Government Knocks Trade with South Africa

New Zealand tariff preferences in favour of South Africa will cease from the end of this year, the Prime Minister announced in a letter to anti-apartheid groups last week.

Since the turn of the century New Zealand has assisted trade with South Africa by cutting tariffs on South African exports to this country. The effect of this has been to make South African goods more competitive than those from other, non-Commonwealth countries. Opponents of apartheid have argued that the tariff preferences have been one important way in which New Zealand has actively supported the apartheid system through its economic links with that country.

Some people, including Labour Cabinet Ministers Freer. Walding and Tizard, have argued in the past that the only effect of reducing trade with South Africa would be to deprive black workers of their jobs. This view has been completely rejected by the multi-racial South African Congress of Trade Unions. During his visits to New Zealand this year and last year SACTU representative John Gaetsewe said that black South Africans could not be worse off than they are now, and that cutting trade with South Africa would be welcomed as an act of solidarity with the black working class of his country.

From the way South African Consul-General Philip wailed when Mr. Kirk's decision on tariff preferences was announced, it can be seen that this move was in the right direction. But further work has to be done to ensure that New Zealand becomes fully committed to the international campaign to isolate South African fascism in every way.