Dan Roodt, Author at praag.co.za

‘Scheinheiligendamm’

Sir Bob, nie van Zimbabwe nie, maar die langvergete Boomtown Rats, se Afrika-inisiatief het blykbaar weer nuwe asem geskep. As nie-amptelike Britse buitelandse gesant, is Bob Geldof deesdae in die geselskap van hooggeplaastes soos Angela Merkel en probeer hy Duitse beursies dmv morele afpersing oopdwing vir die “armoede” wat Afrika teister.

Soos Beeld Saterdag op hul tipies sikofantiese en onkritiese manier berig het, het die sanger as gasredakteur van die geelperskoerant Bildzeitung opgetree om Afrika se “roerende hulpkreet” aan lesers te bring. Die Bildzeitung, berug vir sy regse politieke menings, skinderstories en kaalfoto’s, het 12 miljoen lesers in Duitsland.

Bob het sy kans benut om 24 bladsye van linkse, naïewe en sensasiebelaaide Britse propaganda aan die Duitse bouer, vragmotorbestuurder en handearbeider op te dis. Die voorbladopskrif en foto van ‘n uitgeteerde swart gillende kind, was alles behalwe skugter: Dertigduisend mense sterf elke dag in Afrika van armoede.

In nog groter letters, swart, wit en rooi: Hou op daarmee, NOU!, asof elke Duitse leser persoonlik verantwoordelik is vir die haglike toestand. Trouens hy vra sommer ‘n bladsy of wat later reguit of die Duitsers hulle nie erg skaam nie.

Om die polities-korrekte inhoud beter te onderstreep moes die gebruiklike kaalmeisie ook verdwyn om plek te maak vir halfgeklede en honger swartes. Die enigste erotiese boodskappe was van Duitse sterre wat skynbaar ‘n liefdesverhouding met Afrika vertroetel.

Vir model Bettina Zimmermann (28) is dit “Afrika mon amour”, terwyl die brandmaer Claudia Schiffer nie genoeg kan kry van die “towerstof” wat die kontinent aan modemateriaal produseer nie. Loréal-meisie Schiffer was onlangs in die nuus nadat daar bespiegel is dat sy ‘n anoreksie-lyer is.

Dit was alles te lese onder ‘n foto van ‘n poedelnaakte Alek Wek, wêreldbekende model wat spog met ‘n huidkleur wat blouswart is. Akteur Matt Damon kon sy “woede” elders skaars beteuel toe hy verneem dat ‘n kind in Afrika elke 15 sekondes sterf omdat skoon drinkwater ontbreek.

‘n Hele paar moes by die lees daarvan sekerlik gedink het dat die Axel Springer-koerant al lankal ‘n verleentheid is, al is dit net vir die skaamtelose manier waarop hulle daagliks enige onderwerp behandel. Maar die oormaat selfvertroue waarmee die Britte die Duitsers takseer, was waarskynlik ‘n groter bron van irritasie as die gewone kitsch waartoe Bild in staat is.

Die Rat van Boomtown het ná afloop van die oefening dit as harder werk as wat hy gedink het beskryf, maar sy blinde selfvoldaanheid was steeds onaangetas. “Ek dink ons het vandag ‘n koerant geskep wat die Duitse politiek en die lewens van miljoene mense kan verander,” het hy in sy skik gesê.

Bob het byvoorbeeld nie eers die moeite gedoen om uit te vind watter Duitse hulporganisasies reeds in Afrika betrokke is nie, maar eerder gesteun op sy eie, soms irrelevante, visuele materiaal. By die voorbladfoto is van die wêreld se prominente gesigte uitgestal waaronder dié van George Bush. Natuurlik een en almal vriende van Blair, maar geen Duitser sal Bush vir ‘n Afrika-vriend aansien nie.

