Ik ea Letters
Letters from: British Ex-Serviceman, Evelyn King, MP, Basil Stein, Michael Wade, Mrs. Linden Hopkin, Mrs. M. Green, S. Godman, Edward Lucie-Smith, Rosemary Joseph, Peter Porter, Meredith Whittaker and Donall Mac Ahnilaigh.
TORTURE AND SOUTH AFRICA Sir,—Recent correspondence in your columns con- cerning the morality or otherwise of sanctions against South Africa surely examines only one side of the matter. Certainly, non-Whites will suffer under sanctions—for it is a standing threat by powerful White groups here that Africans will be sacked wholesale at the first sign of organised sanctions against South Africa. In fact, the most recent annual report of one South African firm carried the state- ment that because of overseas boycotts, 47 per cent of the non-White labour (but none of the White labour or staff) had been dismissed, and that the more the boycotts, the more non-Whites would lose their jobs
The basic point, however, is surely that 3,000,000 Whites are holding 13,000,000 non-Whites hostage in their own country, and are prepared to sacrifice the health and even lives of these helpless non-Whites in order to preserve a life of pampered ease for Whites only. And the facts support this view. It was recently admitted here that, in the notorious 'Border Industry' areas of South Africa, Africans may attain a wage of only one shilling per hour only after five years' service to one employer. And the totally mur- derous racialism of most of South Africa's Whites is surely proved by the events of early September last, at the Afrikaner Nationalist Party Congress in Johannesburg, when 'delegate after delegate rose and called for a total business boycott of South Africa's Indian traders.' (These are the Whites who raise their hands in pious horror at talk of sanctions against White South Africa!) Unfortunately, it is true that White South Africa will fight. It is no coincidence. that schoolgirls are being taught pistol-shooting and. that on more than one occasion the South African Army has shown women's ,clubs how to operate machine guns. But this is not the fighting talk of the just man. It is the savage reaction of the selfish megalomaniac—and lest that description be passed off as pure rhetoric, then let me acquaint your readers with a touching little meeting which occurred a month ago during a rally at Heilbron, in the Orange Free State, of the Afrikaans Federation of Cultural Organisations. I quote from a direct translation of the official report in Afrikaans of the proceedings: In the darkness, broken by shafts of lightning, a voice intoned: 'In times of storm winds He has provided the chosen Leader. In the line of a Kruger, a Steyn and a de Wet of the past there stands in the present for the future Hendrik Verwoerd.' As the voice died away the Prime Minister of South Africa appeared unexpectedly against the dark night between two blazing torches. While Dr. Verwoerd stood motionless during the singing of 'Let the Blessing of the Lord descend upon him,' the words 'CHOSEN LEADER' and 'CHOSEN PEOPLE' shone from the stage in luminous letters.
A final, point. One of your correspondents recently pointed out that most criticism of South Africa in your columns came from expatriates. The answer is obvious. To speak freely in South Africa today is to invite immediate, indefinite imprisonment without trial, but with extreme brutality during interrogation. And I speak as a South African resident of nine years, married to a South African. Thus I must
earnestly request that unless you are prepared to accept my nom-de-plume, then please destroy this letter immediately,
BRITISH EX-SERVICEMAN
lohannesburk
[The writer's name and address are known to us. —Editor, Spectator.]
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