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security, while the Soviet Union is
totally
independent
of foreign
sources for 35 of these same critica!
40 materials."
The Soviets are following any and
all courses open to them to foster
weakness in the minerals area on the
part of the United States and the
Western world in general. This
includes- and the issue must be
seen for what it really is-the pro–
motion of social strife throughout
mineral-rich southern Africa, as well
as influencing uninformed reactions
to what is truly happening there.
"Persian Gulf of Minerals"
What the Middle East in general
and Saudi Arabia in particular are
to petroleum, southern Africa, and
specifically the Republic of South
Africa, are to nonfuel minerals.
Africa's heavily mineralized re–
gion stretches from Shaba province
in Za"ire southward into South Afri–
ca's Transvaal province, with its
fabulously rich golden
reef. This region has been
called "the Persian Gulf of
minerals," with South
Africa as its "Saudi Ara–
bia."
[n the case of four stra–
tegic minerals-chromite,
manganese, vanadium and
the
platinum-group
metals-the Soviet Union would
become the dominant supplier if
Soutb Africa were ever forced out
of the world market.
The threat of economic sanctions
against South Africa is now a grave
possibility as a result of reaction to
the state of emergency, which its
government declared this past sum–
mer in an attempt to quell rioting
CHROMITE
Chromite is a
source of
chromium, an
almost
unsubstitutable
metal used in
stainless and
high-strength
steel.
in the Republic's urban townships.
"By creating unrest or provoking
civil war within the area," specu–
lated the
Journal of Commerce,
more than five years ago, as if antici–
pating what has in fact occurred,
"the Soviet Union could bring the
Western industrialized world to a
total economic collapse."
Without access to the region's
vast storehouse of mineral wealth,
noted this respected business daily,
"jet engines, automobiles, oil refin–
eries and nuclear or conventional
power stations could not be built.
Operations of a train or a comput–
er, a cutting too!, a mine or an elec–
tromagnet would be impossible. "
Why
Unrest Now?
What is really going on m South
Africa? Why all the unrest and
accompanying worldwide condem–
nation and pressure at this present
time? It does indeed seem strange
considering the recent unprece–
dented series of social changes and
political reforms instituted by the
government of State President
P.W. Botha.
To obtain the answers to these
and other questions the author
recently talked with visiting politi–
cal and business leaders from South
Africa. These individuals, who rep–
resenta broad spectrum of interests
and opinions, were visiting South–
ern California while on a nation–
wide tour of key U.S. cities. They
were attempting to shed light–
instead of heat-on what is hap–
pening in their troubled land.
Among the two delegations were
18 parliamentarians in South Afri–
ca's new tricameral national parlia–
ment. These included representa–
tives of the Indian and coloured
peoples as well as delegates from
the Afrikaner and English-speaking
communities. They ranged from
liberal through moderate to de–
cidedly conservative points of view.
The visitors also included four offi–
cials, plus one businessman , from
two of the black national states
within South Africa, the states of
Lebowa (consisting primarily of
the North Sotho people) and
Gazankulu (made up largely of the
Shangaan and Tsonga peoples).
Three of these officials were parlia–
mentarians; the fourth was the
Chief Minister-head of govern–
ment- of Gazankulu, Professor
Hudson Ntsanwisi.
All those I talked to-black,
white, Indian, coloured-deplored