Die Amerikaanse president se gewildheid is tewens besonder laag in Duitsland vanweë die feit dat hy wegskram van klimaatsbestuur en sy afgelope toespraak daaroor is met groot teleurstelling begroet. Desnieteenstaande is die Bild ook versier met drie bladsye van die ongewilde Bush wat so veel vir Vigs in Afrika doen. Dat dit op ‘n fiasko afstuur in SA agv van die eiesoortige benadering waarvoor ons gesondheidsminister bekend is, word nêrens genoem nie.

Die Bild-gasredakteur se kinderlike kragtoer waaroor Beeld – die name is ook dieselfde! – so positief berig, was sonder einde. Hy het weer herhaal dat hulp “belowe” is en beloftes moet nagekom word. Dit weet elke drie-jarige kind. Behalwe Naomi Campbell en Kofi Annan is elke ander swarte in Afrika volgens die Live Aid-organiseerder beslis sonder ‘n krieseltjie kos.

Gelukkig het Bob nie ‘n dag honger gely nie en breedvoerig is oor sy regte-egte kantienkaartjie en ete by die koerant se restaurant berig. Die hele maaltyd van beesvleis, aarbeie en room, afgesluk met skoon water en afgesluit met koffie, was nog ‘n volkleur nuuswaardige selfbeheptheid.

Danksy Brittanje se besliste aandrang dat Bob, dis nou Mugabe, tot Zimbabwe se leier verkies moet word, is daar vandag ‘n dringende voedseltekort in daardie land, maar Sir Bob, Bild en Beeld stel nie in oorsake belang nie. Trouens noudat SA weer deel van die Gemenbes is, is voedselsekuriteit ook nie meer ‘n uitgemaakte saak hier nie, maar dit skeel ons pop-politici en jingo-pers ewe min.

Onderliggend aan die skrille boodskap is dat alle wittes, behalwe vanselfsprekend die Britte, die oorsaak van Afrikaprobleme is omdat hulle nie rojaal genoeg gee en help nie. Praat van agter die deur staan!

Bildzeitung se lomp poging het vir kritiek uit vele oorde gesorg, en Der Spiegel het droogweg opgemerk dat Merkel se ingenomenheid met Bob Geldof die komende spitsberaad van G-8 lande na Scheinheiligendamm verander het. Die Kanselier het heel skynheilig met die propaganda-oefening saamgespeel.

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‘n Afrikaanse sokkerspan?

Vanmiddag het ek die eerste helfte van die Springbokke se rugbywedstryd teen Engeland gekyk en dit agterna afgesit omdat dit my nie werklik kon skeel wie wen nie. Nietemin het dit my weereens getref hoe die ANC sport en sportboikotte teen ons gebruik het om die Afrikaner ten eerste te isoleer en ten tweede van sy identiteit te ontneem sodat hy tans byna volkome oorheers word.

Dis opvallend hoeveel Engelse spelers daar in die Springbokspan ingesluit word, hoofsaaklik van Natal. Selfs vir ’n leek soos ek is dit ooglopend dat daar deur Jake White teen Afrikanerspelers gediskrimineer word as dit by die samestelling van die nasionale span kom, dis nou nog afgesien van rassekwotas.

My vrou sê toe so ewe: “Ons moet begin sokker speel.” Waarom nie? Tans is daar bloedweinig Afrikaners wat sokker speel, daarom is daar geen gevestigde belange wat dié sport betref nie. Die rugby-unies is vrekbang vir die ANC en sal niks doen om die outoritêre sportadministrateurs van die regerende party te ontstel nie. Die Suid-Afrikaanse sokkerspan is hoofsaaklik ’n swart span en Afrikaners stel nie werklik in sy vordering belang nie.

Ons mense doen goed in feitlik elke vorm van sport: rugby, krieket, atletiek (in die dae toe daar nog atletiek in Suid-Afrika was), tennis, gholf, noem maar op. Ons stamlande soos Nederland, Duitsland en Frankryk het van topsokkerspanne ter wêreld. Met ’n bietjie moeite en afrigting behoort ons ’n gedugte sokkerspan te kan oplewer. So ’n nuwe span sal heeltemal onafhanklik van bestaande verpolitiseerde sportstrukture kan funksioneer.

