MINUTES ACOA Executive Board Meeting ….. September 18, 1980

Contents:Attendance • Brief Reports • 1. Mugabe Reception • 2. Dumisani Kumalo's speaking tour • 3. Literature • 4. College Work • 5. Shipments to Mozambique and Namibia • 6. Tozamile Botha • 7. Paris conference on support for the Namibian struggle • 8. State and Local Legislative action to divest funds from South Africa • 9. Financial Report • 10. Paul Irish's trip to Southern Africa • The Search Committee • New Citibank Loan to South African Government • U.S. and Apartheid in Sport • Boxing • The minutes say ACOA and the Women's Division of the United Methodist Church co-hosted a reception on behalf of non-governmental friends of Zimbabwe for Prime Minister Robert Mugabe on the occasion of Zimbabwe's acceptance into the United Nations. Kumalo reported on his upcoming 50-day trip to 16 states (including Hawaii) and 20 colleges. Literature being worked on includes: A pamphlet on Namibia and U.S corporations, drawing on the UN hearings on uranium, updates of Voices for Withdrawal and South Africa Fact Sheet, and a piece on the South African arms embargo violations that focuses on the Space Research Case. Josh Nessen reported on the trial of ten students and faculty at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo which exposed links between trustees and corporations in South Africa. $50,000 of surgical supplies and medicines have been sent to Mozambique, antibiotics were airfreighted to Luanda for Namibian refugees, and books are being sent for the diplomatic library in Maputo. George Houser is retiring in June; a tribute for him and fund-raising event will be held. Irish reported on his trip, including the NGO Conference on Sanctions Against South Africa in Geneva and Mozambique, Lesotho, Zimbabwe and Zambia. Houser sent a letter to the president of Citibank and ACOA issued a press release protesting the first Citibank loan to the South African government since 1978. It is hoped that churches, students, and black groups also will protest; the Citicorp building at Lexington and 53rd would be a good place for a demonstration. Richard Lapchick reported on several new propaganda gains by South Africa regarding sports, involving the British Lions Rugby tour in South Africa and a South African player in the Eisenhower Cup golf tournament in North Carolina in October. A campaign has been launched to get the U.S. State Department to oppose all sports contacts with South Africa and to get the U.S. Golf Association to refuse an invitation to South Africa. Also, an effort is being made to organize North Carolina students to demonstrate at the tournament. The minutes mention the United Church of Christ Board for Homeland Ministries, Richard Knight, Jennifer Davis, the upcoming US-SA heavyweight boxing match in Bophuthatswana, the strike at Ford Motor Company in Port Elizabeth, Maseru, the Day of Solidarity with Political-Prisoners on October 10, the ANC (African National Congress), a Call for Action, the Security Council, sanctions against South Africa, France's role as the largest supplier of arms to South Africa and its involvement in the exploitation of Namibian uranium, Oliver Tambo, Sam Nujoma, UN sanctions, SWAPO, the Conference for Alternative State and Local Policy, WOA (Washington Office on Africa), AFSC (American Friends Service Committee), ICCR (Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility), TransAfrica, CALC (Clergy and Laity Concerned), the Marionist Sharing Fund, the Ford Foundation, Public Welfare Foundation, the Weaver/Coetzee fight, CBS, Elombe Brath, the National Security Council, William Booth, Josephine Buck-Jones, Michael Davis, Dorothy Hibbert, Leonard Jeffries, David Lampel, Elizabeth Landis, Tilden LeMelle, Gay McDougall, Edward May, Timothy Smith, Stephanie Urdang, Peter Weiss, Gail Morlan, and Ray Gould.