Hart advertisment

Press, 21 April 1984, Page 18

Hart advertisment

Sir,—As a contributing signatory to Hart’s pro-black anti-racist rugby tour advertisement, I can assure Bert Walker that I am neither naive nor a tool of politicians, Marxist or otherwise. My sponsorship of the petition springs from a sincere desire to see South Africa’s blacks achieve at least the same political and social rights enjoyed by New Zealanders. Further, I have a heartfelt wish to be dissociated from those of my countrymen who place our right to play rugby ahead of concern for such matters as black South African infant mortality rates which at 282 to 1000 in the rural areas are among the world’s highest. Since these infant deaths are attributable

mainly to malnutrition, they make a rathermacabre joke of Bert Walker’s claim about South Africa feeding her own plus 150 million north of the border. — Yours, etc., JOHN SUMMERS, Southbridge. April 17, 1984. Sir, — A further gross distortion, intended or otherwise, in Hart’s anti All Black tour of South Africa advertisement is in connection with ownership of land. The factual position is that urban dwellers are being granted 99-year leases of land, and last year 500,000 homes were sold to blacks at 40 per cent discount. A Small Business Corporation is giving wonderful opportunities to blacks to acquire businesses of their own, and a Southern African bank, with a target assistance capacity of RlOOO million a year, is promoting black economic advancement. Hart’s claim that religious organisations support Marxist boycotts of South Africa omits to say that almost 1000 independent churches in South Africa have withdrawn from the South African Council of Churches because they believe that council is manipulating black churches for political purposes. Freedom of speech in our New Zealand democracy carries with it a responsibility to be careful with the truth. — Yours, etc., BERT WALKER. April 17, 1984.