Nelson Mandela will be joined by the movement’s intelligence chief Jacob Zuma, internal publicity head Ahmed Kathrada and internal leadership corps member Popo Molefe in the discussion which will help determine the fate of the initial negotiation process in South Africa. At a Johannesburg press conference yesterday in which he strongly attacked Law and Order Minister Adrian Vlok, Mandela said that the icebreaking talks were initiated by De Klerk, but declined to reveal their purpose.
According to United Democratic Front sources the issue of the police role in the Sebokeng massacre and in other township protests will be the main item on the agenda, and the ANC will seek assurances from De Klerk that the police be restrained ‘in suppressing legitimate protest. Mandela said that De Klerk was mistaken if he was saying that the purpose of the meeting was to discuss peace.
”We are not going there to negotiate. We are going there to secure the removal of all obstacles to negotiations.”He said the prospect for resuming the talks-about-talks with the government, postponed by the ANC last Sunday, would depend on the outcome of today’s discussions. The fact that he had accepted De Klerk’s invitation for talks today refuted the perception that the movement was backing out of the negotiations process, Mandela said. ”It shows we are keen to find a solution, but we are not going to allow the government to preach peace on the one hand and conduct a war against us on the other.”
He stressed that the ANC was still strongly in favour of speaking to the government. ”We would not work so hard over three years to secure a meeting be tween the ANC and the government if we were going to turn round (for) flimsy reasons and refuse to see the government. We would like the government to create the conditions which would allow us to start discussions.”
Mandela said the ”mowing down of between six and 14 unarmed and defenceless blacks involved in a legal form of protest” in Sebokeng was a situation which the ANC could not accept and was a valid reason for suspending the April 11 talks. ”People who feel that this was not sufficient reason for suspending discussions have not yet grasped the intensity of feeling among blacks.
Mandela again issued a scathing attack on Adriaan Vlok, calling for his removal from office. Referring to the Natal war he said he believed no progress could be ·made ”while you have a minister who is totally uncooperative and who is hostile to black aspirations in the country”. He said the ANC welcomed the measures announced by the State President to deal with the conflict in Natal, but did not believe they would succeed unless ”acknowledged black leaders” were involved, at least in the areas affected.
Mandela added that the ANC did not consider the police ”a proper agency for bringing about peace ”. He said Pietermaritzburg residents preferred the army to be used to quell the violence. The ·ANC deputy president refuted charges that his movement was in disarray, pointing to the success of mass rallies around the country. ”How can an organisation that is in disarray have such a massive following,” he asked.
This article originally appeared in the Weekly Mail.
