’ feai in the neans of the people so that they should ie*’ ;c.

Share your ideas, comments and suggestions Write to as at Speak in P.O. Box 261677 Excom Johannesburg 2U23

their gneexpress vances In Evaton and

Sebokeng, the Vaal Civic Association said they could no longer hold negotiations when their leaders are being detained. Lead­ers should be released to participate in the negotiations However in Shar-

pevtlle, the SCA lead­ers went ahead with negotiations with the town clerk. Louw and even with Mahiatsi and Co Don’t they

stand in solidarity with then comrades and demand their release?

No solidarityAt a report back

meeting the remaining SCA executive mem­bers made it clear that they were in no ways in solidarity with thetr comrades who were detained They said, “Mongezi and Mat- sosa were detained for their own politics and they had beer* hunted by the pobcc

Mongezi and Mat- sosa are very popular in Sharpeville and so there was a big com­motion in the hall which was packed to capacity. People picked up placards which read “Who sold Monge.'j and Matsosa".and "Civic

Assoaauor — a sell out”The stance of the

individuals hcaamg the SC A todav is simi­lar to that of the coun­cil who have never protested a gains i detention!The press have aiso

coverd them favoura­bly. Tne press only reported on what was said by the SCA and the rent issue ana not on the commotion

ApoliticalIn a press statement

after the meeting, the SCA said “We are not political, we arc not affiliated to any politi­cal organisation".

What do they mean when they say they are not political0 Is the rent law not made by politicians? Is the uprisings not a pro­duct or response to the doings of politicians? Is Mongezi s politics which they claim he was detained for. not OUR politics?Speaking :o Manlatsi

and Co was a helluva blunder since the people teel that thev are jus: puppets and not woruiv for negoti­ations. The people’s non-coliabcrauon^t position wasdemonstrated by the burning j >wr or the councillors nouses.

Failure of these negotiations cer­tain For xruncc Louw threater=w to evict residents orspite negotiations

As a resul* the good image of the SCA was in jeopardy arc they hac to try and become popular once mere. They tned to blacxpaint in the press and at meeangs organisations like Cosas and tne Vaal DPSC who sa>c there should be no negotia­tions untii our genuine leaden hac been releasedFor exampie they

said Cosas »ere agitators who pre­vented their dt-iren from going to snooi This is exactly what Dr. Viljoer saysOur demandsSo my people are we

going to forge: wnat our leaders in deten­tion stood for**They stood for:

♦rents to be R3C and no arrears to be paid • ih e police and army to leave the towusaip • th e resignano- of the councillors.The best thing wr can

do for the rany detainees is to con­tinue fighting tne things they siood ia Yours sincerely Sn«irpe\illc r e s u l t

3 Qth AIMimvERSApy OP THE I CHARTER

| ^ —\The Freedom Charter still livingThi» year is the 30th anniversary of the Free­dom Charter and organisa­tion* all over the country »r» planning to celebrate ft* adoption.

The Freedom Charter it a document which le ts out the type of South Africa our peo^ .j w ant w h en they are free, h w a s •d opted at Kiiptown on 26 June 1955 «t the Con­gress of the people.

The people themsetvee

made this Charter For months the Congress organisations went from door to door in the cities end to the kraals and farms in the countryside. They gathered the people's demands. Each person said what type of South Africa they wanted

That was 30 years ego and today not a single demand of the people has yet been met.

Against bentustans. Group Areas, and all attempts to dispossess people of their rights In the

country of their birth, the Charter says

'South Africa belongs to all who live in It. bieck end white '

h rejects racist rule when h says thet THE PEOPLE SHALL GOVERN! and that ' no goverment can justly claim authority unless it is besed on the will of the people ...*ft speaks to the newts of

those whose labour is exploited at slave w ages when H declares that THE PEOPLE SHALL SHARE IN THE COUNTRY'S WEALTH I

h responds to the people 's rejection of gutter education. It caters for those now excluded from school by ege -limits, lack of money and other dis­criminatory factors, when It declares-THE DOORS OF LEARN

ING ANO CULTURE SHALL BE OPENED!When the Cherter is

realised apartheid violence will be destroyed. In con­sequence. the Charter declares that THERE SHALL BE PEACE AND FRIENDSHIP!

The Charter will r*c*. be realised without struggle. That is why it concedes with a pledge

'Let all who love their people and their country now sey. as we say nere THESE FREEDOMS WE

WILL FIGHT FOR, SIDE BY SIDE. THROUGHOUT OUR LIVES UNTIL WE HAVE WON OUR LIBERTY

And now, 30 years later, the people of South Ainc* r»-dedicate them selves to achieving their demends as set out in the Freedom Cherter

%

j

Birth of the CharterIn 10<1 1 V W.el___ .1____________________In 1953, Z.K. Mathews, then president of the Ain can

ciwcuno o— gf ss

W^come for to the Congress

arrested in Beaufort West clause r “There shall be war*

National Congress went over­seas Repeatedly he wa* asked— what rype of country do the people of South Afnca want in place of the present Apartheid order

When he came back to South Africa be raised the question within the African National Congress — then a legal organi­sation — and the idea of the Freedom Charter was bom.At the ANCs Congress in mid-

1953 it was decided that a huge gathering would be organised where representatives of all the peopie of South Afnca would come together to draw up a blueprint of their vision of a future South Afnca This demo­cratic gathering, the Congress of the People, would with author­ity state what the people of South Afnca wanted tc place of apartheidThe suggestion to organise

such a Congress was welcomed by the Soutn Ain can Indian Congress.the South Ain can Coloured Peoples Congress and the South Ancan Congress of Democrats representing democ­ratic whites. All four organisa- bons, who together formed the Congress Alliance, began the enormous task of going out to the people of South Afnca to ask them what kind of South Afnca they wanted and collect­ing all the demands into a single document.Through a National Action

Council . set up in March 1954, the people’s demands were col­lected from the branches of the four sponsonng organisation! and from communities where there were no branches A call was made for “Freedom

Volunteers’' — men and women whose task it was to travel to

'•very corner of South Afnca — tc visit every town, village, farm, factorymine and reserve to gather demands for the Free­dom CharterAn incrediblr ten thousand

people volunteered. They vol­unteered to call people together to explain the idea of a Freedom Charter, to encourage them to speak.out. listen to and record their demands, and send these to the Congress of the People Committee.They went from street to

street. block to block organising

meetings, explaining, listening, and recording people’* demandsThe Congress of the People

was planned for June 26 and 271955.As the day neared, actwrv

stepped up Despit: constant police harassment and the ban­ning of organisers, demands flooded into the Congress of the People heaaquaners.The South African Congress of

Trade Unions (Sactu> which nad been formed a few nonths before the Congress ot the People active I) collected demands from workers The Federation of South Air,

can Women (Fed&aw) met in earty 1955 to discuss their demands and prepared their own document called the Women's Charter.

