African Activist Archive

Testimony of Randall Robinson, Executive Director of TransAfrica, on October 22, 1981 concerning U.S. corporate activities in South Africa. The testimony was delivered before the Subcommittees on International Economic Policy and Trade and on Africa of the Committee on Foreign Affairs House of Representatives. Robinson begins by explaining black American's special concern about U.S. policy toward South Africa borne out of their struggle for equality in the U.S. He then describes how the South African government has responded to the reduction in pressure from the Reagan administration by abandoning minor reforms in petty apartheid and by expanding its aggression against the region and repression at home. Robinson argues that the support U.S. corporations give the minority government's capacity to deny Africans political rights far outweighs any minor inroads they might make against petty apartheid. (He gives examples of the Fluor Corporation, General Motors and Ford, and Control Data and other U.S. computer companies.) He quotes from a report by Senator Dick Clark that reaches this same conclusion. Robinson argues that H.R. 3597, sponsored by Rep. William Gray, goes in the right direction by stopping capital inflows to South African from U.S. corporations, although it does not call for corporation withdrawal. He makes the case that the fair employment approach of the Sullivan Principles, contained in H.R. 3008, is highly inadequate. [Note: This PDF is an excerpt of the full hearing, including the testimony of Randall Robinson and the cover and introductory pages.]

African Activist Archive

U.S. CORPORATE ACTIVITIES IN SOUTH AFRICA

STATEMENT OF RANDALL ROBINSON, DIRECTOR, TRANSAFRICA

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