Simon’s Troubled Water : Tangled Web of S. African Politics Ensnares Singer

Back when Paul Simon’s hit album “Graceland” first brought international fame to the music of oppressed black South Africans, the singer was vilified by anti-apartheid groups and did three weeks’ time on the U.N. blacklist for violating the cultural boycott against Pretoria.

Now, five years later, Simon is back in South Africa to help end the country’s long cultural isolation with a five-concert, four-city tour that begins Saturday night in Johannesburg.

But, once again, the pop star is deep in controversy, caught this time in the nearly incomprehensible machinations of radical black politics in South Africa.

The African National Congress, by far the largest and most influential anti-apartheid group in South Africa, has welcomed Simon with open arms. ANC President Nelson Mandela, who is throwing a cocktail party for Simon tonight, says the cultural boycott, formally repealed by the United Nations late last year, is dead.

“We see no reason why artists should not come to this country,” Mandela has said.

Finding themselves in rare agreement with the ANC are the white-controlled government and the ANC rival Inkatha Freedom Party, both of which have always been opposed to sanctions against South Africa.

But several lesser-known black radical groups have emerged from the woodwork, threatening to disrupt Simon’s concerts. Two grenades exploded late Tuesday night at the Johannesburg offices of his concert promoters. A left-wing group claimed responsibility for the blast, which caused no injuries but has made the concert promoters edgy.

The primary spoilers are the youth wings of the Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC) and the Azanian People’s Organization (AZAPO), militant groups with limited support in the black townships that have consistently taken a more radical line in the anti-apartheid movement’s dealings with Pretoria. They contend that the United Nations did not have the authority to lift the cultural boycott, and they consider the boycott still in force.

But behind all the posturing by the PAC and AZAPO is a growing and increasingly dangerous divide between the ANC and its left-wing opponents over whether to participate in constitutional negotiations with the white government.

“It’s not Paul Simon we’re after,” said one PAC member. “He’s just been caught in the realignment of political forces.”

Negotiations already have been launched with the ANC, the government and nearly two dozen other political groups, which began meeting last month to draw up plans for an interim government and write a new constitution that will grant blacks the vote.

But the PAC and AZAPO doubt that President Frederik W. de Klerk’s government will ever allow a black majority to rule the country, and both have thus far declined invitations to attend the talks, demanding that the government first relinquish power.

In order to keep the pressure on Pretoria and gain converts from militants in the townships, the radical left has taken a hard line on the cultural boycott, stepped up attacks on what it calls “instruments of the state” and accused the ANC of selling out the black masses.

“We are convinced that he (Simon) has offered himself as a pawn in the political chess board to undermine the cultural boycott, which is the weapon of struggle for the oppressed,” said George Ngwenya, the publicity secretary of AZAPO’s youth wing.

And Ntzsundeni Madzunya, a PAC spokesman, said Simon would not be welcome here “until there is a democratically elected government in South Africa.”

In recent weeks, the PAC’s military wing has claimed responsibility for the murder of five policemen in Johannesburg-area townships.

“There is a bit of desperation, or determination, to get to center stage and dominate the news,” said Thami Mazwai, senior assistant editor of the Sowetan, the country’s largest black daily newspaper. “And, unfortunately, that is a recipe for violence.”

In a country where massive security operations are routine, the efforts being made for Simon’s tour are unprecedented. The singer’s arrival was shrouded in secrecy to thwart protesters, and the scene at the airport was quiet when he flew in on Tuesday.

More than 800 policemen and security guards will be on hand for the first two concerts, Saturday and Sunday, in the 70,000-seat Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg. Similar security contingents have been arranged for subsequent concerts in Port Elizabeth, Durban and Cape Town.

Violence is considered unlikely at the concerts, but political analysts say the emotions whipped up by the controversy may result in later battles in the townships between youths supporting the ANC and those supporting more radical groups.

Simon held meetings Thursday with AZAPO’s youth wing, and although Simon admitted that “things are not settled,” he told reporters that he was convinced that “the threat of violence (at the concerts) has disappeared.” A spokesman for AZAPO’s youth wing said later, however, that he could give “no guarantee” that some of his supporters would not resort to violence.

The overwhelming majority of South Africans, both black and white, have been deeply embarrassed by the row over Simon’s visit, which they had hoped would pave the wave for many more concerts by international stars.

The ANC’s youth wing said the criticism of Simon’s tour “smacks not only of opportunism, but of total ignorance and indifference to the strides made by the people. AZAPO and the PAC are dabbling in showmanship and gimmicks.”

The concerts carry a minimum ticket price of about $16, low by international standards but beyond the reach of all but the most well-to-do township residents. Simon said Thursday that the South African concerts, the latest in his 14-month-old “Born at the Right Time” world tour, will lose $150,000 to $200,000.

Many whites as well as blacks have said they cannot afford to attend. Some blacks, who otherwise oppose attempts to disrupt the tour, say they are boycotting the concerts because of a general feeling that the country should not open its doors to such performers until the government takes more concrete steps to grant blacks equality.

Simon, still smarting from the “Graceland” controversy, had taken pains to follow the politically correct line in planning this South African tour.

In the case of “Graceland,” Simon’s intentions had been good. Fascinated by the unique musical sounds of the townships, he had come to South Africa in 1984 to work with some of the country’s top groups, including Ladysmith Black Mambazo, which later performed with him on the album.

Although Simon didn’t perform publicly in South Africa that time, the ANC and other proponents of the cultural boycott took him to task for failing to “consult” them, and some critics accused him of exploiting blacks here for his hugely profitable album. (Ironically, the PAC and AZAPO supported “Graceland” because it helped black musicians.)

This time, after months of negotiations with anti-apartheid leaders, Simon was invited by the South African Musicians Alliance, with the OK of the ANC. AZAPO and the PAC say they were not consulted.

As part of the agreement, Simon and his musicians promised to conduct workshops for township musicians and provide several thousand free seats to orphans, street children and other victims of apartheid. Twelve local bands will share Simon’s stage.

Simon said he was surprised by the late objections to his concerts, and he admitted having momentary second thoughts about coming to South Africa. But he decided to go on with the show when the ANC and the musicians’ alliance reiterated their approval.

“The impression I was given was that (these objections) were a minority viewpoint,” Simon said upon arriving in Johannesburg. On Thursday, after meeting with AZAPO’s youth wing, Simon said it was clear that anti-apartheid groups did not unanimously support lifting the cultural boycott, but he added that he hoped his concert would be an opportunity for reconciliation for South Africans.

Simon said he had decided to return to South Africa “because I feel affection and love for South African music, and because I feel indebted. I wanted to come to repay the debt to South African musicians whom I have been working with these past six years.”

The controversy has been front-page news all week in South Africa. The Citizen, a government-supporting daily newspaper, said in an editorial that Simon “has placed black music on the world map,” and it joined the welcoming chorus.

“Let the tour go on without any trouble,” the Citizen said. “Let us take pride in the fact that some of his music is from our townships.”