ANC Demands Purge of Police

The ANC on Saturday demanded a purge of all police officers found to have been involved in running guns to its Zulu-based Inkatha Freedom Party rival and other dirty tricks to undermine South Africa’s transition to democracy.

Appeals Court Judge Richard Goldstone said he had evidence that the deputy police commissioner, Lt. Gen. Basie Smit, was among those involved.

“This is just a tip of an iceberg. The ANC believes a lot of people are still involved in such dirty tricks. Urgent action must be taken to weed out all those involved,” said African National Congress spokesman Carl Niehaus.

The judge told a news conference Friday that fast action was needed to avoid further destabilization before the republic’s first all-race elections April 26-28. The ANC is expected to win comfortably.

Most of the actions listed by Goldstone, including the supply of weapons and the fueling of violence on trains and in migrant worker hostels, were directed at helping Inkatha which has said it is boycotting the election.

President Frederik W. de Klerk said Smit, police intelligence chief Maj.-Gen. Krappies Engelbrecht, Lt.-Gen. Johan le Roux and other officers were being put on compulsory leave.

He also ordered an investigation by the multi-party Transitional Executive Council.

Inkatha leader Chief Mangosuthu Gatsha Buthelezi said he was not aware that senior members of his party had received guns from top generals.

Goldstone was appointed by the government to investigate the causes of political violence, which has killed about 15,000 people in four years of apartheid reform.