From cities, small towns and country areas, in English. Afri­kaans. Sotho. Xhosa and Zulu, the demands came in — On sheets tom from exercise books and on little dog-eared scraps of paper.Some of the demands said “1 would make a law protecting

the public from being assaulted by the police even when they are oo> resisting arre.>i "

“I would like every individual fo buy and sell his cattle or shce; everywhere he likes.. "

“I would like the bantu Educa­tion Act reconsiderec ard pu: asioe for it is a dangerous poison to the brains of our fellow citi­zens, the Ain can s.”

“There must be equal nghti for all in this countr> ."

“The district commissioner is not fair to us. we want hii removal."The demands were collected in

many different ways.The next step was for organisa­

tions and branches to elect dele­gates to attend the Congress of the People. The organisers wanted as many people and organisations represented as possible.Delegates left from thetr

respective centres wiih much fanfare.The Western Cape delegates

received a send-off at a tor­chlight rally. Fifty however did not get there They were

where the police were in no hunv to release them and they missea the Coneress of the PeopleDespite such haras^me \ m

almost every area, 2 Sfw dele gaies attended.The Congress oi the People

»as nelc in a huge veld at KJip- towTi. People were allowed tc hoid outdoor meetings then, in the woros of one:“On tha: day thousanas of

South Africans made their wa> to Kiiptown try car. by bus. on bicycle, on foot and on horse­back.rying their areas views on the nature of the South Africa of their dreams. They were coming from all areas of the country and some of them were setting their foot lor the first time in the urban areas "Each delegate was giver, a draft

copy of the Freedom Charter in which the organisers had tned to include all the demands.The Chaner was introduced by

leaders of the different organi­sations. For example the Sactu general secretary read the

and security*Delegates ther, discussed the

Charter action by section, ane- wnich it wai approved by a shc*» of hancs from delegaies.The proceedings were brougr:

to a dramatic ciose in the atie*- iwx-r of the second oa\ bv ife amva* oi a large aontingcnt a: poticemen bearing sten gum The\ took over the speaken platform. confiscated aJi docu­ments tha* they could fiac announced thrv had reason i> beiieve that treason was bcii* contemplated tr*jk tfeenames anrt addresses ot all tiw delegates before vending the* hemeHowever that was not the me

of the Campaign of the Co*- gress of the People.Or returning home delegates

rcponcc bac* tc packed mass meetings about the Freeacw Chaner and volunteers agau went our to the people to talk cf wha: hid happened on the 2t and 27 of June. 1955. and the Freedom Chaner was endorser bv the masses of South Afnca

Join an• CIVIC

ORGANISATIONOur townships are in a shocking state There are not enough houses, the roads are not mantained, there is often no eiectncrty, water is cut off. transport is expen­sive. Despite this rents and rates keep going up.To fight all this and to

oppose undemocratic man­agement com m ittees and community councils, resi­dents have com e together to form civic or resident associ­ations.These organisations have

called public protest m eet­ings. circulated petitions, gone on d e la t io n s to the authorities and even led people in stay tw ey s to force the authorities to back down.

ft has been proved that it is only through the united action of residents under their own democratic organi­sations that their demands have been met.

Look out tor the notices, newsletters or posters of the civic association in your area and attend their meetings. The more residents that sup­port the civic associations and encourage others to do so, the more effective their voice will be.

< STUDENT ORGANISATION

The Congress of South Afri­can Students (Coses) is an organisation for school stu­dents. h was launched in 1979 and has been growing ever since. Today with branches in alm ost every township, it is at the foref­ront of the fight for students lights and for better condi­tions in schools.Coses also organises educa­

tional and cultural events for its members and many branches heve set up women's committees

" YOUTH ORGANISATION

Most youth organisations are just over a year old and yet In a short space of time have attracted hundreds of young people They have organised sporting, cultural and other events to cater for the needs and aspirations of youth.

For example, Soyco have organised a Fun Run, Ayco a Cultural Day end the LYL a youth Festival Many have joined youth

organisations to play a role in the struggle as a whole. Members of youth organisa­tions often help distribute pamphlets, put up posters and visit homes to taka the UDF and its m essage to the ptople.This year Is International

Year of the Youth and youth

organisations are aiming to celebrate this event by doubling and tripling their membership So, H you see posters about youth activities in your area, do not hesitate to go along.

» POLITICAL ORGANISATION

Nothing can stifle the peoples demanrts for politi­cal rights Again and again the government has tried to ban political organisations, detain their leaders and make people fearful of join­ing them.Yet. thousands of people

have put their support behind the Transvaal Indian Congress, the Transvaal Anti-PC, the Release Man­dela Committee and the Johannesburg Democratic Action Committee who have been voicing and fighting for equal political rights for all South Africans.The low polls in the tricam-

eral parliament elections dealt a decisive blow to the government plans This suc­cess can largely be attributed to the work of these organi­sations. united under the UDFThey are preparing to

counter any new m oves the government may make. Their doors are always open to people who want to become actively involved in fighting against apartheid And day by day more people volunteer to join these organisations.

•f you too want to make this decision — contact the local branch, group or committee In your area. If you do not know how to do so, you can contact the UDF office at Khotso House, 42 De Villiers Street. Johanneburg.

■ WOMENS' ORGANISATION

Women bear the heaviest burden in South Afnca. Not only are they often most effected by the evils of apar­theid, but lace many prob­lems of their own.

Women heve come together to tackle the day to day problems they face Som e have started bulk buy­ing schem es, others vegeta­ble gardens to ease the high cost of living and others have united to fight forced remov­als or evictions. Women's organisations have also organised cultural evenings, outings, and food parcels for the needy.

In December last year, all the wom ens groups in the Transvaal came together to form the Federation of Trans­vaal Women (Fedtraw). Through Fedtraw, wom en's organisations will be able to co-ordinate their different efforts and participate in the broader fight for freedom.

I Have you thought about it? i * . •_. »! last ta w years many m ton people havebecome invoHed in the fighrfcn M ligliU and against

j *partheid, and haws joined ycxrth, student woman's.orpoOticai otganfeadoaa. ; ____ - _

i f’w o i* have show# their lepport fcr th e * ergaelsa- ,tk>ns— mostty undarthe banoereftbetbiteadDamoc- _ Tafrc front — who lepr ae ant thair aaplrstioos and fight

t#ortheirdemands, , ‘s .- 'V .w J ~ - . ' h r;------------- ... • -

yeete ago moat of thaaa nrg inhrtutaVM wot * * * Today, there a n vary few towrahipe— 1re<n the C f

Veai to Pretork*-wtwch do not have a Coset branch * ^ youth oraresation, and jKnaribdyedvic, womens yroup « r eraup& iked to owe the poMcaJ aAftetea at the -UPF-And moreanrl more raBanhartaii i an befciu set ap

the m l areas.

