Botha Vows to Stay on Job as S. Africa Leader

President Pieter W. Botha, ignoring calls from within his own ruling party to step aside for a younger chief of state, declared Sunday night that he intends to remain in office, perhaps as long as another year.

The 73-year-old president, in his first televised appearance since he suffered a mild stroke Jan. 18, said he is “not looking for power for the sake of power” and added, “I do not cling to posts.”

But, he said, “I am now healthy.

“I want to talk to fellow Cabinet members,” he added. “I want to talk to leaders of other population groups on South Africa’s future.” He said he will return to work Wednesday, when Parliament begins work on the annual budget.

Gave Up Party Leadership

Talk of early retirement for Botha began two weeks after his stroke, when he relinquished the post of National Party leader. The party caucus elected Frederik W. de Klerk, the 52-year-old education minister, to succeed Botha as party leader, effectively tapping De Klerk as the next president.

The selection of De Klerk, a conservative who is considered more flexible than the autocratic Botha, has been widely praised as the beginning of a more aggressive era of apartheid reform. Excited by the prospect of a De Klerk administration, pro-government newspapers and politicians have publicly and privately urged Botha to step aside.

The criticism marked a significant departure for the National Party. The president, a feared and respected man, has been virtually immune to criticism from within his party in the decade that he has been head of state.

Liberal white newspapers went even further. In an editorial last week, Business Day said that “the spectacle of President Botha clinging to high office like a 2-year-old to a toy has been so unedifying that it is hard to see how he can rescue much dignity.”

Several Afrikaans-language newspapers that traditionally support the government have praised De Klerk’s “new momentum for reform.” And last week more than 120 of the ruling party’s 133-member caucus reportedly asked Botha to step down and allow De Klerk to take over.

‘Sow Confusion’

But on Sunday, Botha dismissed reports that his party wanted him to retire, suggesting that they were the work of “forces seeking to sow political confusion.”

The president pointed out that he can remain in office until March, 1990, when Parliament must be dissolved and a new general election called. Botha can, however, call an election any time in the next year.

“It would be wrong to speak now of an election,” Botha said. “That is in the future.”

Many National Party members favor an early election because they believe it will allow the party to take advantage of the disarray among white liberals and, at the other end of the political spectrum, the difficulties facing the far-right white party in reinstituting petty apartheid through local town councils.

Botha bristled at the suggestion that De Klerk would be a more effective standard bearer for reforming apartheid.

“I originated the concept of reform,” Botha said, referring to his step-by-step program of dismantling apartheid. “And I still believe it should be pursued, with two conditions. I am for reform, but not handing over (power to the voteless black majority). I am for reform, but against the undermining of stability and order.”

Government opponents have criticized Botha’s reform efforts as being too slow.

Split Feared

Many National Party members have worried that friction already has developed between Botha and De Klerk, and they fear that disagreements as the two attempt to share political power will create a split in the party that has ruled South Africa for 40 years.

Botha denied that he “lives in conflict with Mr. De Klerk,” and added, “I have faith in him and I get on with him.”

The National Party’s clash with Botha has been front-page news in the country for several weeks. On Sunday, the Star newspaper said “Botha Stands Alone.” And in an editorial, the Star described Botha’s defiance as “quite irrational. The real interests of this country . . . are certainly more crucial than the quirks of a fading strongman reluctant to let go of power.”