Assembly, council support steps to promote first non-racial, democratic elections.

In important steps towards supporting the process of peaceful democratic change in South Africa, the Security Council and the General Assembly adopted resolutions to help Promote the success of South Africa's first non-racial, democratic elections in April.

Secretary-General Boutros Boutros, Ghali, in a major report of 10 January (A/48/845-S/1994/16), detailed the expansion of the mandate and size of the United Nations Observer Mission in South Africa (UNOMSA), giving an account of its activities and the framework of the electoral process.

In other action between 1 January and 31 March, the Chairman of the Special Committee against Apartheid warned that any postponement of elections could cause confusion and resentment among the South African people and aggravate tension, violence and loss of life. Despite the enormous progress that had been made in talks by the multi-party negotiators, differences among the parties persisted, he said in statements on behalf of the Committee.

Of particular concern was the continuing insistence by the Conservative Party and the inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) to suspend their participation in the multi-party negotiations and, perhaps, withhold their participation in the elections.

The UN observed the international Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on 21 March, with speeches by the Secretary-General, the General Assembly President and others, expressing their opposition to any form of discrimination based on race, colour, creed and national or ethnic origin. "For the United Nations, the elimination of racial discrimination remains a long and exacting task that requires constantly renewed action", the Secretary-General said.

Security Council action

In unanimously adopting resolution 894 (1994) on 14 January, the Security Council urged all parties in South Africa, including those that did not participate fully in the multi-party talks, to respect agreements reached during the negotiations, adhere to democratic principles and take part in the elections.

The Council further called upon all parties to end the violence and intimidation, and thus contribute to the conduct of free and fair elections, and to respect the safety and security of the international observers and facilitate the carrying out of their mandate.

The Council also widened the mandate and enlarged the size of UNOMSA, so it could better monitor the elections scheduled from 26 to 28 April. Numbering 100 observers in march, the enlarged UNOMSA was to consist of nearly 3,000.

The 15-member Council also welcomed the Secretary-General's proposal to set up a trust fund to finance the participation of additional observers from Africa and other developing countries.

Before the resolution vote, South Africa welcomed the Council's participation in promoting the country's transition to a Government of national unity. More international observers would ensure that elections would be free and fair, with their results beyond all doubt, it felt.

General Assembly action

The General Assembly, in adopting resolution 48/233 on 8 February supported the aims of the Security Council's 14 January resolution, encouraging Member States to respond positively to the call for election observers. It also wanted South African authorities to protect the right of all South Africans to organize and participate in peaceful public manifestations and rallies, to run for election and participate in the polls, free of intimidation, in all parts of the country, including the "homelands".

In his 25-page report of 10 January, the Secretary-General said that within the core group of 2,840 observers, the UN would supply 1,778, with the remainder to come from the Organization of African Unity (OAU), the Commonwealth and the European Union, as well as from neighbouring African countries. There would also be observers from foreign non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

UNOMSA would have a significant role, he said, not only in assessing the ultimate freedom and fairness of the elections, but in monitoring the electoral process at each stage. Based on its long-term activities, the Mission would be "uniquely capable of evaluating the extent to which the April elections truly reflect the will of the South African people".

South Africa had requested UNOMSA's enlargement to ensure that the UN could mount an effective role after the independent Electoral Commission and the Transitional Executive Council (TEC) became operational. On 18 November 1993, the creation of the TEC and the Commission were approved by the Multi-Party Negotiating Council--established through bilateral negotiations between the South African Government and the African National Congress of South Africa (ANC)--as part of the constitutional principles and institutions to guide the country through a transitional period leading up to the elections.

The TEC met for the first time on 7 December 1993 and endorsed a request by the Negotiating Council that the UN provide a sufficient number of observers to monitor the electoral process.

The new mandate

Under the expanded mandate, UNOMSA would be required to:

* Observe the actions of the independent Electoral Commission and its organs in all aspects and stages of the electoral process, verifying their compatibility with the conduct of a free and fair election under the Independent Electoral Commission and Electoral Acts;

* Observe the extent of freedom of organization, movement, assembly and expression during the electoral campaign, and ascertain the adequacy of the measures taken to ensure that political parties and alliances enjoy those freedoms without hindrance or intimidation:

* Monitor the compliance of security forces with the requirements of relevant laws and decisions of the TEC;

* Verify the satisfactory implementation of the dispositions of the independent Media Commission and the independent Broadcasting Authority Acts;

* Verify that the voter education efforts of the electoral authorities and other interested parties are sufficient and will result in voters being adequately informed on the meaning of the vote and its procedural aspects:

* Verify that qualified voters are not denied the identification documents or temporary voter's cards that will enable them to exercise their right to vote;

* Verify that voting occurs on election days in an environment free of intimidation and in conditions which ensure free access to voting stations and the secrecy of the vote, and that adequate measures have been taken to ensure proper transport and custody of ballots, security of the vote count and timely announcement of results; and

* Coordinate the activities of observers from international governmental organizations and foreign Governments, so as to ensure that they are deployed in an effective and coordinated manner: establish effective cooperation with South African and foreign NGOs, which will also monitor the electoral process.

