South Africa Invites Harvard Profs for Talks

Six professors from the Kennedy School of Government will leave this week for South Africa to talk to university faculty and political leaders about the nation's transition to majority rule.

The group, led by Associate Dean for teaching programs and Adjunct Lecturer in public policy Peter B. Zimmerman '68, will advise university faculty on the training of future civil servants.

Zimmerman left for South Africa yesterday.

The Harvard professors were invited to South Africa by the New Public Administration Initiative (NPAI), a group of politically active, anti-apartheid faculty from South African universities. The NPAI professors are among those responsible for educating and training future civil servants, said Harvard Assistant Professor Linda Kaboolian, also with the group.

The new government must respond to the needs and desires of the entire population as never before, Kaboolian said. In the past, the apartheid government was "not responsible toBlacks, who make up over 80 percent of thepopulation," she said.

Blacks will have to be integrated into alllevels of government, Zimmerman told the BostonGlobe yesterday. "One has to think not just abouttaking power at the top, but taking command of allthe levers of power, particularly the civilservice."

Zimmerman predicted that the task would not beeasy. Only 60,000 Blacks in South Africa haveuniversity degrees, making it difficult to findqualified Blacks to fill government positions, hetold the Globe.

Kaboolian said the Harvard team willdemonstrate to the South Africans how an openteaching environment can help foster democraticthought. "There is a correlation betweendemocratic classrooms and democratic relationsbetween civil servants," she said.

Howard Husock, another professor with thegroup, said that as the classrooms allow morediscussion and "candid criticism of thegovernment," the teachers will "nurture people torun the government well."

But Kaboolian warned that the new majoritygovernment will face serious obstacles in theupcoming years. "The government will not have thecapacity to deliver on the expectations that therevolution against apartheid has raised. Part oftheir job will be to lower people's expectations."

Despite these difficulties, however, Kaboolianis optimistic about the future. "We have movedquite far in the past few years, and things havebeen relatively non-violent," Kaboolian said.

Professors Herman B. Leonard '74, John W.Thomas, and Martin A. Linsky are also part of thegroup

Blacks will have to be integrated into alllevels of government, Zimmerman told the BostonGlobe yesterday. "One has to think not just abouttaking power at the top, but taking command of allthe levers of power, particularly the civilservice."

Zimmerman predicted that the task would not beeasy. Only 60,000 Blacks in South Africa haveuniversity degrees, making it difficult to findqualified Blacks to fill government positions, hetold the Globe.

Kaboolian said the Harvard team willdemonstrate to the South Africans how an openteaching environment can help foster democraticthought. "There is a correlation betweendemocratic classrooms and democratic relationsbetween civil servants," she said.

Howard Husock, another professor with thegroup, said that as the classrooms allow morediscussion and "candid criticism of thegovernment," the teachers will "nurture people torun the government well."

But Kaboolian warned that the new majoritygovernment will face serious obstacles in theupcoming years. "The government will not have thecapacity to deliver on the expectations that therevolution against apartheid has raised. Part oftheir job will be to lower people's expectations."

Despite these difficulties, however, Kaboolianis optimistic about the future. "We have movedquite far in the past few years, and things havebeen relatively non-violent," Kaboolian said.

Professors Herman B. Leonard '74, John W.Thomas, and Martin A. Linsky are also part of thegroup