Police prop slave scheme

S AFRICA has flown in police reinforcements to Ovamboland in SW Africa in a bid to break a solid month-long strike of contract labourers.

The strike has brought the S African-administered territory to a virtually complete halt, closing mines and farms and bringing the fishing industry to a full stop.

Jannie De Wet, 'native commissioner' for the terriory, is trying to whip up a care about some Ovambos eaders. But there is nothin • indicate that the labourer have been coerced striking.

The government is using the stooge Ovamboland legislative council - appointed by the S Africans-to plug this line.

The council has stated: 'We are strongly opposed to the intervention of other illegal bodies and organizations and to the intimidation of people who are willing to work, and we are prepared to take action against such bodies.' S Africa has said it will not negotiate directly with the strikers, but is due to discuss the contract labour system with the council on Tuesday.

The Vorster regime has promised to abolish the slavelabour system of contracts under which the Ovambos are compelled to work.

However this promise is worthless so long as. the strikers have no negotiating The strike itself is illegal under apartheid law, which rules that no labourer can break his contract. Contract labour is the only form in which the Ovambos can sell their labour power.

CHILDREN

The sole recruiting agency is SWANLA-the SW African Native Labour Association— which represents the employers.

Workers are graded according to age and physical fitness into classes A, B, Cand piccaninnies (children). Mimimum wages range from about £2 a month for a piccaninny to about f5 a month for a class A labourer.

They are forced to leave their families behind and live in barracks away from home. Their movements are restricted. The International Commission of Jurists has described the system as 'akin to slavery.

WEATHER A WEAK TROUGH is almost stationary over E England. E England and the Midlands will be mostly cloudy with some rain in places. The remainder. of England and Wales will be mainly dry with fog patches in places at first.

N and W Scotland and N Ireland will have few scattered showers. Remaining areas of Scotland will be dry, but a few fog patches are expected at first in the E and S. Temperatures will be above normal, in all areas and it will be mild.

Weekend Outlook: Generally rather cold with rain turning to snow over the mountains and perhaps on low ground as well in the NE later. The S and W will have near normal temperatures, however, the NW of Scotland will be dry with sunny intervals.