Tanzania's Mining Sector and Its Implications for the Country's ...
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;; Pilie '24' Se&fk)nA , 14 466iOber"10;`14197'.6't S.F. Sunday Examiner & Chronicle ilEExamintg— Oc t ; 1 0 1976 The African leaders Kissinger ignored David Olsen, a former director of the Cambridge- based Africa Research Group, is co-author of "Race to Power: The Struggle for Southern Africa" (Anchor Press, 1974). By David Olsen Pacific News Service WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Kissinger's ove to foster a moderate black government in hodesia carefully avoided contact with the very leaders who will hold the trump cards in forthcoming negotiations. These men are the radical nationalist leaders. They have overshadowed the older, more moderate leaders in three of the most crucial areas: Their , command of military forces, popular support and ?: - backing by other important African leaders. Yet none has been included in the early s. negotiations to try to establish an interim government . m Rhodesia. The key radical leaders include: —Robert Mugabe, leader of the leftist political party, ZANU, and major representative of most of the Zimbabwean guerrilla fighters based in neighboring Mozambique. Mugabe, a former teacher, was impris- oned by the an Smith regime for 11 years for political activities. —Pres4dent Samora Machel of Mozambique, instrumental in creating the Zimbabwe People's Army in 1974 in an effort to unify the guerrilla factions. He probably has more influence with the guerrillas than any other outsider. —Methodist Bishop Abel Muzorewa, leader of the militant faction of the Rhodesian African National Council, a coalition of nationalist groups. Some say he has the strongest popular backing of all black Zimbabwean leaders. —The high command of the Zimbabwe People's Army, composed of 18 leaders of ZANU and ZAPU, the oldest and most important African political parties in Rhodesia. —President Agostinho Neto of Angola. Like Machel, he's wary of American attempts to help structure Africa's future. U.S. relations with Neto's MPLA-led government have been strained since Angola's civil war. Kissinger concentrated instead on "moderate" and non-aligned politicians and on Prime Minister Ian Smith, leader of Rhodesia's white minority govern- ment. The only nationalist leader Kissinger met was Joshua Nkomo, considered a moderate both at home and abroad. He came to prominence as one of the original nationalist agitators in the late 1940s, but had lost most of his following by early 1976 when he negotiated unsuccessfully on his own with Smith. A devout Christian, Nkomo stresses peaceful negotiation and non-violent protest as the road to black majority rule in Rhodesia. Guerrilla leaders branded him a traitor after his talks with Smith. Yet in proof of the Midas-touch quality of a Kissinger visit, when Nkomo returned to Salisbury Sept. 25 after the meeting, he drew a larger crowd than the popular, radical Muzorewa attracted five days later. The radical leaders Kissinger shunned have called for an immediate transfer of power. That's a rejection of the British-American proposal for a two- year transition period. "We are talking about majority rule in four to six weeks, when with the formation of an interim government the powers of the government of Rhodesia will be passed on to the majority," said Tanzania's President Nyerere. The militant leaders also have stressed that they won't allow the structure of the interim government to be determined by whites. And they have rejected Smith's proposal that the ministries of defense and law and order remain in white hands during the transition period. In addition, the radical leadership is committed to some form of African socialism. They are believed to be neither pro-Soviet nor pro-Chinese, but to want some form of national planning to restructure the white-dominated capitalist economy. Kissinger's avoidance of the radical leaders appears to be in keeping with his intentions for a Rhodesian settlement. Diplomats aboard Kissinger's plane said he "is aiming for the emergence of a belt of friendly pro-western states from Namibia, on the south Atlantic seaboard, through landlocked Bot- swana to Rhodesia." Some observers point out that even if Kissinger had invited these leaders to talk, they might have refused out of fear of losing credibility with their peers. All Zimbabwean radical leaders have de- nounced Kissinger's involvement in the Rhodesian crisis. Samora Machel, president of Mozambique and the strongest outside influence on the guerrillas
Transcript of Tanzania's President Nyerere. MPLA-led government have ...jfk.hood.edu/Collection/White...
;; Pilie '24' S
e&fk)nA
,14
466iOber"10;`14197'.6't
S.F
. Sunday E
xaminer &
Chronicle
ilEExamintg—
Oc t ; 1 0 1976
Th
e African
leaders K
issinger ign
ored
David O
lsen, a former director of the C
ambridge-
based Africa R
esearch Group, is co-author of "R
ace to
Pow
er: The S
truggle fo
r South
ern A
frica" (A
nchor Press, 1974).
By D
avid Olsen
Pacific N
ews S
ervice W
ASH
ING
TO
N —
Secretary of State Kissinger's
ove to
foster a m
oderate b
lack g
overn
men
t in
hodesia carefu
lly av
oid
ed co
ntact w
ith th
e very
leaders w
ho will hold the trum
p cards in forthcoming
negotiations.
