Conditions For Maori Players

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32119, 15 October 1969, Page 1

Conditions For Maori Players

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) JOHANNESBURG, October 14. Two Cabinet Ministers said last night that the inclusion of Maoris in the New Zealand Rugby team to tour South Africa next year depended on three conditions laid down by the Prime Minister (Mr Vorster) two years ago.

At a public meeting in Johannesburg, the Minister of Bantu (African) Administration and Development (Mr Michael C. Botha) said these conditions were that no ‘political confusion” be created, that politics were not dragged into Rugby to break down South Africa’s internal race policies, and that the tour should not cause internal strife. In Pretoria, the Health Minister (Mr Carel De Wet) referred to the same conditions and said that although South Africa would not tolerate interference in its internal affairs, South Africa could not decide on a hypothetical basis who should be included in the team. The Associated Press said the statements by the two

Ministers varied from recent attempts by Mr Vorster and other members of the Government to emphasise that there would be no objection to the inclusion of players with Maori blood. The agency said that the statements appeared to be designed to demonstrate to supporters of the ruling Nationalist Party the Government’s toughness and to counter the extreme Right-wing breakaway group headed by a former Cabinet Minister (Dr Albert Hertzog), who is urging a strict no-Maoris stand. The scheduled tour of South Africa by the M.C.C. cricket team last year was cancelled after the South African Goverment objected to the inclusion of the Coloured player, B. D’Oliveira.