Word: pretoria
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Last month, however, retiring South African Prime Minister John Vorster abruptly reneged on the deal. In a move plainly calculated to guarantee a pro-South African regime in Namibia, Vorster announced that Pretoria would forge ahead with an "internal settlement." Last week, top foreign-policy makers of the Big Five, headed by Secretary of State Cyrus Vance, called on Vorster's hard-lining successor, Pieter W. Botha, with a harsh message: either go along with the West's independence plan or face U.N.-imposed* economic sanctions...
...Pretoria's goal is to undercut the South West African People's Organization (SWAPO)-which has waged a guerrilla war against South Africa for the past twelve years-by staging elections in December, well before the U.N. force could be in place. Since SWAPO refuses to participate in such an election, the biracial Democratic Turnalle Alliance, which South Africa created and still dominates, would be virtually assured of victory. Third World nations regard such a voting arrangement as worthless-a view increasingly shared in the West. "You don't try to rig an election or rush...
When the mission ended, South Africa had at least bought some time for itself. Backing away from earlier threats that they would not oppose economic sanctions, the Big Five envoys now agreed that they would veto any such proposal put to the U.N. Security Council until Pretoria's internal settlement is proved beyond doubt to be a sham. The Western powers hope eventually to persuade South Africa to accept a U.N.-supervised vote that the Third World countries could also consider legitimate. But, as one Western diplomat ruefully admitted as he left Pretoria last week: "The talks have left...
...best hope for a peaceful solution in southern Africa -- in Rhodesia pushing Smith's government to the negotiating table with leaders of the Popular Front guerrillas, in Namibia procuring South Africa's acquiescence to U.N.-supervised elections -- the Post concluded that the choice between peace and violence is Pretoria...
...Pretoria has already chosen violence. South Africa chose institutionalized violence when it erected its system of apartheid decades ago, and every time it strengthened that system in recent years with bantustans and pass laws. South Africa chose violence at Sharpeville in 1960, at Soweto in 1975, with the murder of Steve Biko last year. Supported by South Africa, Rhodesia chose violence with its raids last week. When the two countries are not choosing violence, they are backing and filling, stalling for time, as in the now-on, now-off elections in Namibia, as in the mockery of a transitional government...