has allowed intimidation of suspects and accused persons, and interference
with legal processes by the security forces ...
to take place on a large scale
and in a variety of ways....
We stress particularly the widespread use of
torture and violence, even against children, which is habitually denied by
the government and thus goes unpunished,
though plainly illegal." 36
South African forces also continued to invade neighboring countries.
According to a report by a British Commonwealth
committee, South Af-
rica's destabilizing
tactics between 1980 and 1989 led to the deaths of
one million people, made a further three million homeless, and caused
$35 billion worth
of damage to the economies
of neighboring
states.
This included raids into every one of its neighbors, massive support for
RENAMO in Mozambique
in spite of Borha's promise to the contrary, large-
scale military invasions of Angola, and continued military occupation of
Namibia. In February 1988, moreover, a South African force intervened to
thwart a coup against the government of the "independent"
homeland of
Bophuthatswana.V
From time to time, President Botha and his colleagues made vague
promises of domestic reform. In August 1988, Chris Heunis, minister of
constitutional