SATURDAY. JANUARY 22,1994-THE CAROLINA TIMES-15
SOUTH AFRICA
After Elections, Will There Be Stability?
By Kenneth Jost
CONGRESSIONAL QUARTERLY 1994
WASHINGTON — After four decades of domestic unrest and in
ternational condemnation, South Africa has jettisoned its policy of ra
cial apartheid and started down the path to a non-racial democracy.
But the country still faces perilous obstacles to political stability
and economic and social change. ,
A new government will take office after elections scheduled for
April 27 — the first in which all races will participate. The balloting
is expected to give a big majority 'to the African National Congress
(ANC), which has led the fight against apartheid since the 1950s.
ANC President Nelson Mandela is all but certain to head a five-year
coalition government.
"We are at the beginning of a new era," Mandela declared after
three years of stop-and-start negotiations finally produced a post
apartheid constitution last November. Mandela spent 27 years in
prison for leading a sabotage campaign against the white regime.
Despite the undoubted accomplishments, the country still faces
political dangers between now and April. A coalition of white and
black conservatives continues to oppose the constitution and threatens
to boycott the election. Political violence, which claimed more than
4,300 lives last year, also casts a shadow over the campaign.
"There’s an enormous amount of violence in South African society
that will inhibit the easy run-up to elections," says Robert Rotberg, a
Harvard University professor of African politics.
The new government will confront an agenda of pressing social,
economic and political issues that would strain the most stable of
democracies, "It’s inevitably going to face severe difficulties," says
Steven Friedman, director of the Center of Policy Studies in Johan
nesburg.
The constitution gives any party that wins at least 5 percent of the
vote in April a right to representation in the Cabinet. In addition, the
party that comes in second — probably, the current governing Nation
al Party — can choose a deputy president.
That means that President F.W. de Klerk, who has presided over the
dismantling of apartheid for the last four years, will probably be
deputy president under Mandela in the new government. But the two
men have often had testy relations since de Klerk ordered Mandela
freed from prison in 1990 and started the government on the path to
reform.
"Unforced coalitions are sometimes not very easy," Friedman
remarks. "Forced ones are even less so." The new government will
face a daunting economic task. South Africa’s economy has grown at
less than 2 percent per year since the mid-197Qs. Private sector jobs
failed to grow at all in the 1980s. And the government has a huge
budget deficit — nearly twice as much as the United States in relation
to the nation’s gross domestic product.
Apartheid has also resulted in vast inequities between blacks, who
make up more than three-fourths of the country’s population, and
whites, who constitute less than 15 percent of the population. Per
capita income for whites is 10 times that of blacks. Nearly half of
South Africa’s black labor force is unemployed or underemployed.
More than 7 million people, nearly one-fifth of the population, live in
"informal housing" — squatter camps, backyard shacks or other
makeshift housing in urban or rural areas.
The country’s economic landscape is not uniformly bleak, however.
"It’s got a good infrastructure, good raw materials and good
revenue-earning capacity," says Pauline Baker, an expert on South
Africa at the Aspen Institute in Washington. With moderate-sounding
economic positions from Mandela and other ANC leaders. Baker
adds, international investors are "poised to enter the market." Political
conditions, however, remain unsettled. The Freedom Alliance a
tenuous coalition of the white Afrikaner People’s Front and the In-
katha Freedom Party led by Zulu Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezei —
has so far refused to say whether it will compete in the April election.
And many observers expect violence to intensify between now and
the election.
"Passions are high, and there’s no concept of tolerance," says
Robert Schirre, a professor of political studies at the University of
Cape Town, "A completely free and fair election is not possible." The
constitution sought to bridge the political differences by setting up a
"national unity" government to rule until 1999. The interim charter —
which can be rewritten by the new parliament — also contains a bill
of rights aimed at reassuring the white minority that their rights will
be protected under a black majority government.
Some observers worry, however, that the new government will be
crippled by the power-sharing arrangement and by the decision to
grant broad powers to nine new provincial governments. "The gov
ernment of national unity is going to be translated into a government
of political paralysis," says Eugene Nyati, an independent political
analyst in Johannesburg.
Other observers, however, see some advantages to the forced coali
tion. "You don’t get a winner-take-all mentality," says Baker.
The contrasting political assessments mirror the contradiction that
permeate South African society. The country is at one time a land of
beautiful mountains and beaches and vast areas of arid desert and
desolate highlands. It is a country where First World cities like Johan
nesburg, Cape Town and Durban stand amidst the Third World
poverty of squatter camps and overcrowded townships.
No one expects these contradictions to be resolved with a Single
election — or even in a single generation. "Blacks are going to rhfnain
poor and whites are going to remain wealthy for a time," says phliti-
cal scientist Schirre. • • - • .
Political and economic realities, moreover, militate against hpl^ in-
itiatives by the government. The economy remains largely in white
hands. The constitutional accord preserves whites’ jobs in the milita
ry, the police and the civil service. And the ANC may temper itS’ac
tivism to hold the national unity government together and reassure
domestic political constituencies as well as international audiences.
