SOUTH AFRICA: Rhoodie's Story

What is Pretoria's "John Dean"up to?

The National Party government of Prime Minister P.W. Botha is sitting nervously atop a scandal that steadily grows worse and worse. Playing the John Dean role, in this South African version of Watergate, is Eschel Rhoodie, 45, the former Secretary of Pretoria's Department of Information. Rhoodie, who is now living in self-imposed exile in Europe and South America, was in charge of a multimillion-dollar slush fund that his department used to secure favorable publicity for South Africa's policies in both the foreign and domestic press. To accomplish this end at home. Rhoodie has charged...

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