African Activist Archive

The document summarizes South Africa's war against the people and nations of southern Africa and ways to support bills in Congress to oppose these actions. The report gives basic introduction about apartheid, U.S. corporate involvement in South Africa, and U.S. military support, especially under the Reagan administration. U.S. economic and military support has been crucial to South Africa's ability to wage war against Black people within its own borders as well as the people of the region. South Africa's regional destabilization is both military as well as political and economic; it has wreaked havoc on the infrastructure of the independent Black nations of the region and caused these countries to divert scarce resources to countering the effects of South Africa's regional domination. These countries have also experienced serious drought and famine in the 1980s. The Southern Africa Development Coordinating Conference (SADCC) estimates that South Africa's activities have cost its neighbors more than $10 billion in the five years: $3 billion in increased defense spending, $1.6 billion in direct war damage, $2 billion in "lost economic growth," and almost $1 billion in extra transport and energy costs. Oxfam America reports that a third of the countries in the region are among the world's least developed and poorest, with per capita incomes of $500 or less. The document suggests that people urge Congressional representative to r support legislation to increase U.S. emergency and long-term economic and development assistance to the nations of southern Africa. It urges support for two bills: Congresswoman Pat Schroeder's (D-CO) bill, HR 2589, which would prohibit the exploitation of Namibian natural resources by U.S. corporations, and Congressman Ron Dellums' (D-CA) comprehensive sanctions bill, HR 997, or similar legislation, calling for corporate disinvestment and a trade embargo against South Africa. The Anti-Apartheid Action Hotline has weekly legislative updates. The report mentions Black children, the Mozambique National Resistance Movement (MNR), the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Prime Minister Leabua Jonathan, Food First, Jonas Savimbi, UNITA rebel attacks, economic the forced relocations, white commercial farmers, Bantustans, the Benguela Railroad, and the International Red Cross (IRC).

African Activist Archive

SOUTH AFRICA'S WAR CAUSES HUNGER AND FAMINE IN SOUTHERN AFRICA

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