Sunday Times 50 year flashback: Poto sets trap for Matanzima on apartheid

Umtata, Saturday. The opposition Democratic Party in the Transkei Legislative Assembly will introduce a motion during the present session of the Assembly, calling for the immediate repeal of Proclamation 400 of 1960 (The Transkei's " Emergency proclamation").

The effect of this and other motions will be to force the Transkei National Independence Party, led by Chief Kaiser Matanzima, Chief Minister, openly to defend the Government's apartheid policies and its police measures.

Under proclamation 400, a person can be detained in the Transkei and held in custody by the police until he has satisfactorily answered questions put to him.

Paramount Chief Victor Poto's Democratic Party is also demanding the immediate abolition of the Bantu education system in the Transkei. Defence of Bantu education which is an unpopular system in the Transkei could gravely embarrass Chief Mantanzima.

Mr. Knowledge Guzana, chairman of the Democratic Party's action committee, said this week that the R4m allocated for the development of Bantu education in the Transkei was "a mere drop in the ocean." This should be increased "many times," he said.

Appeal

"If the South African Government does not have the money to give us, then let them say so. We can make an appeal to the Western world. I believe the West is ready, even now, to put millions into the Transkei for the education, not only of our children, but also the parents.

"They must be able to read and write English and understand what is happening in the outside world."

This is another issue on which Chief Matanzima could be embarrassed. He has set his face against accepting outside aid.

The Government is also antagonistic to foreign financial aid being given to the Transkei. It fears that once aid is granted, an attempt would be made to influence policies.

Competition

The voting in the Transkei Legislative Assembly this week showed that in the five months which have elapsed since the assembly last met, there has been intensive competition between the ruling Transkei National Independence Party and the Opposition Democratic Party. Each party has tried to consolidate Its position at the expense of the other.

The upshot of this recruitment of each other's supporters is that Chief Matanzima appears to command the support of about 63 members in the 109- member assembly.

This leaves the Democratic Party with about 46 members. Most of the Democratic Party's supporters are elected members and most of Chief Matanzima's supporters are hereditary chiefs.

Chief Matanzima scored a victory over Paramount Chief Poto this week when the assembly voted the pro-Poto chairman of, the Legislative Assembly, Mr. N. J. Busakwe, out of office.

Transkei politics are how settling Into a mould. Chlei Matanzima with a workable majority in the Assembly is being placed in a position where he has to defend apartheid" policies while Paramount Chief Poto is emerging as the protagonist of a forward-looking party which wants to see the Transkei developed, even with foreign aid if necessary.

This story first appeared in the Sunday Times newspaper on May 10, 1964.