Gestel nou ons kon ’n Afrikanersokkerspan vir die komende wêreldbeker inskryf? Klink dit vergesog? Ek het bietjie oor die probleem begin dink. Dit mag dalk selfs ’n oplossing vir ons algemene sportprobleem onder die ANC bied waar politiek en politiekery sport oorheers.

My plan is eenvoudig: ons moet een van die kleiner landjies of eilandgroepe in die wêreld wat nie self oor die bevolking of die middele beskik om internasionale sport te bedryf nie, oorreed om onder hul vlag te kan deelneem. Omdat al die lede van die span egter Afrikaners sal wees, sal ons eie mense plaaslik onmiddellik die span begin ondersteun. En natuurlik moet die oranje-blanje-blou Prinsevlag by wedstryde geswaai word.

Ek het my voorgeneem om van aanstaande week af briewe en diplomatieke boodskappe te begin skryf aan elke potensiële land of selfregerende gebied ter wêreld wat nie ’n span vir 2010 ingeskryf het nie. Moontlike kandidate vir ’n Afrikaanse sokkerspan vir 2010 is:

Wallis en Futuna: ’n selfregerende eilandgroep onder Franse beheer (’n sogenaamde TOM of territoire d’outremer) met ’n bevolking van 16309 mense. ’n Ander Franse TOM, Nieu-Caledonië het wel ’n eie nasionale span vir 2010 ingeskryf, dus behoort dit moontlik te wees vir Wallis en Futuna om dieselfde te doen.

Tokelau: Hierdie selfregerende eilandgroep in die Stille Oseaan het ’n bevolking van slegs 1449 mense en word tans deur Nieu-Seeland geadministreer. Heel moontlik sou hulle verheug wees om aan die Wêreldsokkerbeker te kan deelneem met spelers wat vanuit die Afrikanervolk van 3 miljoen mense afkomstig is.

Die Marshall-eilande: Hierdie onafhanklike eilandgroep in die Stille Oseaan het ’n bevolking van 61 815 siele en sou met ons spelers aan die Wêreldbeker kon deelneem.

Gefedereerde State van Mikronesië: Hierdie eilandgroep in die Stille Oseaan het in 1986 van die VSA onafhanklikheid verkry en het ’n bevolking van 107,862. Met ’n Afrikanerspan sou hulle maklik aan die Wêreldbeker kon deelneem.

Saint Lucia: ’n Karibbiese eiland wat in 1979 onafhanklikheid van Brittanje verkry het. Hoewel hulle oor ’n bevolking van 170 649 beskik, is hulle nie lid van FIFA nie.

Hierdie lys is nie volledig nie, maar indien Afrikaner-diplomate met genoemde eilandvolkere kontak maak en hulle oorreed om namens hulle lande aan internasionale sport, waaronder veral sokker, deel te neem, mag ons die sportisolasie waaronder ons spelers tans met rasse- en taalkwotas verkeer, verbreek.

Dis nodig dat ons lateraal begin dink.

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Israeli agents ‘helped Entebbe hijackers’

An extraordinary claim that Israeli intelligence may have had a hand in an airline hijacking before sending in commandos to rescue the hostages at Entebbe was made to the Foreign Office.

It came via David Colvin, the first secretary at the British embassy in Paris, according to a newly released National Archives file.

He heard it from a contact in the Euro-Arab Parliamentary Association three days after the Air France flight from Tel Aviv to Paris was seized in mid-air by Palestinians and German terrorists on June 27, 1976.

Mr Colvin told his superiors that his source suggested that the attack was carried out by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine with help from the Israeli Security Service, the Shin Bet.

It was designed to torpedo the rival Palestine Liberation Organisation’s standing in France and to prevent what they saw as a growing rapprochement between the PLO and the Americans.

”My contact said that the PFLP had attracted all sorts of wild elements, some of whom had been planted by the Israelis,” Mr Colvin added. The message was received without comment by the Foreign Office but later officials recorded that a journalist from the Liverpool Post, Leo Murray, had also told them that a splinter group of PFLP was planning a series of spectacular incidents to disrupt contacts between the PLO leader Yasser Arafat and the US.

