Sacking of black Minister threatens Rhodesian Govt

Press, 1 May 1978, Page 8

Sacking of black Minister threatens Rhodesian Govt

International

NZPA-Reuter Johannesburg ’ A black Rhodesian Minister sacked from the interim Government after only two weeks in office for saying that Rhodesia’s judiciary and police must be restructured to admit more blacks has accused the white leader, Mr lan Smith, of “trying to cheat us, to take us for a ride, and to cheat the whole world."

As the Minister, Mr Byron Hove, left from South Africa to return to his former home in England, the party to which he belonged, Bishop Abel Muzorewa’s United African National Council, called a meeting at which informed sources said that it would consider the whole question of its participation in the Government. Speaking to reporters at

Jan Smuts Airport in Johannesburg before leaving for London, Mr Hove said that his dismissal as co‘Minister for Justice and Law and Order in the Rhodesian trans i t i o n a 1 Government confirmed black suspicions that Mr Smith would use every loophole in the socalled internal settlement to perpetuate white-minority domination in all fields. Blacks would be given only “the shadow of power,” he said.

“Many of us were sceptical of the agreement but we thought -let’s give it a chance’,” Mr Hove said. “We thought that with good will on both sides, we could reach a true form of majority rule. “But Mr Smith has no good will. What he wants are puppets . . .” Mr Hove said that Rhodesian blacks had been looking for evidence that the March 3 agreement was leading towards majority rule, but now they had evidence to the contrary. “Far from adjusting towards majority rule, Smith and his machinery, Smith and his machinto take us for a ride, and to cheat the whole world.” He said that Mr Smith envisaged a situation where the civil service, the police, the Judiciary, the Army and all State apparatus remained

in the hands of the white ■ minority. Mr Hove said that in his statements that led to his dismissal, he had not been calling for drastic change. “I was calling for a progressive and realistic implementation •of the agreement that would demonstrate to our people that we are going to reach genuine majority rule.” He said that on April 19 — at the height of the row — he had received a letter from the Rhodesian police chief, Peter Allum, telling him that Mr Smith had ordered senior police officers to cease all contact with Mr Hove, despite his portfolio. Bishop Mozorewa has said was not present at a meeting of the four-man Executive Council which decided to sack Mr Hove. But this has been denied by two other nationalists on the council, Chief Jeremiah Chirau and the Rev. Ndabaningi Sithole. The argument about whether the Bishop did or did not agree to the dismissal of Mr Hove is vital since under the March 3 Salisbury agreement setting up the interim Government, the Executive Council must reach its decisions by consensus, with all its members in accord.

The bishop has said he did not know about the meeting and its decision shocked him.

But Chief Chirau, this month’s council rhairman, said in an official statement that all four members of the council had been present at all its meetings.

And Mr Sithole told reporters: “It was a unanimous decision by all members of the council.” The only council member who has so far not commented publicly on the issue is Mr Smith.

The four council members were the signatories to the Salisbury agreement, under which the interim Govern ment is due. to make way for black-majority rule by December 31.

Criticism of Mr Hove was led by Mr Hilary Squires, his white co-Minister. In the interim Government, the nine black and nine white Ministers • each share the same portfolios. After the criticism, Mr Hove was reprimanded by the Executive Council and ordered to withdraw his statements.

According to Chief Chirau’s offiiial announcement on Friday, he three times refused to’ do this and was dismissed. Mr Hove, a. barrister who practised in London before he returned to Rhodesia to loin the interim Government, left at the week-end for Britain, to resume his practice.