30 S. Africans Slain in Bloody Tribal Clashes

At least 30 tribesmen were killed and many more injured in bloody tribal clashes in the remote Umbumbulu Hills south of Durban early today, police said.

About 500 Pondo warriors attacked the home and liquor store of a Kwazulu political leader but were driven off by a regiment of about 1,000 Zulu warriors carrying spears and chanting battle cries.

The tribesmen hurled their weapons at police trying to stop the fighting but were driven off with tear gas. About 400 Pondos were arrested, witnesses said.

Police continued to find bodies as they moved through the area, reporting 30 victims recovered by late afternoon.

Many Fleeing Area

Witnesses said thousands of tribesmen were fleeing the area. Many women carried their children and belongings to safety.

Unemployment brought thousands of Pondo tribesmen and their families to the Umbumbulu region in recent years. Sociologists say a combination of scarce jobs and living space and longstanding tribal enmity sparked the violence.

In another development, security police detained three executive members of the United Democratic Front, the most powerful multiracial group working against the government’s apartheid system of institutionalized racial segregation.

UDF Vice President Samson Ndou said one of those detained was Murphy Morobe, a spokesman for the organization. No reasons for the detentions were given.