Lawrence J. Mackey describes South African mission policy in which he was "not allowed to proselyte" among Black people.
Lawrence J. Mackey, oral history, interviewed by Randall J. Knudsen, November 20, 2014, Church History Library, OH 8447, item 1
[transcript starts about 14:30–15:48]
[Randall J. Knudsen] Can you describe what Africa was like during those years, and these were the apartheid years.
[Lawrence J. Mackey] It was very different for me. And very different, and then also I would have to say probably difficult. I’d never seen anything quite like that. I had a couple of opportunities to become very close to some of the African people. And they were the most happy, fun-loving people. And they were pretty sensitive to the Spirit. But at that time, we--I was not allowed to proselyte among them.
[Knudsen] Now this is the Blacks you’re talking about, right?
[Mackey] Yes.
[Knudsen] Okay.
[Mackey] So we developed friendships and relationships but there was no teaching of doctrine or actually sharing witness of the doctrines. That was not encouraged.
[Knudsen] Okay. And that was all, basically, because of apartheid among other things, but the Church didn’t teach a lot of Blacks during that time.
[Mackey] No, there was some agreement early on when the Church returned to South Africa after some civil disturbances that prevented that at that time.
[Knudsen] Right.