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From: gene@batman.UUCP (Gene Mutschler)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: South Africa
Message-ID: <153@batman.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 4-Aug-85 18:10:02 EDT
Article-I.D.: batman.153
Posted: Sun Aug  4 18:10:02 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 7-Aug-85 03:34:13 EDT
References: <1009@ihlpg.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: Burroughs Austin Research Center, TX
Lines: 61

> 3) What about the future of South Africa?
> 
>     Well it's time, really past time, to learn about the revolutionary
> movement in South Africa.

Indeed it is...

>     The major revolutionary movement is led by the African National
> Congress (ANC)...
>    The ANC is committed to a multi-racial society. It's 20-person
> leading body comprises Africans, Indians, Whites and persons of
> mixed race.

Mixed races indeed.  However, they all have three things in common:
1) Each is a socialist or a communist.
2) None has ever been engaged in the production of wealth.
3) While each believes in violence as a means to solve the problem,
   you can bet that none of them will soil their hands with blood or
   risk getting hurt--that's what mobs are for, after all.

> Their leader Nelson Mandela has been imprisoned for 20 years.

1) The major human rights groups will not take up his defense since
they consider him nothing but a two-bit terrorist.  Considering that
Amnesty Intl. usually becomes Migthtily Concerned whenever some
low-life ends up in jail, Mandela must be one bad dude for them to
ignore him.
2) The South African government has offered to free him if he would
pledge to eschew violence.  He refused.  He can rot.

> The
> ANC is the clear representative of the majority of the people
> of South Africa, and its victory is probably close to inevitable.

What about the Zulu tribe, which comprises one third of the black
population and whose leader Buthulezi (sp?) has spoken out against
sanctions?  He has pointed out that Boesak, who has been calling for
them, is a colored and is not subject to most of the oppressive laws
and would not feel the economic effects of such sanctions and the
resulting heat from the SA government.

>     The only question is how much blood will be shed before the
> racist apartheid regime tumbles. US policy can be an important
> factor in limiting that suffering.

While it is certainly true that the Soviet Union has been supplying
the ANC with guns for the armed struggle, it is also true that
60% of the white population of SA is Afrikaaner (Boer).  They have a
lot more guns than the ANC and the willingness to use them.  They are
not a bunch of British wimps like the Rhodesians (and the other 40%
of the white South Africans).

It is a never-ceasing source of amazement to me that when the propaganda
switch is thrown in Moscow, left-wingers all over the world start
dancing to the tune.  Last year it was the freeze, now its Apartheid.
What's it going to be  next year?
-- 
Gene Mutschler             {ihnp4 seismo ctvax}!ut-sally!batman!gene
Burroughs Corp.
Austin Research Center     cmp.barc@utexas-20.ARPA
(512) 258-2495