FT932-15172 _AN-DDOCIABIFT 930415 FT 15 APR 93 / Six dead as riots sweep South Africa By PATTI WALDMEIR and PHILIP GAWITH JOHANNESBURG RIOTS swept South Africa yesterday and at least six people were shot dead after one of the largest political protests in the country's history, called to mourn slain activist Chris Hani. President F W de Klerk announced further security measures in advance of Monday's funeral of the murdered Communist party leader. But political leaders, including officials of the African National Congress, made clear that the death toll yesterday was lower than might have been expected, given that hundreds of thousands of people attended rallies and protest gatherings and millions stayed away from work. Employer organisations said 80-90 per cent of workers remained at home. On national television, Mr De Klerk said that yesterday had been 'a dark day for South Africa,' adding 'what happened. . . cannot be tolerated in any civilised country.' He said 3,000 extra police would be added to anti-riot units in the wake of the violence, more unrest areas could be declared, and that authorities might clamp down on types of protest allowed. Mr Cyril Ramaphosa, ANC secretary-general, took a less gloomy view of the day's events, saying the countrywide mourning had gone off 'relatively peacefully.' He believed the pace of constitutional negotiations would pick up, and that there would be joint black-white control of the security services within two months. Mr Ramaphosa criticised what he said was an unprovoked attack by police on demonstrators in Soweto, where marshals struggled, but succeeded, in controlling a crowd tens of thousands strong. At least four people were killed and some 250 injured, five of them critically. But in Cape Town, Durban, Pietermaritzburg and Port Elizabeth ANC officials appeared to lose control of the large crowds, which attacked police, smashed windows and looted shops after breaking away from rallies addressed by ANC leaders. Police appeared to act with restraint in the areas, although there were unconfirmed reports that at least two people had been killed in Cape Town. The Soweto shooting broke out when an angry crowd marched on a police station after attending a rally addressed by Mr Nelson Mandela, ANC leader. Mr Mandela implored a packed stadium to act peacefully. He praised the white Afrikaner woman whose eyewitness evidence had led to the apprehension of Mr Hani's alleged murderer and said to South Africa's youth: 'Your duty is to take such examples and use them to build a new non-racial nation.' Violence erupting erupted only after he had departed to address a rally in a nearby town. However, Mr Carl Niehaus, an ANC spokesman, warned after the Soweto shooting: 'This kind of action by police is exactly what will lead this country to bloodshed and. . . the consequences in days to come must be laid squarely at the door of the police force.' Financial markets reacted nervously to events. The financial rand - a barometer of foreign investor confidence - closed at R4.82 against the dollar, compared with R4.56 before Mr Hani's death. The stock market index fell by 31 points to 3,498, having shed 51 points on Tuesday. Although yesterday's unrest will have depressed businessmen, few would have been surprised. Mr Jeff Liebesman, chairman of the W&A group, an industrial conglomerate, said he was 'disappointed and upset' at yesterday's events, but not shocked. 'We were braced for it as a group.' Countries:- ZAZ South Africa, Africa. Industries:- P9229 Public Order and Safety, NEC. Types:- NEWS General News. The Financial Times London Page 4