W h f^ thefaw tw en fftheea nru»iiss<lmis wlaUieat- ' - po theewpport e> hi—bad i of thcwseadi ol Tb

^t-Tbey woicm the espeetfom o U hs people far better' tor ^ fH®tiow and a free Sooth Africa. «- - . : ft■^They heve brought people together to ftght far their ; *tf ' ^ ^ * * • * * ' * * 1 an sThirthfa a»nl iiall ail e i i tic

The Reef

ransvaal indian Congress ('. 4A2«adville Youth Association

/■ Manyana \5fomen •K agiso Residents Organisation (Kro) «Cosas

S ^ J d l^ n n e ajodec ' aWomen

Ma«o(u

/•Mohlakeng Civic Association (Moca)

'

•Sow Sto Civic Ass —<*Cosas;

«Sowetb Youth C< Sovpdxc Women'

0 Detainees Aid M( ^ R e lea se Mandela

■v ■<E!do

^ - • f e o r

-<Le9»sis Youth Le ^?ransvaai Indian

'♦rederation of Bes / aLenz Women’s ' l l

<Cosas \Ikageng V I Z '

>*» . . . . . ... .....

?ng y f c j j p i r i t t w

'JpT rans

^ S a u l s ' •A tie rj

*oCrg D ^o o cr ^rrven's GroCrjp Guttural Assc

Congr

* * * W e s1•* # 0 5 p■ tf r s r?■ N e v .

^ ^ ^ ► T r a n -

sjg Women's

■cation (SCA;i

ngress [Soyct . Group ( i v e m e n t !DA/>’ Committee |F

v a a l^ n ti”p<iv V -uth Assoc Women's Gr

■dc Park Actio

spue iLVL I in g re ss iTlC) aerrts A sson; our

/£■/■eCfvtcA'sT

%

TransvaalBUnV Women's Club \•Piaterfcfourg ¥Vqmp»»yGroup \|

Ss. i^Mankweng Youth Congrt\ *Se»Njago Vouth Congress i

\ M*nk>v*«>p \ ̂Sasnego / 'I Pi«rers,Dt)rp\ /^ V » , P n a b o r t s

•----------— ':g^® r»rLSv \Maf>we.erang >» — ̂

Thac»a-*t̂ nD.GABERONE

*Bu*hhucknriq ;n M o v e n p a lbjsh-Jiirk- a^? \W*rm baths

Lobats*

R u sta n b u /' 4H igh vald Y outh W o’MmabathoJ^

MafifcengBril*

PRETORIA”U chtanbury / H ^ o p a /

'andartHjlpark K .

\^ r* \S a a o l t> u rgr p*rv*i

PotcbafstroorrvlOarfcadorpV^-**^

ErmaloHohudi

orking Co.

Bioemho*

uve Residents Assooaticn (Soree)Wirrt»rv*Jd

So*hanguva

•M am ilodi Action Commrtteju*^ j^Memelodi Youth Organisation (Meyo):̂ Atonj»iodi Women's Groujf \

= = ----= _/EnkinBa,a *Ekangala Civic Ajaocl<C os»i

s Grou|

Mftteridgevme YouttefOrganjjjQpn (Siyo] villa/Saulavilla R«vdk<jtj 9rfganikatior>;iA»

Action Committee i

lenff Action

• Actor.ville Rent &£Uon Comrtvittee (Ar*£ ^►Transvaal India* Cortgress JTltij' /

^Benoni Vouth i-tague \ '^Benoni Student McvenWn? v j

Laendra v "V. /•L eandta Action Coeim ittee

Evaton

' ’ I

VanOerD ^»'X

^Boip^tong Youth Congress \\ •<Vaal Youth Congi^tss \•Vaal Information Service (VIS) \ •Vaal CiV^Ass/ciation (VCA) \

,<Cosas V / \■yaal WomelSV-Organisation >ODe^ainees Parentm Support Committee

S|V tolburgZamdaia

Otion

PACE 10SPEAK MARCH 19S5

Kennedy's visit was aimed at apartheidMuch d iscussion has taken place on Senator Edw ard Kennedy's trip to South Africa. Was h is visit a step for­ward in the fight against apartheid o r not — there are many views on the issue SP EA K interview s Terror Lekota, the publicity secreta ry o f the United Democratic Front on the UD F's position.

Firstly, tbe visit initiated by well known opponents of apartheid and patrons of the United Democ­ratic Front like Btsfcop Tutu. Bishop Hurley and AJlan Boesak

aawtha a* f t attafnpr

to mobHiaa and odocsta intama- tionsi opmton on Sooth Africa

Secondly, the m i: was aimed at the assault on apartheid — an issue whicfc o centra! to our peopae and the UDF, and so it had implications tor us.Tnirdly, we were

asked by our patroc to assist in bnefing the Senator about t»e South Afncan and about our peoples views ar»d wishesWc were also invited

to assist in organising the public meetmp

which were held in the Western Cape and Soweto

From the beginning, the UDF made the point that the visit was heavily weighted against apartheid. Our patrons who had invited the Senator were certainly cal­culating "and saw the visit as a means of informing him so he could become a more effective anti- apar­theid campaigner m his own country Secondly, he is well

known for his oppos-

hor to constructive engagement, which is Reagan's disguised form of support for the apartheic regime The UDF therefore

viewed the visit as an attempt to strengthen international pressure on the Reagan administration to abandon constructive engagement and at the same time to mobilise and educate interna­tional opinion on the views of the people of South Africa.

determine their future in this country. No other force. what ever their interest, will determine the out­come of events in S. A

We don’t quesnor the fact of American imperialism and even tbe involvement of the Kennedy family as a whole in Amencan imperialist designs But certainly on the immediate question that is eating our people todav — that of apartheid — the Kennedy* have taken a stand

Let there be no doubt about the UDFs commitment to ensuring tnat it

u our people themselves

who will

J

So the main question is where does Ken nedy stand in relation to the bummg ques­tion of apartheid.By supporting Ken­

nedy’s visit we were not doing anvthing new that has not been done by peopie struggling for freedom elsewhereFor example — take

the situation of the people of Vietnam Before 1954 they were fighting against

French imperialism and they mobilised American public opin­ion — indeed one can *ay Amencanimperialism — to assist in pressurising the French to leave their country.

But after 1956, the Americans substi­tuted themselves in the place of French imperialists and this time the Vietnamese went on to mobilise French imperialism, whjch they were fight­ing yesterday, ro help them pressurise A m e r ic a n imperialism The government has

embarked on a strategy to win sup­port for itself abroad and to isolate our democratic move­ment Thu is very important for the gov­ernment in its grand plan of entrenching and maintaining white domination. Our con­sideration at this point therefore must be to frustrate thatstrategy.We must do everything that we can to isolate the S.A. government and to win support for our people's democratic demands and organi­sations

It would obviously be an error of judgement to alienate people who support the struggle against apartheid, like for instance Kennedy who today is mobilis­ing for sanctions against South Africa.

We must make as man\ fnends and

deprive apartheid ot as many fnends as it is likely to get.

against apartheid In defeating apartheid we are la ving the foun dation for the liquida­tion of unpenaiism The struggle against

imperialism, will take on different forms at different points in time Le: us not be fooled that slogans. rhetoric and banner waving is necessarily fighting imperialism

eing to a? meeting being caued a t and were forced to inter­vene tc prevent the situation fromdetenorat*^

fiBfc'n?”

