The ANC in kwaZulu-Natal has noted the Report of the Presidential Commission of Enquiry into the Affairs of the University of Durban-Westville with great interest. Most of the targets of the sinister campaign initiated and directed by people with links with the former apartheid intelligence agencies, were ANC members. Great intellectuals like Dr Michael Sutcliffe, S'busiso Ndebele, Dr Dennis Nkosi, Mo Shaik and Pravin Gordan became the victims of this sinister campaign and quitted the UDW. The university lost other intellectuals of the highest calibre.

It is greatly disturbing that these apartheid intelligence agents had created a network in the media with which they carried out their sinister campaign of destabilisation. One of the contacts in the media of the apartheid intelligence agents once masqueraded as an ANC delegate in a closed session of the ANC conference.

It is encouraging that the Report praises the former editors of the Sunday Tribune and Natal Mercury, David Wightman and John Pattern respectively, who tried their best in keeping their editorials on UDW fair and objective. It is such efforts that will protect freedom of the press and not a general defence of even pseudo-journalists.

The ANC also notes that these apartheid agents were motivated by the desire to keep the University of Durban Westville ethnic and racial with a specific objective to exclude Africans from any meaningfull running of the UDW.

It is clear that tertiary institutions, the media and political organisations remain the main targets of infiltration by the Third Force elements with the aim to destabilise the society and try to reverse the clock of history. It becomes the task of these organisations to expose and expell the Third force elements who are infiltrated with the task to undermine the genuine policies of these organisations.

Some of these elements are reportedly working in the Natal Technikon to create problems and undermine the system of education in the campus. Already, there are signs of such problems. The ANC calls upon students, teaching staff, workers and administrators to exercise maximum vigilance and refuse to be used by the Third Force elements. These sinister forces tried to undermine the work of the Commission using their network in the media. The ANC praises the steadfastness and resolve of the commissioners.

Issued by the ANC kwaZulu-Natal Department of Information and Publicity.

Date 9 June 1997.

Contact Dumisani Makhaye at 031 307 5460 or 082 551 919

With acknowledgement to the African National Congress.