Important but weak—Hart

Press, 13 November 1985, Page 3

Important but weak—Hart

The chairman of Halt All Racist Tours, Mr John Minto, said yesterday that the Government’s moves represented an important but weak start to sanctions against South Africa. “We would like the Government to have expelled the South African-backed company, Gold Mines of New Zealand, Ltd,” he said. “The Government should also have stopped Rothmans Industries from remitting some of its profits back to South Africa. These two moves would have meant a much better start to a programme of sanctions. “The continued export and import of agricultural products from South Africa is of great concern to us given the starvation afflicting so many black people in South Africa. New Zealand can easily afford to put a complete ban on trade with South Africa,” said Mr Minto.

In the year to June, 1984, New Zealand imports from South Africa were worth 516.5 million and its exports to South Africa were worth $26.5 million.

“The argument that sanctions against South Africa would hurt the very people we are trying to help, is not valid. The black people of South Africa have repeatedly said that they are prepared to make sacrifices in the short term if it means that the system of apartheid comes to an end more quickly,” said Mr Minto.

“It is not up to us to say what future political structure South Africa should adopt. But we stress the need for true black representatives to negotiate a settlement with the present government.” The governing director of the Auckland Coin and Bullion Exchange, Mr Raymond Smith, said that the ban on gold kruger-rand imports would not harm the New Zealand or South African economies, but would serve as a “vote of no confidence” in apartheid. “The significance of the Government’s move with the kruger-rands is to register New Zealand’s feelings without damaging either economy,” he said. A Ministry of Defence spokesman said that New Zealand defence forces had no dealings with South Africa, and had no plans to trade.

The embargo on the sale or re-export of computer equipment should have very little impact- on the software and hardware computer, industry here. The secretary of the New Zealand Computer Association, Mr Glenn Duncan, said there was very little trade in software with South Africa.

Mr Duncan said that the association would support the embargo. The President of the Computer and Office Products Industry Federation, Mr Wayne Squires, doubted that the embargo would have any effect on the hardware industry, as very little hardware was produced here.