The struggle against imperialism begins with the struggle

Terror Lekota on the Kennedy visit: “We must do everything we can to isolate the Government

and to win support for our people's democratic demands and organisa­tions. ~

I think the role they played was very destructive. In the judgement of the people of our country it must have reduced their standing and wnatever respect thev m ay have bad. Tttcirposition also denied therr international credibility as authen-

CntK* <tf *p«rtKai.iO u r p a o o ta wM o a tm m u na thair hrtura N o o tn a r fo rca w ift d a ta rm u ia tha o o rc o m a o t avmntain S o o th Africa_____ IWe must also ask to

whaf extent their actions actually edu­cated people on imperialism, and made any advance against imperialism By demonstrating

against Kennedy. Azapo wittingly or an wittingly allied themselves with the Nationalist's posioon on Kennedy's visit.

The fact that Azapo was opposed to the visit and therefore opposed to the UDF. to the trade unions that met Kennedy, to the South Afncan Council of Churches and Bishop Tutu, to the oppresed of our country — pleased the establishment. and Azapc was therefore giver, huge national and international pub­licity by agents of the state.

Tbe conSjc: was no: between the UDF and Azapc It was more between Lie masses of people who were keer to hear what Kennedy had to say and a hundred or so .Azapo supporters who were preventing them from listening to him UDF leaders acted

responsibly by aere

In acme regions the UDF was asked to parti a pate n the n a i and there »as a slight disagreemcrr an tbe exenr to theUDF couic partici­pate Th: srvuancn came at Ucrty late notice but a was dis­cussed tn affiliates and the UDf assisiec to the eater; tha’ it was possible towards making the »\sii a sue

The aJlegaaon that the UDF is soe- or the issue has r#c iousm1»- tion.suggestions that tne UDF has ics* mem­bers to Aiapc because of stand an true visit Thisxsaosoiuiely untrue.

Firstly auhougn he may bccooe presi­dent of tne United States this does no7 necessarily raear. that he will beps to sup- port aparthe^

Secondly, s is true tnat there art areai where we differ­ences. The tar: tnat be supports us in the struggle agair.3: apar­theid does ’•ot nvear wc are aereemg with him in everything that he is doing everywhere around the world

We are sirong — here is an user tnat is confronong ss. apar­theid — and *e want him to supper: as or. this issue But if tomorrow he were to invade a o x u r , like Nicaragua and dep­rive tbe Nfcagjaguac people of the.: free­dom we woii*- dear!; stand up and condemn tha;

We will co-operate on the c m tio r of aparthied b»r » : can't be expectrc to co­operate or me ques­tion of American impenalism

Jbeir increased profit* to build more fac­tories These factories w>ouid need people to work in them and so, conservative govern- meris hoped that the unemployment prob­lem would be eased.Ye:, this has not hap­

pened. Big business has not used its profits ic build more fac­tories They have sim- ph become more wealthy

t .\F u ^ r lGNTHE

WORKERS

ENEMY

Amencar-. businessmen have dooe especially weU and with hugs super prof. Li did not mind wncn the Amencar gc-vemmer: deaded to pnnt fewer dollars. Tbe American dollar

is tbe international currency which means tba: all governments ic the world have to use dollars to buy things from each ocber.

Since American president Reagan deoded to print fewer doilan there has beec 6ercr competition for the few dollars availa­ble and not suprisingly tbe pnee of the dollar oc the international martct has risen dramatically More German marts. South African rands or Brrtish pounds are neeosd to buy one dollar than before. And so the value of tbe rand has declined against the dollar.Tbe United States

federa! bank has also raised the interest rate oc dollars. This means tba: international ban­ters and others are ooe interested in buy­ing gold — the major Soutii African export — any longer They prefer to buy dollars wtach they know they can lend out at very Inch interest.Tbe low value of the

raod and poor gold

PAGE 11

Economy incrisis: Workers

pay the price

W e need to look at the economic poboes of overseas governments and to the enses faced by the South African government to under­stand why the value of the rand ha: Declined.Capitalist countries

oveseas like Britain West Germany and the United States face many proolemsBig business has

introduced machines to replace workers and so millions of people do not have lobs There are chil­dren m Britain, whose parents have never worked because there are no jobs In addi- .ion pnees are high x* cause the new machines are very

Many Amencans and Europeans are disillusioned and can see no clear solution ic their problems They have been per­suaded to vote into power conservative politicians like Ronald Reagan. Margaret Thatcher and Helmut Khol in Wes: Ger­many These politi­cians say they can offer more prosperity and security by mean* of less government. But less government

means less social wel­fare — it means less housing, medical aid and pensions for tbe disabled, elderly and unemployed. It means no more free health care and education And it means less iaws which protect workers nghts.Less government

means less control over rich people They are more free to do af they please and make large profits These governments have also decreased the tax of tbe nch in the hope that the) wuuid use

The value o f the rand has declined against th e curren­cies of m any European countries and th e United S ta tes. A year ago you could exchange on e rand for about 75 American cen ts but now it is w orth less than 50 Ameri­can cents.

Why has th is haopened , w hy d o es h a lw ays m ake new s headlines and how d o es it affect us?

This article w ill try and answ er th e se q u estion s

sales have contributed to the bad state of the South Africaneconomy But this is only part of the story — most problems result from tbe way the government is mis­managing the coun­try's money.

For the last decade tbe South African government has on tbe one hand been spending more monev than it budgeted for and or. the or he ', it has no; been receiving as much money as it hoped• Berausc of the drought they ha'e had to pour millions of rand into drougfl- relief and have bad to buy food from over­seas.• Due to interna tional pressure against apartheid, tbe South African government has not been abie to export so many things• As a result of the disinvestment cam­paign, less overseas companies are operat­ing factories in South Africa. The govern­ment makes a lot of money from taxing overseas companies.

# The government used to get lots of money from selling gold to overseas coun­tries However now they are less interested in buying gold and more interested in buying dollars because they are worth more# Because machinery which factory owners rely on, has to be imported from the United States and Europe These machines arc very expensive because the value ot the rand is so low-.# Because the gov­ernment is rryint to impose an unpopular,

Workers bear tne brunt of rising costs

rows money from overseas it ofien has to pay back in dollars Because the value of the rand is so low. fa: more randi have to be paid back than «vere borrowed in the firs: place.

In addition the gov era men: ha* to pay interest The South African government is a big borrower of money and so the interest that has to be paid back is astronom­ical So the country gets deeper and deeper into debt

INFLATIONTHE

WORKERS

ENEMY

Therefore the goy - ernment has turned on the people. lr an effort to raise mone> to pay its Pills, it ha* :# Increased the petrol pnee# Increased hospital ar.d rr.cdica! tariff*# Increased rents arc se w ? charges

• Cut Lbc subsidies or food and public trans­port so bread and trair tares have gone up# Encouraged busr- ness to be more pro­ductive which usuaih means they ge: machines to replace peopleThe effect on tne

people as the goven>- ment loads its finan­cial burden onto the shoulders of tbe people. they are goin* to suffer more thas ever before.

For example workers are being retrenched in their thousands Recent research revealed that about seven million workers.

which is little more than half of South African's workforce could be jobless by the end of the year.The governments

talk of change for tbe berter has amounted to naught. Far greater changes are needed before the fir.anoa- problems of Souifc Atnca can be sorted out

Fm ance M m i i t r B «r»rxJ d u P Im u i k » s no reaeor. tc emiUi — th e govern m en t it very

heavily in debt.

