SENATE BUILDING; CAMERAMEN; CROWD; VORSTER AND COLLEAGUES (SOF); VORSTER'S DAUGHTER AND WIFE.



VORSTER: "LET ME SAY IN CONCLUSION THAT AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED WHEN I SAID THAT I WANT TO WALK THE ROAD OF DOCTOR VERWOERD, I ALSO WANT TO WALK ON THE ROAD WHICH IMPELLED HIM TO PROMOTE NATIONAL UNITY. IT WILL REMAIN MY AIM AND OBJECT AS IT WAS HIS. I ASK, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, YOUR SUPPORT, NOT FOR MY SAKE, BUT FOR THE SAKE OF SOUTH AFRICA, OUR FATHERLAND.




Initials



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: THE CAUCUS OF SOUTH AFRICA'S RULING NATIONAL PARTY YESTERDAY (TUESDAY CHOSE MR. BALTHAZAR JOHN VORSTER AS ITS NEW LEADER. HE ALSO BECAME PRIME MINISTER IN SUCCESSION TO DR. HENDRIK VERWOERD, WHO WAS ASSASSINATED LAST WEEK.

THE CAUCUS MET IN THE SENATE IN CAPE TOWN, AND ELECTED MR. VORSTER UNANIMOUSLY. THEN HE AND HIS COLLEAGUES WALKED OUT ONTO THE STEPS OF THE SENATE. BELOW, THE CAMERAS AND A CROWD OF WHITES WAITED FOR THE NEW PRIME MINISTER. HE SPOKE TO THEM FIRST IN AFRIKAANS, AND THEN IN ENGLISH HE APPEALED FOR UNITY AMONG THE WHITES....
MR. VORSTER'S DAUGHTER WAS IN THE CROWD THAT HEARD HIM, AND AFTER HE SPOKE HE WALKED DOWN THE STEPS TO LEAD HIS WIFE UP TO MEET MINISTERS AND OTHER PARTY LEADERS.

HE MADE ONLY ONE CHANGE IN DR. VERWOERD'S GOVERNMENT--HE APPOINTED AN OLD FRIEND TO HIS OWN FORMER POST OF MINISTER OF JUSTICE.