Crowd Boos Tutu When He Explains Talks

Bishop Desmond Tutu was booed today when he appeared before a crowd of 30,000 blacks to report on abortive talks he held with the South African government over their grievances, witnesses said.

The Nobel laureate made the appearance in Johannesburg’s Alexandra township, which has been racked by protest violence in which at least 19 people died in the last week.

He told the crowd the results of urgent talks which he and other church leaders held in Cape Town Thursday with Deputy Law and Order Minister Adriaan Vlok, to discuss residents’ grievances over the handling of the riots in the township.

Tutu said Vlok had told him those arrested in the riots would be freed only when police investigations were complete.

‘We Want Them Now’

At that point, some in the crowd began to boo the black Anglican bishop, chanting, “When? When? We want them now,” the witnesses said.

Many began to leave the dusty township’s stadium while Tutu was still speaking. One resident told reporters: “The attitude of the authorities destabilizes the situation completely. (Tutu’s) meeting with the authorities was totally unsuccessful.”

On Wednesday, Tutu had calmed a huge crowd at the stadium by promising that he would negotiate with the authorities over their grievances--including the residents’ demand for the immediate release of those arrested.

Today he told them, “All (the government) said was that they would look into your demands.”

The witnesses said the crowd, which had arrived singing freedom songs, left the stadium grumbling. But there was no violence, as police kept a low profile around the township which borders affluent white suburbs.