Faced with price hike* — workers demand • Irving waga.

undemocratic and unjust system on the majority of the people it has to spend vast sums of money on tbe army police, forced removals and influx control. The new tricameral parliament structures and black local authorities were also very expensive and it is rumoured much more expensive than they initially envisaged More than a quarter of the budge: for 1984 was spent on maintaining and defending - Apar­theid.

So the government is very heavily in debt. They have tned to pay their extra bills by :# Pnnung more money.# Borrowing money on the international market# Passing the costs onto the peopir

How ever aii three solutions have only got them into an increasing mess.

When the govern­ment orders the Reserve Bank to pnnt more money it increases inflation. Inflation means that a given sum of money buys less and less as tbe prices of goods increase

Wages rarelyincrease as fast as prices and so people get poorer They also can no longer buy so many things and so businesses earn less money and the gov­ernment gets iess money from genera! sales tax Their prob­lem has not been sol­ved

Borrowing monev fTom overseas does noi nelp cither W’nrn the govemmcv ne>

f AGE 12s p e a k Ma r c h iw s

THE WOMEN WILL MAKE FEDTRAW STRONGThe Federation of Transvaal Women(Fedtraw; is off to a great start Q c v 10

200 women fror* all comers of the Trans vaal attended its launching conference in DecemberThe spint of oar

women wai oar of unity, of snaring and canng We came from urban townships, from rural areas as lar as Dnefontein and the Northern Transvaal Together we formed

our organisatxx — the Federation of Transvaal Woraer. to be the voice of our women To up our problems and to fight for our rights

Via] troubles

Ma Letanta fro® the Vaa! moved m all when she spoke erf the hardships in that trou­bled area. She %md *1 come here atone today. to be witfc you because most of me people 1 know are dead. detained or run­ning from the pobce " Beauty Mkize and

the Dnefonteinwomen need outlets for thetr crafis. The; told of their diffiaj ties with high fees for the it children s schoolingOther women were

concerned about hig" pnees and the rents that we cannot afford The> spoke of thetr fears that our sons ma> be sent to fight on the borders to defend apartheid.

Programme

Forced removals, the lack of child care and educational facilities for our children were high on our list

These were the major concerns of the women at the confer­ence Wc took many decisions and adopted a program of action In this program we were very dear about what we need to do

need-We organise neighbours, fnends. our

toourour

fellowworkers. We must set up women's groups We must organise the

way wc will make Fed- traw strong to be the voice of the women and. to *ute our demands * Thu was said by the women as they reponed on the road ahead for Fed­traw"It has taken us a

long time to organise

ourselves into a pro­vincial organisation it has taken more than twenty years but we are on our feet again and we are marching forward. For too long, we women have been silent we must go for­ward' . said Sister Ber­nard. our newly elected President

Since our confer­ence , women have not sat back In Soweto. the

women will be cam­paigning against the nsing tees at hospital. In Fordsburg. the women have staned a keep-fit class. “We are not here for beauty, but for health," they

tay Tembisa women are busy with soap making projects andbulk buying to survive in t f te s c t im e s

And in Ttaxane, the women inarched in protest against the housing problem “Housing is a numar nghi not a pnviiegc "

Amanda Kwadi. one of the Fedtraw orgamsen saidJlWomen. I f us off our aprons there is work to be dene. Wemust star, ai acme. we must sun r work Fedtraw bust be strong."

Women demand food at prices thev can afford“Life is hard for My baby died lastmonth. The nurse says its mainutntion 1 say its hunger. My hus­band lost his job a few months ago We do odd jobs to ear* a lit­tle money He is still waiting for hii unemployment money.We live on very brie

The world looks bieak atound ui Our furni­

ture has been taken back. We may loose our house.Every day I stand

with empty pots and hungry children. There is no work. There ts no food " This is the sad story

of a Soweto woman. But, it is the story ol many South African? in the cities and in :h; country Prices are going up and up

W ages are staying the same Three million people areunemployed. But women are always hit the hardest in such bad times When job? are scarce, women are laid off first So. we have great difficulty in getting work and feed­ing our families.F«x>d pnee? are going

up ail the time For even RJG that we

spend today, we are paying R2.10 more than last year. There is talk that the govern ment needs more money and so we have. to pay for it through GST But what do we eet in return'- Nothing.Baste foods such as

maize, bread. mil* and egcs have al! gone up thi' year“V*e demand fooc at

prices we can afford. Our children are starving We women need to oo something In some areas, bulk buying food clubs have been staned. In oihe- areas, women are tninking of buying vegetables in bulk or making gardens Fed­traw needs your ideas. Piea.se wnte to us at P O Box |03on Johannt-^ure. 2000.

Women's charter unitesThe W om an's Charter is our charter ft is a charter that unites us. K speaits of our prob­lem s and our demands.Today, 30 yssrs after the women s charter

w as adopted by our brave sisters w e still stand by rts dem ands *Nott«ng has changed today. We w om en still sutler the brunt of life under apartheid Tha bosses still exploit us by paying us low w a y s . And as w om en — our voice, our problem s — are alw ays the last to be heard.' These were the v iew s of w om en s t the corrfi

We adopted tha W om en* Charter, because w e believe that it ia our cherter. ft is the voice of wom en from all wa!*s of life From urban end rural areas, from different religions and backgrounds. We stand for a new South Africa where we women will be treated wrth respect and dignity

At Fedtraw's conference....

Bernard Ncube (President) and Helen Joseph

The F ederation o f T ransvaal w o m en w a s lau n ch ed a t a th ree-d ay c o n fe r en ce in D ecem b er la s t year. 20C w o m e n from 2 0 w o m e n 's g rou p s all o v er th e Trans­vaal a tten d ed th e la u n ch in g co n fer ­e n c e .

ft w e s th e fir s t tim e in tw e n ty years th a t our w o m e n have c o m e to g e th er .

“We h ave w o rk ed hard to ley th e fou n ­d ation for th is F ed eration . We o rg a n ised w o r k sh o p s o n w h y w e n eed a w o m en 's organ iaation . W e ce leb ra ted A u gu st 9 — N ation al W om en 's Dey w h ere c lo se to 3 0 0 0 w o m e n partic i­pa ted in our program . In th is w ay w e cou ld g o forw ard to form in g our o rgan i­s a t io n s .”

On th is p a g e , th e w o m en o f th e Feder­a tio n apeak------

SPEAK MAKCH 1985

"We got ourmessage toPretoria lou and clear"

Last December, domestic worker representatives confronted officials at the Manpower offices in Pretoria about a commission of inquiry appointed to investigate the condi­tions of employment of domestic and farm workers.

The 10 person delegation was made up of representatives from the S.A. Domestic Workers Assciation (Sadwa), the Domestic Workers Association (DWA) and Domestic Workers Association of South Africa (Dwasa). Margaret Hlapo, national organiser for Sadwa, tells us what happened.

