Berend Schuitema founder of the
Dutch Anti Movement 1970
While Breyten and I were underground in South Africa in the
South African winter of 1975, he was arrested; a few weeks later, after
ducking and diving to shake the police off my tracks, I managed to escape via
Botswana, and eventually through the good offices of the Botswana security
chief Pilane, made contact with Oliver Tambo in Lusaka. Tambo was not at all
fazed by the developments and was of the opinion that we were still in a
position to turn the tables on Apartheid through a trial, that is, that Breyten
would place Apartheid on trial rather than Apartheid reduce him to apologizing
and neutralizing him. It is clear that neither Breyten, Tambo nor I were aware what
sort of cards the Colonel (later Brigadier) Kalfie Broodryk was throwing on the table from the
Security Police side. He played his cards well with what his intelligence had on the state of affairs of the ANC in exile. The entire left, and in particular the white opposition were
hit for a six out of the ballpark by the way in which Breyten was cornered and
handled his trial in late 1976.
Within days of my arrival in
Amsterdam after six months in the wilderness, I discovered that the
AABN, the movement I was credited for having “founded” was taken over by the
Dutch Communist Party (CPN). The so-called “Medical Committee of Angola”, a
staunchly CPN outfit with a large organized membership occupied the AABN
offices, changed locks, and immediately set about attacking all those involved
with the O.R. Tambo initiative as “reactionaries”, “nationalists”. This meant
at the same time the complete disruption of all program and activities of the
AABN for the next three years. From then on the AABN merely acted on command of
the SACP and later was even drawn into the comedy of fools called Operation
Vula.
Thirdly, while these fights were going on in Amsterdam, the
so-called “Gang of 8” ANC members who were aligned against the outcome of the
SACP-dominated Morogoro Conference, were expelled in Dar Es Salaam.
We were hit, and hit hard from all sides, by the SACP, their surrogates and also by the South African Security Police!!
I was able to rescue a number of documents from this blazing
contention, including the proposal to the Dutch Government for funding for the
year’s program of 1976-’77. This document was forwarded by the “new” AABN
leaders but rejected out of hand by the Dutch Government.
There are two reasons why I believe that it is important to
reveal the contents of the application. First, it accurately demonstrates a
movement going at full speed with an almighty program of action which was
unique among all international partners in what has all too glibly became known
as the “global anti apartheid movement”. For years I could live with the facts
and believed that history has its casualties and that the old AABN was merely
one of them. However, decades on, given the poor level of governance today, the wrecking of
government delivery through the “cadre deployment program”, nepotism, favouritism and corruption tells us a lot about
the character of the ANC that was formed during the exile years.
The second reason is to resurface many of the documentary
evidence of the nature of the initial Anti Apartheid Movement in the
Netherlands, such as the Zephyr, Tobacco, Sishen-Saldanha, and Mobil Oil/Shell
reports. There is no more trace of them in the archives, let alone the records
of proceedings of the first AABN administration from 1972 – t0 1977. For the
most, I believe, and according to the unearthed application document to the
Dutch Government for funds, I have succeeded in setting the record
straight.
While I was successful, but not entirely, in garnering lost and
destroyed documents reflecting some of the most strident activities in the
exile terrain, not everything has been “resurrected”. My Comrade Don Morton in
the United States still had possession of the Mobil/Shell report which I transcribed from the originals. Another cornerstone document was
secured by Breyten himself: microfilms detailing every aspect of the sales and maintenance
deals between South Africa and France. The Mirage microfilms were taken by
Tambo who placed them in safekeeping of Frene Ginwala. Likewise the boxes
full of nuclear conspiracy documents which were “liberated” by Okhela comrades from
the South African Embassy in Bonn never again saw the daylight once taken possession of by the ANC.
What further complicated matters was that Okhela as such was
never an “organization”, but rather a loosely connected network of militants dispersed in
various Anti Apartheid Movements and mainly in the Netherlands, but also in France, United States,
Germany, and smaller places like the Principality of Liechtenstein.
In italics therefore the saved document which at least gives
a backbone to reconstruct a considerable amount of anti apartheid activity in
exile that was being “air brushed” by the SACP.
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THE APPEAL FOR FUNDING FROM THE DUTCH LABOUR GOVERNMENT 1976/77:
Description: Application for funds for research work of the Dutch Anti
Apartheid Movement (AABN) with the National Commission for Development
Cooperation of the Dutch government. This application did not touch on the program
for action, but purely for research work underpinning the program work.
In the general comment and introduction the application described the
organization with mission statement as "The AABN is a Foundation with five
executive members that aims to contribute, directly or indirectly to eradicate
social discrimination on grounds of race or other differences, on the basis of
the 1948 Universal Declaration of the Rights of Man of the United
Nations".
Examples are mentioned:
1.. Publication of the Zephyr Report - 1973
2.. Publication of the Tobacco Report - 1974
3.. The Saldanha/Sishen Report - 1975.
