SOUTH AFRICA WHOSE COUNTRY ? FOR A NATION DEDICATED TO WHITE SUPREMACY, 
THE VOTING IN SOUTH AFRICA LAST WEEK HAD AN UNACCUSTOMED LOOK 
. BLACK WOMEN WITH RED-OCHERED FACES FUMBLED WITH CUMBERSOME 2-FT.-SQ . 
BALLOTS . THEIR MEN, LOOKING A LITTLE BAFFLED BY THE WHOLE 
BUSINESS, STREAMED UP TO REGISTER THEIR VOTES FOR A TRANSKEI PARLIAMENT 
. IT WAS THE FIRST STEP IN PRIME MINISTER HENDRIK VERWOERD'S 
PLAN TO " SOLVE " SOUTH AFRICA'S RACE PROBLEM : THE 
FORMATION OF BLACK " SELF-GOVERNING " REGIONS CALLED BANTUSTANS, WHERE ALL 
OF SOUTH AFRICA'S 11 MILLION NATIVES, EXCEPT FOR A FEW MILLION 
NEEDED AS LABOR FOR THE WHITES, ARE TO BE HERDED INTO 
REMOTE AND UNDEVELOPED RESERVATIONS . TRANSKEI, WHERE THE FIRST BANTUSTAN LEGISLATURE 
WAS BEING DRAWN, IS A DENMARK-SIZED PLOT OF ROLLING LAND ALONG 
THE INDIAN OCEAN COAST, WHICH FOR YEARS HAS BEEN LARGELY IGNORED 
BY THE WHITES . IT IS FARM LAND THAT THROUGH BANTU 
OVERPOPULATION HAS BEEN VICTIM OF OVERGRAZING AND EROSION . WITHOUT HEAVY 
CAPITAL INVESTMENT, IT CANNOT SUPPORT MANY ADDITIONAL PEOPLE . SINCE THE 
GOLD MINES AND INDUSTRY OF THE WHITE MAN'S ORANGE FREE STATE 
AND TRANSVAAL ARE FAR MORE ALLURING, THERE IS PRECIOUS LITTLE CHANCE 
OF ANYONE'S INVESTING ANYTHING MUCH IN THE BANTU'S BOONDOCKS . PREPARING 
THE ELECTION IN THIS UNPROMISING REGION (SEVEN OTHER SIMILAR RESERVATIONS ARE 
PLANNED), VERWOERD'S POLICE FLOCKED INTO THE TRANSKEI TO SET UP SENTINELS 
AT EACH OF 1,100 POLLING STATIONS . AND TO THE ILLITERATE 
ELECTORATE, WORD HAD ALREADY GONE OUT ABOUT WHICH CANDIDATES THE GOVERNMENT 
FAVORED . IRONICALLY, VERWOERD'S CHOICE WAS A BLACK RACIST NAMED KAIZER 
MATANZIMA, 48, A SUAVE, HANDSOME ATTORNEY, WHO SAYS : " ALL 
THE WHITES MUST LEAVE THE TRANSKEI . THIS IS OUR COUNTRY 
. " HIS OPPONENT : WISE, WIZENED PARAMOUNT CHIEF VICTOR POTO, 
65, WHO DOES NOT WANT TO SEE THE TRANSKEI'S SMALL (16,000) 
WHITE COMMUNITY FORCED OUT, WANTS TO SET UP A MULTIRACIAL REGIME 
: " I AM GRATEFUL TO GOD FOR A CHRISTIAN ATTITUDE 
TO ALL MEMBERS OF THE HUMAN RACE . " IN ANY 
CASE, VERWOERD'S WIDELY ADVERTISED SELF-RULE FOR THE NATIVE REGIONS IS LARGELY 
HOLLOW, SINCE HIS GOVERNMENT WILL RETAIN CONTROL OVER THE POLICE, DEFENSE 
AND FOREIGN AFFAIRS . ALL LEGISLATION PROPOSED BY THE TRANSKEI'S NEW 
ALL-BLACK ASSEMBLY WILL FIRST RUN THE GAUNTLET OF NUMEROUS TAME, GOVERNMENT-APPOINTED 
CHIEFS, AND AFTER THAT IS SUBJECT TO THE VETO OF VERWOERD'S 
OWN OFFICIALS . 