S. Africa’s Botha Resigns, Castigates Heir Apparent

Pieter W. Botha, president of South Africa for nearly 11 years, announced his resignation today after a bitter dispute with heir-apparent Frederik W. de Klerk, leader of the ruling white National Party.

Botha, 73, again castigated De Klerk for planning talks with Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda without consulting him. “I shall not approve a visit to Dr. Kaunda . . . at this stage,” he said in a nationally televised address.

Botha said members of his Cabinet asked him to resign during a 2 1/2-hour meeting at his Cape Town office today, suggesting he give ill health as a reason.

“To this, I replied that I am not prepared to leave on a lie, and I have consequently decided to submit my resignation to the chief justice today with effect from Aug. 15, 1989.”

Botha did not nominate a successor, but party sources said De Klerk, 53, will be sworn in Tuesday as acting president until after parliamentary elections Sept. 6.

De Klerk was nominated by his party in February to succeed Botha, who was forced at the time to not to seek reelection.

Botha left his office at 5:25 p.m., waving from his silver limousine to a handful of reporters gathered outside. A policeman lowered his personal flag.

His resignation address included a blow-by-blow account of the dispute that led to his bitter farewell.

He said in his television address that he had twice had trouble with De Klerk making policy announcements or planning foreign travel without seeking his approval as required by Cabinet rules.

“After all these years of my best efforts for the National Party and for the government of this country, as well as the security of our country, I am being ignored by ministers serving in my Cabinet.

“I consequently have no choice other than to announce my resignation,” Botha said.

Botha resigned the party leadership after he suffered a mild stroke in January but made it clear he wanted to stay on as president.

Party sources said he was surprised and angry when De Klerk and not Finance Minister Barend du Plessis was elected in his place and when he came under intense pressure to surrender the presidency.

Botha never publicly congratulated De Klerk, and he forced party officials to cancel a farewell banquet for him at the last minute.

The party revolt erupted anew over the weekend after Botha publicly repudiated a statement by Foreign Minister Roelof F. (Pik) Botha saying that the president had approved the talks with Kaunda.

De Klerk summoned Cabinet colleagues to his home in Pretoria on Saturday and met them again for an hour after today’s Cabinet session with Botha.

The party leaders refused to disclose the outcome of the meeting with Botha, but Justice Minister Hendrik J. Coetsee said it was very dignified.