South Africa: Trying to Bury a Scandal

President F.W. de Klerk is often hailed for his boldness in ending apartheid, but South Africans also regard him as a cautious man. Last week he displayed both traits as he appeared to end stonewalling on “Inkathagate,” the scandal over disclosures that Pretoria interfered in black politics by secretly funding Inkatha Freedom Party, a rival of the African National Congress. Denying that he had a double agenda, De Klerk nonetheless sidelined two Cabinet members at the center of the doubts about the government’s integrity: Defense Minister Magnus Malan and Law and Order Minister Adriaan Vlok. But rather than dismiss them, as demanded by the A.N.C., De Klerk appointed them to other Cabinet posts. De Klerk also fell short of satisfying demands for an independent inquiry. The President did, however, invite prospective witnesses to alleged police misconduct against the A.N.C. to testify at a standing government board of inquiry. De Klerk announced that a panel of private citizens would now monitor covert funds, and said he had an “open mind” about a proposed interim government to rule impartially during negotiations on a postapartheid constitution. A.N.C. officials said the moves were insufficient but hinted at a willingness to put the Inkatha affair behind them.