March 18

No timetable yet for multi-racial government

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White South Africans have backed an overwhelmingmandatefor political reforms to endapartheidand create a power-sharing multi-racial government.

In a landslide victory for change, the government swept the polls in all four provinces, and all but one of 15 referendum regions.

It won 68.6% of the vote in a record turn-out, which, in some districts exceeded 96%.

The extent of change was highlighted in the Kroonstad region of the Orange Free State, where five of the seven Parliamentary seats are held by the "no" campaigners in the conservative party.

Despite being one of the most conservative districts in the whole country there was a small yes majority for change.

Only Pietersburg in the Northern Transvaal, a rural right-wing stronghold where Dr Andries Treurnicht has his parliamentary constituency as head of the CP, returned a no vote.

Pretoria, the administrative capital which has symbolised Afrikanerdom, produced a 57% "yes", in the legislative capital, Cape Town, 85% voted "yes" and in the judicial capital of Bloemfontein 58.5%.

"Today we have closed the book on apartheid,'' Mr de Klerk said in Cape Town as he also celebrates his 56th birthday.

White electors have not only voted by a 2-1 majority to abolish apartheid but also to lose their own power.

Mr de Klerk said the result was a boost for the Convention for a Democratic South Africa, Codesa, but he could not commit himself to a timetable for installing a multi-racial government, which required further discussions.

Dr Treurnicht pledged never to work on the Codesa board and that CP would not join the negotiating forum.

He said: "De Klerk has won his referendum. That is clear."

But he vowed there would be a return of apartheid in the country and he blamed media propaganda, foreign intervention and threats by businessmen against employees for the result.

Nelson Mandela, the president of the African National Congress who was jailed for 27 years because of his fight against black segregation, said he was ''very happy indeed''.

The oil slick spreading from the Torrey Canyon could reach Cornish beaches

The 974-ft (297m) tanker, which was carrying 100,000 tons of crude oil, hit Pollard's Rock in the Seven Stones reef.

The oil patch already forming is believed to be the biggest ever to threaten the West Country coastline.

There are fears that the beaches of Cornwall, Devon and Dorset could be hit by the slick.

Cornish beaches

The Navy is plotting the direction of the oil, which is heading slowly towards the French coast, but say a slight change in wind direction could send it towards Cornish beaches.

Troops will regularly patrol around the coastline to give some indication of where the oil might be heading.

The 2nd Infantry Brigade, stationed at Plymouth, is standing by to assist if the oil threatens beaches.

A Penzance lifeboat official said the position was "serious" because the oil could cover the whole of the south-west coast for the next year.

The crew of the Seven Stones lightship, two miles off the reef, said they realised the tanker was in danger when she was still a mile from the disaster.

There are also fears that the supertanker could catch fire or break-up in heavy seas.

Up to 10,000 gallons of oil detergent are on their way from Grangemouth in Scotland to Falmouth.

mandate: An authoritative command or instruction（书面命令）

apartheid: An official policy of racial segregation practiced in the Republic of South Africa, involving political, legal, and economic discrimination against nonwhites（种族隔离）