South Africa: Giving As Good As He Got

South Africa’s government and foreign journalists have been at swords’ points since 1986 laws declaring a state of emergency squelched most reporting on racial unrest. So Foreign Minister Roelof (“Pik”) Botha should hardly have been surprised when the Foreign Correspondents Association’s annual banquet last week turned into an angry slanging match. Botha gave as good as he got.

“I am sick and tired of a lot of foreign representatives descending on my country and picking up on all the dirty work instead of all the beauty, promise and goodwill,” Botha said. Amid hisses and catcalls, he refused to accept the traditional vote of thanks and quoted instead from a speech by Boer War leader Paul Kruger to a group of foreigners. “His opening words were ‘Friends, citizens, thieves and enemies,’ ” said Botha. “And that is how I look upon you this evening.”