South Africa Commander Sir Stephen King-Hall Torrid Zones J. Raphael,
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Unnatural Childbirth . District Midwife
The BBC's Yugoslav Service Frederick Clifford-Vaughan Patron or Dictator? Charles Wilson, John Tusa El Dorado Isaac Chocron Subsidised Parking? Nigel Seymer Vintage Port D. W. Barron Idle Articles Help Refugees Joseph Mitty SOUTH AFRICA SIR,—In an article entitled 'Wind of Change' pub- lished in this journal on March 11 it was stated that the immediate possibilities in the Union included 'sporadic riots and large-scale defiance of the Government.' Events in Africa are moving at such a pace that these words, written in Johannesburg at the beginning of March, were tragically exempli- fied as they were being printed.
During the past month the Africans have made a desperate attempt to defy the Government which has reacted violently, and the Union is virtually Police .State. The Nationalists have passed to the offensive and are teaching the Africans a bloody lesson. With all- their responsible leaders under arrest, the bulk of the Africans are now being martyred between in- timidation by extremists of their own race and intimidation by the forces of law and order'—`law' being now what the authorities choose to say it is. The authorities will prevail, not only because they have overwhelming force, but because if the Africans do not work they will starve. It will be Round I to Verwoerd. This will leave the problem unsolved whilst, in a deceptive calm, the situation cooks up for Round IL As the darkness deepens over the Union one is tempted to feel there is no prospect other than that of a long and bloody struggle in which, sooner or later, the Bantu will prevail. To accept this is to em- brace despair and there could be an alternative. What is it and how is it to be implemented?
If in the relative and sullen calm which may now occur the following developments were to take place, good might emerge from evil : (a) The raising of African wages by 20 per cent.
(b) The establishment of a new government com- posed of Steytler and Lawrence (Progressive), de Villiers Graaff and a couple of other UP members, ex-chief justice Fagan and Mr. Basson (dissident Nationalist) and perhaps Mr. Molteno, QC. It is conceivable that Dr. Donges might come into this broad-based cabinet as well as Mr. Mitchell (Natal Right-wing UP).
(c) The release of African leaders and the crea- tion of an African consultative council to in- clude Chief Luthuli, Dr. Matthews and Mr. Sobukwe.
(d) The creation of a European economic con- sultative council headed by Mr. Harry Oppenheimer and containing Afrikaner busi- nessmen such as Mr. Rupert.
(e) Restoration of the franchise to the Coloured , people. U) An announcement by the new government that, with the assistance of the two councils, pre- parations would be made for a National Convention to draw up a new constitution to come into force in 1961 laying the foundation for a multi-racial State.
How, then, is this programme, or something like it, to become praetical politics? It can only begin to emerge if a substantial number of Europeans realise that the only hope for the future of their country is the overthrow of Dr. Verwoerd and his fanatical followers.
In present conditions in South Africa this means that non-Africans must turn to passive resistance; the alternative of violent revolution and assassination is morally indefensible and politically unnecessary. There are dozens of ways in which those who realise that Verwoerdism is synonymous with disaster can bring irresistible pressure to bear on the Government, if they have the courage to organise themselves and act. For instance, I doubt whether the Government would detain the whole of the membership of the Rand Club if these gentlemen defied the regulations and organised a mass meeting of protest against the government policy.—Yours faithfully, STEPHEN KING-HALL
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