me of Brirish sociai-dem Britain's Prime Minister, Mr.Harold Wilson, pent much of 1968 trying to conclude i ettlement with Rhodesia's Ian Smith and hi NIMAR No Independence Betore Migo af Around.
Commonwealth Prime Ministers" Conference was the scene of the next confrontation. Win or lose there, the Wilson Government - under pressure from the City of London with Smith and safe avestments in Rhodesia. reasons bvious: the heavy British investment stake in • Africa ind, with it, a British policy with the White minority outh Africa, Rhodes and Portuga ainst the challenges posed by the African peoples" liberation struggles.
This is the heart of the Rhodesian crisis: Not those lawyer-dancigon pinpoint-arguments about legality ilegility, whiose lot whether or not Rhodesia is, or should be vermanent 1 15, Ine Queens or misi answerable to African people the search for formulae for double-lock guarantoes and constitutional safeguards, is an irrelevance. There is onc central issue, and one only thac is meaningiul. for Southern Africa and for the British leti: this is the demand of Africans in Rhodesia fur The fact is that the constitutional ilusion hus Portuguese colanial rule that it was rever even long faded in Southern Africa. (So brutal w2s present in those colonies). Africans in the come to understand that liberation is not a matter of negotinting colonial settei poverruments, that those formulse and agreements invariably produce a compromise scheme that may satisly a small sycophantic elite, but can never meet the demands of the people as a whole With the launching of armed struggies in Southern Africa, the key Issues are heing sertled not at the green baizo negotiating table, at conferences Marlborough House, but on battlefolds that at times have come within twenty miles of Salishary and Bulawayo.
It was the launching of arned stroggle in Rhodosis (Zimbabwe), to link up with the Fighting tronts in Angola and Mozambique goaded Britain's Government and South Africa into a frantic search for 3 elitentent formula to make the peaco between Britain's government and the Smith regime. White minority rule is now threatened simultaneicialy of five froots. by Frelino in Ssy the MPLA in Angola, by th guerilla forces coletries. Rhodesia and South Africa, and by SWAPO forces fighting to Gherate South West Africa. South Afria. Raodesia and Portugal are perating a co-ordinated military and politicel strategy in the feld. Officers of their amies ind police forces Faise regularly as top ictals Military aircraft from onte country are illowed Electrle. Leyland, Reser and so on and so an to overlly and land in the territory of another. South African helicopters hoot guerillas in Angola: South Africa para-milicary forces are African troops have been in Mozambique 10s over a year. In the Caprivi Strip where fiv countries meet, South Africa has built airbase ten miles south of the bordor with Zambia which country Vorster threatened "to hit so hard that she will never forget it. South Africa's first missile base on the Zululand coast commands an central and cast Africa which could take in Zambia and Tanzania. Zambian villages have reptatedly been bombed.
As the white minority military alliance in the field on top of th network of through the sub-continent, 30. too liberation movements of the African peop e Souther enverging hattlegrounds, to be tiberated ty. Africa complex of tactics, political and military converging together.
South Africa, the rechnological glant of the south, has gone in for a spectacular expansion of her arred forces and counter insurgenes preparations. But with 5000 miles of border tose the aparted stre, se linds ter finds her resources strained to their man there are 29 million Africans as sesins four Mtales Southern Africa. Portugal already has 80,000 men in the feld South Atrica knows full will that when the Angola and Mozambique between them Portuguese empire begins wobble dangerously at the knees - - which need not be commitment in that regior Rhodesia. of course, vould long has collapsed without South Africa's aid.
South Africa is making two long-term calculations in her counter-guorilla strutegy Onte Involves the African states: the other concein Britain and her role in Southem Neighbourin African states that ould serve as friendly bases for the guerill movement are to be bribed or beater into compliance with South African policies. (Malawi is happy to take the brabe, Zambb is reatened with the beating.) Client states or colonies. South Africa's immodiate neigh butes will lave little independence left, economic or political, by the time South African plans for her economic offensive ure in fill swing. The white axis needs time for this offensive to Meanwhile, under pressure ou fise fighting fronts, it is crucial for this axis that it gets Britain on is sille. This explaias the Ter par with which South Afdes has tried to gel a Wilson-Smith settlement.
Vot that there is not already 3 Britist presence in Southern Africa on the side of the In Rhodeia that presence is in the shape of 290 subsidiaries of Butish manufacturing and trading comparies, not to speak of the banks and the insurance companies. All the familiar names. Hawker Siddeley. Duntop, Teto and Lyle. Uniever.
Licyds. English By 1966 Britain's investmeats in South A rica comprised ler third largest averseas holdings The reason is hot dificult to see. Hill, Samuel (S.1.) recorty publited tales showing that compames have snown greater growth bian the leading companics in. New York and London: 22 per cent in 12 months, they hav advised investors. (see PERSPECTIVE, the South African afficially-sponsurec publication, April 1968).
