Botha presses for changes

Press, 6 September 1980, Page 8

Botha presses for changes

NZPA-Reuter Johannesburg The South African Prime Minister (Mr Pieter Botha), his calls for some social change boosted by a by-elec-tion victory in Simonstown, yesterday pressed on with a drive to win full backing for his policies from the ruling National Party. “I will talk to black leaders and I will not make excuses,” he told the National Party- congress in the’' Orange Free State capital of Bloemfontein. “This is the task of a Prime Minister and I will go ahead despite criticism because South Africa must be kept secure for all its peoples.” The Prime Minister has faced- fierce opposition;from) Right-wing members of the] N.P. since he first' mooted social change as essential;;to| South Africa’s future over a year ago. ' - - ■ I ■Mr Botha’s promises .of,: racial reform were a keyissue in the Simonstown byelection, won on Thursday! by the National Party for) the first time in- modern political history. The South African Government announced yesterday that schools for blacks in three cities of Cape Province had been closed after several weeks of class boycotts by the pupils. The Education Department

sent circulars to parents In Cape Town, Grahamstown, and Port Elizabeth, saying that they should bring their children to reregister . today, and that schools where pupils did so would reopen on Monday. Schools where pupils did not reregister would be closed until the end of the year, the circular said.

The- latest round of school strikes in .South. Africa began in April inschools for Coloured (mixed-race) people around Cape Town, and spread to cities across the country , and to Indian * and black students.

Many of the boycotting pupils have since returned ito class; however. I I In Pretoria, the police said lyesterday that one pupil | died and were injured ini rioting which broke out I after an inter-schools soccer ,match between two black teams on Wednesday. A bus company spokesIman said that four buses; !worth about $230,000 were burned out when supporters went on the rampage at the end of a match at' the Mamelodi. township. An eye-witness said that stones, knives,, axes, , and other weapons were.. used during a pitched battle -between supporters of the opposing teams. .