On the picket line on Wednesday 12 March outside the South African Embassy in support of demands for the release of those now being tried under the notorious South Atrica from extending its tentacles over the rest of the contIncat.
Also worrying to the capitalists is the fact that the South African and Rhodesian regimes rely on a small base of while support, with the mass of hacks suffering under the repressive racist policies being staunchly opposed to them. These regimes thus have to rely on open oppression to survive, which means that the whole structure is very fragile and places in jeopardy the survival of capitalism in southern Africa FACE-LIFT A face-lift for apartheid is not entirely out of the question, but Vorster has little room for manoeuvre.
On the one hand, detente cannot succeed unless it is accompanied by reforms in South Africa. The ability of black Governments to make any sort of deal with Vorster is very much dependent on their ability to persuade the black masses under their rule that the problem of racist oppression in soutbern Africa is being dealt with On the other hand, the Rhodesian whites will not willingly make any concessions on their privueged posttion unless it is clear that refusal to comply would mean the end of South Africa's military and economic support. The right wing of the Nationalist Party is already making ominous grumblings about Vorster's policy towards Riodesia. If Vorster was to make an ultimatum to Smith it would very likely result in open conflict within the Nationalist Party, possible leading to a split.
In the coming crisis tnis dilemma for South Africa's whites will be ol central importance, and various political parties could well split along these lines. But i is absolutely clear that whatever party is in power -whether the Nationalist Party or some ne moderate party neither expicitation nor racist oppression is poing to be changed. The South African mines and capitalist industries are always going to need cheap black labour and any capitalist Government is going to do whatever is needed to make sure they get it.
Apartheid is not going to be undermined by polite chabs and diplomane manoeurns, but by the struggle of South Africa's black masses against white racism and the entire capitalist system on which it i based and which TE serves so well