Southern Africa Fighting Back

A pugnacious State President P.W. Botha, his government under fire for its racial policies and its military adventures into neighboring countries, last week issued a warning to South Africa's critics around the world. "No self- respecting nation," he declared, "can allow any other country, large or small, to dictate to it how it should be governed." Botha's unyielding speech, made at the closing of the new three-chamber Parliament in Cape Town, was a reply to the storm of international protest that has greeted South Africa's actions in recent weeks.

In late May, South African commandos made a foray into Angola. Then, two weeks ago, South African troops attacked what they claimed were strongholds of African National Congress guerrillas in Botswana, killing at least twelve people. Last week another furor erupted over the Botha government's installation of a quasi-independent administration in South-West Africa, or Namibia, the neighboring territory that South Africa has controlled for the past 19 years in defiance of United Nations resolutions calling for independence for the area. Botha's remarks seemed specifically aimed at Washington, whose relations with Pretoria are at their lowest ebb since President Reagan entered the White House. Two weeks ago the U.S. recalled Ambassador Herman Nickel for consultations to express its anger over the Angola and Botswana raids. Said Botha: "If there are elements in Washington who think that South Africa is going to be run by the United States, then it must be made quite clear that those elements are heading for a confrontation with the South African government and people."

Washington stood firm in its opposition to Botha's policies. Warren Clark, the alternate U.S. representative to the U.N. Security Council, declared that the U.S. "rejects the establishment of the so-called interim government in Namibia as null and void. These institutions created by Pretoria have no standing." The U.S., however, along with Britain, abstained on a Security Council-passed resolution calling on member states to "consider . . . taking appropriate voluntary measures" against South Africa over its action in Namibia.

Botha claimed that the newly installed Namibian government in Windhoek is only temporary and will handle the "day-to-day administration" of the territory until the U.N. independence plan can be carried out. But the new administration has limited power: the 62 Assemblymen, all of them selected by six of Namibia's 35 political parties, will have no say on foreign affairs or defense matters, and Botha will have an effective veto over any Assembly decision. Moreover, the Ovambo tribe, which makes up roughly half of Namibia's population, has been given only one of the eight Cabinet seats, while whites, who constitute less than 8%, hold two. Western diplomats in the region suggest that South Africa aims to entrench a friendly government that will eventually force SWAPO, the predominantly Ovambo South-West African People's Organization, to turn from guerrilla warfare to political compromise. SWAPO, which has been at war with South Africa since 1966, refuses to join the new government.