on FW to

end the war

B y E D D I EK O C H
N t 0 Z A I I I I I Q U I i ' S n o t i o n a lp o e t ,
J o s 6C r a v e i r i n h a ,h a s i n h i s l i l i n g
cabineta che<1ue frorn thc'S.\llC for
R 1 2 , 7 5d a t c d N o v e m b e r1 9 7 . 1t,h e
l a s t t i n r ch e s p o k et o a n h i l e S o u t l r
Afrimn.
C r a y e i r i n h a ,i n t c r n : r t . i o n a l la_cy-
cl;rirntxlasa learlingrvritcrin l\u1u-
gucl;r,llrokc []ratsilcrirethis rrronl.h.
I I e i s t h e p a t r o no l ' a g r o u p o f ? 0
;xxls,.writem, artists and sr:ientislsin
i\laputo rvho publishedan opena let-
ter in the SouthAtrion press:rsking same b.eat,under the same stars
SLrtePresidentFW de Klerk to help irtdustiirlrlcltkrlrtni:tttor tlreirtru'1>
end "one of the most terrible geno- tional s.vsturrr of' etriculiure. 1'hcy
cidts in lhe historyof AJiica". haveto usctheir intclie'ctat tlreser-
It sa1'sRcnamocontinuq;to reccive viceof human<1u:rlity.
slipJ$rt li.ornSouthAfricirn territory "'fhere is not onc sinrplercason

wrl and irsksDe Klcrk to dlsrnantleall the. rvhy we sent tlrc lettcrs.For nrany
'?nechanisnu" thrt havebct'n uxd in
Urepastto dcstabilisc thc country,
Jearslre havebtr:n lir ing an intulera-

ulr- ble situalionand rveare consciousof

"i\Ir Ilresitlcnt.We lvorrldnot have the tact tirat we qnnot call tlri.stltins
sent,t'outhis o;xn lctter if rvedid not that is happtninga lvar. In a rgal war
b e l i e v et h a t I ' o u c o u l d n o t u s e t h e the advcmariesare wcll dcfirrtdand
tlz- po\rers confcrred on 1'outo as hcad k.norvhnrvto rttognise sacholhcr Ls.
of tlre South r\lii(:]n stateto conliont "llut UreFlpullt-ion herein llloz;rm-
,10 rvithoutfurther delly the forcesin b i q u ei s l i v i n gl i k e a c h i l d i n a d : r r k
SouthAliica that are involvct in the room lillul rvithghosLs.'l he rcsull is
dt*lructjon of our cummon futurq" it ft.rr arrdconlu.sion.
adds. 'cl)le lettrrs may havecometrrolate
p.tL In an interviervthis rveek,Cravei- becausethousundsof liveshave al-
rinha outlined a grorvingawaren€ss reaC_v bst'n lu;t in tiris situatiun of the
among diversegroups of l\{oz-rmbi- child in the da.k room.Ilut it b bcttcr
cans that peacein their country de- Lr.tethan ncver.
p e n d s o n a p o l i t i c a ls e t t l e m e n itn
qouth Afris end concilialionrvith ils "-l'o useanother nrc.laphor:11'e:re
sailingin a shipthat hasa very p:rrtic-
lr hitc population.
'{lhe truth is thrt we rre eltine and ular chirracteristic. lVe <!on'tknow
rrhetherthe lxrw of thc ship slrrls in
drinking the indu.strirldevclopment South Africa and ends in IVIoz:rm-
of South Africa. \Ve are only trvo bitlue or srarls in illozirmbique and
hours arvayfrom SouthAfricl and endsin SouthAfrica.
can fctch pots, vine ... evcn Coca "l'lroirgh it seernsa paradox,both
Cola. Rut not peace.For mc to give 9ruth y'^lhcansand i\Ior:rnrbimnsart
somethingto my grandparents,I de' fioatingin the sane watcruunder the
yxnd on De Klcrk. sameslars.'l'heyare subjr:ctto thc
" For the SouthAfricans.ils even srnre tides,tlre.s:rme rvinds,thc sunre
norse becausethcre industrial and
temllesLs.
tcchnologicaldevelopmcnthas to bc
"And they are subjerctto the sarne
t{rannelled<lutand we orn hclo them ctlm,"
to do that ...Ilow crn anl brdj' think €tDe Klerk has announccdthat he
the"vi:rn dei;tabilisea neighbourand will reply to Craveirinha and his col-
not d*itabil i^sethcm.seh'r:;. leagrrcsif the letter is sent to hinr
"l'trc Afrikmer iru l.lreright tc be in through appropriatech:urnels. Jrilnn
Africa and ne have to lake into ac- IIeyns,modtr:rtor of tfie Ntxlerduitse
count his orvnlovelirr the larrd.Ilut (ierelornreerde Kcrk, this rver:k
thcy havc to be very sensitive.'flrr'_y agrtul to deliver Urcletter to the Prei-
shouldn'tu.sctlrsir intellectonly Ior ident'sOfilce.