Coloureds restless

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33655, 3 October 1974, Page 19

Coloureds restless

(N.Z.P. A.‘Reuter—Copyright) JOHANNESBURG. South Africa’s Coloured (mixed-race) people are growing increasingly restless about their position as the “inbetweens” in the land of apartheid. The 17 million blacks and 5 million whites apparently going their own separate ways, the 2.5 million Coloureds want to know where their futures lies. Sometimes called “God’s stepchildren,” they were at one time regarded as equal in status to whites, but the position changed after the National Party came to power in 1948: the Coloureds were removed from the common voters’ roll, lost their representation in Parliament, and, among other things, had to use separate buses and beaches.

A majority of the Coloureds have now cried “Enough.” What they want, basically, is equality with the whites, although there is a small group which now wants to throw in its lot with the blacks in a move towards “black consciousness.” The main campaigner for equal rights is Mr Sonny Leon, who leads the Opposition Labour Party in the coloured People’s Representatives Council, a body established as a separate “Parliament.”

Mr Leon makes his posi-1 tion quite clear: “I want full! citizenship, and political, economic, and social equality.” Blacks have designated areas of land which will eventually become independent self-governing “homelands” within South Africa, but for the Coloureds complete separation and the creation of a homeland have been rejected. The Prime Minister (Mr Vorster) considers them “equal neighbours” sharing a common geographic area with whites.

Mr Vorster said recently that when the Coloureds had just four (white) representatives in the national Parliament, their affairs received verv little attention, and,' certainly, the C.R.C., with: limited powers over Colour-' ed affairs, has become a platform for airing views: since its creation in 1969. It was prorogued in July, after passing a motion of no confidence in the Government’s apartheid policies. The majority Federal Party, which usually backs the Government’s policy of “separate development” of races, has become increas-j ingly frustrated over what iti considers to be the whittling < away of the rights of Col- 1 oureds. After abstaining on the no-confidence motion, the Federal Party leader, Mr Thomas Swartz declared;.

"There .is no coloured person who supports apartheid.” The Federal Party won only 11 of the 40 seats in the 1959 elections, but the other 30 seats nominated by the nationalist Government went to Federal Party men. Mr Leon’s anti-apartheid Labour 'Party, which gained 26 of the seats, decided to take up its position in the C.R.C. lx# voice opinions on equal ri/?Jits.

Recent talks between Coloured representatives and Mr Vorster on resolving the deadlock were described by Mr Leon as fruitless, but soon after the discussions, Mr Vorster told Parliament that Coloureds should in future be allowed to serve on statutory bodies like the Consumer and Road Safety Councils, This has apparently done little to gain enthusiasm from the Coloureds: they are now generally apathetic to anything which promises less than full representation in Parliament — and this is reflected in their attitude towards the elections for the new CR.C. next March. Only about 160,000 voters of a possible 700,000 have registered. Meanwhile, a Governmentappointied multi-racial commission. is investigating the over-all conditions of the Coloured population in South Africa. De«)ite the “equal neighbours- tag, Coloureds have to liwe in designated areas, and there is a serious housing shortage, particularly in 'the densely-populated Western Clape Province. This ' problem will be investigated by the commission, and, the Colouijeds hope, so will the issue of their political future.

The commission is not expected to issue its final report until late next year, and the Government will then study its recommendations. Mr Vorster has stated that in the final analysis the question of direct Parliamentary representation for Coloureds can only be decided by the National Party congress.