We were all admit­ted ir the main entr ance, had ou r hand­bags Marched and wera directed to the receptionist We caused gurt* a atir firstly by being eo many (ter is a crowd In this country) and by the T-ahirt* we wore.After we were told

for the umpteontD time that we could not sea enybody. we stood our ground,

.and ended up seeing aomebooy who at first did not want to Identify himself. We were all usnerad into a room, probably a waiting room for those who come daily with com­plaints. M*. Erasmus (Reaearcr»ef,. as we later leemed of his identification stood for two hours while the improptu m eet­ing was m progress.

Questions put to him were# Why the investi­

gation took so long?• Why our corres­pondence aeemec to have fallen into a void?• Why the first mem orandum dis­appeared?

• Why the investi­gation was in Afri­kaans?• How long h will tafce to translate it into English, table, -become a bill, and-finally an Act?

Mr Erasmus was very evasive in his answers andappeared to be a lit­tle shaken He admit ted that it was the longest investiga­tion ever that ou r first memorandum disappeared because there were too many of them, that our tetters never reached their office, that 50% of the repon of the find­ings has been trans­lated into English (this he said in confi­dence). bu» does not

know when it will be completed, as it is in the hands of the Minister of Man­power.We then entrusted

him wrth the latter to the Minister and departed in peace

In the evening we sat down to evaluate the day. Our findings were

The day was a suc­cess We got our m essage loud andC*-.r towho himself is involved as a researcher in the investigating team.

tor.Erasmus did not take a sea? because he never anticipated talking to us for two Mours instead of five minutes

We chose the bes* time w her the Vaal riots were cooling down. This situation contributed to their listening to us instead ot turning us out

Our T-i torever t memorial the Pr«*o« wno saw concemec the chee* order Some rr-

Saowa in 4 asso c ia te prayer m« our bet, others throughou

The Min since acr»<X3U< Nucusual pror matter is attention

For the rn THE MA RECEIVIMCTlON will e ears.

This is tN ation o4 tnt NERVES one of trweapon* t try possess

Our nerv breaking c- a nerve spurts out

Focus on SCA Sow eto C iv ic Association

What i i the SCA

SCA n • dem ocratic civk organisation pnirwrtty concerned wtth the bread and butter problem* of Sow eto resident* h i* an organisation of the pecpte. ttree- sing th e need fur people to unit* and taka an active par! in solving their proo- l« m i Tha com m un­ity know* to paob-- lam« b a d and can therefore ba rep­resented onty through to ow n democratic ory-arn- satton* and laad- a n Tha SCA i> the paopta. tha people ara tha SCA.

When and h ow w a s th e SCAformed

Following the ing* of 1976, promi­nent figures in tha eammunity m et in 1977. Tha idea of a Committee of Ten

w as bom at this meeting.In 1978 a group of

residents came together inD>epkk>of to make funeral arrange­m ents for victims of a serious bus acci­dent. This group, under the leadership of Isaac M ogese, soon developed into a civk organisation and Influenced the formation of iocal civics in other parts of Sow eto. The Dtepkloof enricdeoded to work under the broed leadership of the Committee of Ten.

In 1979, all the local chnc organisations cam e together end formed the Sow eto Civk Association At this m eeting the Committee of Ten w as elected as the executive of tha SCA

By 1980 many branches of the SCA had been formed.

Orlando East DiepktoofMoroka Naledi/Emdeni H ftV irC w Tladi/Moletsani M

Naledi Klipsprurt/Pimville Senoane/Phiri/Mapetla Meadowlands Mzi:

| interbranch meeting a n n u a l m e e t i

Today the SCA has done ew ey with the Com m ittee of Ten idea and now has an Executive Commit­tee.

Why w a* theSCA form ed

Problems facing Soweto residents are many. Amongstthese are the critical shortage of houses high rents. high electricity and water bills, shack demoli­tions. evictions.

leaking roofs and sewerage, dog tax. high train and bus fares, and many moreThe Government is

not concerned about our problems, in fact it is the cause of them And the undemocratic com­munity councils hava no power and can do nothing about our problems. They are there just to fill the?r pockets and help do Apar­theid's dirty work.Realising that only

through our own unity and action can anything be done about our problems, w e heve formed our ow n democratic organisations to

take up these prob­lems m the areas w here we live. And we know we ere even stronger H the different areas of Sow eto cometogether.

In this way the SCA has beer, formed-to unite the com m un­ity in our struggle

for democratic rights and to deter­mine our own lives

How d oes the SCA work

• By bringingpeople together to shara their opinions and jointly develop desired solutions •W ith tha people and through consul­tation — using pub­lic meetings, house visits, newsletters, surveys, house meetings. street

• Sincai hone shy - prvtendtn: take on at iems of Sc solve It people fc an orgam the peop»: Strong a; 3 make it# D e m o c by encour com mum* ticipatior levels a?x lor coiiec sion ma**

PAGE 13

** rts* »r tf>e r

4s far t sa officiate tnerr are

if was y rr>€ first

■nbers of regional

s held "tings on if* and

fasted T*e dev Tim has wiedeeo *se T>>« 'ecetving

*/3ecade~EP IS

ATTEN- -TiO in our

continu- WAR OF

v*̂ »ch is# dea^iy %t* coun- a .-5 are at 'nt and if 3reaks.it -ood.

*vea, etc•*y end

without* ft can

ne prob' • t t o and

the t i*ec It is

rbon of . *nd is «*

people

rjcaily — #ing the

? s par at aii striving

. ve deci-**•

e

9

PAGE 14 SPEAK MAfiCH 1985

Mandela addresses the nationFrom Pollsmoor Pnson. through daughter Zinzi to 10 000 gathered in Soweto to celeb­rate the Nobel Peace Prue a»ard to Bishop Tutu and ail freedom kmng South Africans— Nelson Rotihiala Mandela spoke to South Ainca for the first time in 21 yean He rejected Both a s offer to

release him on the condition he renounce violence as a political instrument

So who s e e n peace and who isresponsible for violence 7 The very occasion a: which

Mandela replied to Botha's offer is perhaps answer enough The pnze for peace has gone to the people, not the government But Nebor Mandela did more

than jus: reject the offer. His statement was an address to the nation — explaining, exposing, demanding“I am not a violent man." he

said. "It was only when all other forms of resistance were no longer open to us that we turned to armed struggle’ .Government force to crush

political opposition, laws mak­ing forms of open protest illegal.

and the banning of the ANC fol­lowing the Sparpeville massacre— forced the ANC to take up arms against apartheid rule

Aparheid exists through vio­lence against the people The Release MandeU Committee (RMC) said “The very plat­form from which Botha asks Mandela to condemn violence is founded on the Mood and suf­fering of our people".No justifiable link can be made

between Mandela s release and the rejection of violence Mandela made deai what the

government has to do if it is sin cere about peace in South Africa• Dismantle apartheid• Unban the ANC• Renounce violence• Free the jailed, banished and exiled• Guarantee free political activ­ityCondemning Botha i offer to

Mandela as a political ploy, the RMC said k was calculated to undermine Mandela's integrity.

RMC notes that the offer is made when "heroic struggles of the people have been fought''.

