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American Friends Service Committee — Part 2

132 pages · May 08, 2026 · Document date: Feb 25, 1962 · Broad topic: Cold War & Communism · Topic: American Friends Service Committee · 130 pages OCR'd
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- 2+ ‘ Deadlock Continues : The deadlock on constitutiongl edyvancenent for Southern Rhodesia continues, The election which will pet the new constitution into effect was originally scheduled for Cctober but has now been postroned until sone indefinite time next year, perhops arch. This censtitution, giving Africans the possibility of about L? seats in a parligment of 65 members, vas drawn up at a conference with representatives of four local political parties and the British Government. The Pemiaion Party (right-wirz), now a pare of the Rhodesian Front, never approved the constitution. The National Democratic Party (African nationalist), now the Zimbabwe African People's Union, first accepted some parts of the plan but then rejected ic complerely. The Central Africa Party (libcral} acecpted the coustitution, but has now rejected it because they feel that new sceurity leetslation violates the spirit of the constitutional anrcement. This leaves the Unitcd Federal Party, the parry in pover, as the only local participant in the conference whicn stihl supports the new constitution, Last meath, in an unprecedented move, church leaders, including the Rowan Cothe- lic Archlichon as wel} as Protestants, made a public call for a conference of polit- ical leavevs to reconsider censtitutional advance and other problems facing Southern Knodesia. The public recuest was followed by one public meeting, large newspaper ad- vertisarencs, and a mailiug requesting support from numerous orpanizations. There was Litcie public response. header: dieca'’t need to mehe such a public declaration, and that he would be glad to alk to them or anyone else anytime. He followed up with a forthriyhe statement in Parlianen that there was no possibility of any change in the constitution before ils implementation by the election. The Pe me Minister responded, with an air of injured innocence, that the church ioe t ZAPU replied that they were willing to sit in on a new constitutional conference if it were chaired by a vepresentative of the British Government and if they coule attend es equals with the "minority control" Southern Riedesian Government. henuwhile, ZAPU ceclares that they will make it impossible for the new constitu: tion toa be implemented. They have successfully frustrated the Government's effort ta enroll @ lerge number of African voters. (There are about 10,000 Africans um: on the rolls our of a Gavernnent estimated potential of 70,000. There were better than 2,000 on the old rell.} Thev have not disclesed the means they intend to use to keep the ecostitution from going duto effect. Althoueh ZATU could cause a steat desl of trouble, it is unlibely they could prevent a determined Southern Rhodesian Governuont fron holdings an clection. Violence Mounts In tue context Of ZAPU epnositioen to the mre constitution and inereasius, frustra- tion within the African community, Seuthern khodesta ig facing a rach of widespread violence. There were Lar move ircidcuts of violence in the month of August thou du any previous month, and the tempo of incidents has speedod up during the first half. of Septrerber, There tave been a mumber of cases of arson, mostly minor and Largely coalined to African aress, unsuccessful attempts at derudline trains and dynamiting bridges, scon- duga, Yeasbjiacks, cutting of telephone cables, etc. The more serious attemmts, such on the diougeitune, hove been carried out fuoan inepe was and have been largely unsue- crasful. The ducidents are dn beih urban and rural nreses, It fs rensrkable thet in se rainy incidents thera hie been so little less of Life
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