An alleged South African commando, manacled and on trial for the attempted murder of Botswana policemen … This is the face of South Africa, flashed around the world … only days after calls to have South Africa declared a "terrorist state".
Is South Africa indeed a "terrorist state"?
The leading US presidential candidate Michael Dukakis, thinks so. The raid came days after he added his voice to calls for South Africa to bear the terrorist" label, a move that would have serious repercussions for our international position. Botswana President Quett Masire said in a statement after this week's shootout his soldiers and SADF commandos: "We once more condemn these acts of state terrorism by the South African government." Even the US State Department which opposes the "terror state" label, bad strong words for the raid yesterday. With this "latest aggression the South African government once again showed disregard for international lawn, it said in a statement. "The South African government cannot escape the fact that the system of apartheid leads to violence and instability."
In a major speech to the President's Council this week, President FW Botha poured scorn on theaccusations. "There are ridiculous attempts at branding South Africa a terrorist state. This is is absolute nonsense. South Africa, in fact is the only state in Southern Africa which does act effectively against terrorism. "To declare South Africa's actions against terrorists to be terrorism is to call a fireman an arsonist," he said. First news of this week's raid came on Tuesday morning when the office of the Botswana president said three police men had been injured, one critically, when attacked by five South African commandos. The commandos, three of whom were white and two black, had fired on the Botswana policemen's patrol vehicle. The Batswana had allegedly surprised the commandos while they were preparing a mid in Gaborone. Two commandos were then allegedly arrested while fleeing the site. The Botswana authorities claim they were part of the raid. The South Africans have said they had nothing to do with the raid, but were simply on an intelligence – gathering mission in Botswana. The two have appeared in court and face charges that carry penalties of up to 30 years.
Masire's office also reported an explosion on Wednesday morning in Gaborone West. The explosive device had been placed under a car belonging to a local building contractor. The house and the car were damaged. "This is yet another South African attempt on the lives of innocent Batswana," Masire's office said." The SADF responded by saying was known that the ANC operates from neighbouring countries, including Botswana. "This action was not aimed against the government or the people of Botswana and the accusation that South Africa made itself guilty of state terrorism is preposterous especially coming from a country which allows terrorists to operate from its territory," the SADP said.
Was this incident evidence that South Africa should join the list of countries such as Libya. Cuba, North Korea, South Yemen, Syria and Iran which the US considers "terrorist states"? For the US to say so, the secretary of state would have to be convinced it had "repeatedly supported acts of international terrorism". That is, according to the USIS, terrorism involving citizens or facilities of more than one country". The current US administration's view is that the apartheid state, "however abhorrent its manifestations, does not meet the definition of international terrorism". The Pretoria view is that its raids into and actions in other countries do not constitute "terrorism"; they are legitimate pre-emptive actions designed to counter "terrorism" and are in the interests of international law and order.
However, even if one accepts the SADF's right to conduct cross-border raids into neighbouring states in search of African National Congress insurgents, no evidence has been presented to indicate this was their aim in Botswana this week. SADF credibility is too low for the international community simply to take their word for it. For example, the SADF raid into Botswana on March 28 this year left four people dead. The SADF never denied Botswana claims that three of them were innocent women civilians. And its claim that the fourth was a notorious ANC "terrorist" has been seriously contested. This sort of incident "is the reason why the Frontline states, who have repeatedly found themselves caught in the crossfire between the ANC and Pretoria are unanimous in their view that South Africa practices "terrorism".
The evidence these states have mustered against South Africa ranges from the full-scale invasion of Angola, to support for rebels in Mozambique, to individual acts of kidnapping, bombing, and assassination. Broadly speaking these fall into two categories: those actions Pretoria has admitted to and defended; and those Pretoria has denied any knowledge of. However, even many of the actions that have been admitted to have involved the deaths of a number of civilians in a number of countries. For example, when the SADF raided Maseru, Lesotho on December 9, 1982, 42 people were killed.
The SADF claimed 30 were ANC members, implying the other 12 were civilians. Lesotho accused South Africa of murdering women, children and refugees. On May 23, 1983, South African Air Force jets bombed what it claimed were ANC houses in Matola. Maputo reported six people were killed, including two women and children~ The SADF said 64 people were kitted and claimed 41 were ANC "terrorists". Even the SADF version, therefore, acknowledged a number of civilian victims. Foreign journalists who toured that area reported the targets were a jam factory, a day-care centre and ordinary suburban homes.
The case against Pretoria has also been built on incidents such as the murder of the ANC'S Paris representative, Dulcie September, in March, and the bomb attack on ANC member Albie Sachs in Maputo shortly thereafter. South Africa has denied any involvement in such incidents, but that has not stopped people – including some powerful governments – pointing fingers. Accusations of this sort are manifold: kidnappings of exiles in Swaziland and Botswana (such as Peter Lengene and Ebrahim Ebrahim, currently on trial for treason in Bethal); shooting in Lesotho (such as the slaying of ANC member Mazizi Attwell as he lay in a hospital bed in March); parcel bombs (such as those that killed anti-governmentcampaigners Ruth First, Abraham Tiro and Jeannette Schoon); and the assassination of leading ANC members (such as Joe Gqabi in Harare in 1981). There is also much evidence of other planned activity, such as the scheme last year to kidnap leading ANC members in London.
What are the consequences for South Africa of joining the list of "terrorist state"? In specific terms, it would not mean much more for South Africa than existing sanctions measures, according to US officials. Specific sanctions that would result would include an arms export embargo and an automatic US vote against such prospects as loans in international forums. However, there is little doubt it would mean a sharp deterioration in the already-sour relations between the US and South Africa.
This article originally appeared in the Weekly Mail.