An official noted: ‘If, as Mr Murray’s sources allege, the aim of the Entebbe hijacking was to prevent the development of relations between Arafat and the West, and Arafat knew this, it would provide another motive for Arafat’s recent approach to the French in Cairo warning us of further attacks.”

Most of the file is taken up with Foreign Office attempts to distance itself from the Israeli raid while privately admitting that the Israelis were probably justified in sending their troops into President Idi Amin’s Uganda.

Frank Wheeler, the first secretary, reported that there was abundant evidence of Ugandan collaboration with the hijackers. Palestinians had been brought from Mogadishu in President Amin’s private jet to join the hijackers, according to the file.

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Swiss propose Holocaust conference

Switzerland’s foreign minister proposed in December that her government host a conference on varying perspectives on the Holocaust. The participants would include the Jewish state of Israel, and the country whose president has denied the attempted genocide ever happened, Iran.

The details of the plan emerged this week in the Swiss weekly Die Weltwoche, which claimed to obtain minutes from a meeting between Micheline Calmy-Rey and Iran’s deputy foreign minister on December 21. The Iranians had just made world headlines after hosting a Holocaust denial conference in Tehran that featured neo-Nazis and ex-Klansmen, such as David Duke.

Die Weltwoche reported in the piece that Ms. Calmy-Rey said through a spokesman that she had told her Iranian interlocutor she believed the Holocaust was a historical fact.

The statement did not satisfy the New York-based Anti-Defamation League. Yesterday, its national director, Abraham Foxman, who is a survivor of the Holocaust, said the Swiss government owed his fellow survivors an apology.

"We are outraged that the Swiss government could have pitched the idea of a seminar on the Holocaust to, of all countries, Iran," he said.

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Help Zimbabwe weer opbou

Blair in SA

Tony Blair het gister ’n beroep op die internasionale gemeenskap gedoen om finansieel by te dra om ’n ”vernietigde” Zimbabwe weer op te bou. Tydens ’n toespraak in Pretoria het Blair verder sy regering se steun uitgespreek vir Thabo Mbeki se bemiddeling tussen die Mugabe-regering en die Zimbabwiese opposisie.

Blair het daarop gewys dat dekades van onderdrukking ’n derde van die Zimbabwiese bevolking die land laat verlaat het. Hy het ook genoem dat die lewensverwagting in Zimbabwe van 60 in 1990 tot 37 in 2006 gedaal het en dat Suid-Afrika 3% van sy BBP weens die ekonomiese agteruitgang in sy buurland kwyt is.

Die internasionale gemeenskap moet die land weer help opbou. “Die wêreld wag en wil weer betrokke raak by ’n Zimbabwiese regering wat hervormings deurvoer,“ het hy gesê.

Net twee dae tevore het minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma egter die Suid-Afrikaanse parlement toegespreek en gesê dat Suid-Afrika nie drastiese aksie teen Zimbabwe beoog nie.

Intussen reken ’n lid van die Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) dat Zimbabwe se inflasiekoers nou al 10 000% verbygesteek het.

Eddie Cross, wat ’n bakkery in Bulawayo bestuur en die MDC se ekonomiese segsman is, baseer hierdie persentasie op wat hy in sy eie besigheid ervaar. In sy nuusbrief, wat op 30 Mei uitgestuur is, vertel hy onder andere dat sy personeel onlangs ’n 100% verhoging ontvang het, maar dat dit steeds nie hulle basiese lewenskoste dek nie. Hy was genoodsaak om hulle ook van kos te begin voorsien, want hulle kon nie meer hulle gesinne aan die lewe hou nie. Hy moet verder deesdae 600 km ry om sy meelvoorraad te gaan haal. Petrol word tans vir 45 000 Zimbabwiese dollar per liter verkoop. Die plaaslike geldeenheid verhandel teen 50 000 Zimbabwiese dollar teen 1 Amerikaanse dollar. Cross reken dat pryse met ongeveer 20% per dag styg.

