11 October 19882
Nearly 30 years have elapsed since that fateful day on 21 March 1960 when Pretoria's police force massacred peaceful demonstrators at Sharpeville. How many thousands more of our people have since that day died at the hands of South Africa's police and armed forces and as a result of the policy of apartheid will probably never be known. But looking back over these past three decades since Sharpeville, we see that the most striking feature of the South African political scene is the massive destruction of human life and property. Quite clearly, the Pretoria regime is at war with South Africa. Indeed, the operation of apartheid produces the consequences of any war, in every respect.
The massacre at Sharpeville marked the end of an era of one-sided violence; it was a decisive turning-point in our history. Today hundreds of thousands of our people participate actively in the struggle for a non-racial, democratic South Africa. It is because of this selfless struggle that we shall achieve victory. In spite of all the might, the ruthlessness, viciousness and inhumanity of the South African racists, the regime has not been able to subdue the national liberation movement in our country or defeat the cause for which it stands - human equality, justice and freedom for all South Africans. And it is because of these efforts and sacrifices of all our people that we shall achieve victory. It may not be achieved today, or tomorrow. But victory is certain.
We must therefore continue to commemorate the horrific Sharpeville massacre, as we do today, and pay tribute to all those who have worked for - and too often died for - freedom and human equality for all in South Africa.
Our struggle in South Africa, as well as the struggle in Namibia under the leadership of the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO), has evoked world-wide solidarity, from all continents and nations, irrespective of race, colour, creed or ideological, social and political systems. A crucial role in the mobilization of this world-wide solidarity has been played by the United Nations and its agencies, and in particular by the Special Committee against Apartheid.
Permit me, Mr. Chairman, to express to you and your colleagues in the Special Committee against Apartheid the profound appreciation of the National Executive Committee of the African National Congress for organizing, and facilitating our participation in, this solemn meeting.
I am also honoured, Mr. Chairman, to convey to you and your distinguished colleagues the warm congratulations of the National Executive Committee of the ANC on the successful negotiations leading to the historic agreements on the security of the People's Republic of Angola and the independence of Namibia.
Allow us to convey our heartiest congratulations to our comrades-in-arms, SWAPO, and the heroic Namibian people, on the historic, and crucially strategic stage they have already reached in their long and bitter struggle against South Africa's illegal occupation of Namibia. We avail ourselves of this occasion to reaffirm our militant solidarity with the people of Namibia and their organization, SWAPO, now and in the challenging times that still lie ahead.
We also wish to congratulate the fraternal peoples of the People's Republic of Angola and of the Republic of Cuba and their valiant armed forces for their decisive role in the transformation of the situation in our region. It is the valour and fighting skills of the armed forces of the People's Republic of Angola, the Cuban internationalist forces and the fighters of SWAPO who have, in combat, forced the racist army to retreat from Angola, and finally to sign the Brazzaville accord and the New York agreement. We wish to underline that factor because there are certain circles propagating the utterly false notion that the Pretoria regime has now become a part of the liberation movement of our region. The notion that the Pretoria racists are part of or allied to the anti-colonial movement is most certainly not true in the case of Namibia. It is certainly not true either in the case of the front-line States, where South Africa is engaged in a destructive and aggressive policy of destabilization. Indeed, the very opposite is true. The system of apartheid and the ideology that underpins it are by their very nature opposed to African independence above the level of Bantustans.
We can therefore expect the South African regime to engage in every possible manoeuvre to prevent the emergence of a stable, popular Government in an independent Namibia and to ensure that, at independence, Namibia will be poverty-stricken and its economy in ruins. We firmly believe that the international community has the moral responsibility to ensure that any such manoeuvre not succeed.
The African National Congress appeals to the international community, to all Governments and nations, to maintain a high level of vigilance to ensure the strict and full implementation of the letter and spirit of Security Council resolution 435 (1978), to monitor closely the independence process - especially the elections - and to give urgent and increased assistance to the Namibian people and SWAPO, its organization.
The very existence of apartheid South Africa poses a real danger to the United Nations plan for Namibia, as well as to the front-line States. It is therefore urgent that the international community impose comprehensive mandatory sanctions against South Africa.
We also wish to appeal to our friends and supporters in the anti-apartheid movement to inject a sense of urgency and a new vitality into the sanctions campaign, especially in view of the latest figures, which show a major increase in trade with South Africa on the part of a number of Western European countries last year. We appeal directly to those States to heed the call of our people and of the international community immediately to impose comprehensive economic sanctions on South Africa.
The present open power-struggle between P. W. Botha and F. W. de Klerk is another outward manifestation of the all-round crisis gripping our country today. It is also quite clear that the ruling Nationalist Party has no strategy to lead our country out of this crisis, except by resorting to more and greater violence against our people. Indeed, in its futile attempt to extricate itself from this situation and to ensure the survival of white racist domination, the Pretoria regime resorts to escalating levels of State terrorism.
In that connection, we are deeply concerned, and feel that the international community should also be concerned, by the blatant role now being played by the judges of the supreme court in the crisis-management of racist rule in South Africa. South African law, as it affects the majority of the South African population, is a creature of apartheid. It expresses itself in and secures the effective operation of the apartheid system. However, in recent trials, especially the Delmas Trial and the trial of the Upington 25 - judges of the South African supreme court have behaved as "front-line defenders" of the system of apartheid.
We call upon the international community to intensify the campaign for the release of all political prisoners, including Nelson Mandela. Their release and unrestricted participation in the political, social and cultural life of our country has become an urgent and indispensable condition to the solution of the South African question. It has become particularly urgent since the hunger strike by hundreds of political detainees, many of whose lives are now in grave danger. We urge the international community to act now and decisively to ensure their release.
Despite the terrible repression and violence visited upon the mass democratic movement and activists, despite the state of emergency and the detentions and killings, our struggle continues to make advances on all fronts. The past decade has seen us muster the most gigantic, organized and active political force for the liberation of our motherland. We are resolutely determined to continue this struggle until we achieve our cherished goal - the establishment of a non-racial, democratic South Africa.
In conclusion, I should like to reiterate our known position on the question of a negotiated settlement. We have declared that we are ready to enter in to direct negotiations with the Pretoria regime to dismantle apartheid and establish a non-racial democracy, provided a proper climate for such negotiations has been created. Only the regime can do so. We have also made known our considered opinion that the Pretoria regime has no intention of negotiating a peaceful end to apartheid. That is the present position of the regime as expressed by P. W. Botha and his successor in the leadership of the Nationalist Party, F. W. de Klerk. We are therefore resolved to continue to intensify the struggle until we have achieved victory.
Footnote
1. Member of the National Executive Committee of ANC
2. Source: United Nations document A/AC.115/PV.621