The Executive Committee of the AABN:
1.. Dr. Piet van Andel - Chairperson
2.. Secretary / full time - Berend Schuitema
3.. Deputy Chairperson - Drs. Jaap de Visser
4.. Treasurer - IJ Dijkstra
5.. Research: Drs. Ton Korver
Task Teams:
1. Information dissemination
2.. Trade Unions / Corporations
3.. Rhodesia / Namibia
4.. NATO / EEC
The funding application was specific to the first three and not for the
fourth (NATO/EEC). The third, (Rhodesia / Namibia) is the show piece with the
following comment:
"The Task Team is well networked with trade unions, and assisted
the Industrial Union of the NVV to establish a solidarity fund for Namibian
workers. The main activity of this Task Team was to push through with the
program established at a Rhodesia Sanction Seminar held in late 1974, which was
attended by Sanctions Commission of the UN, and components of the AAM from
other countries".
Working methodology:
"Once a week there is a meeting to coordinate the work of the Task
Teams where all executive members plus coordinators of these Task Teams and
office staff attend".
"Apart from the prestige of the AABN for well researched
documentation, recognition for its work has gained international acclaim. The
AABN has established itself and its work has become integral with the UN
General Assembly Special Committee on Apartheid, the Sanctions Committee of the
General Assembly and the Decolonization Committee of 24) and the Commission on
Namibia. In 1974 the AABN was invited as NGO to the UNESCO conference against
Apartheid in Paris, and the Committee of 24 in Lisbon.
"The research work of the AABN was also praised outside of the UN.
Bishop Muzorewa (ANC Zimbabwe) was full of praise for the sanctions busting
exposures in his address at the meeting of Commonwealth countries held in
Jamaica. The British The Economist ran an article on the "extraordinarily
well-documented sanctions busting".
THE TASK TEAMS
I. INFORMATION
Kier Schuringa functions as the coordinator of the team, but the
application for extension of funding for a fulltime worker (Fulco Aurich) who
would do the garnering and filing of information.
A. Job description of the Task Team:
a.. control of documentation
b.. internal communication between the Task Teams
c.. prepare and distribute a regular briefing newsletter - Kommunikee
d.. production and distribution of the monthly Anti Apartheid Nieuws
e.. prepare and distribute pamphlets and brochures.
B. Activities:
1974:
- Anti Apartheid Nieuws - published monthly, nrs. 63 - 70. Circulation - 3,000 copies. Was meant for subscribers who donated a minimum 10 Dfl. There was collaboration with the International Defence and Aid Fund in London.
- Kommunikee - published monthly, Jan through to December. Meant for members of parliament, trade unionists and foreign readers, including quite a number which went over the post to unionists in South Africa.Circulation - 300.
- Brochures - Rhodesia? Zimbabwe! For sale at third world workshops.
- Exhibitions - Prepared for the Anne Frank Foundation and on tour throughout the Netherlands.
1975:
- Anti Apartheid Nieuws - continue regular monthly, target 3,500
- Kommunikee - publish monthly, target 350 circulation
- Pamphlets - Apartheid (32 pp); For a Free Namibia (32 pp) in conjunction with the Industrial Union NVV; The Emerging Black Unions (32 pp.) Solidarity Fund SACTU; Bantustans (32 pp); plus a few more.
C. Future Prospects
Thanks to previous funding from the NCO - prospects good
II. TRADE UNION / CORPORATIONS TASK TEAM
A. Task outline
Pim Juffermans was coordinating the Task Team as a fellow of the
Transnational Institute in Amsterdam. Three main fields of activity:
- Economic developments around foreign investments in South Africa.
- Information on developing black trade unions in South Africa
- Information on Dutch and international labor movement programs against Apartheid.
B. Activities:
1974:
- Conference documentation / Liberation struggle in Southern Africa (119pp)
- Translation and editing of Ruth First's "The South African Connection" 205 pp)
- The role of the international trade union movement in the struggle against Apartheid (80 pp.)
1974/1975
- Solidarity fund for SACTU (61 pp)
- Saldanha/Sishen Report / three languages (20)
- Banks and Apartheid (ready, due for publication)
- Sanctions against Rhodesia (ready, due for publication)
- Nuclear Report (research in progress)
C. Future prospects:
Problem is that the Pim Juffermans fellowship with the TNI ends in
1976.
Investment / disinvestments debate crucial with many developments.
III. RHODESIA / NAMIBIA TASK TEAM
A. Outline tasks:
Coordination of this Task Team is done by Advocate Annemieke Gerritmsa.
Main terrain is tightening law on sanctions against Rhodesia. The activity is
broken down into:
• International law/jurisprudence regarding the people of Rhodesia and
Namibia.
• International law/jurisprudence regarding labour law as it affects
Rhodesia and Namibia.
• Investigate the international / legal status of liberation struggle.
B. Activities:
(page missing)
IV. NATO/EEC TASK TEAM
Investigate political and military relations, military collaboration
and arms sales to South Africa. (Refers to the Mirage documents)
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