S.A. JAYCEE CHAPTERS

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32430, 17 October 1970, Page 23

S.A. JAYCEE CHAPTERS

It is illegal for South African Jaycee Chapters to be multi-racial, the New Zealand Jaycee convention was told by an Ashburton delegate, Mr R. Gabites. Mr Gabites was a member of a two-man New Zealand Jaycee team which has just returned from Africa after looking at Jaycee activities there, and advising chapters. Mr Gabites said that the laws of South Africa made it impossible for the Jaycees to have multi-racial groups there.

“But we hope that the Government will allow Europeans to help form Jaycee chapters ih native areas. However, under present legislation it is illegal for whites and natives to meet together; we shall have to wait and see,” said Mr Gabites. The teaim also visited Malawi, Zambia and Rhodesia. In Malawi there was one chapter which was multi-racial but in both Rhodesia and Zambia the chapters were “exclusively European.” “There are no African Jaycees in Rhodesia at present but it is proposed that either a multi-racial or separate African chapter start there,” said Mr Gabites. He said that the Jaycee chapters in both Salisbury and Johannesburg had women members.