"The ANC is probably the only liberation movement in history to
speak of financial discipline before it assumes power," says Jeffrey
Herbst, an economist at Princeton University’s Center of Internation
al Studies who recently spent a year in South Africa. ' '
Still, most observers in and out of South Africa end with a measure
of cautious optimism about the fiiture. They stress that the conslitu-
tiona! negotiations have already settled many of the contentious
political issues and may have set the country’s political combatants
on a road toward using compromise to resolve future conflicts-'as
well. ;
"There are not going to be any simple answers," says Stephen Jay
Stedman, a professor of African studies at the Johns Hopkins School
of Advanced International Studies in Washington. "The only way out
of the problems is for all sides to engage in a long protracted pro,CBSs,
and that’s been done over the last three years. That’s the most im
pressive thing and gives you the most hope for that country " ' .
AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS, 707 8th St„ S.E Washing
ton, D.C. 20003; (202) 543-9433. The ANC maintains an ;eight-
person office m Washington headed by Lindiwe Mabuza. The tele
phone number for its Johannesburg headquarters — including South
Africa’s country code — is 27-11-330-7000. '
SOUTH AFRICAN EMBASSY, 3051 Massachusetts Ave- N,W
Washington, D.C. 20008; (202) 232-4400. The embassy appears4o
have become more responsive to requests for information since the
government instituted its reform policies. ■ -
SOUTH AFRICA FOUNDATION, 1001 Connecticut Ave., Suite
822, Washington, D.C. 20036; (202) 223-5486. This business-
sponsored group aims at promoting economic development, trade, and
investment in South Africa. Staff members in the Washington office
include Michael Christie, director, and Sylvia Gon, deputy director..-
TRANS-AFRICA, 1744 R St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20009;
(202) 797-2301. Trans-Africa is a leading organization in the U.S: ’
anti-apartheid movement. Its director is Randall Robinson.
For Environmental Work
Land Loss Prevention Project Awarded Grants
The Land Loss Prevention Project
(LLPP) announced that it has
received two foundation grants and
a gift-in-kind donation to support
its work in the area of environmen
tal equity. Grants of $35,000 each
were received from the Z. Smith
Reynolds Foundation of Winston-
Salem, North Carolina, and the
Public Welfare Foundation in
Washington, DC. In addition,
through a partnership between Ap
ple Computer, Inc. and the En
vironmental Support Center, LLPP
received a personal computer, soft
ware and printer valued at more
than $2,700.
LLPP, a nonprofit law firm dedi
cated to providing assistance to
people who are in danger of losing
their land, is based in Durham,
North Carolina, with branch offices
in Ahoskie and Wilson, LLPP’s
goal is to protect the rights of
small, minority, and elderly farmers
and rural landowners who are expe
riencing economic hardship, dis
crimination, or legal problems lead
ing to the loss of their land. In addi
tion, LLPP is committed to en
hancing opportunities for rural eco
nomic development.
Through its North Carolina Rural
Environmental Equity Project,
LLPP is examining the increasing
incidences of environmental
Illegal Tax Protestors
Subject to Federal Action
GREENSBORO — The
idictment of Phillip Marsh,
runder of the tax protest group
nown as the Pilot Connection,
lould serve as a warning to North
■arolina taxpayers to stay away
om illegal tax protest schemes.
Indictments announced on
lecember 7, by the U.S. Attorney
3r the Northern District of
alifornia, charged Marsh and
!ven other people with federal tax
Dnspiracy and related' criminal
ffenses, including conspiring to
efraud more than 10,000
idividuals nationwide.
'Hie IRS said that it currently has
riminal investigations underway
ivolving 124 tax protestors
ationwide who used unfounded
institutional arguments and phony
:hemes to avoid paying their
sderal income taxes.
"The investigations include 65
eople nationwide who are
ivolved in schemes offered by the
ilot Connection," said J.R.
tarkey, district director of the
iternal Revenue Service. "One
undred seventeen North
larolinians have involvement with
le Pilot Connection, and civil and
riminal enforcement actions are
eing considered on all of them."
"A recent scheme of diverting
rcome involves the use of simple
lists. Diverting income to trusts
oes not relieve a taxpayer of the
responsibility to pay income taxes.
Taxation arises as the individual
constructively receives the income,
which is before it is placed in the
trust," said Starkey.
The IRS states that regardless of
the form of the schemes, they all
have two things in common-the
participants face IRS civil and
criminal penalties, and the various
schemes are consistently rejected
by the federal courts.
Some other popular tax protester
schemes and arguments found in
North Carolina which have no legal
basis include:
Some protestors argue that
"voluntary" means they can
"volunteer" not to pay tax. While
the U.S. tax system is based on
voluntary compliance, taxpayers
are required to file their own tax
returns.
Some protestors use a Fifth
Amendment claim to justify
committing tax fraud. A person
cannot use a blanket claim that the
tax law violates the Fifth
Amendment protection against self-
incrimination.
To implement their tax avoidance
schemes, many protestors file
fraudulent tax withholding forms
W-4 with their employers so tliat
no tax is withheld from their pay.
Starkey added, "In North Carolina,
the IRS has investigated individuals
filing false W-4’s in the Hickory,
Charlotte and Asheville areas.
