Harare warned against giving guerrillas shelter

Press, 18 December 1985, Page 10

Harare warned against giving guerrillas shelter

NZPA-Reuter Messina, S. Africa South Africa has renewed threats of crossing its border with Zimbabwe after two women and four children, all whites, were killed by a land-mine. The African National Congress, the main guerrilla group fighting white rule, claimed responsibility for Monday’s explosion and for others last month that killed a black farm worker in the remote bush area on the Zimbabwean border. But the A.N.C.’s Lusaka headquarters denied Pretoria’s assertions that the guerrillas had operated from Zimbabwean territory.

The South African Defence Minister, General Magnus Malan, said that guerrillas’ tracks led to the Limpopo River border with Zimbabwe. “If they crossed an area in Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe is responsible for it, and I’ll keep them responsible for it.

“I must warn that this could lead to a situation similar to that of S.W.A.P.O. (the South West Africa People’s Organisation) in Angola.”

South Africa administers Namibia (South West Africa) and is waging a bush war against S.W.A.P.O. guerrillas. Pretoria’s troops have often raided Angola, saying it was pursuing S.W.A.P.O. guerrillas.

Witnesses said that the mine that killed the six and gravely injured five others — ail from two families — had hurled the truck in which they were travelling into the air and set it ablaze.

Blood-stained clothing still lay on the ground yesterday, and an Army officer was close to tears as he recounted what he saw when he arrived at the scene in a game farm 30km west of Messina. The South African President, Mr Pieter Botha, told State-run television news that the whole country was shocked by the deaths of “peaceful citizens ... killed by terrorists who launched their cunning work from other countries where they took shelter.” The explosion had backed up his refusal to negotiate with the A.N.C., Mr Botha said. South Africa has in the past raided what it called A.N.C. bases in Mozambique, Lesotho, and Botswana.

The far-Right Conservative Party said, “In view of the arrogant perseverance by South Africa’s neighbouring States in accommodating murderers of innocent South Africans, including women and children, the C.P. demands that the Government, without delay, instructs the Defence Force to wipe out all terrorist bases in neighbouring countries.”

Yesterday was a controversial holiday in South Africa to mark the Day of the Vow in 1838, when the predecessors of the Afrikaners pledged to keep December 16 sacred if they defeated Zulu warriors. Meanwhile the Mozambican news agency reported that South African forces had again advanced deep into Angolan territory. The report quoted Captain Jose Pascoal, an Angolan officer, as saying that the South African advance had taken place in the last five days. He was speaking at Ongiva, 40km north of the border.

He told the agency that a force of “mercenaries” from the South African unit known as the Buffalo Battalion was at the Angolan village of Chiede, south-east of Ongiva. The battalion includes Angolans in its ranks.

Captain Pascoal said that the Angolan military command at Ongiva believed the advance could herald the beginning of another invasion by South African forces massed on the Namibian side of the border. He said that there had been a clash between South African and Angolan forces last week at Ruacana, south-west of Ongiva, but that negotiations between the two sides were taking place.