Campus Political Studies Group

“Why are there sanctions against South Africa?”

In the past three months there has been a great deal more interest paid to the problem of apartheid in President Botha’s South Africa and even more attention has been paid to the sanctions that leaders around the world are calling for in order to end the problem of apar- theid. But why are responsible world leaders attempting to isolate South Africa in a way that will undoubtedly lead to further black riots and greater solidarity of the white minority in that country.

Prime Minister Mulroney must see opportunities appear in the international globe-trotting in which he has taken part during the last three weeks. Many of the smaller African members of the Commonwealth view Canada as the “‘big brother’’ that can re- present them when attempting to sway Britain’s Margaret Thatcher into imposing further sanctions against South Africa. Australia’s prime minister, terming South Africa ‘‘a golden opportunity for communism’’, is also looking to Mr. Mulroney for a chance to impose full sanctions against South Africa. The main members of the Commonwealth, with the notable exception of Britain, have agreed to ending most of the trade between themselves and South Africa. However, this is easy for countries such as Canada and Australia to do, as neither country relies heavily upon the natural resources or agricultural products of South Africa.

Britain, on the other hand, has a great deal of private investment in South Africa, and has thou- sands of jobs tied up in South African imports’ and exports. Likewise, the United State’s policy of ‘‘constructive engage- ment’? favours South Africa be- cause of its importance to the

American defense constractors and the Pentagon itself. South Africa is a major source of titanium, platinum and gold, all very important to the high techno- logy defense industries. It would fare very badly for America if pro-Marxist black rebels over- threw the Afrikaner government. Mr. Reagan would prefer that the whites gradually, very gradually, allow more and more of the middle-of-the-road black leader- ship to gain control of the govern- ment and trade, than to see black radical factions turn South Africa into a massive bloodbath. The only problem with this approach, however, is that the same black leadership of which Mr. Reagan wishes to see in Africa, want to take over now, rather than some distant time in the future.

So with two of its largest trad- ing partners not participating in the sanctions, why is South Africa occupied by the attempted sanc- tions of a few other countries? It is not as much the sanctions that are now in place, but the proposed sanctions from a very formidable group, the European Economic Community, that worry Mr. Botha. The rand (the South African equivalent of the dollar) is now worth half of what it was in 1984, and inflation is at 17%, fuelled by expensive imports. South Africa needs the money it earns from the sale of metal ores and importantly, of coal to the EEC. Now, with low oil prices, coal prices are depressed, leaving South Africa with less money to but the capital goods it needs from the outside. What would happen if the EEC blocked South African coal imports? The unemployed coal miners of Australia, Canada, and even Britain, would have the opportunity to take away over

half of South Africa’s coal sales.

The problem with coal sanctions is that as many as one million or more black workers would lose their jobs, something which the outside countries are attempting to avoid. Not only would blacks in South Africa be thrown out of work, but as well, the people who work in South Africa but live in the nearby black states of Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, Botswana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Pretoria has no intentions of going down alone in the sea of sanctions and political policies tha are intended to set free the South African majority.

What will be the result of the political arm-twisting in Wash- ington and London? Will the backers of sanctions win out, or will the status quo continue as it has? The only thing for certain is that sooner or later, thee will be eruption from the bubbling tur- moil amongst the various black tribes and leaders, resulting in much blood, from whites and blacks, being spilled in the quest for one man-one vote government in South Africa. The outcome of that alone should be enough to interest the United States in sup- porting the new leadership, if they are interested. After all, the Soviet Union has been strangely absent from the debate, and young revolutionary governments are often befriended by the Kremlin. It seems that things may become very interesting with respects to South Africa in the next few months.

The Campus Political Studies Group meets Mondays in the Economics Lounge area to discuss items of interest. All are welcome to come and voice their opinions.

Danny Mullen

LCV

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