for about one-tenth the wages of British miners. South Africa has been ripping apart its land with strip mines. At the same time, air pollution from coal-fired power stations without sulphur-removing stack scrubbers is among the worst in the world. One estimate of sulphur dioxide emissions is a staggering 57 tons per square kilometre per year. By contrast, the rate for badly polluted East Germany is 30 tons. South Africa has also embarked on a wasteful campaign to produce synthetic fuels from coal in order to achieve energy independence. Among other impacts, synthetic fuel production increases carbon emissions per unit of fuel and creates concentrated hazardous wastes, 5. In the 1970s South Africa developed a policy of destabilizing its neighbouring countries to prevent them from effectively opposing apartheid. In this war-by-proxy. South Africa used surrogate armies in Angola and Mozambique to destabilize the Governments. These armies have been practising scorched-earth warfare against their respective countries' peasants, devastating agricultural land and driving millions of people into camps on urban fringes. The overcrowding causes still more damage. For example, Mozambique's capital of Maputo is surrounded by a 55 kilometre-wide barren area, deforested by people taking fuel wood. The wars have also meant tragedy E/CN.4/Sub.2/1990/NGO/28 paqe 3 for wildlife. Since 1984 it has become clear that Mozambique's and Anqoia's elephant herds are beinq destroyed by the armies, which sell ivory to pay for arms. 6. This overview of the ecoloqical harm caused by apartheid to South Africa's people and the rest of the world can only beqin to describe the catastrophe. The example of apartheid shows that social injustice breeds environmental harm which in turn aggravates that injustice. South Africa's majority copulation must be restored to full citizenship, and South Africa's environment must be managed so as to benefit all its people. 
**Analysis**
The text primarily discusses the environmental and social impacts of apartheid in South Africa, highlighting the devastating effects of strip mining, air pollution, and synthetic fuel production on the country's environment and people. It also touches on the human cost of the conflicts caused by apartheid, including the destruction of agricultural land and the decline of wildlife populations.

**Category**
Natural resources and environment, Humanitarian aid and relief