S.A. newspaper calls for ‘peace’

Press, 19 August 1981, Page 10

S.A. newspaper calls for ‘peace’

NZPA-Reuter Johannesburg

The usually pro-govern-ment • Johannesburg daily newspaper, the “Citizen” has appealed to New Zealand demonstrators to let the South ' African Springbok tourists play the rest of their' games in peace. An - editorial said: “We hope Mr Robert Muldoon, the New Zealand Prime Minister, will continue his policy of non-interference in sport in general and the tour in particular. “We also hope that the police, after their success in handling the protesters on Saturday, will have greater confidence in being able to deal with future demonstrations.

“We still wish, we could get through to the demonstrators the fact that our ’Boks do not deserve to be treated like pariahs, that they are sports-

men like any other sportsmen whose countries may have policies that are not universally accepted, but for which they are not responsible, and that our country’s sports colour bar is collapsing so fast that soon there will not be any statutory restrictions whatever on sportsmen: . “The demonstration leaders have no right to use sport as a weapon to achieve what they call a ‘normal society’ in South Africa — as if Commonwealth lands are ‘normal’ and South Africa is not.” '

As a postscript the “Citizen” said: “To our 'Boks we say:

"Sorry you lost, chaps, it was not your day. But what we are even sorrier about is your involvement in that nasty punch-up. Cool it. kerels (boys).”