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•
VI
•
o
,
o
By
On Friday, February 2, 1990,
F.W. de Klerk, President of the
white South African minority
regime, lifted the ban on·the
African National Congress, the
Pan-Africanist Congress, the
Black Consciou ness Mo e­
meat and other previously
banned anti-apartheid or­
ganizations.
President de KIer also an­
DOlIlDa::dthat 71 year old Nelson
Mandel., 0 been'­
prisoDCd for n year uld
soon be released UDCODditioDal­
lye There jubilatio in the
eels of South African de
Klerk's dramatic an-
nounccme seem to set the
for otiatio on the fu-
ture of a new South Africa.
The . . .
tb South .L.!_�by
e. J"\Ua;aD regune were
a direct r of the ustained
strutn* fo ANC
anti- pa . groups wi
Africa, the' ening vise
CCQllM)lllic' • 0 and the
IDCMmtilur pressure of growiDg
lDlC�dicJaaI' ion.
aJKIl(Delr sense these
co .. were a testimony to
courage and visdom
of the Je&eDdary symbol of the
South African freedom strug­
gle, Nelsoo R. Mandela.
TI D TIME again
during his long period of mar- .
ccratio M dela might ha�
been released from the humilia­
tion of harsh prison labor and
. . if only he would �
a,reed to renounce arme
Urtlln� or if he had abandoned
politic:al goals of the out­
lawed African National Con­
I
TUDe after time elso Man-
refused to make even the
SllalllCst compromise in the' -
terest of his 0 n personal
freedom, preferring instead to
always keep the cherished goal
of one person 0 vote within a
non-racial society at the
.. forefront of his considerations.
It IS entirely: possible th t
Mandela might have been
released with his old friend and
comrade Walter Sisulu and
other political prisoner in Oc­
tober of 1989. But Mandela
elected to remain in prison,
even after 27 long, lonely years
of suffering, until all of the con­
ditions which he has laid down
. for his rei ase are met. And
even no , in the face of de
Kler 's concessions, andela
delasec to
only a united front of the
majority of the anti- pertheid
force can overco e ob­
vious ploy of divide aDd COD-
quer to sua:e$sfully .
'th the . lftiftlV'itv •
-- -1 regame.
And OYer the prot Of some
·thin the ranks of � an­
deJa it dear that even
the cooservatM forces of Chief
G tsha Buthelezi should � a
p ce t the negotiating t e.
It is thi:. kind of healting.
reconciliDg leadership that will
be required in the dift'ercu1'
months ahead, if. the jubilation .
of the mome is to ultimately
bear fruit in tenns of the vision
of a new South Africa. The path
to success is cert inly failled
with enormous b rrier , and
tremendous danger. And yet, it
is precisely the principled,
co':Uase<> and wise way that
Mandel a handled himself
over the years which gives him
the ture aDd political capital
necessary to guide the libera­
tion movement through thi
perilous period.
TIl ole orld waits the
relea e of elson M ndela.
When he is released, it will be
comforting to kno that here i
� man who did not compromis
1D order to gain his freedom.
Freedom loving human beings
ewrwheI'e must be determined
to keep the I pressure on the
SoUth African regime during
this crucial period.
Nelson Mandell, the ANC ...
and all the forces within the
liberation movement will need
the leverage of continued sanc­
tions, and ong international
p opinion to consummate a
just political and economic
qreement for a new South
�ica. The real struggle has
J begun.
Lo IivC Nelso Mandela!
Victory for the peoples struggle
for freedom in South Africa!
Ron Daniels served as the
Director of the National Rain­
bow COtIIition and as the Deputy
Campaign Manager for the
Re.e,enil Iess« Jackson's
� Ctlmpllign '88. He
luIS .".,. IU Pfuident of the
NtIIiotuIJ Bl«kAssemb/y and tU
Chairperson of the National
Black Independent Political
Ptuty. Currently, he serves as
President, 0/ the Institute for
Community O'lfllJUation and
Development in Youngstown
Ohio. He may be contacted �
(216) 746-5747.
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