Radical Warns S. African Whites of More Attacks

A military commander of the radical Pan-Africanist Congress confirmed Tuesday that his organization was responsible for the weekend murders of four whites at a country club, and he warned whites to expect more attacks.

“We would like to remind white South Africans that there is a war going on inside the country and they should not be surprised,” said Johnny Majozi, chief spokesman for the PAC’s military wing, the Azanian People’s Liberation Army.

“There will be more attacks of this nature with more frequency, especially in white areas,” Majozi added, speaking by telephone to the South African Press Assn. from the military wing’s headquarters in Harare, Zimbabwe.

The PAC has admitted killing police in the past, but this was the first time it had claimed responsibility for an attack on civilians.

Although the PAC’s threats are unlikely to have a direct impact on constitutional negotiations, the prospect of more attacks has worried whites, many of whom doubt the wisdom of President Frederik W. de Klerk’s offer to extend voting rights to the black majority.

De Klerk and his aides resume their high-level meetings with Nelson Mandela’s African National Congress today in the first of three days of closed-door sessions at a secret venue. The government and the ANC, the two most important opposing forces in the country, are trying to clear the way for a new round of multi-party constitutional negotiations, perhaps as early as next month.

But on the eve of those talks Tuesday, Mangosuthu Gatsha Buthelezi’s self-governing homeland of KwaZulu took an unusual step that created yet another obstacle to national negotiations.

The homeland, controlled by Buthelezi’s Inkatha Freedom Party, adopted a new constitution that it said was the first step toward creating “the state of KwaZulu.” In effect, the nuts and bolts of that regional constitution reflect Buthelezi’s negotiating position. He supports broad regional autonomy, which would protect his power from an ANC-controlled central government.

The move appeared to be an attempt by Buthelezi to force his rivals in the ANC and his onetime friends in De Klerk’s government to recognize him as an important political figure who must be accommodated in the future.

Buthelezi, a Zulu chief with strong regional support but much less national support, has criticized one-on-one talks between the ANC and the government. And he has repeatedly warned that no future constitutional talks can succeed without his participation.