African Activist Archive

The mailing says this is a feminist appeal to enter into a process of self-reflection and action together with Mrs. Winnie Mandela, who will be "going home" to Soweto on Friday, December 27, 1985; we cannot stress enough the danger she faces in "going home"; there have been first hand reports that the police have threatened to eliminate her. The mailing says Mrs. Mandela is a "banned person" in South Africa. This means she is not allowed to attend any political meetings; her movement in South Africa is restricted and she is not allowed to speak in public, especially at funerals which have become for blacks a forum for raising consciousness regarding apartheid. The mailing says she has suffered harassment and persecution for twenty years; subjected to banning orders, court hearings and yet has never once been convicted (courts in South Africa have no say against banning orders). The mailing says the Internal Security Act gives authorities the power to arrest and detain a person without going through the courts and to bypass the normal processes of law. The mailing says last Saturday, police came to her home in Soweto, Johannesburg, with a "relaxation of the banning order" which allowed Mrs. Mandela to move around everywhere except in Soweto; police physically removed her from her home, took her to another town, and left her at a hotel; she returned home and the next day, Sunday, the police seized and forcefully removed Mrs. Mandela from her home; they formally arrested her, charging her with violating the "banning order" and incarcerated Mrs. Mandela overnight before releasing her. The mailing says your letter, your voice will give added support to blacks in South Africa to respond with renewed courage to new challenges that break oppression and increase their capacity for continued empowerment. The mailing says please duplicate and send your responses to: Winnie Mandela c/o Ismail Ayob and Associate; President P.W. Botha; and Bishop Desmond Tutu, South African Council of Churches. The mailing says please send letters to the Hawaii congressional delegation asking them to inquire about the safety and well-being of Winnie Mandela. The mailing discusses apartheid, Senator Daniel K. Inouye, Representative Daniel K. Akaka, Senator Spark M. Matsunaga, and Representative Cecil Heftel.

African Activist Archive

[Dear Friends, This is a feminist appeal to enter into a process of self-reflection and action together with Mrs. Winnie Mandela]

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