November 12,1987 THE LANCE page 3 Mzala Speaks Free, Defiant, and Still Unrepentant What an incrediblc story! He was 54 when he had his supposedly last brealh as a ‘free man’. Today he is 77 and has just been released from prison with his convictions untouched, unscathed and, more so, very unrepentant. His name is Govan N'Ibeki, the man whose back stood the test of time. He who will live to testify against the inhuman treatment of the South African black major ity by the white-led regime. His life is a living testimony of how one can spend one’s 23 years of unproductive life in the Apartheid’s jail. Yet, he cannot be quoted or heard in ihc South African media accord ing to the provision of the South African regime’s banning order on his life. The man in question had been detained in 1964, together with Nelson Mandela and some of his comrades, and charged with High Treason; Opposing Apartheid. They were sentenced to life in prison for opposing that evil system and seeking to destroy it by violently over throwing the white regime. Nelson Man dela was already in jail for two years by then. During the trial, while the whole world waited to hear those men’s fate, the defendants refused to compromise their convictions by unequivocally reiterating their opposition to Apartheid. Their frce- l6ms meant nothing in the land where their human dignity was not respected only because they were black. A sigh of relief came when that devastating sentence was passed. Capital punishment was not inthe least unexpected, but we would rather have them alive than executed. Now why in the world would leaders of such incredible influence be subjected to that kind of situation? Govan Mbeki is very clear on that. He could not apathetically live and let die in the country of his Father to see his children and his people suffer the economic exploitation, political oppression, ostracism, social and racial discrimination, all because God Almighty ordained that they be black. No way could he stand such humiliation. Govan and his comrades went to prison. They did not know that their refusal to bow to the pressure of being treated as sub human beings would be raised as a phe nomenal banner of victory by the younger generation of today. The legacy of their strength lies not in their past, but in the present and the future. Their strength is an inspiration worth its cost, a document of our history, and a powerhouse to all the freedom-loving people the world over. A scorn over the South African regime’s efforts to silence opposition and rule happily ever after is cast by the fact that the black majority know their leaders, in jail or in exile, and they will not accept any other government. Moreover, that ma jority constitutes over 80% of the country’s population. Hitler’s gas chambers would not work, therefore, the problem which was, and still is, remains unsolved. How long is the situation going to remain stagnant? As long as the power to solve the prevailing problem remains vested in the hands of the priviledged few, it will forever be kept out of sight and out of mind. Only a vigorous passion for lib eration will enkindle the path to its attain ment. Only those hungry for justice will seek its cause. Itisthey who will break the arrogant intransigience of the powerful. We all love freedom, a fact even the most fanatical dictator would be willing to admit in a candid moment. Be warned. South Africa, no amount of repression will silence the people’s desire to be free. No amount of cosmetic convenient reforms will flush away the people’s will to be free. Apartheid is evil and cannot be reformed. It should be eradicated. We are all sick and tired of talking about it. It is a stupid theory, an eternally doomed concept, and a blatant display of the regime’s selfish desire for power under the guise of racial conflict. More so, it is a blasphemous interplay of God and politics. History and common sense know the inevitability of Apartheid’s demise. Only the short sighted Botha and his cohorts still desper ately cling to the illusion of this outdated, disgusting practice with the hope of creat ing a better world for themselves. Let us all salute the release of comrade Govan Mbeki, on Thursday, Nov. 5, 1987, by loudly reiterating our call for the release of all political prisoners in South Africa, the unbanning of all political organizations and amnesty for all exiles, thereby creating an atmosphere conducive to a peacefully negotiated settlement. This message is to the sons and daughters of the soil, you who love and cherish the ideals of freedom, dignity and the brotherhood and sisterhood of humankind. Your voice can make a difference, too! Tataaah! Student Rights Threatened Chris Dolack certainly received a warm welcome to this campus. A trans fer from Appalachian State University, Dolack was treated to a St. Andrews room search three days after arriving here. He voluntarily gave up the articles security had been “anonymously” alened to; an unused water pipe (a bong in euphemistic terms) and a survival knife. It was almost three weeks be- Treriing Water Opinion Buck T redway tween the time this dubious room search occurred and the time Dolack learned that he was being charged for possession of the items by the student attorney general. The presence of the water pipe was evidently assumed by the attorney general to be evidence of intent to use although no drugs were found. Using the same logic we can assume that carrying a jack in your trunk is evidence oHntent to have a flat or possessing band- aids is prima facie evidence of intent to cut yourself. The doctrine of presumed inno cence until guilt is established obviously does not apply here. Then we have the presence of the survival knife of the type available at vir tually any variety or hardware store. This is the same type of knife which a member of the Laurinburg Police Department states is not illegal to possess or carry. Fine, you say. It should be a simple matter for Dolack and Student De fense Counsel Judy Folmar to get together and have this laughed out of Student-Fac- ulty Hearing Court, right? Wrong. According to Dolack both Fol mar and Assistant Attorney General Matt Wilson ad vised him not only to plead guilty but to place his fate in the hands of the dean of students. Picture an attorney ad vising a client to have the member of con gress who made the law decide his case. Picture the traffic cop who stopped you for speeding decide whether you were guilty or not. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that something is seriously wrong when the office responsible for defending student rights advises a student to plead guilty to a charge which should not have been brought to court in the first place. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that you have eliminated all yotu’ op tions and lost your chances of an objective resolution to your case when the dean s door closes behind you. As William Shakespeare might say, there’s something rotten in Denmark. see Dolack , page 12 Student Association makes Progress Charles Brown Student Association President We have entered the second half of the ’87-’88 Fall semester, and it is pleas ing to find that the Student Association has made considerable progress. Through the establishment of Executive committees, we have formed channels of communica tion between the students and respective entities, namely, Saga and the Maintenance department. These committees were estab lished in order to do whatever possible to improve the services of the above named bodies. The SA Saga committee, chaired by Matt Wilson, has made considerable ground in improving the aunosphere and the services of Saga. The committee has held taste tests, planned “theme nights,” added meals to the menu via the taste tests, attempted to improve the proportions of food served, etc. Through the use of more student suggestions and constructive criti cisms, I’m sure that the committee will have the opportunity to make further im provements. The recently formed SA Mainte nance committee, chaired by Peter Rich, has released a survey which we hope will aid us in pin-pointing major problems and concerns of the students in relation to the services of the maintenance department. The committee realizes that there are many problems concerning maintenance, but the best way for us to help the department improve its services is to take on one prob lem at a time. Both of the above discussed committees has the pledged support of department directors and related admin- strators. The Student Association is aware of the problems concerning the college telephone system, campus security, cam pus lighting, and other residential life re lated areas. We have communicated these concerns to college administfators and they are working at devising effective resolu tions to these problems. The SA realizes that these concerns are in need of immedi ate attention, however, we face what ap pears to be a problem that is synonymous with that of the total college environ: fi nances. I have no idea when this problem will be remedied, nor do I know why the financing of such important projects as the above named is so long in coming. I do know that the sooner these things are taken care of, the better. In the meantime, the S A is making an attempt to resolve these prob lems as well as our faculties will allow. The student Senate has a committee which is formulating a new proposal concerning the telephone system. The Student Life Committee has recently created a Security sec Progress , page 12