South African Champion Of Racial Equality To Tour N.Z.

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31879, 6 January 1969, Page 3

South African Champion Of Racial Equality To Tour N.Z.

Mr D. Brutus, a South African poet, teacher, sportsman and president of the South African NonRacial Olympic Committee, will visit New Zealand next month at the invitation of the Citizens’ Association for Racial Equality.

The honorary secretary of the association (Mr T. 0. Newnham, of Auckland), said that Mr Brutus would undertake an extensive programme of public meetings and lectures.

His purpose would be to inform sports-loving New Zealanders of the colour discrimination practised in South Africa and to urge them to co-operate in a world boycott of South African athletes and refuse to compete against allwhite South African teams, said Mr Newnham. Mr Brutus would also acquaint New Zealanders more closely with the present situation in South Africa, particularly the condition of 5000 political prisoners. Mr Brutus was confined himself for 18 months on Robben Island. He would also raise money for the International Defence and Aid Fund for the victims of apartheid, said Mr Newnham. Public meetings would be held in Auckland, Wellington. Christchurch, Dunedin, Hamilton. Rotorua. Palmerston North and posibly other centres. Television Debate? It was hoped to arrange ai television debate on the pro-’ posed 1970 All Black tour of j

South Africa between Mr Brutus and a representative of the New Zealand Rugby Union, said Mr Newnham. Also planned was a series of informal meetings with sportsmen of all codes who were interested in learning from personal discussion with Mr Brutus of the efforts being made to achieve the goal of multiracial sport in South Africa. A Cape Coloured, Mr Brutus is 45. He has repre-

sented his province at both Rugby and cricket and performed notably in tennis and table tennis, says a statement by the Citizens’ Association for Racial Equality. In 1961 he was banned from the classroom, after 14 years of teaching, for daring to believe in the equality of all children, black and white. In 1962 his volume of poems “Sirens, Knuckles and Boots” won the Mbari Prize for poetry in an all-Africa competition. In that year also

publication of his literary works was forbidden in South Africa. Formation Of S.A.N.R.O.C. Mr Brutus and other leading non-white sportsmen formed the South African Non-Racial Olympic Committee (5.A.N.R.0.C.) to fight racial segregation in sports. They made repeated appeals to overseas sporting organisations not to compete with racially-selected South African teams and gained widespread support. However, appeals to the New Zealand Rugby Union and the New Zealand Cricket Council requesting the cancellation of their tours of South Africa in 1960 and 1962 were ignored. In 1962, during the tour of the New Zealand cricketers, Mr Brutus obtained an interview with Mr J. G. Leggat, the team manager, and strongly expressed the view that such tours strengthened the hand of those who were organising racial sport in South Africa. The statement says that in 1962, while president of S.A. N.R.0.C., Mr Brutus was banned from membership in this and all other organisations, banned from meetings, from speaking and from any political activity. He was arrested in 1963 but escaped to Swaziland while on bail in an attempt to reach an Olympic meeting in Germany, where he hoped to organise international opposition to segregation in South African sport. He was arrested in Mozambique and handed over to the South African Security Police, While he was being brought back he jumped from the police car in a crowded city street, but was shot in the

back and rearrested. Sentenced to 18 months hard labour, he spent that time on Robben Island, where men such as Nelson Mandela are serving life sentences for their opposition to racial oppression. Now Living In London

On his release in 1965 Mr Brutus was served with fresh bans and was placed under house arrest: He could not support his wife and seven children in these conditions, nor was it possible for him to continue the fight against apartheid. He was therefore forced to leave South Africa on an exit permit—a document which prevents him from ever returning home. At present Mr Brutus is living in London, working on the staff of the International Defence and Aid Fund.