S.A. Govt fears liberal split

Press, 3 February 1987, Page 6

S.A. Govt fears liberal split

NZPA-Reuter Johannesburg South Africa’s governing National Party, rocked by a revolt within its ranks ahead of a whites-only General Election, is ready to purge dissidents seeking faster reform of apartheid, newspapers say.

The “Sunday Star” newspaper said that the National Party had begun a “witch-hunt” to root out liberal-leaning dissidents before the May election.

Some National politicians suspected their telephones might be bugged to check out their true views, it said. The party, expecting its main electoral challenge to cqjjne from extreme

Right-wingers, has been shaken by a revolt within the “verligte” or enlightened wing of the party.

The dissidents, known as “New Nats,” are upset at the Government’s swing to the Right and its failure to come up with moves to grant political rights to the disfranchised black majority.

The Government has cracked down hard on dissent, declaring a national state of emergency, and has spurned foreign initiatives to negotiate an end to racial conflict

Three senior figures are at the centre of the revolt and political analysts believe more may be waiting in the wings. -j The crack apjpared

when a respected party member, Wynand Malan, quit to stand as an Independent in protest against the slowing of reform. Last week, South Africa’s Ambassador to Britain, Mr Denis Worrall, announced his resignation amid speculation that he too may run against the Government.

Then a long-serving member, Albert Nothnagel, stunned National leaders by saying lasting peace could not be negotiated without involving the banned African National Congress, which is fighting a guerrilla war against white domination.

The Foreign Minister, Mi- Pik Botha, immediately repudiated Mr Nothnagel’s views and indicated that he must retract

his comments or face expulsion. “If we reach an agreement, then there is no problem. Otherwise our paths will part,” Mr Botha said.

The “Sunday Star” said National leaders feared other "verligte” dissidents might be lying low until after the election, when they would break away to form a new party. This happened after the 1981 election, when Rightwingers opposed to any dilution of apartheid left to form the Conservative Party.

The "Sunday Times” reported that the rebellion had spread to Stellenbosch University, intellectual cradle of the National

Party. It/shid three influential

professors had come out in support of Mr Worrall,' including Sampie Terblanche, deputy chairman of the State-run broadcasting corporation. The party, which? holds 127 seats in the 178-mem-ber white chamber, of Parliament, also faces a threat- from the far Right Opposition tb limited apartheid reforms by President Pieter Botha is strong among Dutchdescended Afrikaners in Transvaal and Orange Free State provinces. Right-wing hopes of presenting a united front in the elections have been dented by the refusal of the Herstigte Nasionale Party to merge with the stronger Conservative Party.