Volgens Cross is ’n humanitêre krisis aan’t opbou in die land en word die lewens van miljoene mense bedreig. Baie Zimbabwiërs bly tans aan die lewe danksy skenkings wat hulle van familielede in die diaspora ontvang. Hy reken dat sowat 4.5 miljoen volwasse Zimbabwiërs hulle tans in die buiteland bevind. Dit is dalk al wat die land nog min of meer stabiel hou, meen hy.

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Immigrante stroom na ryk Suid-Afrika

Sowel die ANC as die DA meen dat "armoedeverligting" eerders as onwettige immigrasie of misdaad die vernaamste politieke kwessie in Suid-Afrika sou wees. In hierdie artikel wat in gister se Sake-Beeld verskyn het, wys die ekonoom Mike Schüssler egter daarop dat Suid-Afrika nie ‘n arm land is nie. Trouens, ‘n restaurant-skoonmaker in ons land is 25 keer ryker as ‘n junior dokter van Zimbabwe en die gemiddelde Gautenger is 70 keer ryker as die gemiddelde Kongolees.

Suid-Afrikaanse politici kla dat baie mense in die land arm is.

Dié storie word verder gevoer deur die Cosatu’s van hierdie wêreld en mense word vertel dat die staat meer vir die armes moet doen.

Die departement van arbeid het onlangs ook daarop gewys dat min swart mense hulle in bestuursposte bevind. Ander kommentators sê die meeste swart mense is arm en wit mense word bevoordeel.

[snit]

Dié feite is egter in meer as een opsig heeltemal vals.

Eerstens, as ons Suid-Afrika se bruto binnelandse produk (BBP) per capita volgens provinsies neem, het Gauteng en die Wes-Kaap die rykste mense in Afrika, gevolg deur die Noord-Kaap.

Sewe van Suid-Afrika se nege provinsies sou onder die rykste tien lande wees.

Gautengers is minstens 70 keer so ryk as die mense in die DRK en sowat 25 keer so ryk as die mense van Zimbabwe.

Die meeste gesinne in Suid-Afrika besit grond en ’n huis as bate en dit is geregistreer by die aktekantoor. Minder as 2% van die res van Afrika is in private besit.

Suid-Afrika se armes besit deesdae ’n selfoon. Meer as 70% van die bevolking het ’n eie huis. Meer mense in Suid-Afrika het verlede jaar vir die eerste keer ’n motor bestuur en gekoop as die totale getal motors in Zimbabwe.

’n Skoonmaker in die restaurantbedryf in Suid-Afrika kry meer as ’n junior dokter in Zimbabwe. Daar is geen vergelyking tussen die rykdom van die gewone Suid-Afrikaanse burger en die meeste van Afrika se burgers nie.

Elke jaar sedert 2002 het mense in Gauteng ryker geword en meer mense het groter welvaart beleef.

Daar is baie gevolge van hierdie verwronge situasie.

Die eerste is dat verlede jaar meer as ’n miljoen mense Suid-Afrika wettig ingestroom het, maar nie die land verlaat het nie. Sowat 112 000 mense per maand kom soek ’n toekoms in Suid-Afrika. Die getal mense wat onwettig inkom is natuurlik nie bekend nie, maar die totale getal mense wat van Angola tot Zambië na Suid-Afrika kom, is waarskynlik meer as 1,5 miljoen per jaar.

Dit is belangrik omdat Suid-Afrika se eie bevolking maar met net sowat 42 000 per maand groei. Suid-Afrika is besig om ’n land van immigrante te word. Die immigrante bring hul vaardighede saam en daar is beslis in Suid-Afrika ’n tekort aan vaardighede.

Die punt is egter nie net dat daar vandag waarskynlik meer as 55 miljoen mense in Suid-Afrika is nie (teenoor die 47,4 miljoen volgens Statistieke SA) maar dat Suid-Afrikaners nie besef hoe gelukkig hulle is nie. Baie politici en kommentators, veral van die linkse kant van die spektrum, het nog nie agtergekom dat die res van die wêreld wegbeweeg van staatsinmenging en “handouts” nie.

