I
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tTHE CAROLINA TIKES SAT MAY 12, 1878
1 llDII
A Wochly Digost of
African Affairs
v . .'t '5 '
' m . 1 .' r
UGANDA
The Beginnings
Of Normalcy
(AN Ttnzanian and
Ugandan government
troops have now secured
the road from Kampala
into Kenya. The impor
tant Owens Falls dam and
hydro-electric plant at the
town of Jinja were secured
April 22 and Tororo fell
the following week.
Ugandans, who have
been without trade links to
the sea by either road or
rail for months, are eager
for traffic to resume. With
food and gasoline
especially in desperately
short supply there are
fears of famine if supplies
are delayed much longer,
and government officials
consider success in
meeting the food crisis to
be essential to gaining the
public's confidence.
To this end, a Ugandan
team spent month's end
negotiating in Kenya with
exporters who are com
plaining about large debts
run up in the past by
Amin. The exporters want
millions of dollars in back
payment before resuming
credit to Uganda. The
Mitchell Cotts con
glomerate alone wants $14
million.
Uganda, however, has
no foreign exchange what
soever and is urgently ,
seeking massive foreign
aid to help deal with its
problems. Ugandan
Finance Minister Sam
M.K. Sebagereka
estimates that Uganda will
need $2 billion in
emergency aid for the first
year.
Assistance offers have
been quick to appear,
primarily from Western
countries. The U.S., Bri
tain, Canada, and
Australia have all
recognized the new
government, as have a
dozen other countries
mostly African, andBrl-
tain's envoy has already
reopened the Kampala
embassy. The U.S. Con-
Sress is soon expected to
ft the trade ban it had
Imposed on Amin's Ugan
da and to allocate
emergency relief as well.
The U.S.S.R., a major
source for Amin's arms
purchases, has also finally
criticized the Amin regime
and indicated guarded
pleasure at the new
government's promises of
a return to the rule of law.
In the meantime, mop
up operations continue in
both the north and the
east. Remnants of Amin's
troops have reaked havoc
as they retreated, killing
hundreds and comandeer
ing vehicles and other
private property. One
group tried to enter Kenya
but was turned away
because it refused to lay
down its arms and turn in
its vehicle. It then headed
north where other similiar
fugitives are fleeing, into
southern Sudan. Accor
ding to Kenya's Weekly
Review, however, Tanza
nian troops have advanced
well into northern Ugan
da, meeting little
resistance, by the beginn
ing of May .
Kenya, which has
received a new influx of
Ugandans in the past
months, has agreed to
repatriate all Ugandans
found to have been Amin
supporters. It has already
extradicted one top Amin
aide, British-born Robert
Astles. Former vice
president Mustapha Adrisi
is also reportedly in deten
tion in Uganda, having
been found in a Kampala
hospital when the govern
ment changed hands.
In Uganda itself, mean
while, there are the begin
nings of a return to order.
Local elections have been
held in Kampala and in
some sections of the
south. Farmers are begin
ning to bring crops to
market again. Furniture
and . equipment looted
from government offices
in the euphoria of the fall
of Amin are gradually be
ing returned as the new
regime urges public
cooperation In making it
possible for, the ad
ministration to function.
If gasoline and food
supplies also begin to flow
in Uganda this week, the
new government's first
major crisis will have been
averted.
LIBERIA
Monrovia Quiets Down
(AN A relative calm has
returned to the Liberian
capital of Monrovia after
a spontaneous uprising
three weeks ago deeply
shook the government of
President William
Tolbert.
A demonstration on
April 14 against the pro
posed increase - in rice
prices turned into a large
scale riot when . police
opened fire on the pro
testers, and millions of
dollars of damage was
done to the downtown
area before order was
restored. Thirty persons
were killed in the incident,
and hundreds more were
woundedV
President Tolbert, who
said he regarded the upris
ing as an organized at
tempt to overthrow his
government, moved swift
ly to arrest key opposition
leaders, and offered
$5,000 rewards for the
capture of those who had
gone into hiding. Togbah
Nah Tipoteh and Dew
Mason of the Movement
for Justice in Africa
(MOJA) and Prof. Amos
Sawyer of SUSUUKU
were detained and quickly
released by y the
authorities. At least two
other dissident figures,
however, James Yarsiah
of the All Peoples
Freedom Atiance and
Gabriel Baccus Matthews
of the Progressive
Alliance of Liberia (PAL),
the group that organized
the April 14 protest
march, remain in jail after
turning themsleves in dur
ing the police manhunt.
While cracking down on
the political opposition,
President Tolbert moved
to mollify public opinion,
deciding against the pro
posed 6Qo increase in rice
frices. The ' Liberian
eader declared the
government still intended
to strive for self
sufficiency in rice produc
tion by 1980, but Would
find incentives or sub:
sidies for rice, farmers
other than the proposed
price hike. ,
To assess just how suc
cessful Tolbert has been in
defusing the dissident
movement political
observers will be watching
to see how many turn out
for an anti-government
rally scheduled for May 14
in downtown Monrovia.
in defiance of a govern
ment ban. The protest has
reportedly been organized
by market women and
laborers in the capital city,
and will likely be attended
as well by university
students, whose campus
has been closed indefinite
ly by presidential order.
Fearful of' further tur
moil, Tolbert has assumed
emergency powers for a
period of one year, and he
has kept on a contingent
of troops from neighbor
ing Guinea Conakry that
arrived in the aftermath of
April 14 demonstrations.
"We intend to deal mer
cilessly," Tolbert has
warned, "with these
vicious and wicked people
and all their diabolical
designs and conspirators;
but the lives and property
of our people will be
heroically protected,
secured and preserved ai
all cost."
