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G
uerrilla warfare
tion. a nongovernmen-
escalates in
ANGOLA
tal fact-finding and
Rhodesia as ef-
fact-distributing orga-
forts to achieve a settle-
nization which projects
ment in Geneva
totherestoftheworld
sputter; militants in
the facts about South
South West Africa
Africa,
be they good or
(Namibia) claim they
bad,
and similar!y in-
will have no part of a
forms South Africans
peaceful transfer of
of both their status and
power; riots break out
image in the rest of the
in the black urban
world.
townships of Africa's
I n no uncertain
largest industrialized
e:
terms, Dr. Marais
country, the Republic
~
spelled out to me sorne
of South Africa.
~
economic facts of life
Turmoil on Africa's
~
that Americans and
troublesome southern
~
Western Europeans
tip now vies with the
s
should be made much
M i.ddle East for news-
~
more aware of:
paper headlines around
"----"---------------------1
The Republic of
the world. Few people, however,
THE
South Aft:ica is situated at perhaps
take the time to probe behind the
the most vital or sensitive corner of
headlines or to research behind the
the world's sea-lanes. Around the
skimpy 30-second news reports on
Bl
~TTLE
Cape of Good Hope sail 24,000
television.
!1'11
ships every year- mostly tankers -
As a result, the average man on
FOR
bound for Europe and America.
the street in North America and the
These lanes carry most of Europe's
democracies of Western Europe is
oil supply and will. toward the turn
not being told the whole story of his
SOUTHERN
of the century, carry 60% of the
vast sta'ke in the outcome of the tur-
U.S.A.'s oil needs. With the Soviet
bulent events that have been sweep-
AFRIC"
navy pushing aggressively into the
ing the African subcontinent.
lndian Ocean and acqui ring port
Nothing short of the economic
privileges on the east and west
health of whole societies in the West
coasts of Africa, the maintenance of
- and the jobs of literally millions
by
Gene H. Hogberg
this oceanic "pipeline" is critica!.
of workers - could be on the line.
Africa's Powerhouse
Of all the nations of Africa, the Re–
public of South Africa is far and
away the most dynamic. Possessing
but 5% of the total population of
Africa and only 4% of its land mass.
South Africa nevertheless accounts
for more than 25% of Africa's gross
national product, 20% of its agricul–
tural output, half of its electricity.
and over 60% of the continent's total
industrial output.
The Witwatersrand industrial
complex, centered around Johan–
nesburg, is the fifth largest concen–
tration in the world and the largest
south of Milan in northern Italy.
South Africa's highly efficient agri–
cultura! sector, despite being ham–
pered by sparse and unpredictable
ra infall as well as poor soil (only
12% of the Republic's land is ara–
ble). nevertheless is one of the very
few in the world which is produc-
The
PLAIN TRUTH January 1977
A new front in the East-West
struggle has opened up wide.
At stake is a vital/y strategic
region containing the free
wor/d's richest treasure trove
of mineral wealth. lts loss to
the industrialized West would
be incalculable.
ing enough food to feed its people.
South Africa. however. is impor–
tant not only in the African context.
but also in the broader picture as a
key component of the free world's
economic stability.
Recently, in Cape Town 1 had tbe
privilege of speaking with Dr. Jan
Marais, founder. chairman. and
chief cxecu tive of the Trust Bank of
Africa. one of the "Big Five" of his
nation's banking institutions. Since
1974 Dr. Marais has also been presi–
dent of the South Africa Founda-
Storeroom for the Free World
The importance of South Africa and
her neighbors to the industrialized
free world, however , transcends
mere geographic location. At a time
when the major Western industrial
countries are concerned more than
ever before about possible future
commodity shortages, they should
take note of these facts:
• South Africa's annual gold pro–
duction represents more than 70%
of all the gold produced in the
Western world.
• About 50% of all the gem dia–
monds of the world are produced in
South Africa and South West Af–
rica. as well as large quantities of
industrial diamonds.
• South Africa is the largest pro–
ducer of platinum in the free world.
This is an essential ingredient in fer–
tilizers and in many metallurgical
processes, and it is widely used in
the jewelry trade.
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