Don't know about the accuracy of the story or the dependence of the source. Anybody knows anything about this story? link: http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?art_id=ct20030810102700522T600578&set_id=1&click_id=3&sf Story: Mandela's name comes off US terror list August 10 2003 at 10:27AM By Charlene Smith The good news is that the United States government has removed Nelson Mandela, Tokyo Sexwale and Sidney Mufamadi from its list of global terrorists. The bad news is that the removal is only for the next 10 years. George Bush, the US president, and consular officials privately informed the three men during Bush's recent visit to South Africa, according to an official US source. The US state department is reviewing the status of hundreds of listed South Africans. Some were listed for having convictions against them for terrorism, sabotage, treason or related offences against the apartheid state. Others were members of the guerrilla army, Umkhonto we Sizwe. In all instances, if they apply as government ministers, they receive special dispensation to travel to the US, but if they apply as private citizens, their visas are rejected, particularly since the US has tightened visa applications in its "war against terror". One US embassy official, who preferred to remain anonymous, denied that Mandela, Sexwale and Mufamadi were listed as terrorists, but refused to clarify what they were listed as. Virginia Farris, the public affairs spokesperson for the US embassy in Pretoria, said people were not "delisted as such, they receive 10-year waivers from the department of immigration and nationalisation and the department of homeland security". Farris said these regulations applied to everyone and that there would be "quite a number of leaders of countries around the world on the list". "To make an exception for those who struggled against apartheid would require congress to change the law, and that would be a very lengthy process," Farris said. She advised that those who had convictions against them for anti-apartheid activism apply "at least several weeks ahead of travelling to the US for a department of justice waiver. It could take months." Another US embassy source said the state department was reviewing its list of "undesirable" South Africans, "but this could take a long time. The 10-year-only limitation is embarrassing in these instances, but that is the way legislation is presently constructed". The removal of the three ANC stalwarts from the list appears to have been a pre-emptive move to avert a potentially damaging court case threatened by Sexwale, a Johannesburg businessman and former Umkhonto we Sizwe commander. US sources said Condoleezza Rice, Bush's national security adviser, personally intervened about six months ago, asking Sexwale to hold fire on legal action after his US lawyers served papers on the state department. Sexwale brought the action after he was refused a visa to visit the US late last year. This was despite the fact that he had visited the US, without hindrance, as Gauteng premier several years ago. Mandela has never been refused a visa. Mufamadi, as a cabinet minister, would not be refused a visa, but were he to apply as a private citizen, he would be. Sexwale and Mufamadi, also a senior member in Umkhonto we Sizwe, had convictions against them by the apartheid government. Sexwale killed a policeman and Mufamadi kidnapped a police officer. Mandela was convicted of sabotage. Late last year Mandela, who has frequently visited the US at the invitation of its government and others, received the US's highest civilian decoration. Sexwale has extensive business connections with US companies and chairs the world's second-biggest diamond company after De Beers, among other business interests ranging from oil to wine. The former Gauteng premier was not prepared to comment and Mandela and Mufamadi were not available for comment. However, a US source said the three had appeared pleased by the news. A US embassy source said the state department was reviewing its list of "undesirable" South Africans, "but this could take a long time. The 10-year-only limitation is embarrassing in these instances, but that is the way legislation is presently constructed." - Foreign Service
The African National Congress was once considered a terrorist organization, but as far as I know, Nelson Mandela and the members of his group have not been considered terrorists by the United States for quite some time. (and some of the concern of the United States could've been because the South African freedom fighters apparently received some support from Lybia). And, as far as I know, there's no law that sets upa terrorist list and mandates specific processes to put someone on or take someone off. And, for that matter, as close a relationship as President Clinton and Nelson Mandela forged during Clinton's term, you'd think the process (if there was one) would've started under him rather than so very recently. But, all I know is that CNN hasn't covered this story, and I can't find anything else in my short searching that supports such a story. You'd think that something so silly would be widely covered.
The funny thing was that I had commented that he was a convicted terrorist in one thread, and got hammered for it. DD
We were allies with the South African government, and they considered him and his group terrorists, so we were inclined to not like them already. But they also did apparently receive material support from Lybia, who we really didn't like and who has engaged in terrorist acts against us, so I'm sure we felt we needed to keep an eye on them. I don't know to what level the United States considered him or the ANC to be terrorists, though (if really at all).