Daar is reeds in Suid-Afrika meer as 12 miljoen mense wat elke maand welsynbetalings ontvang. Dit is 2,3 keer soveel as die getal mense wat vir belasting geregistreer is. Maar selfs die armes wat welsyntoelaes ontvang, leef beter as baie mense in ander Afrika-lande.

Dus stem die mense van Afrika – wat oorwegend swart is – nie saam met die “wit is ryk en swart is arm”-stelling nie. Hulle sê eenvoudig Suid-Afrikaners is ryk en daarom kom soek hulle ’n toekoms hier.

Ten tweede groei die middelklas in Suid-Afrika baie vinnig. Tans is daar meer as 2,6 miljoen mense wat voorheen as arm beskou is, wat nou stewig in die middelklas sit. Die ergste kommentaar word hiér gelewer dat die swart middelklas nie in ’n 4×4 ry nie en dat dit mense wat slegs R4 500 per maand verdien, ook insluit.

Sulke kommentators is heeltemal die kluts kwyt omdat die meeste mense in die wêreld nié ’n 4×4 ry nie – dit is ryk mense wat dié tipe voertuig ry.

’n Inkomste van R4 500 per maand is ’n redelike aanwyser, selfs in wêreld-terme. In Oos-Europa is meer as ’n paar lande waar ’n inkomste van R4 500 per maand as meer as middelklas beskou kan word.

[snit]

Ten laaste, as ’n mens die data van Statistieke Suid-Afrika ontleed, wys dit dat baie meer swart mense as ’n persentasie van die werkmag vandag werk as ooit tevore. Die feit dat wit mense, Indiërs en selfs swart vroue vir hulself werk geskep het, word nooit genoem nie.

Die feit dat veral wit mense en Indiërs vir ander mense in die formele sektor werk skep, word nooit erken nie. Daar word heeltyd op rassistiese maniere gewys dat die bestuur steeds te wit is.

Altesame 69% van alle werkers is swart, maar twee derdes van werkgewers in die formele sektor is nie swart nie (bruin mense, wittes en Indiërs). Sê dankie vir hierdie mense wat die land se mense die rykste in Afrika maak. As jy deel is van die regering, ondersteun dié mense eerder as om net klappe uit te deel oor hul velkleur.

Schüssler, van T-Sec, is ’n vorige wenner van Sake24 se Ekonoom van die Jaar-wedstryd.

Lees die volledige artikel hier.

Similarities between SA and Iraq

Dear Professors and Doctors Jo Beall, Elleke Boehmer, Sara Rich Dorman, Alan Lester, Shula Marks, Deborah Potts, Lyn Schumaker and Dennis Walder,

My attention was drawn to your letter published in The Guardian on 25 April 2007 under the heading De Klerk’s delusions of grandeur in which you object to the choice of ex-president De Klerk in prefacing a speech by Nelson Mandela that was evidently reprinted in that newspaper.

De Klerk enjoys no standing in South Africa and is rather despised by his own people, the Afrikaners, for having betrayed them. He and especially his chief negotiator, Roelf Meyer, who had switched sides halfway through the negotiations in the early nineties, completely failed to secure any form of meaningful settlement in the conflict then opposing the African National Congress and its allies to the South African state. The result has been South Africa’s predictable slide into ethnic conflict and extreme violence which have been downplayed by the international media but can be ignored no longer.

De Klerk is an abject figure who will be judged by historians for having missed the opportunity to bring peace and stability to South Africa by insisting on the permanence of Afrikaners and other racial minorities in South Africa. As we know, the ANC and Mbeki define Afrikaners as "settlers" and as "a foreign ruling class" who "failed to depart" (viz. Mbeki’s Oliver Tambo memorial lecture of 11 August 2000). As a result, the Mbeki regime has been turning a blind eye to the death squads operating against Afrikaner farmers and suburbanites with unspeakable atrocities being committed against our people on a daily basis.

