Dr. Salim addresses the 53rd Ordinary Session of the OAU coordination committee for the Liberation of Africa on the subject of 'Independence in Namibia, Release of Mandela: A Look Ahead.' He calls on the Coordinating Committee to remain vigilant and continue to the pressure on the Pretoria regime, even in light of the release of Nelson Mandela.
"But while we rejoice at Nelson Mandela's release we should not allow the attendant euphoria to cloud our judgement on the actual situation still prevailing in South Africa. Nelson Mandela and his colleagues would have never spent decades in jail had it not been for the system of Apartheid. And Mandela, though now a free man, has gone back to a society which is still afflicted by the injustice and repression of racial separation and domination. That is why it is imperative that we should not allow the euphoria of the moment to sidetrack us from the essence of our common struggle."
