Whew! It’s all very confusing!

Firstly, the RNAA is “hounded from pillar to post” because certain Salisbury buildings are not permitted to hold the numbers who sometimes turn up for their meetings and Tuesday’s ‘front page’ we see at least 30 people (inc. a woman and children!) perched on the roof of a Government building presumably not authorised to hold anything or anybody at all?

Secondly – the Emergency Regulations recently fully debated in the House, and republished in full, state, to the best of my knowledge and belief, that the names of Restrictees must not be published and last week the names of two prominent persons in Restriction were coming at us from all directions!

I suppose the answer is that all things done in the heat of the moment or by popular consent are excusable?

John Lentell

November 14th 1968

Notes:

1. The RNAA (Rhodesia National Affairs Association) was formed in 1946 by Hardwicke Holderness and a few other like-minded Rhodesians back from the war “to hold weekly lectures and monthly debates leading up to the formation of long-term principles of policy for Rhodesia”. It set out to be non-party and, looking back, it represented the high-water mark of political thinking in the country’s history. One lecture, by Gideon Mhlanga, was the first occasion that white Rhodesians – and there were 400 of them in the audience – listened attentively to a black fellow-countryman.

2. Restrictees refers to African nationalist political leaders and activists detained in post UDI Rhodesia.