Two S.A. Ministers quit after row with P.M.

Press, 4 March 1982, Page 8

Two S.A. Ministers quit after row with P.M.

NZPA-Reuter, Cape Town Two dissident Cabinet Ministers resigned yesterday in what was widely seen as the prelpde ‘ to a split in South Africa’s hitherto monolithic ruling National Party. The party’s parliamentary caucus will meet today to decide the fate of 22 rebel members of Parliament led by the State Administration Minister, Andries Treurnicht, who last week refused to back the Prime Minister (Mr Pieter Botha) in a confidence vote. Dr Treurnicht and the Minister for (black) Education, Ferdie Hartzenberg, tendered their resignations to Mr Botha only hours before a deadline set by Mr Botha

for the rebels to back him or face discplinary action — a euphemism for expulsion from the party which has ruled South Africa for-over 30 years. Political observers have speculated that Dr Treurnicht, who was suspended from his post as Transvaal National Party leader at a special meeting last weekend, will form a new party and take as many as 17 other parliamentarians with him. Asked by journalists yesterday if the resignations indicated that .Dr Treurnicht was leaving the party, Mr Botha replied: “I must assume this.” Dr Treurnicht told a newspaper on Monday that he

was finished with the National Party. The weekly meeting of the party parliamentary caucus is expected to aet quickly against those who will still refuse to back Mr Botha and his controversial policy of .“power sharing." Power sharing in National Party terminology means the eventual granting of political rights to Coloureds (people of mixed race) and Indians, but not to the republic’s black majority. Dr Treurnicht, the leader of the party’s verkrampte (hard-line) wing, has previously clashed with Mr Botha over the Prime Minister’s plans to introduce reforms to dilute apartheid, but he has

always backed down in the interest of National Party unity. National Party sources said Dr Treurnicht bad no alternative but to resign after voting against the Prime Minister last week and continuing the challenge through the week-end by attempting to mobilise the Transvaal party against Mr Botha. Any new political party led by Dr Treurnicht would pose little threat to Mr Botha’s party, which has an overwhelming majority in parliament. But a new Right-wing party could attract voters opposed to Mr Botha’s policies of power sharing.