GM Will Ban Sale of Police, Military Vehicles to S. Africa

General Motors Corp. Chairman Roger B. Smith announced today that the auto maker has held discussions with the South African government that will lead to a ban on GM vehicle sales to that nation’s police and military.

Smith’s announcement at GM’s annual stockholder meeting broke with a decade-long corporate stance against minority shareholders’ calls for such action.

GM long has maintained that it could not sell vehicles to the South African government selectively. But Smith revealed today that GM has been negotiating with the Pretoria government to sell to non-military sectors, such as the Department of Heath and tax collectors, while dropping sales to police and military.