Rhodesian ex-Minister set to ‘take chicken run'

Press, 30 December 1978, Page 8

Rhodesian ex-Minister set to ‘take chicken run'

NZPA-Reuter Salisbury i The Rhodesian Prime Minister (Mr tan Smith) hast said he advised the Internal Affairs Minister (Mr Rollo Hayman) to resign after learning that he was preparing to join the growing white exodus from Rhodesia. Mr Hayman resigned from the bi-racial transitional Government this week, stating that the countrj' would: be safer under British con-' trol. He made no mention of any plans to quit Rhodesia. In a statement Mr Smith: said, “It was drawn to my at-’ . tention that Mr Hayman was making plans to emigrate from Rhodesia, and I therefore informed him that it would be right and proper j for him to resign from his 1 I Ministerial post.” Mr Smith said he believed | some people adopted an “unibalanced and defeatist” attitude once they had made the. ' decision to leave the coun-

try, a practice known in Rhodesia as “taking the . chicken run" or “taking the gap. j The Prime Minister’s! statement came shortly after the release of official figures showing that a record 2057/ whites left Rhodesia last[< month. 11 Only 223 whites arrived in j the country during Novem-] ber, to give a net outflow of' 1834. And the flow is quickening. Each month since/ September has seen a record ! loss for the beleagured white ■community. The outflow from the estimated 250,000 white population is now! well over 10,000 since the [beginning of the year. Mr Hayman told reporters he had made no firm arI rangements to leave the! [country and had not applied for emigrant status. He accused Mr Smith of launching ■- personal attack |

to divert attention from hisi argument that the transitional Government was leading the country to disaster. The Deputy Prime Minister (Mr David Smith) issued a statement saying he was: ; confident that Mr Hayman [did not reflect a mood of | defeatism among Rhodesians. ! The Deputy Prime Minis- [ ter attacked Mr Hayman’s ' suggestion that Britain ! should supervise the transition to black rule to avoid a [collapse into disorder. “My personal knowledge; of the attitude of the present British Government' leaves me in no doubt that! for us to call in a British administrator and hand over [sovereign power to him] would deprive us of any control over our own affairs in the future,” he said. i “The record of the British ; Government in appeasing; the Patriotic Front shows! clearly what we could expect from such a surrender."