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The suspicions are not altogether farfetched. De Klerk has been criticized repeatedly by human-rights groups for not reining in his security forces. Despite previous success in crushing illegal A.N.C. military activities, the government has notably failed to punish the perpetrators of township massacres. Says Helen Suzman, a white liberal and former Member of Parliament: "They have got to get cracking on the security forces and weed out those elements known to be against reform."
De Klerk, moreover, has expressed ambivalence when Zulu war parties known as impis have paraded provocatively through township streets carrying spears and other so-called cultural weapons. Professor David Welsh of the University of Cape Town believes the government is guilty of "gross negligence" for having all but ignored repeated recommendations that could have prevented the Boipatong massacre, such as maintaining police surveillance of migrant-worker hostels.
While it has made similar threats before, the A.N.C. decided to break off negotiations this time because the Boipatong massacre came amid indications that De Klerk was beginning to drag his feet on ceding full-fledged democracy. He started to take a harder line immediately following the March referendum in which white voters overwhelmingly endorsed his reform program. In May, Round 2 of CODESA ended in failure largely because De Klerk's negotiators adamantly insisted on powerful checks and balances amounting to an effective white veto in a future political system. De Klerk seemed to be turning his back on black expectations.
His remoteness was apparent when he unwisely tried to visit Boipatong, only to be forced out of the township by an enraged crowd. As he fled, policemen opened fire and killed three more local people. Rather than make plain his concern for the victims and the developing political crisis, De Klerk flew to Spain on a trade mission.
All may not be lost, however. At a meeting last week of the A.N.C.'s executive committee, officials recommitted the organization to negotiations, provided that De Klerk takes several practical steps to curb the violence: terminating covert operations, closing hostels, banning the carrying of cultural weapons. The committee also proposed that Mandela quickly meet with De Klerk to discuss the crisis, which suggests that the A.N.C. is prepared to bargain.
The Boipatong furor seems to have shaken De Klerk. His security forces moved with uncharacteristic speed in tracking down the suspected killers. Police commissioner Johannes van der Merwe said the preliminary police investigation showed that "certain residents" of a Zulu migrant-workers' hostel were involved but denied that government forces participated. De Klerk also agreed to allow international jurists to join a continuing independent inquiry into the violence. Yet the A.N.C. will expect a more permanent change of attitude on the part of the government toward halting the violence if reform is to have any hope.