These m
en are the radical nationalist leaders. T
hey have overshadowed the older, m
ore moderate
leaders in
three o
f the m
ost cru
cial areas: Their
,com
man
d o
f military
forces, p
opular su
pport an
d
?: -backing by other important A
frican leaders. Y
et n
one h
as b
een in
clu
ded in
the e
arly
s. negotiations to try to establish an interim
government
. m R
hodesia.
The key radical leaders include:
—R
obert Mugabe, leader of the leftist political
party, ZA
NU
, and major representative of m
ost of the Z
imbabw
ean guerrilla fighters based in neighboring M
ozambique. M
ugabe, a former teacher, w
as impris-
oned by the an Sm
ith regime for 11 years for political
activities. —
Pres4dent S
amora M
achel of Mozam
bique, in
strum
ental in
creating th
e Zim
bab
we P
eople's
Arm
y in
1974 in
an effo
rt to u
nify
the g
uerrilla
factions. He probably has m
ore influence with the
guerrillas than any other outsider. —
Methodist B
ishop Abel M
uzorewa, leader of the
militant faction of the R
hodesian African N
ational C
ouncil, a coalition of nationalist groups. Some say he
has th
e strongest p
opular b
ackin
g o
f all black
Z
imbabw
ean leaders.
—T
he high comm
and of the Zim
babwe P
eople's A
rmy, com
posed of 18 leaders of ZA
NU
and ZA
PU
, th
e old
est and m
ost im
portan
t African
political
parties in Rhodesia.
—P
residen
t Agostin
ho N
eto o
f Angola. L
ike
Mach
el, he's w
ary o
f Am
erican attem
pts to
help
structure A
frica's future. U.S
. relations with N
eto's M
PL
A-led
govern
men
t hav
e been
strained
since
Angola's civil w
ar.
Kissinger concentrated instead on "m
oderate" and non-aligned politicians and on P
rime M
inister Ian S
mith, leader of R
hodesia's white m
inority govern-m
ent.
The only nationalist leader K
issinger met w
as Joshua N
komo, considered a m
oderate both at home
and abroad. He cam
e to prominence as one of the
original nationalist agitators in the late 1940s, but had lost m
ost of his following by early 1976 w
hen he
negotiated unsuccessfully on his own w
ith Sm
ith. A
devout Christian, N
komo stresses peaceful
negotiation and non-violent protest as the road to black m
ajority rule in Rhodesia. G
uerrilla leaders branded him
a traitor after his talks with S
mith.
Yet in
pro
of o
f the M
idas-to
uch
quality
of a
Kissinger visit, w
hen Nkom
o returned to Salisbury
Sept. 25 after the m
eeting, he drew a larger crow
d than the popular, radical M
uzorewa attracted five
days later.
The rad
ical leaders K
issinger sh
unned
hav
e called for an im
mediate transfer of pow
er. That's a
rejection of the British-A
merican proposal for a tw
o-year transition period.
"We are talking about m
ajority rule in four to six w
eeks, w
hen
with
the fo
rmatio
n o
f an in
terim
govern
men
t the p
ow
ers of th
e govern
men
t of
Rhodesia w
ill be passed on to the majority," said
Tanzania's P
resident Nyerere.
The m
ilitant leaders also have stressed that they w
on't allow the structure of the interim
government
to be determined by w
hites. And they have rejected
Sm
ith's proposal that the ministries of defense and
law an
d o
rder rem
ain in
white h
ands d
urin
g th
e transition period.
In addition, the radical leadership is comm
itted to som
e form of A
frican socialism. T
hey are believed to be neither pro-S
oviet nor pro-Chinese, but to w
ant so
me fo
rm o
f natio
nal p
lannin
g to
restructu
re the
white-dom
inated capitalist economy.
Kissin
ger's av
oid
ance o
f the rad
ical leaders
appears to
be in
keep
ing w
ith h
is inten
tions fo
r a R
hodesian settlement. D
iplomats aboard K
issinger's plane said he "is aim
ing for the emergence of a belt of
friendly
pro
-western
states from
Nam
ibia, o
n th
e so
uth
Atlan
tic seaboard
, thro
ugh lan
dlo
cked
Bot-
swana to R
hodesia."
Som
e observers point out that even if Kissinger
had
invited
these lead
ers to talk
, they
mig
ht h
ave
refused out of fear of losing credibility with their
peers. A
ll Zim
bab
wean
radical lead
ers hav
e de-
nounced Kissinger's involvem
ent in the Rhodesian
crisis.
Sam
ora
Mach
el, p
residen
t of M
oza
mb
iqu
e an
d th
e str
on
gest
ou
tside
influ
ence o
n
the g
uerrilla
s
