UN General Assembly
1988

Yet the abhorrent system of apartheid remains entrenched in South Africa. This year has again been marked by serious and disturbing developments, like the adoption in February of new restrictive measures against a number of organizations peacefully opposing apartheid and several of their leaders, the arrests of church and trade-union leaders, the detention without charge of men, women and even young children and the maltreatment and torture inflicted on a number of detainees, the uncertain fate of the Sharpeville Six, and the bill threatening to deprive peaceful anti-apartheid organizations of external funding. All those developments point to the fact that Pretoria is still unwilling to commit itself to real and significant change, and we fear that that will worsen even further the relations between the Twelve and South Africa.