State of emergency nothing less than a 'declaration of war', anti-apartheid committee states

UN Chronicle, July-August, 1985

State of emergency nothing less than a 'declaration of war', Anti-Apartheid Committee states The Special Committee against Apartheid on 24 July condemned the imposition by the South African Government of a state of emergency on 20 July, terming it a "desperate act" and "nothing less than a declaration of war against the oppressed people and other opponents of apartheid, their organizations and leaders."

According to a statement adopted by the Committee without a vote, the "racist" police and armed forces had been given "license to kill, detain, torture and harass" the people. "They have been granted immunity from their crimes so that they can act with impunity. The regime in its efforts to perpetuate the policy of apartheid and further entrench racist minority rule hopes that by unleashing terror and imposing censorship, it can intimidate the people struggling for their inalienable rights."

The statement said "In view of the explosive situation precipitated by the apartheid regime, the United Nations has an inescapable responsibility to take all necessary action under the Charter to avert a wider conflict, to defend the lives of the oppressed people and promote freedom and justice."

The Committee called on the Security Council, as a first step, to consider the matter urgently; determine that the situation in South Africa constituted a threat to international peace and security in terms of Chapter VII of the Charter; and decide on effective sanctions against Pretoria. The Council was asked to demand that South Africa end forthwith the state of emergency, cease its "police and military terror", release all detainees, abrogate the Constitution and comply with United Nations resolutions.

The Committee urged all Governments and organizations to exert their influence on those Governments which had so far frustrated attempts by the international community to impose sanctions and protected the apartheid regime--particularly the Governments of the United States and the United Kingdom. It urged those Governments to co-operate in such action, "since any equivocation at this time would be nothing less than an encouragement to the apartheid regime to escalate terror against the people, and intensify the policy of aggression and destabilization against front-line States and neighbouring countries and to continue the illegal occupation of Namibia."

Chairman's remarks

At the meeting, Committee Chairman Joseph N. Garba (Nigeria) said thousands of people had been killed and wounded since last September when the "racist constitution" had been brought into force. The state of emergency, proclaimed in 36 cities and towns, was, in a sense, a formalization of an emergency which had lasted for a long time. Pretoria was now embarking on a new level of barbarism. It had given immunity to the police and the armed forces to search, detain and kill anyone, and had even imposed censorship to prevent publicity of its crimes.

He warned the supporters of the Pretoria regime to "stop and think, for their lives may be as much at stake as those of the black people." The oppressed people could count on the support of the international community if they were forced to counter violence with violence. The United Nations was to minimize violence, bloodshed and suffering.

There had been continued and stubborn resistance by the United States against any action against South Africa, and by the United Kingdom, which seemed to hide behind the United States in opposing any sanctions against Pretoria. The response of the United States Government in the past week had been disappointing. When black people were mourning their dead, he stated, the United States said it was "understandable" that Pretoria was seeking to restore law and order. When black people were butchered by police, as on the anniversary of the Sharpeville massacre, that big Power shied away from categorically denouncing the murderers.

It was extraordinary, he observed, that the outraged black communities had so far exercised the utmost restraint in avoiding the killing of whites. The violence would escalate if the international community again failed to take action. The minimum first step was for the Security Council to determine that South Africa's actions had created a serious threat to international peace and security within the meaning of Chapter VII of the Charter, and to consider sanctions in that context.

Rev. Boesak statement

The Reverend Allan Boesak, President of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, member of the Executive Committee of the South African Council of Churches and a patron of the United Democratic Front (UDF) in South Africa, said that even before the declaration of emergency, people in South Africa were experiencing a "reign of terror". There were curfews. People were arrested without charge and shot like dogs. Death squads had been roaming the streets. Thousands of people had disappeared.

There was a pattern of assassination of middle-level leadership, he said. In December, four UDF members were murdered. Only the police could have been responsible. The state of emergency would be used by South Africa as a blanket to cover a multitude of misdeeds. He was concerned that the "relentless butchery" against his people would continue. Pressure must be put on South Africa. The Council of Churches had called for sanctions against Pretoria.