Mandela jailing himself, says S.A. Minister

Press, 12 August 1985, Page 6

Mandela jailing himself, says S.A. Minister

NZPA-Reuter Johannesburg The South African Foreign Minister, Mr Roelof Botha, back from emergency talks in Europe with Western officials, said yesterday that the black leader, Nelson Mandela, was jailing himself.

“There is no dearth of trying by the South African Government to release Mandela. He is jailing himself at present,” Mr Botha said at Johannesburg airport. Mr Mandela, imprisoned for more than 20 years for trying to topple South Africa’s white minority regime, has turned down an offer of freedom if he renounced violence.

Mr Botha, describing his two days of talks with United States, British, and West German officials in Vienna and Frankfurt as “very useful,” said that he had discussed Mr Mandela’s release with them.

■ “But I certainly did not inform them he would be released.” In Vienna Mr Botha had surprise talks with the United States National Security Adviser, Mr Robert McFarlane, and an Assistant Secretary of State, Chester Crocker. He also met senior British and West German diplomats. Mr Botha refused to give details of his European talks, which he initiated. In Washington a White House spokesman, Larry Speakes, said that Mr Botha had briefed the Americans on plans under consideration to end a flare-up of racial violence across South Africa by introducing changes to apartheid. Western diplomatic sources in Washington said that they expected some concessions to be announced this week.

Western diplomats in Bonn said that Mr Botha’s trip had made it clear Pretoria was seriously worried that the latest bloodshed and its state of emergency measures could lead to a breach with the United States, Britain, and West Germany. The three are South Africa’s foremost trading partners and have resisted moves to clamp economic sanctions on the country. But all three have angrily condemned the state of emergency measures, and daily television news film of South African police moving into action against black rioters has built up domestic pressure for action against Pretoria. One diplomat said that South Africa now appeared to fear complete political isolation and that Mr Botha’s trip had indicated it was ready to make at least some concessions domestically to prevent it.

Mr Botha was given a taste of the intensifying disapproval of his Government when he flew into Frankfurst from Vienna and had to carry his own luggage because no Bonn Government officials were present to greet him. Despite a new outbreak of rioting near Durban, Mr Botha played down the racial unrest in remarks to reporters and said that it was. false to describe South Africa as “country in flames.”

He said that the state of emergency affected only 36 out of 265 districts and would be lifted as soon as they were under control.

South African newspapers reported at the week-end that the President, Mr Pieter Botha, planned to announce on Thursday extensive reforms to give increased powers to blacks.

Mr Botha will address the Durban regional congress of the governing National Party. At least 20 Cabinet members are expected to attend.

The reforms would give blacks more power in government, grant South African citizenship to blacks in the so-called homelands, allow greater freedom of movement of blacks throughout the country, and increase social expenditures.

Two newspapers, “The Star” and “The Citizen,” said that Mr Botha may invite blacks into the Executive branch, perhaps the Cabinet, to represent the interests of urban blacks. “The Citizen,” which is pro-Government, said that Botha may prefer to bring blacks into the President’s Council, which advises him on arbitrations concerning the three Parliamentary chambers (for whites, Asians and Coloureds.) Virtully all newspapers agreed that Mr Botha was likely to liberalise the pass laws that force blacks to carry documents proving they have the right to be in urban aras, or indeed wherever they happen to be at the time of a police check. Some of the reforms said to be under consideration have been discussed before, such as the granting of South African citizenship to the 17 million blacks — out of 27 million — who are denied it. “The Star” said that the reforms “are concessions not to be dismissed lightly. But it is certainly to be hoped they don’t represent the sum total of the Government’s political plans for urban blacks.

“More far-reaching steps will be needed to arrest the gathering crisis,” the newspaper said.