Penalties have been assessed on
139 North Carolina residents who
were affiliated with this protest
scheme."
Nationwide over the pa.st 10 years
more than 2,000 tax protestors have
been convicted of criminal lax
charges, with over 60 percent
receiving jail sentences. During the
past four years about 60,000 civil
assessments have been made
against illegal tax protestors.
Whether a person is convicted or
acquitted of criminal charges, all
outstanding taxes and penalties still
must be paid.
WORD WISE
Q: The word agree seems to take so
many prepositions, it confuses me.
Can.you help?
A: The word agree takes the prepo
sition “with” when you’re referring
to a person; “to” for suggestions;
“in” for thinking; and “upon” fora
course of action.
degradation in rural areas of the
State, including the siting of in
tensive swine operations in eco
nomically distressed rural com
munities in Eastern North Carolina.
LLPP staff attorneys are working
with residents in concerned com
munities, and with a groundbreak
ing coalition of grassroots organi
zations and environmental organi
zations to address these problems.
The Z. Smith Reynolds Founda
tion, established in 1936 as a
memorial to the youngest son of the
founder of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco
Company, has made grants totaling
more than $198 million to
recipients in all of North Carolina’s
100 counties. In recent years the
Foundation has focused its atten-
tipn on improving the criminal jus
tice system in North Carolina, on
strengthening public elementary
and secondary education, on
preserving the environment, on
stimulating community economic
development, and on issues that im
pact on minorities and women.
Since 1983, the Z. Smith Reynolds
Foundation has given LLPP five
grants totaling over $250,000.
The Public Welfare Foundation
was funded in 1947 by Charles Ed
ward Marsh, a native of Ohio who
spent his professional life in the
newspaper business. The Founda
tion provides support to organiza
tions that provide direct services to
low-income or otherwise seriously
disadvantaged populations, where
adequate financial support is other
wise unavailable. At the forefront
of the Foundation’s concerns are
the basic necessities of life food,
shelter, health and education.
The Environmental Support Cen
ter (ESC), founded in 1990, is a na
tional nonprofit organization that
supports the organizational devel
opment needs of regional, state,
and local groups working on en
vironmental issues. In addition to
providing equipment ESC sub
sidizes training and technical as
sistance; promotes workplace
fundraising through environmental
federations; and fosters communi
cation and cooperation between
grassroots environmental organiza- -
tions.
Apple Computer, through its
Community Affairs Department,
has donated computer technology
to a wide range of nonprofit groups
for more than ten years. This col
laboration between ESC and Apple
is designed to distribute computer
equipment to grassroots organiza
tions to promote more effective of
fice administration and program
management. One hundred and fif
ty organizations in the* United
States were selected to receiving
equipment and technical assistance
valued at more than $290,000: '
ANNOUNCEMENT
The Durham Board of County Commissioners soiicits applicants to
fill positions on the following citizens’ boards and commissions: .
— Animal Control Advisory Committee: Three expired terms (two
"at-iarge" positions and one "veterinarian" Dosition [terms expire Ja/i-
uary 1997]). This Committee advises the Board of County Com
missioners and the County Manager with respect to animal control
matters. .. ''
— Board of Public Health: One expired "pharmacist" position, ope
expired "medical doctor" position," and one expired "engineer" posi
tion (terms expire January 1997). This Board formulates policies and
procedures for the Public Health Department. ^ '
— Domiciliary Home Community Advisory Committee: One un-
expired term (expires September 1994). subsequent terms are. for
two or three years. The committee develops community awareness, of
domiciliary home needs and ensures freedom of residents rights.
Members shall have no financial interest, directly or indirectly, in a
domiciliary home and no immediate family of a resident can serve Oh
the committee.
— Durham Farmland Preservation Board: New board. Staggered
three-year terms; board will comprise the following: at-large
appointeeS“One from business; one from each of the five tuwrisnips
(Carr, Lebanon, Mangum, Oak Grove, and Triangle) who are active in
farming; one African-American farmer; and one female farmer, me
Board will advise the County in adopting, implementing, and ao-
ministering a Farmland Preservation Program. , r %
— Memorial Stadium Authority: One unexpired term (expires May
1995). I his Authority supervises and directs the general operation of
the Durham County Memorial Stadium. . ,
— Wrestling and Boxing Commission: Three expired positions
(terms expire January 199^. This Commission supervises wrestling
and boxing events. . . , , „
— Youth Services Advisory Board: Three anexpired !?'’rhs (one
expires September 1994; two expire September 19958). 1 ask force
assesses the needs of county youth, evaluates funded programs,-and
alerts the community about available funds and prograrns. ■ •
Property tax listing must be current. County and City taxes must not
reflect any delinquencies before an application is submitted.
Appointments will be considered by the County Commissioners pn
Monday, February 14, 1994, at 7:00 p.m. in the Commissioners Meet
ing Room, second floor, Durham County Government Administrative
Complex, 200 E. Main Street. . c-
For applications or additional information, contact Garry t. umste ,
Clerk to the Board of County Commissioners (560-002/).
DEADLINE FOR RECEIPT OF APPLICATIONS IS
January 31,1994