Based on those activities, UNOMSA would report to the electoral authorities on complaints, irregularities and interference, and request remedial action, the Secretary-General stated.

The UN operations in Namibia, he went on, had demonstrated that long-term observers who followed the whole electoral campaign and established networks of contacts were far more useful than those who arrived just before the elections and concentrated on the events of the voting days.

In consideration of that successful experience, the increase in political violence in the second half of 1993 and the short time-frame available before the election, the Secretary-General proposed the use of a combination of approaches, such as mobile teams to cover polling stations in areas with a low expectation of violence and one observer at each station in areas with a history of violence.

Under the expanded mandate, UNOMSA would have two operating arms: a Peace Promotion Division and an Electoral Division. The Secretary-General proposed that the Peace Promotion Division observers be increased from 100 to 500 by March 1994 to allow monitoring teams to widen their coverage. The staff of the Electoral Division would be expanded from 14 to 50.

UNOMSA observers had covered demonstrations, marches, rallies, funerals and other forms of mass action, the Secretary-General reported. They had worked closely with organizers and security forces to ensure that events were adequately planned in accordance with the guidelines for marches and political gatherings.

They had held informal bilateral meetings and often acted as channels of communication between groups across the political and social spectrum, including government officials, political parties and NGOs involved in the peace process. They had attended meetings of local and regional peace committees and of other bodies set up under the National Peace Accord.

UNOMSA had served as a channel of communication and coordination among international observer missions and had been called upon to play a more pro-active role in the vital area of socio-economic reconstruction and development, in view of the diversified pool of expertise available to it. This was a crucial step forward for the observers, as it paved the way for technical assistance and the whole array of development activities already pledged to the new South Africa, the Secretary-General said.

Violence a problem

Public violence remained a major concern and was due mostly to conflict between political parties, taxi associations, and township and hostel residents. Criminal elements, often victims of social deprivation and unemployment, especially among youth, contributed to a significant extent to the perpetuation of violence. In many instances, they received protection from political groups or disappeared in the anonymity or complicity of the township population.

Political violence continued to be mainly concentrated in Natal and the East Rand where 90 per cent of the deaths had occurred. Right-wing violence was also on the increase. While numerous initiatives had been undertaken to curb violence, the overall result was far from reassuring, the Secretary-General said. However, in circumstances where joint action was taken by political parties and the police, tangible results were often achieved. UNOMSA teams had played a major role in the resolution of violent problems in Border/Ciskei and Western Cape areas.

|War talk' a concern

The international observer missions of the UN, the OAU, the Commonwealth and the European Union deplored the violence and loss of life that occurred on 28 March during a march in Johannesburg, and said that the tragedy could have been prevented. The failure to plan adequately for that march and take steps for effective crowd control had contributed to the violence.

The missions, in a 29 March statement, called on South Africa's political leaders to exercise reason and responsibility, and to carry the message of peace and throughout the country. The failure of those leaders and the security forces to act together to prevent a senseless slaughter was inexcusable, they said. They also expressed concern over the use of "war talk", threats and challenges, saying such language threatened the very future of South Africa.

A UN official on 17 February said the Secretary-General, through his Special Representative, had received the declaration made by ANC President Nelson Mandela on 16 February, offering new concessions to the Freedom Alliance in an effort to secure participation by all parties in the forthcoming elections in South Africa.

The Secretary-General said he understood from press reports that this initiative had been well received in South Africa. it was difficult not to share Mr. Mandela's view that history and future generations would judge the current South African leadership harshly if it failed to take all the necessary measures to resolve the country's problems peacefully and through dialogue.

IFP Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi and Mr. Mandela met on 1 March. In letters dated 2 March, the Secretary-General welcomed their development of a framework for all political parties to participate in the transitional arrangements, including the electoral process. The "bold initiatives" undertaken would promote national reconciliation and peace in South Africa, he said.

The Secretary-General also wrote to South African President F. W. de Klerk acknowledging his efforts to ensure that all political parties participated in the transitional arrangements. He assured the three leaders that the UN would continue to support the peace process so that free and fair elections could take place in April.

Two seminars on South Africa held

Two seminars on South Africa were held at the beginning of the year. The first was held from 22 to 24 January on "Sustainable Economic Growth and Development in South Africa: Policy Priorities for the Early Years of a Democratic Government". It was organized by the London School of Economics and Political Science and the UN Special Committee against Apartheid. The other seminar, on the "Image of the United Nations in South Africa", took place in Cape Town from 8 to 10 February.

General Assembly President Samuel R. Insanally gave the keynote address entitled "Preparing the way for a new, united, democratic South Africa" to a conference in Harare on 26 January.

Members of the Special Committee visited South Africa from 28 February to 6 March to underline Committee support for the South African people and their political leadership in efforts to bring all parties into the process and conduct the elections as scheduled, in an atmosphere free from violence and intimidation.