Militant liberals
Sir: Having falsely accused me of 0 " fiveford to tenfold" exaggeration of black South African infant mortality rates (Letters, October 9), Dr J. L. Insley has nos'r resorted to clear misrepresentation (Letters, November 6). He claims that I have " noW admitted that malnutrition is due to the wrong food rather than apartheid." I said nothing of the sort. I said that this was the small African government's excuse for such malnutrition.
Dr Insley then goes on to make the old, discredited claim that 'revolution" will solve South Africa's problems, and a " hapP!,.e.,r scene " will result if only t outside world leaves the ruling white minority alone. Well, let rne „ bow out of this controversy a/ examining this claim in relation t° the very part of South Africa which figured in starting this correspondence some months fir; Grahamstown. the site of Rhodes University, The wealthy (for whites) city cif Grahamstown is in that part South Africa where Africans ha,v,,' been under white control for t:PA' longest time — since the 111T; eighteenth century; and with ve" little outside interference. Has result of this lengthy " evolution been a "happier scene "? We can judge that for ourselves. As in the rest of the countrYi per capita annual income fc't Africans in the Grahamstown area is less than one-fifteenth of white per capita incomes, due inevitablY to such apartheid laws as job, reservation. The effect of this African babies is known with
exactitude, because less than, month ago the medical authoriteil in Grahamstown were kind ennog„
to let me have the 1970 Africa" infant mortality rate in that area:,,,, It is an appalling 187.7 per 1,Uw, live births. (The white rate is leS,, than 20 per 1,000.) And this is in,r, wealthy, fertile part of 500`
Africa. tot
So more than two centuries " evolution " under total W1'1 domination in the environs "„ Rhodes University has produced black infant mortality rate near"A ten times that of the white. every single needless black is that of itIn innocent baby killed by malnutrition and 40 associated diseases almost Wit'is
sniffing distance of the white rnar2d thick steaks, bulging larders a" luxury homes.
It is so evil to call for militarit liberalism iii' a situation like that e L. Clar
26 Kensington Gate, London
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