In marked contrast to the smiling reception Bavarian Prime Minister Franz Josef Strauss got from President PW Botha in Cape Town this week, the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the United Democratic Front say the West German politician is not welcome in South Africa.
There has been international speculation that Strauss is on a mission to examine the prospects of a negotiated settlement in the subcontinent. He is one of the few Western politicians still acceptable to Pretoria – and thus in any position to persuade them of the need for negotiation.
However, Strauss will meet few black leaders during his visit, with the possible exception of "homeland" politicians such as Lucas Mangope, president of Bophuthatswana, and Mangosuthu Gatsha Buthelezi, head of Inkatha and chief minister of KwaZulu. A "meet the people" reception to be hosted by the West German embassy next week will not be attended by the only group that Weekly Mail could establish has been invited: the National Council of Trade Unions (Nactu). "It's not convenient for us," said Piroshaw Camay, Nactu general secretary.
He refused to be drawn on whether they were specifically boycotting the event. A representative of the German embassy in Pretoria would not divulge who else was on the invitation list and referred all enquiries to the South African Department of Foreign Affairs, which will be represented at the official reception.
Frank Meintjies, an official of Cosatu, said the fact that his organisation had not been invited to the reception "said a lot". "He hasn't requested to see us and we wouldn't want to see him even if he did," said Meintjies. Meintjies said Cosatu believed Strauss' visit was an essentially conservative mission: "We see it as a plan to shore up the present regime," he said. "We don't believe he has a mandate to interfere in the way he is doing," he said. "The outcome could only be destructive."
In a strongly-worded statement yesterday afternoon, the UDF said Strauss was not invited by the majority of South Africans and he and his "fact-finding" mission were not welcome in the country.
This article originally appeared in the Weekly Mail.