Among those who fear
reprisals arc some
Liberian students in the
United States who
registered their anti
government protest at the
embassy in Washington,
D.C. Liberia's foreign
minister, Cecil Dennis,
and one other high official
traveled to the U.S. to
meet with Secreiary of
State Vance last week, and
student sources alleged
that the subject under
disucssion was the possi
ble deportation of radical
Liberian students. A State
Department official,
however, simply said the
meeting "reviewed
various aspects of
bilaterial relations."
South Africa
Can Botha ,
Afford Wiehan?
AN South , Africa's
edifice of discriminatory
labor laws and practices
may not be tumbling
down, despite the recom
mendations made last
week by the fourteen-man
Wiehahn Commission, ac
cording to observers in
South Africa and the
United States.
The commission's key
recommendations, which
have been accepted "in
prinicple" by the govern
ment, include legalization
of black labor unions, the
opening of union appren
ticeship programs to all
races, and the relaxation
of restrictions which have
reserved some jobs for '
whites only.
However, white job
reservation will Ije
preserved in the vital min
ing sector "Because of the
reluctance of the trade
unions concerned," the
. commission said,
"summary removal" of
certain restrictions could
cause "unrest."
The continued existence
of the all-white unions was
also proposed. And the
1.5 million migrant
workers from neighboring
African countries appear
to be excluded from full
union rights.
According to labor law
specialist, William B.
Gould from Stanford
University, even what ap
pear to be far-reaching
changes could have a
limited affect: "The
government persistently
and systematical
ly. ..discourages employers
from dealing with black
unions, and that could
continue to take place
despite the report. I think
'we will have to watch the
government very careful
ly." Despite their shortcom
ings, however, the recom
mendations are being
viewed by blacks in South
Africa as an improvement
Zwelakhe Sisulu. depu
ty editor of South Africa's
Transvaal Post newspaper
told AFRICA NEWS
"what the report does
recommend is the phasing
awav of job discrimina
tion"." ..-
"You'll notice that it's
not in fact completely do
ing away with it," he said,
"but phasing it away
piecemeal.".
It's not certain,
however, that the commis
sion's recommendations
will become law. White
labor unions are already
gearing up to fight against
the proposed changes.
And last week Wessel Bor
man, a union leader in the
iron and steel industry Was
quoted saying: "If this is
accepted by the govern
ment, one wonders how
long it will take before
other legislation near and
dear to the hearts of the
whites will disappear."
Three months ago white
mine workers engaged in
wildcat strikes to oppose
advancement of black
mineworkers.
South Africa's ruling
National Party can ill af
ford a major battle with a
constituency as key as the
white unions, which have
been longtime backers of
the party, especially since
it is already being shaken
by scandal and disruptive
internal political rivalry.
Noting that the Na
tional Party is under
"tremendous pressure,"
Sisulu went on to explain:
"If these
(recommendations are
implemented then the Na
tionalist party will have to
sacrifice quite a large por
tion of it's electorate, and
one wonders if it can in
fact afford to do that at
this stage."
; . -3. .
Probably not, most
analysts think few
obser,versu beUeve i. thai
Prime Minister' Botha iv
prepared to risk a signifi-
cant part of his consti-
tuency to increase the
power of blacks.'
Even at the U.S. State
Department, which is anx
iously looking for some
concrete signs of change iri
South Africa to point to,
the response has been
cautious. Sources there
acknowledge that
legislative implementation
is a long way off.
One State Department of
ficial described Botha as
being in the process of
"tactical adjustment."
He, like other political
analysts and obsevers,
thinks South Africa is at
tempting to buy time by
giving the appearance of
major reform when in fact
Pretoria is only prepared
to make minor changes.
Good sources of vitamin E
include wheat germ oil, grten
leafy vegetables, legumes,
nuts, eggs and meat.
Lauch Henry hefced find
the missing ingredient
to educate minority
engineers. Money.
Lauchland Henrys a teacher And a
scentet And an engineer He s gen
uinely concerned about other people
And he has expressed some of that
concern in his participation with the
National Fund 'for Minority Engineering
Students.
The funds a non-profit organiza
tion attempting to increase the number
of Blacks. Puerto Rcans. Chicanes. ,
Mexican-Americans and American
Indians enrolled in engmeenng schools
These under-represented minorities
WKf ite ft nrh i ntarrwl myv writ in
neptiitnvgromigneeotorengineers. ys
a need that s expected to continue
through the md-1980's
IBM s social leave program enabled
Dr Henry to take a year 's leave to assist
the fund And IBM continued to pay
him his hJ salary
IT National finlbrMrvrity' f
EngnieenngStuderitssa worth- v
whie program yVethinkso. Lauchland
Henry thinks so. But most important of
el, tots ofmmomy engmeenng students
erroted at colleges and universities
ai Cr the country think so JJsJ
-.I..M.. mi nil ) urnniri ir in li iwifl I 11 .
:..',. tA.v.l. : - ' t v
, - ' I -
Wilson Student r
k Miss Clarissa Lewis of
1811 Farrior. Avenue.
Wilson, has been awarded
a Chancellor's Scholars
ship by, North Carolina
Central University.
Miss, lewis5; will begin
her freshman year . at
I NCCU in August, 1979.
I lie Skiiuiai 3111, laiucu ill
$500 for the academic year
1979-80,' is awarded on the
basis' of academic merit
and is renewable for a
period of four- years of
study. '; -
The award was an
nounced by Mrs. Maria B.
Creed, director of admis-
i sions at NCCU.; .
f? Your Personal
$ MONEY
LJ Management
If you'd like to acquire
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The Consumer Credit Insti
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answers. 1 rr . ,
By and large, lenders look
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- -:
It's a good idea for people
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akn.it- mk.tka. H W. -1.1-
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T
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