This fundraising mailing discusses the current transition in South Africa when the government is negotiating with black leaders about guidelines for rewriting the constitution. This is the beginning of the arduous process of finally ending minority white rule. Archbishop Desmond Tutu said: "The miracle that is taking place here is one that is being undergirded by people in every part of the world." The Free South Africa Movement has been the "undergirding" citizen force in the U.S. The U.S. movement has mobilized tens of thousands of Americans, won passage of Congressional sanctions, and then kept those government sanctions in place for five years - despite constant opposition from Presidents...
This fundraising mailing discusses the current transition in South Africa when the government is negotiating with black leaders about guidelines for rewriting the constitution. This is the beginning of the arduous process of finally ending minority white rule. Archbishop Desmond Tutu said: "The miracle that is taking place here is one that is being undergirded by people in every part of the world." The Free South Africa Movement has been the "undergirding" citizen force in the U.S. The U.S. movement has mobilized tens of thousands of Americans, won passage of Congressional sanctions, and then kept those government sanctions in place for five years - despite constant opposition from Presidents Reagan and Bush. We have kept relentless pressure on the South African government, while it has tried to block news about its massive repression. South Africa is on the brink of civil war despite a peace accord signed in September 1991 by the government, 23 political parties, trade unions, and provincial governments. Factionalism on the left and right is rampant; grinding poverty, injustice and violence continue. Leaders of the World Council of Churches and the South African Council of Churches meeting in Cape Town and expressed concern that any further lifting of sanctions could stall negotiations by taking political pressure off the South African government. Nelson Mandela, president of the African National Congress, invited TransAfrica to organize and bring to South Africa a group of distinguished Americans for what was called the "Democracy Now!" tour. The delegation included 27 distinguished people, including Congresswoman Maxine Waters, entertainer Quincy Jones, Arthur Ashe (Co-Chair of Artists and Athletes against Apartheid), publisher Earl Graves, Dorothy Height (President of the National Council of Negro Women), and leaders of several major labor unions and religious groups. The delegation talked with leaders and grassroots people from many sectors of South African society to forge viable partnerships towards democracy. Newspapers were filled with episodes of gangs attacking innocent commuters and township dwellers while South African police looked the other way; at least 15 South Africans died in political violence during the two-and-a-half-day tour. We prepared a detailed report of findings and created recommendations which, through lobbying and citizen mobilization strategies, will help to challenge U.S. government leaders to take more responsibility. Dozens of state, county and city governments still have sanctions against South Africa in place, and we are working hard to convince them to hold the line until greater progress has been made. TransAfrica also developed guidelines for development assistance to South Africa. Additional funds should not be diverted from existing allocations for other African countries. We recommend an equal opportunity policy for American vendors who will be contracted with to deliver development services and that all funds be sent through non-government groups or independent commissions rather than through South African government channels. We recommend the creation of a South African American Business Council to monitor and assist South African and African-American business development in South Africa. From the first demonstrations in front of the South African embassy in 1984, TransAfrica has been a compelling voice for ending apartheid, but right now our resources are stretched to the limit.
