Mass Arrests Made In African Villages

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29189, 27 April 1960, Page 17

Mass Arrests Made In African Villages

JOHANNESBURG, April 25. Police have arrested a further 599 Africans in raids on three African villages. Troops cordoned off Batho African village, on the outskirts of Bloemfontein, today while police arrested 270 Africans.

A police officer described it as an “ordinary raid.” Police and troops with six Saracen armoured cars took part in a two-hour raid on Duncan villa o e. near East London, this morning and 159 Africans were t-ested.

It was the third large-scale raid on the township in the last nine days, bringing the total of Africans arrested there to 871.

Police arrested 170 Africans in a raid on the township of Weikon, a goldmining centre in the Orange Free State, over the weekend. Police reinforcements were drawn from neighbouring towns to form the raiding force. The Africans were charged with irregularities in their passbooks and unauthorised residence in the settlement The total number of detainees in South Africa is now officially put at 1650.

The Minister of Justice (Mr Erasmus) speaking in the Senate in Cape Town, said today that the position in the country was now "properly under control.”

Calm and order were again returning to all quarters, he said, “due to the firm actions of the Government made possible through legislation and the emergency regulations, and in par-

ticular through the Army and police.” Because the disturbances at Sharpeville and Langa were the subject to judicial inquiries, the Minister said, he would not comment on them except to say the police and Army “deserve the thanks and appreciation of entire South Africa. “Violent attacks” on police m recent times had emphasised the necessity for police to be in a position to defend themselves at all times, Mr Erasmus said. Police recruits in future would have to be “properly armed.” The Department of Justice revealed today that 81 Indians have been detained under the emergency regulations. On Friday, Mr Erasmus announced that 1451 Africans 94 whites, and 24 coloureds had been detained. A head constable today told the judicial inquiry into the Sharpeville shooting that police and Africans twice exchanged shots in incidents at Sharpeville b'fore police fired on a large crowd, killing 67. The high cost of keeping South Africa’s armed forces on a virtual war footing under the emergency is frightening business circles, says the “Mews Chronicle’s” Cape Town correspondent.

Gold and foreign exchange holdings, he says, have dropped by more than 10 per cent, since the Sharpeville massacre on March 23. And this does not take into account the pressure of the recent selling of South African shares in the overseas markets.

According to reliable estimates, shares quoted on the Johannesburg exchange have fallen £5OO million since January 1. This is a fantastic loss in a country whose wealth is concentrated in the hands of a minority of 3,000,000 whites. Another startling cost figure is the estimate for supporting the Citizen Force—home guards—at the present call-up level. This is running at a £50.000 daily or £1,250,000 for the first month of the emergency. One economist has sardonically pointed out that the bill for the Citizen Force since Sharpeville already runs higher than all the money so far spent on the muchvaunted Bantustans.