Church against State in South Africa

Press, 25 February 1977, Page 12

Church against State in South Africa

By

DONALD WOODS

in Cape Town

The head-on confrontation between Church and State that has loomed for decades in South Africa appears to be imminent after the decision by the Catholic Church to integrate its schools in definace of the Nationalist Governemnt’s race laws.

These laws specifically ban racially “mixed” schools and provide severe penalties for contravention, there have been several cases in past years where dark-skinned children regarded as borderline cases were removed from white schools. The irony of the present situation is that the Catholic Church in South Africa has long been conservative in political matters, lagging far behind the Anglican and other churches (except for the openly racist Dutch Reformed Church) in condemning apartheid. But last year the South AFrican Catholic Bishops’ Conference issued the edict — Catholic schools must be opened to all races. And with characteristic obedience the nuns began this y ar’s shcool terms with their convents opened to all races. The Government, which had not taken the Bishops’

decision seriously, was caught napping, and the first official reactions were obviously unco-ordinated. The Administrator of the Cape Province, Dr L. A. Munnik, and the Administratoxfhhe Cape Province, Dr L. A. Munnik, and the Administrator of the Trnasvaal, Mr Van Niekerk. immediately issued angry warnings to the schools concerned, threatening severe penalties for “breaking the law” and “seeking confrontation.” The nuns ignored them. Dr Munnik told me, with a shocked expression, that one white parent who had objected to coloured children geing in his child’s class (because of the bad language and behaviour of the coloured children) had been invited by the Mother Slperior to remove his child from the school. Both Administrators concerned (Administrators are provincial governors, having Cabinet rank and wide powers) stated that the Government would not be defied in this way and would crack down hard on the schools concerned.

They threatened, among other things, to withdraw

registration from such schools, effectively putting them out of business. They could not threaten to withdraw state subsidies because Catholic schools do not receive subsidies and have to fund themselves. But some sort of severe action would be taken if the nuns remained obdurate, they said. The nuns remained obdurate. Then the Minister of National Education, Dr Piet Koornhof, stepped into the picture and achieved the sort of cooling operation which has eanred him the reputation of a conciliator through his Ministry of Sport. He conferred with the Administrators and a statement was issued to the effect that while the Government would not tolerate a confrontation sought by the Catholics, the question would be examined further, with specific cases examined on their merits.

The Anglican Church leaders held talks with the Administrators on the subject and were praised for their responsible approach. The expected crack-down on the convents has not yet come — but it remains likely at any time as Nationalist Right-wingers demand censure of the Catholic Church for its defiance — O.F.N.S. Copyright.