Afrikaaners studied in B.B.C. series

Press, 26 January 1979, Page 11

Afrikaaners studied in B.B.C. series

Television and Radio -

PA London A major 8.8. C. television series analysing the Afrikaners and the effects of their minority rule on the non-white population of South Africa is to be .offered for sale to New Zealand later this year.

The series “The White Tribe of Africa,” presented by David Dimbleby, has won high praise in Britain for the manner in which the subject of apartheid has been handled.

The programmes are still running in Britain and will be offered to New Zealand once they have finished screening there, said a spokesman for the 8.8. C. She said she thought it “most likely” that New Zealand would buy the series.

The first programme dealt with the history of the. original settlement of Southern Africa by the Boers; the second with the development of the Broederbond, the Afrikaners’ secret society which influences so much of their daily lives.

The third programme examined the history of the apartheid system, the

reasons offered by the Government for its introduction and its effects on the black majority population today as seen by politicians and white and black people from various backgrounds. , Dimbleby concluded that South Africa today was really two countries with two populations, one arrogantly assured that its policies were the best for all, the other resigned to acceptance tinged with resentment and bitterness. A black doctor summed up the situation when he said he felt he had more in common with a black labourer than any of his white colleagues, wh,o took for granted facilities which were denied to him.

Dimbleby and the producer, David Harrison, spent more than a year in South Africa filming the four hour-long programmes. They said they were not physically obstructed but were not noticeably helped, many people refusing to speak to them. But the series does include interviews with Botha. Vorster, Mulder and Koomhof.