Listening to the silent majority

[69]

Early in 1989, we learned that the usa and South Africa had held semi-secret talks outside London. The Soviet delegation was led by Academician Anatoly Gromyko, Director of the Africa Institute of the ussr Academy of Sciences and son of the former President of the Soviet Union, Andrei Gromyko. The South African delegation was led by Professor Philip Nel, Director of the Soviet Institute for Soviet Studies at

[p. 87]

Stellenbosch University. I met Philip Nel in 1987 when he was about to make his first journey to Moscow to attend a scientific conference. I also met him in April 1989 in his office in Stellenbosch, after the London meeting. Frankly, he displayed an optimistic attitude I recalled only too well from my own early years becoming acquainted with the Soviets in the seventies.

Professor Nel took the amazing view that Moscow would be ‘ideally placed’ to be the mediator to negotiate peace between South Africa and the anc. And after making that observation he continued, ‘I detect at least two strains in Soviet thinking. On one hand, a serious commitment to a negotiated settlement even if it means the anc will end up in a role subordinate to a true government of national unity. On the other hand, there is a school of thought which also supports a settlement but would still like to see the anc as the sole future government.’ I fail to understand how he can advocate the ussr as an ideal partner as long as it is far from clear which faction in Moscow will be eventually on top. A take-over by the anc would guarantee a Marxist-oriented regime in this land, without a doubt. Sorry Philip, but I disagree with you.