Race-Conscious Union of S. Africa Faces Important Spring Elections

A confused mixture of race hatred, sporadic riots, torchlight demonstrations, and anti-constitutionalism marks the political situation in the suddenly prosperous South African nation.

John F. Box, 1L who spent last year at the University of Capetown studying South African polities for his thesis, looks to the next five years, and especially to next spring's elections, as a period of determinant crisis.

"The natives are angrily pressing for equal voting rights." Bok said. The constitution stipulates that any change in voting rights and procedures must be sanctioned by a two thirds vote of Parliament. In 1936 such a law took away the right of eight and a half million native Bantus to a place on the regular roll. At present they are permitted to vote separately for three white representatives.

Unconstitutional Law

In 1950 Premier Malan's Nationalist dominated Parliament passed an act which would similarly reduce the right of one million coloreds from equal suffrage in Cape province, where they are bunched, to apearate voting for a small number of representative. There was no two thirds majority. An immediate howl of protest was bolstered by a supreme Court ruling that the act was unconstitutional.

Malan countered, claiming that the court was inferior to Parliament and was misusing its power. He next attempted to set up a superior High court of parliament. This, too, was called unconstitutional.

"Malan plans to bring the issue before the voters in the spring elections," Bok declared. "My guess is that he will win."

Out of this conflict sprung a band of militant Torch Commandos led by Sailor Malan, a distant relation to the Premier. Their motto: Save the constitution. "They are working in close union with the anti-administration United party." Box said, "focusing attention on this issue with night time demonstrations."

Malan Wants Separation

Bok paid that a storm is brewing over native policy. Bantu leaders demand equal rights. The United party seeks to foster friendly relations by giving suffrage to the educated natives. "Malan wants to tighten segregation in the cities now," declared Bok, "and wants later to transplant those Bantus, who currently live in the cities to separate, economically self-sufficient reserves."

Box said that many whites, who number about two and one half million in all, fear retaliatory cruelty if the natives gain substantial power. Be pointed to recent anti-white riots in which raging natives savagely turned on nuns and other white people who had been friendly to them.

"In the last 20 years there has been an industrial revolution. The national income is up five times since 1938. Society has been turned inside out. There is much surplus energy; much surplus wealth." Bok concluded: "In the next five years the explosive growth should level off. The next election is the crisis.