FT933-15870 _AN-DGGB8ABJFT 930707 FT 07 JUL 93 / S Africa clashes leave 116 dead By PATTI WALDMEIR JOHANNESBURG RIVAL BLACK groups fought running battles in the streets of two South African townships yesterday, pushing the nationwide death toll in the past four days of fighting to at least 116. A junior official of the African National Congress, without offering evidence, claimed that the fighting - which eased last night - was an attempt to sabotage the transition to democracy after last week's multi-party agreement to set a date for the first multi-racial elections. Mr Ronnie Mamoepa, an official of the ANC's Johannesburg region, said: 'It is an attempt to blackmail the country, with the blood of our people, into delaying the advent of democracy.' However, peace monitors in the twin townships of Thokoza and Kathlehong near Johannesburg, where over half the killings have taken place, played down suggestions that the violence was directly connected to the election date. They said rival factions in the two neighbouring townships, which owe broad allegiance to the African National Congress and the Inkatha Freedom party respectively, have fought many bloody battles since 1990, with many hundreds killed. Political rivalry explains only part of the motivation of the killings, which often follow a cycle of revenge. The two rival groups - residents of the Phola Park squatter camp and of the migrant worker hostels - are also divided along ethnic lines, the former group mainly Xhosa and the latter mainly Zulu. Peace monitors said violence was often sparked by attacks from unidentified gunmen whom they suspected had right-wing connections. However, no such incident was reported during the latest outbreak and neither they nor the ANC had any evidence of who was involved. They blamed police for abandoning their post in the two townships, saying police had pulled out overnight and only returned in the morning to collect 20 more bodies. Whatever its cause, the violence - centred on Thokoza and Kathlehong, as well as the notoriously violent Natal province - highlights the difficulty of conducting free and fair elections in a climate of political instability. Violence seems certain to increase once the political parties begin active campaigning for the elections, which are due to take place on April 27 next year. Mindful of this, the leaders of the ANC and Inkatha, Mr Nelson Mandela and Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi, held a peace summit 10 days ago in an attempt to tame the violence. They agreed to hold joint peace rallies in Natal, where violence has raged for more than eight years. However, the recent outbreak demonstrates how little control the two leaders have over their followers. Countries:- ZAZ South Africa, Africa. Industries:- P9229 Public Order and Safety, NEC. Types:- NEWS General News. The Financial Times London Page 7