Verwoerd’s Peace Dove Crashes

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29220, 2 June 1960, Page 15

Verwoerd’s Peace Dove Crashes

BLOEMFONTEIN, May 31. The South African Prime Minister (Dr. Hendrick Verwoerd) released a white dove today as a symbol to the world of the peace and prosperity he said South Africa wished the world. He tossed the bird into the air before a vast crowd in Bloemfontein.

Without even opening its wings it fell with a dull plop to the ground in front of Dr. Verwoerd. Embarrassed officials poked and prodded the milk-white dove, but it steadfastly refused to fly. Finally, someone carried it away through the crowd which had been kept at least 30 yards back from Dr Verwoerd The Prime Minister was maxing his first public speech since a wruld-be assassin shot him twice in the aead at a similar function last month.

A flashbulb exploded with a sharp bang a few yards away from where Dr. Verwoerd was speaking into radio microphones beaming his words to the world. He faltered slightly at the sound, but took it in his stride. Dr. Verwoerd warned a frequently applauding audience: “Today we are faced with threats to the future of the white man." He said that a prosperous future for South Africa could not be attained without effort, and only if two conditions were complied with: That whites must continue to rule That whites must be prepared to work and work hard.

The Prime Minister made his speech before about 50.000 people who jammed the festival stadium for celebrations of the Union’s fiftieth anniversary. Motor-cycle and mounted police led his car around the arena after a 21-gun salute, coloured balloons and processions had marked the anniversary to the time of “Haopy Birthday To You” played by a band of the South African police.

As the crowds celebrated in Bloemfontein, 3000 people of all races marched through Cape Town and pledged themselves to guarantee all South Africans civil liberties. Children and old folk mingled in the procession and charwomen in slippers marched alongside elegantlv-dressed women Some demonstrators hobbled on crutches. After remarking that there were about 20.000 children and 30.000 to 40,000 people under the age of 35 in the stadium. Dr. Verwoerd said: “To them we owe the building up of our future.

We should control the future of our State and people in the same way as it was controlled for us by our forefathers.”

Referring to South Africa’s racial problem. Dr. Verwoerd said: “The only solution is to live as good neighbours and not as one. This has been the policy in this country for the last 300 years. It was the policy of every one of the founders of the Union. It will be the policy of coming generations.” Speaking alternately in Afrikaans and English. Dr. Verwoerd said that ”a great white nation must be developed here in South Africa” —a statement which drew sustained applause He said the white race, was threatened not only in Africa but also in Europe and America. “Christianity is threatened in Africa now more than anywhere else,” he said

He predicted that the white man would remain ruler of South Africa and “the guardian of the black man here” He repeatedly pleaded for English-speaking whites to unite with his own Afrikaans-speaking whites “for their own survival.” The Prime Minister said the question of solving the colour' problem must be preceded by the question of whether the Englishspeaking and Afrikaans-speaking sections would be able to form a single nation, able to solve all problems together

“Will South Africa be able to become a real republic of good hope? This must be the starting point in all our thoughts. This must be our goal—South Africa will become the South African Republic. “If our English-speaking citizens offer to reconstruct the Union into such a republic. Great Britain will become as much for the Afrikaans-speaking as for the Fnglish-speaking South African.” he said “It will become a friendshin towards another country with whom we have great common economic interests. I make this appeal to the English-speaking section to do what the Afrikaansspeaking section is prepared to do, namely create a republic on lines acceptable to all. according to the process of give and take,” he said. f-