Jesse Jackson Calls S. Africa Visa Restrictive

The Rev. Jesse Jackson said today that he was given permission to attend Sunday’s inauguration of Desmond Tutu as Anglican archbishop of South Africa, but only under unacceptably severe restrictions.

Unless he is given more flexibility, Jackson said, such a visit “would not be a good use of time.”

Jackson said he had received an invitation from Tutu but has been advised by the State Department that the white minority government is willing to give him only a “restricted-restricted visa” that would limit him to attending the ceremony.

He said he has been offered a visa that would allow him to fly in Saturday, attend Tutu’s inauguration and depart Monday morning, while Pretoria is offering others five-day visas.

Jackson said he would not be allowed to visit churches, speak out publicly, attend anti-government demonstrations or visit black activist Winnie Mandela.

‘No Guarantees’

“They offer us no guarantees of security,” he added.

Jackson said he will meet Thursday with South African Ambassador Herbert Beukes “to see what flexibility” can be worked out and will then decide whether to make the trip.

Manus Leroux, an embassy spokesman, said he was not aware that Jackson had been offered a visa. “If a visa is granted to Mr. Jackson, it would be on the same understanding as the other people that are going,” he said.

Tutu, the Nobel Peace Prize winner who has been Anglican bishop of Johannesburg since 1984, is taking over as archbishop of Cape Town, thus becoming the first black titular head of the 2.6-million-member Anglican Church in South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho, Mozambique and Swaziland.