The Berkeley affair
Sir: May I reply to the letters from Mr Aston and Mr Southworth which appeared In your edition of 11 August. I was not attempting to stage a coup in the Transkei as Mr Aston suggests. On the contrary, I was, at the express wish of the Prime Minister of the day, Chief Kaiser Matanzim a, negotiating for the Nigerian Government to make a loan to Transkei and to train the Transkei police and army. This 4IM was opposed by the South African Government and the consequences, which I described in my article, ensued. Mr Southworth may not realise, unless he beating experienced such events, that a severe °eating up, a bleeding head, and two and a half hours in the locked boot of a car leave one in no condition to bang or make a commotion from inside the boot. I, too, wish to question the Transkei security police Officers who were responsible for my abduction and assault. To this end, I have, on the advice of my lawyers, issued writs against the 'Icivernment of Transkei and against three ndividual members of the Transkei security assault for wrongful arrest, abduction, ,q,ssault and attempted murder. the elapse of six months and despite a wealth utevidence, has so far declined to ask for the eXtradition of the men concerned in the !tempted murder of myself on South Afri`rian soil. I have, therefore, asked Lord Car„,ilgton to ask the British Ambassador to 'ake a formal request to the South African Government, on my behalf, to allow me to a til:Ply for the extradition of these men so that coeY can face trial in the South African „„tirts, when, among other matters, they will doubt be asked to answer the question .we nich Mr Southworth has posed in the ;„1„cond half of his letter. TrPh Berkeley (,',!ee P lt ages Yard, `1118Wick, London W4
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