Elizabeth Bagaaya Foreign Minister of Uganda Calls For South Africa's Expulsion From UN | Sept. 1974

Thursday, September 26th 1974. Footage of Elizabeth Bagaaya, Princess of Toro and Foreign Minister of Uganda, speaking before the General Assembly of the United Nations where she called for the expulsion of Apartheid South Africa from the United Nations. Reuters Text: "The Ugandan Foreign Minister, Miss Elizabeth Bagaaya ... called on the United Nations to expel south Africa and urged that military intervention be used to end Apartheid. The Minister - a former fashion model, Princess Elizabeth of Toro - made the call to the General Assembly on the fourth day of its annual policy debate. Miss. Bagaaya said the adament attitude of the Pretoria government called for extreme measures. She said the world had been patient enough and it would remain a great betrayal to the principles of the United Nations Charter if South Africa was not expelled. She also referred to a report by The International Commission of Jurists published earlier this year, which was critical of the Ugandan Government. Speaking about the 1972 expulsion of Asians in Uganda holding foreign passports, Miss. Bagaaya said for many years even after independence, Uganda's economy was managed, controlled and owned by foreigners -- mostly from Britain -- who did not have Uganda's interest at heart. She said President Amin, in expelling the Asians, was aiming at the transfer of the country's economy to its rightful owners, the Ugandans. The British representative, in his right of reply, defended the Jurists' report and called on the delegates present to read the report themselves before passing judgement. On Friday (27 September) the General Assembly's Credentials Committee was to meet to consider whether to accept or reject documents in support of the south Africa Delegation. For the first time it was thought the nine-nation body, whose members are changed every year, might rejects the credentials." Transcript of the key excerpts of Elizabeth Bagaaya's speech: BAGAAYA: The stand of my Government in regard to the chronic and shameful situation in Southern Africa and Zimbabwe is, and will always remain, that there is no other way, nor is there any other method, except military intervention. It is needless for me to emphasise the real dangers to international security that are inherent in the situations prevailing in both South Africa and Zimbabwe. We further believe and we are convinced that the adamant attitude of the Pretoria regime to head to international appeals, and her flagrant breach of the United Nations Charter calls for stern measures, and to us this should be the expulsion o the racist South Africa from this Organisation. The world has been patient enough and it will remain a great betrayal of the principles of the Charter and a sad commentary on our generation if we continued to nurse and accommodate the representatives of a racist and inhuman regime. BAGAAYA....."It was in keeping with these principles, which are universally recognised, that Uganda's economic war was declared by His Excellency president Idi Amin Dada. The aim of this war was to transfer the economy of Uganda to its rightful owners, the Ugandans. For many years, even after independence, more than eighty per cent of the Uganda economy was being managed, controlled and owned by foreigners, mainly from Britain, who had no interest of the country at heart. The rationale of the step taken by his Excellency, the President of Uganda, was to ensure that the volume and pattern of economic activities in Uganda are determined by Ugandans. The fulfillment of this required that the bulk of productive activities are generated, managed and owned by Ugandans. This objective is thus and expression of faith in the doctrine of economic independence and self-reliance. The Ugandan leader is totally committee to this policy. Since he came to power the Ugandan leader has devoted most of his economic efforts to giving practical effect to this doctrine." Source: Reuters News Archives.