Text of an address delivered by Trevor Richards, National Chairman of the Halt All Racist Tours Movement, Saturday, September 14, to a conference in Christchurch organised by the Christchurch Committee on Southern Africa.

It is well known that there exists in New Zealand a pro-apartheid lobby, composed of a few disgruntled people who found themselves unable to come to grips with the twentieth century. The claims made by these individuals in their attempts to defend both apartheid and contact with teams selected on the basis of that system often mirror the official handouts from the South African Consulate in Wellington, and their activities clearly lack public support. The various pro-apartheid groups have been until now nothing other than of minor irritant value. Their activities have certainly in no way set back the growth of the anti-apartheid movement in this country — if anything, their presence has assisted the growth of our movement.

Frenzy

This situation however has changed over the last few months. In their activities, and in particular the activities of Ward (War Against Recreational Disruption), a situation has been created which causes me considerable distress. It is not that New Zealanders have suddenly gone mad, and are flocking to the banner of these pro-apartheid groups. In terms of their activities in New Zealand, Ward, SAFA and other similar groups are still the same as they were a year ago. What does concern me greatly about the activities of Ward, is that as a direct result of its activities, it is responsible for severe pressure being placed on black and coloured sports administrators and sportsmen inside South Africa. In their frenzy to win debating here in New Zealand, Ward has placed in jeopardy the security and future of many South African sportsmen.

They have dreamed up a desperate ploy, aimed at shoring up their diminishing support. In so doing, they have introduced a whole new dimension into the debate. It is this new dimension I would now like to examine.

When Mr Fenton of WARP was in South Africa at the beginning of the year as guest of the deceitfully named pro-apartheid sports group — the Committee for Fairness in Sport — he was quoted in The Evening Post (4.3.74) as saying that he was preparing a document which rejected Government interference in sport. This document would be signed by leading non-white sports administrators and sportsmen in South Africa. "It is a very powerful document," Mr Fenton said, "I prepared it myself. It should be released simultaneously in South Africa and New Zealand next week."

Mr Fenton

Four weeks elapsed and there was no sign of any report. I wrote to Ward and asked when the report was to be released. In time Mr Fenton replied, stating that he was waiting for more information. No date was given as to when the report would be released As time passed and no report arrived, I eventually gave up all hope of ever seeing this powerful document. That was, until a week ago.

Heartless and naive

A week ago I received newspaper clippings in the mail from South Africa revealing what had happened to Mr Fenton's report. Black and Coloured South African sports administrators were being approached by officers of the South African Government Ministry of Sport and asked to sign the Ward document. (Daily News 9.8.74) Mr Fentons powerful document is being actively supported and pushed by the South African Government.

What Mr Fenton has done, in a vain attempt to dress up Ward's pro-apartheid case in some brief authority, is to jeopardize both the future and the security of sports administrators and sportsmen. It is well known that sports administrators who do not toe the Government line are constantly harrassed, at times to the point of having their passports removed and being placed under banning orders. If Mr Fenton knew anything about the nature of apartheid he would have known that this document could only cause suffering to many sporting figures in the Republic. If he did not know that officials from the Ministry of Sport would actively involve them-selves in pushing this document, I can only say that it is poor consolation to sporting figures to know that the pressure they are being placed under is the result not of Mr Fenton's heartlessness, but of his naivety.

What evidence have we to indicate that pressure is being applied to these administrators in an effort to get them to sign the document? The short answer is that you will all see the evidence in the apartheid system itself, and in the way in which it is enforced.

An internal war

The South African Government is fighting an internal war against those of its citizens who do not accept and following full Government apartheid policies. This war is not against "terrorists", but against clergymen, bishops, teachers, students, sportsmen, against legitimately constituted organisations whose only crime is that they are opposed to Government policy. The war is rough and brutal. It is fought in all arenas, including the sports field. In the past, many of the casualties of the war have been sportsmen — people who have had the courage to question apartheid sport and the determination to introduce non-racial sport — people like Hassa Howa, who had his passport removed when it was known that he was to travel to London to address the Imperial Cricket Conference. People like Morgan Naidoo, who has been served with banning orders because he dared to expose racism in South African swimming at a time when South Africa's membership of the international swimming association Fina was under review.

The war is conducted at all levels, and involves all Government agencies, including the Ministry of Sport. To deny that pressure is placed on sportsmen opposed, either in part or in full to apartheid sport, is to deny the existence of Mass Howa, Morgan Naidoo and others.

Spying

To maintain that no pressure would be placed on sportsmen who refuse to sign Wards document is to deny all the evidence. The Pressure would probably not be overt; it would be psychological Increased security service surveillance — the car at the end of the street, sitting, waiting, watching; increased tampering with their mail; damage mysteriously happening to their property; the thought that, like Morgan Naidoo and Hassa Howa, one day perhaps they too will find themselves banned, jailed. From discussions that I have had with many South Africans I know only too well the pressures Mr Fentons document will be placing on the many who are refusing to sign it.

To suggest that all of this has changed, that the South African Government is now much more enlightened, is to make the most fundamental error of them all. What change is there in a system which, as reported on Wednesday, fines a white woman R400 for murdering a black boy she found raiding her orchard.

Since then others have condemned the document. Despite all of this, Mr Fenton was blithely able to inform Terry McLean in the New Zealand Herald (12.3.74) that 'non-whites are united in condemning Care and Hart'. Mr Fenton must have walked around South Africa with his eyes shut and his ears closed.

And here we go with the race. Nice to see South Africa has made a step towards a fully integrated crew.

And I wonder how many other people who have signed the document have since had second thoughts and regrets?

Initially it was difficult to understand why the report was taking so long to be released. Mr Fenton came back from South Africa six months ago figuratively waving his report like a Neville Chamberlain back from Munich. As time wore on, and this document failed to appear, it became obvious that the reason why this document was taking so long to arrive was because officials were having trouble finding anyone to sign it.

What of the document itself? Apart from all of the reasons which lead me to condemn this document, what validity do the contents of this document itself have?

I have received a photo copy of the report from South Africa. In general terms I think that we should be suspicious of a document The Evening Post (4.3.74) reported South Africas Minister of Sport being "delighted" with. A close examination of the document reveals that it could well have been written by the Minister itself. Hart is in the process at the moment of writing a critique of this document, and this will be forwarded to Government and other interested bodies in the immediate future. Our report will not be a secret, and will be available to anyone who wants it.

Fenton being used as a tool

The most telling comment about the Ward document that can be made is that Dr Koornhoff was "delighted" with it. Mr Fenton should realise that he is being used as a tool of the South African government in their attempts to get apartheid sport back into the international sports arena. The document is designed to bear the signatures of those black and coloured sportsmen who accept apartheid sport — the stooges who are in some instances affiliated to white bodies on a subservient basis. The report follows so closely the official Government line that there are several sections of the report which even these stooges themselves would find difficulty in agreeing with.

While Ward was galloping off around Hawkes Bay, charging at windmills, there was little harm that could be done. The situation now however has changed. In South Africa Ward has become a menance to all those who struggling to achieve justice and equality on the sporting field. The people of South Africa, black and white, will win their fight against the oppression of apartheid. Organisations like Ward make it just that little bit more difficult.