THOUSANDS OF CHANTING AFRICANS PACKED THE HIGHFIELD AFRICAN TOWNSHIP AT SALISBURY, SOUTHERN RHODESIA, ON SUNDAY, TO WELCOME FOUR FORMER TOP OFFICIALS OF THE BANNED AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS, RETURNING TO THEIR HOMES AFTER BEING RESTRICTED SINCE 1959 TO AN AREA 150 MILES FROM SALISBURY.

THE FOUR, GEORGE NYANDORO, ROBERT CHIKEREMA, MAURICE NYAGUMBO, AND DANIEL MADZIMAMUTO, WERE FREED FROM RESTRICTION BY THE GOVERNMENT LAST TUESDAY.THEY TRAVELLED TO SALISBURY WITH MR JOSHUA NKOMO, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE BANNED ZIMBABWE AFRICAN PEOPLE'S UNION (ZAPU) WHICH SUCCEEDED THE AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS.

EARLIER THERE HAD BEEN TUMULTUOUS SCENES OF WELCOME AT THE SALISBURY RAILWAY STATION, FOLLOWED BY A MOTORCADE TO THE AFRICAN TOWNSHIPS.CROWDS FOLLOWED THE OPEN CAR, BUT AFTER TWO MILES, POLICE ORDERED THE CAR TO MOVE FASTER.IN PROTEST THE FIVE MEN GOT OUT OF THE CAR TO WALK.AFTER ANOTHER WARNING BY POLICE, THE MEN RETURNED TO THEIR CAR AND DROVE TO HIGHFIELD AFRICAN TOWNSHIP WHERE THEY WALKED THROUGH THE SHOPPING CENTRE.MR NKOMO TOLD THE HUGE CROWD SURROUNDING THE RELEASED MEN THAT THEY SHOULD DISPERSE AND REASSEMBLE AT THE CELEBRATIONS.

(ON MONDAY, MR.R.A.BUTLER, BRITISH MINISTER FOR CENTRAL AFRICAN AFFAIRS, MET SIR ROY WELENSKY, THE FEDERAL PRIME MINISTER, IN THE OPENING STAGES OF TALKS ON THE FUTURE OF THE PRESENT CENTRAL AFRICAN FEDERATION.