‘Blacks plan Kissinger riot’

Press, 17 September 1976, Page 1

‘Blacks plan Kissinger riot’

NZPA-Reuter Johannesburg

Militant black South Africans are reported to be planning a show of strength to coincide with the arrival today of Dr Henry Kissinger, on the latest stage of his efforts to achieve a negotiated settlement of the area’s racial problems. . Police sources said they had heard reports that big black demonstrations were being planned, with whites and white property the main target. So far the only concrete development has been a three-day strike by black workers, which has hit the clothing industry, docks, building work, bread, and milk deliveries. In Pretoria, a meeting of police and security chiefs was called on Wednesday apparently to discuss two topics — ways of controlling black and Coloured strikes and disturbances, and the threatened demonstration.

The American Secretary of State is due to hold a third round of talks on southern Africa in Johanesburg with the South African Prime Minister (Mr John Vorster). Dr Kissinger has already had talks in Dar-es-Salaam and Lusaka with Presidents Julius Nyerere and Kenneth Kaunda.

An advance guard of American security agents flew in from Washington last week-end to make the preparations for Dr Kissinger’s visit and have been joined by a large contingent from South Africa Special Branch police. South African security forces described the precautions for Dr Kissinger

as the most thorough in memory.

The “Johannesburg Star” has reported that Mr Vorster, Dr Kissinger, and the Rhodesian Prime Minister (Mr lan Smith) may hold a summit meeting to discuss Rhodesia on Monday. Everything depended on whether the congress of the ruling Rhodesian Front, which has opened in Umtali, gave Mr Smith the go ahead to participate in Dr Kissinger’s peacemaking trip to southern Africa, the newspaper said.

Mr Vorster and Mr Smith gave no indication if they had reached an understanding on Rhodesian acceptance of United States mediation after their recent meetings. In Lichtenburg, about 200 km west of Johannesburg, South African Government officials have begun the mass removal of some 45,000 tribesmen from the Rooijantjies tribal area.

About 150 police in camouflage uniform sealed off the area soon after dawn and 100 Government trucks drew up near the homes of Chief Kelly Molete and his Bakalobeng tribesmen.

They are being moved under the Government’s homelands policy to Deelpan. 75km away, in the Bophutatswana homeland.

Chief Molete and his followers have bitterly opposed their removal from the area where the tribe has lived for more than JOO years. They describe the area at Deelpan as uninhabitable and swampy, and will have to move into corrugated iron shacks until they build their own houses-