The offer is the result of relent­less struggles of the people and a move aimed at undermining these struggles

Mandela himself exposed the offer as a political ploy Herman Toiva Ja Toiva. the Swapo foun­der. never gave any undertaking and mas not called upon to do so.The release of pr'iDcaJ prison­

ers is therefore no: necessanly bound with conditions Man dcla was asked to give uadenak • ings only because it suits the government’s politics? consider­ations at this point

Mandela, through rejecting the offer, cannot be held responsible for his owr. impris­onment as the *ovemmem would have the world think Other reasons for the offer

being made include:# An attempt to win credibility for the "reform" initiatives• Its a prelude to further repres­sion. For the government, any eupborn accompanying Man­dela’s release would possibly overshadow ihe imprisonment of UDF leaders presently await­ing trial, or any other repressive

• Remove one of the biggest issues on which the Government has been criticised

Mandela also pre-empted a possible mauvatiec behind therelease offer. He emphasised his merr'vrrship of the ANC and the fact the hr cannot and will not. be distanced from it. and its leadership - in particular Oliver

.Tarr.bo Man\ tntnk a govem- men: intention in nrematurel> reieasmg Toivo wa> the hope that ;t would sow lensioii bet­ween him and Nujoma

Mandela's imegntv and cour­age chines through his statement* rwo decades behind bars have failed »c crash his spin;."I am not less life-loving thar.

you are," he said “Bur I cannot sell my birthright, nor am I pre­pared to sell the birthright of the people to be free".

It reflects his total commitment to the struggle for freedom

For Mandela the needs and demands of his people are most important “Your freedom and mine cannot be separated”

Thi> tola, selrlessoe.s and boundless love for people arc outstanding quant-e^ o; truiv great leadership — sounnxe tn» Mangopes. Maunzirr.a’s. Buthulezis. Hendncfcse's and Rajbansi's.Mandela s reply *£»-■ has art

important message c* hopeHe calls on the people to keep

up the struggle — iulN aware that only the fTeeoorr. of the people can bring aooa: his.Victory is certain is VUndela’s

message when he says. “I will return".

Its 30 years for the SA Congress of Trade UnionsM on than 2 000 workers recently c a n t together at a rally bi Tem bju to celebrate tbe 30tb anniversary of tbe South Africa* Congress of Trade Unions (Sacra) — tbe first Doe-radai trade anion ca-on f ln a l i i bod; in South Africa’s history. Speak looks at tbe birth and history of tbe organi&alioB-

What came beforeWhen Sactu -was founded in March 5, 1955 it was the culmi­nation of 30 years effort organis­ing workers.

The first ma?wr union in South Afrrca was the Industrial and CoeunerdaJ Workers * Union of South A fno (1CU). It had as ■tanV as 100 QQQ. anemberi dux ing the 1920 s and began the tradition of collective action amongst South African work OT.During the 1930s and 40s

strong national trade unions in each of South Africa's main industries grew Unions came together in the mulb-ntaai Trades and Labour Council and the Counci! of Non- European Trade Unions (CNETU).The most important event of

the time was the African mine workers strike in 1946. 100 000 workers on 21 mines struck against poor wages and living conditions, shaking the very foundation of South Africa's ecnomic system.So workers were met by a bar-

ftgft Of legaia&on from the

newly elected-flauonalist gov­ernment in the early fifties Completely separate industrial conciliation machinery for blacks was set up to divide the trade union movement on racial grounds The Suppression of Communism Act intended to force the trade union movement into a moderate role.

In response to this challenge, Sactu was formed.Sactu is foundedThe Foundation Conference held at the Trades Haii in Johan­nesburg on March 5 and 6 attracted 66 delegates from 33 onions representing 41 253 workers of all races

Principle* adopted at the con­ference included:# The future of South Africa is in the hands of the women and only they together with the progressive minded community, can build a happy life for ALL.# Workers can only succeed if they are united and strong# A co-ordinating body of trade unions shall strive to unite all workers in its ranks under the slogan "An injury to one is an injury to all".# Organising the mass of work­ers for higher wages, better con­ditions of labour and life is inex­tricably bound up with the strug­gle for political rights and libera­tion from all oppressive laws and practicesThus Sactu immediately joined

the Congress Alliance with the ANC, Congress of Democrats, South African Indian Congress

and Coloured Peoples Con­gressFreedom Charter campaignOne of Sactu‘s first activities was to participate in the cam­paign to draw up the Freedom Charter. Through its affiliated unions. Sactu asked the workers of South Africa: “If you could make the laws ... what would you do**".Sactu participated in other

campaigns of the Congress Alliance during tbe 1950's It played * leading role in the “One Pound a Day” campaign Workers conferences, depur*

bons. memoranda and demonstrauons highlighted me poverrv of African workers and called for the introduction of a national minimum wage The peak of the campaign was a mass stay away on 1 May 195"'OtheT demands of the stay

away included• No increase in taxation •Away with Group Areas• No to bantu education• No to passes for women.Two years later Sactu hosted

massive worker conferences throughout the country as pan of the Congress Alliance Anu- Pass year.

Building the unionsAs a co-ordinating bod>. Sactu s main function was to help build strong unions.Under the ban­ner, “Organise the unor­ganised", committees were set up to promote unions in the

Hundreds bouQh? S*ctu anniversary T-*hirts at T arro iu

transport, mining, agnculturaj and metal industries where no unions existed.Unemployed workers' unions

and general workers’ unions were established as part of the process of building industrially based unions.

Under attackSactu was always a victim of police action Conditions worse­ned dramatically with the shoot­ings a: Sharpeville and Langa. and the state of emergency in

1960 wher. the ANC asd PAC were banned.Although Sactu was never ban­

ned. from 1962 to 1*4. the Government launched an offen­sive dearly intent on destroying it.The last Sactu conference to be

held in South Africa was in 1964• in the midst of regression

Moses Mabhida and others were mandated to leave the country and set up ax office in exiie and a chapter e Sactu s history came to an enc

Participation, Development and PeaceLanasia Youth League

Wfe mutt take the opportun­ity of IYY to c h s H in ge our probiama wtth • spirit of par tiapatton. dedication and dtt- eiplirt We muit wt actively to braak the divisions which have been tnnm upon us and Du ltd « unitad youth Wa call on tha young peopie of Lanasia to )oni us in tha struggle for a battar and brighter futurs.

