Judge reveals secret S.A. role in propaganda drive

Press, 26 June 1978, Page 9

Judge reveals secret S.A. role in propaganda drive

NZPA Johannesburg The South African Government used its Department ;of Information to control an operation abroad to sell! apartheid propaganda to Western countries through “the world's most respected 1 ; newspapers” the “Randi Daily Mail” has reported. In a front-page report j ' from its two correspondents i ■ jin London the “Rand Daily Mail” described how a. Right-wing British barrister,, Judge Gerald Sparrow, spent j (more than $450,000 to place, advertisements in leading; papers in Western Europe,, the United States, and Aus-' j tralasia under the name of; I the “Club of Ten.” “The South African Gov-1 jernment and Judge Sparrow J constantly denied that they.

; were involved,” the “Mail' said. These revelations come < after the disbandment in reijcent weeks of South Africa's Pinformation Department, and 1 the resignations of its secreI tary, Eschel Rhoodie, after ’ press allegations of corrupII tion and misuse of funds. The “Mail” quoted the ‘barrister as saying details of 1 1 the scheme to place news- ■ 1 paper adverts were sold to 1 (him by Dr Rhoodie after a i meeting he had in South ‘Africa with the Minister of j Information and Plural ‘(black) Affairs (Dr Connie i Mulder). ! The “Mail” quoted Mr I Sparrow as saying that the (South African Prime Minisi ter (Mr John Vorster) was | also involved in the affair: ■ “All lines led ultimately to

the Prime Minister’s office l and he was completely ini’ formed of <ll activities at - home and abroad.” s Mr Sparrow said that iievery penny he spent] - reached him through the r. Information Department, and - that the Club of Ten was thought to be financially I e, backed by a group of fj wealthy South African busi-i -. nessmen, the “Mail” report-1 ) ed. He named a South African i j fertiliser millionaire. Louis ( fiLuyt, Werner Ackerman, Jan I (Pickard, and a millionaire of, ; (Greek descent living ini South Africa and who was: r “part, of the inner circle of’ ? power there,” Lampas - Nichas, as the people who ; were members of the club.; : The club was, in fact, fin- i > anced entirely by the Infor-

‘mation Department, he said. The Judge said he had) been involved with thei information Department I from 1973 to 1975, a.nd that] Ihe welcomed this chance to, j “put matters straight” in re- i llvealing details to the “Mail.” > ,He said that every time he ‘needed more money which‘ ' was kept in an account at ■1 Coutt’s Bank, a So.uthi African Embassy Informa-! . tion Department official, j Vlok Delpoort, would “have I lit topped up.” I “Because of the strange: .position 1 was in, and the: :secrecy, I had a completely; ■ free hand —- carte blanche) 1 — to do as I liked. 1 was l .accountable to no-one. Even) the South African Ambassador was kept in the dark,'” (fudge Sparrow told the; “Rand Daily Mail.”