Buthelezi, Winnie Mandela Join S. Africa Government

Nelson Mandela included his chief black rival in the Cabinet of South Africa’s first post-apartheid government on Wednesday and gave his estranged wife a deputy minister post.

Zulu nationalist leader Mangosuthu Gatsha Buthelezi became home affairs minister, and Winnie Mandela was named deputy minister of arts, culture, science and technology.

The 27-member Cabinet, which includes 18 representatives from Mandela’s African National Congress, six from former president Frederik W. de Klerk’s National Party and three from Buthelezi’s Inkatha Freedom Party, was sworn in at the Union Buildings and held its first meeting.

Buthelezi had been expected to join the Cabinet after Inkatha won 10% of the vote in last month’s election. But the inclusion of Mrs. Mandela came as a surprise, especially after Mandela refused to acknowledge her at the first meeting of Parliament on Monday.

In accepting the home affairs portfolio, Buthelezi takes over the ministry that once oversaw his KwaZulu black homeland and other black territories created under apartheid. The homelands have been disbanded and the country divided into nine provinces.

Inkatha’s Ben Ngubane was named arts, culture, science and technology minister, and Sipho Mzimela, also of Inkatha, was named correctional services minister. Among the deputy ministers were Bantu Holomisa, former military leader of the ANC-aligned Transkei black homeland, and Inkatha negotiator Joe Matthews.

Most of the plum Cabinet posts went to ANC leaders, including Alfred Nzo, a former exile named minister of foreign affairs.

Joe Modise, who led the ANC’s guerrilla wing, is defense minister, and Sydney Mufamadi, an ANC activist imprisoned by the apartheid government, is the top police official.

The National Party contributed Derek Keys, who will continue as finance minister. Roelof F. (Pik) Botha, who was the world’s longest serving foreign minister, was appointed minister of mineral and energy affairs.