8 Die as Strike Turns Violent in South Africa

Widespread violence and eight deaths were reported today, the second day of a nationwide general strike that organizers claimed involved 2.5 million people.

Employers and transport companies said that support for the strike had dwindled and that more workers were on the job in many areas.

In Durban, however, the Federated Chamber of Industries said the strike had intensified around the nation’s third-largest city.

Proposed Union Curbs

Black labor unions and anti-apartheid groups called the three-day protest, which the government says is illegal, to oppose the 2-year-old state of emergency and proposed legislation to restrict the rights of unions to strike.

The Congress of South African Trade Unions, the largest black labor federation, said at least 2.5 million people were staying away from jobs and schools. It called the strike the most significant to date.

The congress’ general secretary, Jay Naidoo, denied government claims that the protest was being sustained by intimidation.

He told reporters that the strike was “a reflection of the wide-scale resentment and anger” about orders issued in February that barred his organization and other anti-apartheid groups from political activity.

President P. W. Botha’s government imposed the state of emergency on June 12, 1986, to combat a black uprising against apartheid, the policy of race discrimination that preserves privilege for South Africa’s 5 million whites and denies the 26 million blacks a voice in national affairs.

‘Overwhelming Support’

In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Phyllis Oakley said: “The strike appears to enjoy the overwhelming support of the disenfranchised majority in South Africa and has so far been peaceful.

“We hope all parties will continue to avoid violence. The strike underscores the urgent need for negotiations among South Africans to replace apartheid with a democratic constitutional order.”

But authorities reported more than two dozen incidents of violence Monday night and early today, including fire-bombings and stonings of homes, buses and trains. Twenty-one arrests and 23 injuries were reported.

Officers shot to death a young black when a municipal police unit was stoned, according to police spokesmen. They said seven other blacks, including three children, were killed in shootings, a hand grenade attack and a fire-bombing.