A South African correspondent reports:
The so-called South African Minister of Justice, Vorster, scems to be ready to go to any length in his vendetta against those who have dared oppose apartheid, On Saturday 14th of November, Vcrster, speaking at a meeting of the National Party at Klerksdorp, said that people imprisoned for political offences would serve the full terms imposed by the courts without remission for good conduct. But he went on to say that he would make an exception in the case of those who had been "led astray" by the 4 past presidents of that Netional Union of South African Students, He saids "Because of my sympathy for the prisoners" (sic) "and their parents I will, if their parents can prove that they were misled by these offspring of snakes, give them a remission of their sentences,"
This disgusting blackmail, clearly designed to put pressure on parents to get them to give evidence against former NUSAS officials, evoked a quick response from the present president of NUSAS, Mr. Madeer Osler. He described Vorster's speech as “shallow propaganda used to advance the narrow ideology of one political party" and accused the Minister of "resorting again to inaccuracies, generalisations and McCarthyist tactics." He asked whether the Afrikaanse Studentebond (the Nationalists! student wing) was held responsible for the “violent activities" of some of its former members, He saids "hen former members of the Afrikaanse Studentebond, including some who are today high officials of the National Party and the Broederbond, engaged in such activities in the past, was the Afriaaanse Studentebond responsible?" Other officials of NUSAS made similar statements. But as Rand Daily Mail, November 18, put it in an cditorials: "...we have no doubt that the vendetta against NUSAS, however unfair it may be, will continue," Ed. Notes The courage of these South African students, operating in the most difficult circumstances within the confines of the 'lesality' imposed upon them, cannot be praised too highly. We should draw inspiration from their example to pursue our campaign against British big business support for Apartheid.