Download PDF of this full issue: v7n5.pdf (8.5 MB)

In South Africa: Freedom Fighter Murdered

By VVAW

Steve Biko was a founder of the South African Students Organization and a leader of what was known as the "black consciousness movement." He had played an important role in giving direction to the rebellions in Soweto. He was murdered in prison by South African police on Sept. 12.

Police announced that he had died as the result of an 8 day hunger strike. South African Justice Minister Kruger told a snickering audience at the Congress of the white ruling National Party that "Biko's death leaves me cold." According to press reports the crowd tittered with laughter when Kruger said that "it was his democratic right to starve himself to death if he wanted."

This story of how Steve Biko dies is a lie. The Johannesburg Sunday Express reported that his skull was bashed in and mourners at his funeral could see a big lump on his temple, and the back of his head was concealed with velvet because it was so badly damaged. Because of mass protest, Kruger has changed his tune, now saying that "heads will roll" if there is any evidence of police wrong-doing. He had better sharpen his blades.

These murderers have little to fear from a government investigation. Steve Biko was the 20th political prisoner to be murdered in South African jails in the last 18 months. There have been close to 50 known and documented cases of prison murders in the last 15 years. These arrogant South African racists simply deny the, attributing the deaths to suicide, claims that victims leaped from windows, hanged themselves in their cells or died by slipping on a bar of soap, falling down stairs or choking on food.

But the South African ruling class and their fascist storm troopers have much to fear from the masses of Azanian people, the 18 million blacks who are forced into virtual slavery by the white ruling class of the country.

Biko's murder has unleashed new outrage and organized struggle against the bloody South African regime, both within that country and throughout the world. Tens of thousands of people demonstrated in Soweto, attacking police and burned government buildings. Giant memorial were held for Biko. The Vorster government tried to crush this massive protest with more repression. In Soweto and other black areas, police fired into crowds coming from memorial services. Thousands of students were arrested and jailed. At least four more blacks have been murdered in the wake of Steve Biko's death.

In a move of disgusting hypocrisy and opportunism, the U.S. government sent its official representative in South Africa to Biko's funeral and Andy Young and other spokesmen for the Carter administration have mourned his death. But if it were not for economic and political support from the United States and other imperialist countries, the racist Apartheid regime in South Africa would not be able to continue its reign of repression and terror. The South African military is armed with Western weapons, it receives direct aid from Israel, which is nothing more than indirect U.S. aid. U.S. corporations have billions of dollars of investment, from gold mines to auto plants. The thrust of the "new" U.S. policy in southern Africa has been to try to buy time for the white minority rule in South Africa by maneuvering for "acceptable" black rule in Zimbabwe (Rhodesia) and Namibia (Southwest Africa.)

Farcical protests and praising Steve Biko do not erase the fact that the U.S. ruling class stands as guilty as its clients of the racist South African regime for Steve Bikos's murder and countless other crimes against the people of Azania.