Basic HTML Version
SOUTHERN
AFRIC~
(Continued from page 6)
meddling.
It
serves the interest of
the Kremlin to aggravate current ra–
cial tensions between blacks and
whites. The Soviet are pushing
hard for military victOries for Marx–
ist "national liberation movements."
They are lini ng themselves up be–
hind the most rad ical "freedom
fighters" who realize that
their
only
avenue to power líes in the forcible
overthrow of the existing qrders.
Dr. Kissinger's proposed settle–
ment for Rhodesia - which is in–
tended to keep an economically
sound future Zimbabwe (Rhodesia)
in the Western camp - doesn't fit
into Moscow's plans for "eradicat–
ing colonialism and racism." The
formation of a broad-based. harmo–
niou . multi-racial government for
South West Africa ( amibia) -
which again would preserve West–
ern orientation - is intolerable to
the Kremlin. lnstead it backs thc
militant SWAPO organization in its
demand for the whole amibian
pie.
. Regarding South Africa itself. the
communists, in their various propa–
ga nda organs, are doing their best to
discred it the mány positive steps
being taken inside the country on
the part ofboth the government and
industry to improve relatioos be–
tween South Africa's many diver–
gent population groups.
Etforts to achieve peaceable, or–
de rly,
evolutionGiy
-
ra ther than
revolutionary - change in the whole
of southern Africa come under re–
peatedly sharp attacks in
Pravda,
lzvestia.
and other Soviet publica–
tions. An example of Moscow's pol–
icy line is reflected in an art icle
earlier this yea r in
Izvestia:
"To prevent the radicalization of
Africa means to ... block the path
of noncapitalist development and
insure a pro-Western orientaJion of
Africa in the international area ....
l f southern Africa gains freedom as
a result of armed struggle, it will
adopt fi rm anti-imperialist posi–
tions."
A Call for Understandlng
In view of the increa ed externa!
pressure upon South Africa and the
The
PLAIN TRUTH
January
1977
Storehouse
o1
the
West
South Africa's estimated reserves of key minerals, as a
percentage of total world and free-world reserves, are as tollows:
•
open coveting of its vast wealth,
Sou
th
Afr ica ns would appreciate
so rn e more undcrsta ndi ng of their
own interna! troubles.
In
reality. South Africa is a micro–
cosm of the whole world. Within its
borders it reflect in miniature the
so-called north-south division be–
tween the highly developed ind us–
t r ia l wo rld a nd th e fa r mo re
numerous developing nat ions.
At the top of the ladder is a seg–
meot ofSouth Africa's population –
roughly 20%- which is as advanced
as anywhere in the West with a
standard of living comparable to
that of the United States, Canada,
Sweden, Switzerland, or West Ger–
many. As Professor S.
J.
Terre–
blanche of Stellenbosch University.
one of the coumry's most eminent
D
.........
--·
--
r-
75%
SOllo
economists. told me in a conversa–
tion in his homc. a pproxima tely fivc
million South Africa ns- the whites
and the upper levels of thc Col–
oureds (thosc of mixed race) and
lndians - can be classified as living
in the so-called Fir t World.
The other 20 million or o. ac–
cording
to
Professor Terreblanche.
are Third World people in various
stages of development. Many of the
Latter, of course, live in their tribal
areas essentially as their ancestor
have always lived.
How best to elevate thei r own "de–
veloping" peoples. at what rate, and
what typeofpolitical structure should
evolve to accommoda te the needs and
aspi rations ofall population groups is
the subject of intense debate among
South Africans today.
" South Africa
has
the dubious honour ot being chosen
as
the pre-eminent target tor attacks which, seen in the wider
perspective, are aimed past South Africa at the West in
general. ... Anda West that makes only very weak
attemp ts at opposing condemnation of South Africa's
deeds, while remaining silent about millions who are
murdered behind the /ron Curtain and whole nations in
Africa that are wiped out,
is
indeed an easy victim for the
tyrannical
masses. "
- The newspaper,
Beeld,
Johannesburg, Oct. 28, 1976
39