Mulder incompetent, negligent, says judge

Press, 7 December 1978, Page 8

Mulder incompetent, negligent, says judge

INZPA-Reuter Cape Towi ‘ South Africa’s ruling Nat ional Party will meet it caucus today to hear its leaders’ views on a judicia probe into a scandal ovei misuse of Government funds earmarked for the country’s propaganda war. ■ A report, published late on Tuesday night, branded t former Cabinet Minister Connie Mulder, the man al the centre of the storm, as incompetent and negligent. And it recommended tha; the activities of two formei senior civil servants, Dr Eschel Rhoodie and his brother, Denys, be examined tc consider possible criminal proceedings. But it cleared Presidenl John Vorster and his successor as Prime Minister (Mr Pieter Botha) of any in-

iivolvement in misuse of | funds. It said that they ■ emerged from the affair uni blemished. Dr Rhoodie was secretary; ’ of the Government’s nowI defunct Information Depart- ■ ment and Denys Rhoodie ; was his deputy. Dr Mulder ; was the Minister in Charge. I The report accused Eschelj :IRhoodie of irregularities that! II "point to theft, as well as , [complicity in theft and ‘fraud.” ;| In a specially-summoned |session. Parliament will con:I sider the report tomorrow. | Dr Mulder lost the Infor(mation Department portfolio earlier this year when the ■ i Ministry was disbanded | amid a welter of accusa- | lions. Last month he also ‘quit as Minister of Plural I (black) Relations and relinquished the powerful politi'cal post of leader of the

’(National Party in Transvaal ' ‘ Province. •i The question of his politiIcal come-back — he was I once considered heir-appar- • ent to Mr Vorster for the • Prime Ministership — largei ly depended on the outcome I of the just-released report . by a commission headed by llJudge Rudolf Erasmus. : i Dr Mulder said after he ;‘had seen the report that alII though the commission might question his judgment, I he did not think it implicated his good faith and) integrity. However, he said he ; would not attend today’s caucus meeting in the inter- ‘ ests of party harmony and • also would not go to tomorrow’s special Parliamentary session. The Erasmus Commission said Dr Mulder was negligent in giving Dr Rhoodie

1 virtually unlimited control over the department’s funds. • This put the responsibility s for misappropriations by Dr ■ Rhoodie squarely on the for- : mer Minister’s shoulders, it said. ! The key episode in-* : vestigated by the commis- ' sion was an Information Department plan to set up a i pro-Government newspaper. ■ the “Citizen,” in 1976 to i counter the liberalism of the , I English-language press in I South Africa. I This scheme — codenamed (“Project Annemarie” — had ;so far cost the country ; almost 32M rand (SNZ3SM), the. commission said. But it said the only criticism of Mr Vorster — Prime Minister at the time — was that after he had been told of the Government’s involvement he did not get rid of the paper.