South African History Online

Johannesburg, March 1990

Question: You have spoken about blacks and whites sharing power. Would
you consider a system of separate electoral rolls for blacks and whites?

Answer: No, because the perception that would then arise among our
people would be that, in so far as the West is concerned, they are prepared for
democracy on the basis of one man one vote, but not as far as South Africa is
concerned. The democratic principle is the only answer and we are saying that
one man one vote follows the same principle which is adopted in England. The
only difference is that we have a large and important minority whose fears must
be addressed.

This is why I favour a bill of rights which would be above politics and give
every citizen protection through the courts, if necessary against the
government.

The first democratic government that is formed must contain representatives
of every population group. This will inspire confidence that we now have a new
government which has ceased to think in terms of colour. There will then be no
need to think in terms of separate rolls.

We don't want to do anything to perpetuate racialism. In Britain you have a
minority of blacks, but there is no talk of separate rolls.

In America you have got a substantial group of blacks. but no talk of
separate rolls. That is the proper way.

Question: What about the problem of the economic disparity between
white and black people?

Answer: People have been disturbed by the statement I made about
nationalisation. It happened because of an interview given to a newspaper (The
Sunday Telegraph) by a friend of mine. Richard Maponya. a very wealthy black
businessman. He is married to my cousin. He visited me in Victor Verster prison
and then he said: "Mr. Mandela has turned his back on nationalisation...

You must understand that our policy on this was set out in the Freedom
Charter as far back as 1959. So this quotation of what I was supposed to have
said could have created a storm amongst my own people. Especially the ANC.

So I issued a statement in which I merely reaffirmed our policy: ''The
nationalisation of the mines. the financial institutions and monopoly industries
is the fundamental policy of the ANC and it is inconceivable that we will ever
change this policy...

I was replying to a specific statement that was made about me. That is what
led to this hue and cry. Now, in the first place, there is a misunderstanding
over the history of this country. The economy of this country is based partly on
nationalisation. The railways. the post office, South African Airways, are all
in the public sector. The steel industry was only privatised towards the end of
last year.

So what is wrong with saying that we will nationalise the mines, financial
institutions and other monopoly industries? Especially if we plan to leave the
rest of the economy based on free enterprise, on a market economy? And then on
nationalisation itself. We don't propose to force it down the throats of the
people. We will have a referendum on things of this nature....

We want businessmen in this country to remain. We want businessmen to support
us . And we will discuss this issue with them of how nationalisation should be
structured. I mean, it can take the form of the government having 51 per cent
of a particular industry. It may actually have 40 per cent of that industry,
with other interests allowed to take shares....

What we want is an equitable distribution of the wealth of the country and
nationalisation must just be understood to be one strategy in that grand
aim....

Question: And you are not thinking in terms either of a one-party
state, or of a Marxist state?

Answer: Oh, no, we're not thinking in terms of a one-party state.

Question: Or of a Marxist state?

Answer: No, the ANC is not a Marxist organisation. We have got an
alliance with the Communist party and that alliance has been there since the
1920s.

It has been defended by Africans who themselves were anti-Communists in the
1940s when we young ANC members wanted the Communists driven out of the
organisation.

Just as in Britain, France and other European countries, Communists are
allowed to be elected to parliament; we allowed them in our ANC parliament here.
This is our tradition.

So in the 1940s we young people who wanted them thrown out were defeated. And
the Communists themselves in the ANC never opened their mouths. It was our
leaders who got their education in America, England and Germany who insisted on
keeping them in the ANC.

Any African who is against apartheid, no matter what his individual views
are, is entitled to join the ANC.

And we have kept that tradition. There is w idea of establishing a Communist
state from the point of view of the ANC. But we respect the alliance between the
ANC and the party.