The trouble with the Rhodesian issuc is toat it came between the "natural" interests of British big business and the white minority interests in Southern Airica. twist of the legalismas volved in UDI i1 placed the ilega I Smith regime on the wrong side of British law, ordei settlement will change all this, and tota moment 100 soon for the write axis. Anv settlement will be acceptable - and by this token every settlement is a sell-out of Africar ¡terests — as long as it legitinuises the whit nority regime in Zhodesia. Once legal ant recamised. a Rhodesian government migit nepotiate a defence treary with Britais. some other form of co-operation against thie African liberation forces white axis needs Britain. Not just he trade and her investments in the region, but ter diplomacy (upen) and political suppor ebbie and unequivoca Even, perhaps he cops in the field, in time. Britain's b basiness and finance are already committed to Will British troops follow ber frade"
It was Zumbian's Kenneth Kaunda who watteo mal ne vouk De very surprIscOs British troops did not march into Rhodesia in a few months, not against the Smith regime but agtinst African liberation fighters.
Brilain could so easily do in Rhodesia what the United States has done in Vietnam, and in the beginning it might not even take an invason, only the assertion of Britisir authority and British policy on the side of the white axis.
It is «grinst chus perspective of irmedime, bat also continuing crisis in Southern -Africa, Chat the Left an Britain must formulate policy and action.
As Vietnam is the crucible for liberation and revolution in ASI, Latin America, so Southern Africa's armed struggie will be for Africa.
The arnied struggle needs assistance in money modical supplies and other forms of material aid: but also a relentless struggle in Britain against a goverment policy that will use a selllentent with Smith to actively comumit British manpower to the white axis offensive against the AFrican Liberation arries.
Communiques issued by the Joint Command of ZAPU and the ANC on the Arred Struggle in Zimbabwe Britain has investments totalling £2,000 million in Southern Africa, £200 million in Rhodesia alone.
Imperialist capital investment in Southern Africa is greater "From the 13th of this month. the area of Wankie has been the scene of the most daring battles ever tought netween breedom Fienters and the white oppressors army in Rhodesia. The fighting in this area has heen going on continuously for a full six days. .
"Around Wankie, Bett. Bulawayo and Toloto there have been skirmishes and armed billeted in These localities. The white Sone assaults against the Whilented African police are disguised in Rhodesian Ponce Al ricancy BaraCks In Bulawayo the African and Coloured troops lenisted in defenco of the interosts of their oppressors) had to he moved to a ramshackle camp 13 miles rom bulawayo, the removal was necessitated by South Africa's insistence on ine appucaton or apercid m the Rhodesan armed forces.
"_in the engagemeat which took place on a river bed in the Wankie area. Smith's forces were driven southwards across a river, leaving eleven of their men dead. Of these seven were Whites and four were Africans of the Ist Battalion of the Rhodesian Kings African Rifles." Un Sauday zo July a taide unl deleted by tock on l roba pret oe a lehting attack on Karina Amport. following day ZAPU-ANC guerillas were back in achon. and allacked ts tune a Club House frequented by racist troops and.. killed at least six enemy soldiers. The enemy called cut jet figliters to bomb the bush area, 'On 6 August, in a brief but fieros engagement 20 miles northeast of Mroko, a ZAPU-AN guerilla unit broke throwzh ar cordon leaving nine enemy troops particularly round the Nyamumba area. combined Rhodesian and South African force ol anot 2‚O0U men was sent to remorce the Karibu area last Sunday. On 11 August an enemy tracking team ran into a mine and an amoush at by a puerill und about 30 miles north of Lupanii. than the capital investment in the rest of the continent. "The arca of fighting is in Karai, Miami and Sinna. White settler farmers have heen exacuated from around Karos and Sinca. The soninste centre of Miami has beer have been suffered by the shite supremacists.
Casualties among the freedom fighters have been light..
The guerillas are consolidating their position along a vast area from Karoi to the east. The Rhodesian South Alcan digging in for a long campaign.. Hospitals in Karor and Smoa have been taken over by tha military to make room for casuallies suffered by the enemy.." "A brief engagement occurred last Thursday ACTUrS al a Mr Edwards" farm seventeen miles from Salisbury between a unit guerilla torces and an enemy pontingent... Up to last night the Salisburs General Hospital had admitted 24 casualies...
" If the troubles in Angola, Mozambique continue very much longer, they will diminish and destroy The Black Dwarf 27 Jan 1969 *It has come to light that the Rhodesian and South African regimes have been carrying out secret funerals of their dead in an attempt 1o conceal the they are suffering. On Friday 6 April six Rhodesian army officers were buried in Salisbury in hush-hush conditions. On the night of 3 April Kanu was closed to traific because of enemy casualties that were being brought in from the battlefield.
On 2 April the settler forces lost 22 aen in a bloody clash in the Mpatazwivi Mountains near the Chinyika River some 40 miles south of Shaws. The settler forces were ambushed a the mountains while they were trying to wait a contingent of the ZAPU-ANC peoples' arry.
"Careful investigation has revealed that there e ToU south Alrican troops 1D support le Rhodesian settlers in the areas of corre fighting These constitute nearly two-firths of the Rhodesian regime's regular THE US. our ability to carry on."