Two Black Leaders Must Meet

As the violence among rival black factions spreads, murder and mayhem in South Africa threaten any solid chance for reform. As the death toll rises, Nelson Mandela, deputy president of the African National Congress, and Mangosuthu Gatsha Buthelezi, head of the Inkatha movement, must find a common ground to help the bitterly divided nation stay the course toward progress.

Mandela and South African President Frederik W. de Klerk met Thursday to discuss the issue. After the meeting, the ANC called for black South Africans to stop the slaughter that has claimed 150 lives this week in the townships near Johannesburg.

Mandela also met with Adriaan Vlok, the minister of Law and Order, and they agreed to set up a “peace forum” in Soweto. That bid for peace must include Buthelezi, a Zulu chief, who is backed by the white government.

The chief and Mandela say they are willing to call a truce, but first they must agree on peace talks. Buthelezi has long sought such a meeting, but many ANC supporters have opposed the session because of his cooperation with the white government and his tactics in Natal Province, where fighting has claimed more than 3,000 lives.

That fighting is largely ideological. Buthelezi’s followers are battling ANC supporters to determine who will represent the black majority at the negotiating table and in any future multiracial government. Mandela will certainly be among those leaders. But Buthelezi, who has less stature and a smaller following, seeks an equal role.

In addition to the political cast to the fighting, there is a tribal element as well. Although the ANC can rightfully claim a multitribal base--ANC President Albert J. Luthuli , a Zulu chief, won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1960 because of the congress’ broad appeal across racial, tribal and ideological barriers--Mandela is a Xhosa. Buthelezi is a Zulu. There has been fighting along precisely those tribal lines.

To curb the violence, the white government can help by persuading Buthelezi to discourage the killing and insisting that the police take no sides in the conflicts. But the best chance to end the fighting is peace talks between Mandela and Buthelezi.