South Africa Calls Reagan ‘Best Ally’

JOHANNESBURG — South Africa, facing a storm of international protest over its clampdown on township unrest, today lauded President Reagan as its best ally for voicing understanding of its decision to impose emergency rule.

A commentary on state-run radio praised Reagan for his “simple honesty,” describing him as “his own man. . . . No modern leader has been less susceptible to even the most intense outside pressure.”

Reagan suggested at a press conference in Washington on Monday that some South African security force action was justified to curb violence.

The radio commentary concluded, “For the democratic Western reformist, South Africa has no more dependable ally in the Western world than the President of the United States.”