ANC RELEASES PEACE PLAN FOR SOUTH AFRICA

May 16, 1991

The African National Congress unveiled its own plan for halting South Africa's township violence Wednesday, a day before its deadline for the white government to put an end to the carnage. The ANC called for a people's police force, with the respect of the entire community, to stop the factional fighting which has killed more than 10,000 people since 1984, 750 of them this year alone.

``Security forces should act without political bias and receive professional and appropriate training as a peace-keeping force,'' the organization said in a document sent to the government.

The ANC says pro-apartheid rightists in the security forces outside the control of reformist President Frederick de Klerk are trying to destroy its chances of becoming South Africa's first black government, favoring instead the Inkatha Freedom Party of Zulu Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi.

The security forces defending apartheid fought a low-key guerrilla war against the ANC for years before the organization and other black parties were legalized in February, 1990.

``It is inexplicable that with all the resources at [their] disposal, the security forces appear unable to [end the fighting].... This can only be ascribed to a lack of will, rather than lack of ability,'' the document said.

The ANC repeated its call for a ban on all traditional weapons carried by Zulus, which have regularly been used by Inkatha supporters to kill ANC loyalists.

Chief Buthelezi, resisting the ban, says their prohibition will not curb the violence.

Almost 200 people have died this month in battles between ANC supporters and members of Buthelezi's Inkatha Party.