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DESPITE TERRORISM,
traditionallife goes on for Rhodesia's rural Mashona people. lnside a "protected village, " a new
storage bin for maize
is
erected, while a cluster of children giggle at the photographer.
could benefit the Iong-sutfering
Rhodesian consumer: He might be
able to drive his 12-year-old Ameri–
can car (hopefully replaced soon
with a new import) into a petrol
station and say. "Fill 'er up! " ... He
might be able to at last replace his
10-year-old razor blades ... be able
to travel without currency dis–
tinctions . . . and at last hear the
"patter of feet belonging to foreign
businessmen."
Business would profit from an–
other angle, too. Witb an end to
terrorism - one of the conditions of
Mr. Smith's acceptance- no longer
would Rhodesia 's young men be
called away from their jobs five or
six times a ycar for extended tours
of duty in the country's "operational
areas" searching out guerrilla units
flowing across the borders from Mo–
zambique and Zambia.
Tbis was indeed
good nell's -
if it
were true.
Torpedoed
by
Moscow
Tbe Kissinger plan, however, didn't
make it through the weekend.
What has followed since that
night of September 25 is but an–
other chapter of the sorry. sordid
state of atfai rs in contemporary Af–
rica. First the "fron t-Iine" presi–
dents, in a pronouncement from
Lusaka. Zambia, claimed they nevcr
saw the final settlement Smith
agreed to - and wouldn't have ap–
proved it if they had.
Political analysts generally dis-
8
count their disavowal. Most likely
the Soviet Union, through Presi–
dents Neto and Mache! (of the new
Marxist-oriented states of Angola
and Mozambique, respectively),
pressu red the black sta tes in to
abruptly changing their minds.
Ever since the Kremlin doused
the fuckering flame of peace. Rho–
desia's plight has gone from bad to
worse. The front-Iine states and rep–
resenta ti ves of Rhodes ia's fou r
black nationalis t organizations de–
manded the convening of a confer–
ence at the European headquarters
of the United Nations in Geneva,
Switzerland. to sett le the issue.
Smith reluctantly agreed - stating
that he would be attending only to
implement the Kissinger plan, not
to negotiate the package anew.
Nationalists Rlpped
by
Dissenslon
Even if progress of a sort is reached
in Geneva. genuine peace i by no
means around the corner. On the
nationalist side. there are deep divi–
s ions, which have been mere ly
papered over. and which will reap–
pear as wide as ever once the Ge–
neva formalities are dispensed with.
To begin with. there is that curious.
"patriotic-front" coalition between
Joshua Nkomo, long-time "moder–
ate" who says he supports a capital–
ist system for Zim babwe (the
nationalist's name for Rhodesia).
and Roben Mugabe, who claims
that a future Zimbabwe must "fol–
low socialist principies" and "assault
capitalist and bourgeois tenden-
~
cíes." The Nkomo-Mugabe mar-
~
riage of convenience is opposed by
~
two other groups. the first headed
~
by Bishop Abe! Muzorewa, who has
1
considerable popular support. and
~
&
the second headed by Ndabaningi
o
Sithole. formerly Muzorewa' chief
~
lieutenant.
<'l
"'
The intense nationalist rivalry has
E
erupted periodically in violence.
~
with the bloody slaughter of guerril–
las belonging to one group by those
loyal to another faction.
The Cape Town, South Africa.
newspaper
Die Burger
notes that the
factious nationalist movement is
further complicated by ancient tri–
balloyalties:
"The discord and strife among
the black people is an important as–
pect of th e Rh odesian problem
which is not taken inlo con id–
eration seriously enough. especially
by the outside world. Even if the
whites of Rhodesia could be wished
away. it would not ensurc that a
solution would be found. Possibly
rather the contrary. for then the
strife between the black groups. who
have already so clearly indicate¡l
their bitter animosity towards one
another. could be intensified.
"On the one hand there are men
such as Mr. Joshua Nkomo. who is
supported mainly by the Matabeles
and who leans over towards the cap–
italist system. and on the other hand
there is the Rev. Sithole who is sup–
ported mainly by the Shona-speak-
The
PLAIN TRUTH February 1977