Eight Killed in S. African Homelands : Casualties Include 3 Police Officers, Home Affairs Minister

Unidentified attackers killed seven people at a black homeland’s main police station, and the home affairs minister of another homeland was killed when explosives demolished his car, authorities said today.

Police in Transkei said three police officers were among those killed in the attack late Tuesday on the central police station in Umtata, the homeland’s capital. Authorities originally reported a death toll of nine, including five officers, but Police Commissioner Gen. R. S. Mantanga gave revised figures at a later news conference.

He said the attackers used hand grenades and Soviet-made AK-47 assault rifles.

Umtata residents said they heard an explosion followed by machinegun fire near the station. A Fire Department employee said the fire brigade was called to the station, but he refused to elaborate.

Killer’s Identity Unknown

The South African Bureau for Information said Peit Ntuli, home affairs minister of the KwaNdebele homeland northeast of Pretoria, was killed Tuesday night when the car he was driving exploded.

The bureau said authorities did not know who was responsible or what kind of explosives were used. Ntuli was the only person in the car.

Transkei is one of four homelands designated by South Africa as independent. No other countries recognize them.

KwaNdebele is scheduled to obtain independence in December, but the plan is bitterly opposed by those who contend that the homeland system is used by South Africa’s government to strengthen its power.

Sharp Currency Drop

In other developments today:

--South Africa’s currency dropped sharply after President Pieter W. Botha’s rejection of a peace initiative by British Foreign Secretary Sir Geoffrey Howe.

Currency analysts said Botha’s response was seen as a signal that broad economic sanctions would be imposed against South Africa.

--Another of South Africa’s regional supreme courts invalidated curfews and bans on public meetings imposed by police officials, saying police exceeded their authority under the state of emergency.

--South Africa’s largest daily newspaper, the Star, published a list of 3,402 people it said were detained or missing--the first such list of names published since the state of emergency was imposed.

The list was compiled by the Detainees Parents Support Committee, an anti-apartheid group. Private monitoring groups have estimated that up to 10,000 people have been held for varying periods.