Botha Proposal Called ‘Crumbs of Conscience’

Archbishop Desmond Tutu today rejected as “crumbs of conscience” South African President Pieter W. Botha’s proposal for giving blacks more political clout in South Africa.

Tutu accused Botha of making “slight adjustments to the evil system” of apartheid, South Africa’s official policy of separation of the races. Tutu, an outspoken opponent of apartheid, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984.

It will not help if the white-led government merely “moved furniture around, because the room would remain the same,” Tutu said on the last day of a four-day visit to Britain.

Botha told Parliament on Thursday that he would move for black participation in the electoral college and possibly in the Cabinet as part of the National Party’s program of gradual reform.

Dismisses Policy

Tutu dismissed Botha’s policy of gradually introducing apartheid reforms.

“Reform will not come by ‘big master’ throwing to us crumbs of conscience that fall from his table,” the Anglican archbishop said. “It will happen when all the people in South Africa are able to determine the menu together when they sit at the same table.”

Tutu was speaking at a ceremony opening a primary school in this central England industrial city.

The school is named after Nelson Mandela, the jailed black activist, prompting protests from local Conservative politicians. They denounced Mandela as a terrorist and said Tutu has not been forthright in his condemnation of violence.