Young Christian StudentsTaking into account ttw nruggU s w aged by th< youth last year, YC& s s s r ths IVY aa an opportunity to eon solidata tha gain* that w a n made Now is tha tim e tor tha voi oatai i to be haard and to make their hardshipa and suf tarings known. By taking up tha IYY through consistent action and reflection w a hopa to raapond to th e needs o< young people

Congraa* of SA stu dents

198** U tha fM i whan youth of tha worid wiR for way* of imocov-rvg living condition* arvc thoa* — thair paopta A yaar m whlcn tha youth wiTI ba diacuea<ng prob+ama thay axpaoanca Po<k education unamptoy- w a n t no poimcai riybts con senptior and tacfc of tk>nai fadirt>a*

r

S jw«rto Youth J jM amalod: Youth•; Organ is<*t»on

BUck youth are Oantad par* j Ocipation in d»u&*on m aking vtuntad through Barrtu Eou cation, lact facii't-om, and rapaaladly suffac batons.

uryt youth to pata in p fu y r m iv e paigm Tha aim t» ory* ’,im motxlts* and m cats To understand our n in tha com m unity •trangtnari our unity, and taka our rightful pisca in t s tru g g le

How did the k k a of an inter- aabooal y ta r for the yocth c a n e about?The idea originated in 1979 when the United Nations Gen­eral Assembly received recom­mendations to discuss the prob­lems of youth Youth were not playing a role in the decision making of their respective coun­tries. So they decided that 1985 should be declared the year of the youthWhy w m the themes — *Tar- tio fa tto n . Development and Peace'* chases?Let me explain-bnefh wha: the United Naoons meant With " participation" they explain that youth generally do not par- bcipate m the decision making of their countries and govern­ments don't deem it necessary to consult young peopie on deci­sions which affect then lives.The United Nadoos felt that

young people need to be part and parcel of deasior making since many decisions will affect the type of lives they would lead in the future.

By “development" the UN sajd different countries are not doing much to improve or develop the youth. They mention in particu­lar the high rate of unemploy­ment amongst young people.

Bv peace, weli, they say that with the building of a neutron and atomic bombs this is not a Sign of peace be; actually a sign of » ir . and until such time that

the destruction of human life and poverty is done away with, there will be no peace.W hat b the rd e ran c e of th e y themes to Sooth A frican yoetfc? When the youth in South .Africa look at the themes of participa­tion, development and peace, in fact, they are quite relevant.

Let us look at participation in the South African context. The majority of young people are oppressed — they are deprived of an education system. they are deprived of playing a role in the economy of the country and they are also deprived of par­ticipating in political decision making.When we come to “develop­

ment" we bnd that as much asour country is quite wealthy and developed we do not have the right to an education system tha* would advance us, make use of our creative taients or even expose our talents to the fullestWe find that in South Africa

development is actually stifled according to the need* of indus- try.Tbere is a great »iisoarit> in the

education system when it comes to facilities, equipment, the quality of teachers and so on You find that the white child has much more of an advantage of learning and actually gettng developed than the African child.

Most young people in the oppressed section resard things

like ordinary dancing and those type of events as pnveleges , not to mention swiming pools, ten­nis courts and so on.

In the Ain can sections these facilities are usually Don-exi> tent. And if you do find some of these facilities, you’d find that there are thousands and thousands of peopie using the same facilities. As a result it is difficult for the talents which some young people may have, to develop.The governm ent t* also cckbni- iaglYY.That is quite true The govern­ment ha? actually set up a national co-ordinating commit­tee to co-ordinate al: national activities of rVY. This commit­tee was appointed by the gov­ernment and the people on it. were elected by the government and not by the youthThis is in direct contradiction

to the United Nations umiativ- in that young peopie should make decisions themselves about the type of a rm ie s , resources and structures they wani. Bv imposing a national co-ordinating structure oc youth, it is quite dear tnat the government ha* started off on the wrong footing.

We have also discovered in Soweto that a central committee has been formed by repre^nia- aves of youth groups as well as community councillors and members of the West Rand

Board. It is supposed to pian a programme for youth and even bcade wha: future facilities youth would like to have.However this committee is not

consistent with our interests in that it also has people from the council and board who are not youth as members Would you say tha t the govern­m en t’s IYY campaign is oof addressing itseif to the real issues affecting yocth in this country ? Prom our perspective there can be no development until the doors of learning and culture are open to all voung people irres­pective of colour So until the government allows all young people to nut freely from kingergarden, plav togethe:, study together, live togeihei. worV togethe' and so on we cannot say that it is addressing itself seriousl> to thu> aspect of developmentWhai about tn* therne of peace and its retevancr to in South Africa?Wnen we look at South Africa it

becomes obviously clear tha: »e won’t be having a situation of peace for many years.If the South African govern­

ment is senous about bnngm* about a peaceful situation thee al! people in prison especial), the leadership of the people like Mandela. Sisulu and others must be released

Those in exile must re rum banned organisation* must ©e unbanned, apartheid laws mis* be suspended and the problems of this country must be disea­sed with the real ieaders of :ae people.Another important as pec* is

that the government must with­draw its troops in neighbouring countnes which would aiso ead the conscription of yoczsg peopie

It the majority of people are not includes in political deas making ol Lie coutnn, then probiem". in the schools, corr munmes anJ factories will saw be there

South Africanyouth take up the challengeThe United Nations decla ration of 1985 as Interna­tional Year of the Youth (IYY) has sparked off a great deal of activity amongst the many new ar.d growing youth organi­sations around the coun­try.

Youth organisations hope to celebrate IYY by draw­ing record num bers of young people into their ranks and into the struggle for a better future.

And they have come together at regional and national levels tc co-ordi­nate activities and share experiences. Youth organi­sations aiso hope to estab­lish links with other youth organisations throughout

Dan Montjtrtx-the world.

As 8 result of co-ordir.a- liori a national youth week is being planned to co­incide with the com m em ­oration of June 16th and a national youth festival is on the cards for the end of the year

Meanwhile m any youth groups are planning local

'activities to celebrate IYY and bring the them es of IYY to a s m a n y yo u n g people as possible

Ir. Soweto, Soyco had an IYY launch recently with a combination of speeches and cultural events. The Lenasia Youth League will be celebrting IYY with a Youth Sports Day open to all youth.

The them es of rYY are "Participation , Develop m ent and Peace" and Dan Montstitsi, National Co­ordinator of IYY explains in an interview it could not have been more approp­riate for South African youth.

IYY carnoaignto dunng

%

Mandela SpeaksT his ia N alaon M andate rep ly to PW B otha n lM M o ffer . Hia d a u g h ter Zinzi read th a m e s s a g e to 10 OOO p e o p l* a t S o w e to Jab u lan i A m p h ith ea tre on February 10 .

"I cherish my own freedom I care even more for your

dearly, but freedom"

Collection Number: AK2117 DELMAS TREASON TRIAL 1985 - 1989 PUBLISHER: Publisher:-Historical Papers, University of the Witwatersrand Location:-Johannesburg ©2012

LEGAL NOTICES:

Copyright Notice: All materials on the Historical Papers website are protected by South African copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, or otherwise published in any format, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

Disclaimer and Terms of Use: Provided that you maintain all copyright and other notices contained therein, you may download material (one machine readable copy and one print copy per page) for your personal and/or educational non-commercial use only.

People using these records relating to the archives of Historical Papers, The Library, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, are reminded that such records sometimes contain material which is uncorroborated, inaccurate, distorted or untrue. While these digital records are true facsimiles of the collection records and the information contained herein is obtained from sources believed to be accurate and reliable, Historical Papers, University of the Witwatersrand has not independently verified their content. Consequently, the University is not responsible for any errors or omissions and excludes any and all liability for any errors in or omissions from the information on the website or any related information on third party websites accessible from this website.

This document is part of a private collection deposited with Historical Papers at The University of the Witwatersrand.