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IN BRIEF
SOUTH AFRICA:
VIOLENCE
15 NOT THE ANSWER
by
Stanley R. Rader
The author accompames
Plarn
Truth
Ed1tor-m-Ch1ef Herbert
W Armstrong on h1s frequent
vis1ts w1th heads of state and
o ther lead1ng 1n ternatwna /
d1gmtanes
About 140 years ago, whites
whose ancestors had settled in
South Africa about two centuries
earlrer began therr " Great Trek"
into the rugged mtenor. Not too
long thereafter, South Africa 's
great mineral wealth was discov–
ered.
The finding of a treasure-trove
of diamonds, gold, and other min–
erals vital to the modern world
fueled South Africa 's mdustnal
revolution and created for the first
time a demand for black labor in
what had previously been a rural,
pastoral society in both the white
and black sectors .
As South Africa developed dur–
ing the first hall of this century, the
mass mflux of blacks mto urban
areas to work in the factories and
the mines led to conditions that
have prevailed in other parts of the
world where similar "development
and progress" have taken place.
Who, for example, can forget the
poignant and heartrending ac–
counts of lrish , ltalian , Jewish, and
Eastern European immrgrants who
carne to the United States during
the nineteenth and early twentieth
centuries and worked and suf–
fered in our new cities where pov–
erty, disease, and crime, as well
as racral and religíous mtolerance,
exrsted srde by srde with opu–
lence?
The
PLAIN TRUTH November 1976
Yes, South Africa has been no
exceptron to the common rule that
governs man 's civilization , a rule
that strll exists, but is perhaps
more discreetly applied in its case:
Man exploits man for the benefit of
a few.
From the Cape of Good Hope to
the Mediterranean, armed conflict
or the threat of armed conflict
drains human and physical re–
sources alrke and prevents the po–
litical and economic development
without whrch the quality of lile for
Africa 's millions will not be im–
proved.
In South Africa, on the other
hand, its
18
million blacks live bet–
ter and have a brighter promrse for
a better lile than most anywhere
else on the troubled contrnent. Of
course, this fact is mtolerable to
the communists and to the com–
munlst-inspired black militants.
Srnce South Africa's political sys–
tem is not perfect , and because its
system of separate development
for the races has not solved all the
problems of its multiracial society.
the nation has become a target of
criticism from the free world as
well - a free world that South Al–
rica helped to defend in two world
wars and still helps to defend
today.
South Africa's detractors would
ignore the government's many
and costly programs devoted to
the social, educational, and mate–
rial elevation of its own black
people. Because the white popu–
lation has opted not to surrender
its political advantage by extend–
ing to the blacks a voting privilege
on a one-man. one-vote basrs,
most of the world chooses to rg–
nore what positive results have
been achieved - as well as to
overlook what is happening al–
most everywhere else on the con–
tinent , where leaders such as
Uganda's ldi Amin and others
govern under one-party systems
which have brought to naught all
the promises of democratic free–
doms that were to result from the
postwar deco lonialization pro–
cess.
Mr. Armstrong and 1 visited
South Africa for five weeks only a
few months ago, visiting city alter
city, meeting with the prime min is–
ter and ordrnary citizens alike -
befare and alter the fi rst Soweto
riots.
We visited South West Africa
(Namibia) where we talked with
the leaders of the constitutronal
convention who are striving to
create an organic document that
will provide an intell igent , practica!
means for the people of that re–
gion to live together in peace and
prosperity.
We have been appalled at the
continuing racial strife that has
spread across South Afnca srnce
our departure two months ago.
We are not unaware, however,
that much of the violence, if not
all, has been provoked by radical
and mi litant elements desirous of
exploiting for their own selfish po–
litical advantage the problems of a
multiracial society which is trying ,
albeit not as quickly as desired by
sorne on the outside, to resolve its
complex problems.
Let us hope that the violence
will not polarize even more the ra–
cial elements of the community.
We know that there are men of
peace and good will on all sides in
South African society who are
trying to achieve a better life for all
its citizens and who oppose with
vigor those who resort to violence,
on the one hand, and those, on
the other hand, who would use
more force to maintain without
change an existing social
order.
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