Far be it from me to defend the hated Mr. FW de Klerk who must bear at least some responsibility for the current state of affairs. However, it strikes me as highly presumptuous of you to pontificate morally on De Klerk’s role when your country, Great Britain, has been engaged in a century-old policy to, as lord Milner put it in 1900, "eradicate the last vestiges of Afrikanerism from South Africa".

Much of the genocidal behaviour of the British military from 1899-1902 has been shielded from us by historical censorship and the need for so-called "reconciliation between Boer and Briton". Recent internet debates in South Africa have illuminated the systematic rape of Boer women and girls by British soldiers and the so-called "armed Blacks" who fought on the British side, even apart from the concentration-camp policy which was universally condemned by European public opinion at the time.

The events from 100 years ago are relevant because we are reliving them today. Once again, we are suffering vicious violence in the form of rape and murder. Today I heard of an elderly gentleman in Pretoria who was bled to death by having his hands cut off. This incident did not even make it into the newspapers. Not so long ago a woman was tortured to death by having boiling water poured onto her for hours. She died after several days of excruciating agony in hospital.

A month or two ago, the Afrikaans singer Steve Hofmeyr and I met the father of Danielle Esterhuizen, a beautiful girl of five who was executed on her mother’s lap while visiting her father who had gone fishing with a friend next to a dam on December 20, 2006 in Randfontein. He broke down and cried, "I will never touch a fishing rod again."

Despite the horrors that we are living through in South Africa and which surpass anything we have ever experienced, except perhaps during 1899-1902, you presume from within your British ivory towers to call us a "multi-racial, democratic state", as if South Africa under ANC rule were some sort of Scandinavian exemplar of social justice and harmony.

South Africa today is profoundly corrupt and dysfunctional, a Zimbabwe in the making. I can still remember how the British newspapers lauded Mr. Robert Mugabe in 1980, just like Mandela was fêted in 1994. Our ruling ANC has declared Zimbabwe a democracy and its most recent elections "free and fair". Being such admirers of that organisation, I suppose you share its views on Zimbabwean "democracy"?

The Anglican church and the Swedish government played a much larger role than Nelson Mandela in bringing the hapless National Party government to a fall. In fact, on 27 April 2004 the Swedish ambassador to South Africa said as much on the local radio station RSG. Desmond Tutu has also stated that "if you could say that anybody single-handedly made apartheid a world issue then that person was Trevor Huddleston."

Was Trevor Huddleston, who was apparently charged but not found guilty of pederasty, not a bigger hero than Nelson Mandela? After all, without Trevor and his money-laundering scheme for washing the Swedish millions into South Africa, funding the "resistance" you refer to, there would never have been a Nelson. Or at least he would have remained a nobody, just like the many African opposition figures languishing in gaols all over the continent and which no-one has ever heard of and about whom the world does not care.

Today one of your newspapers stated the following: "The (British) attorney general, Lord Goldsmith, is facing accusations that he told the Army its soldiers were not bound by the Human Rights Act when arresting, detaining and interrogating Iraqi prisoners."

Many people in South Africa are starting to see the similarities between South Africa and Iraq. Both countries were blessed with outside interference from the Anglo-American empire who brought them "democracy", with a complete disregard for the ethnic, linguistic, racial, cultural and religious complexities on the ground. They call it "one man, one vote". Or "regime change". Or "majority rule", which means that whichever group has won the war of the cradle will win the war of the ballot box and will afterwards use its power to ethnically cleanse its rivals from the nation state which it now monopolises.

"Democracy" is a principle that has a charming simplicity about it. The British soldier torturing his "sand nigger" in Iraq readily understands that he is acting according to a higher principle, just like the British academic understands that mere white Afrikaner children being liquidated by post-apartheid freedom fighters have no moral standing whatsoever. Like Iraquis, they are the "victims of democracy" about whom it is best to maintain a very moral silence.

We would gladly extradite Mr. De Klerk to you to get the treatment from your soldiers who are not bound by the Human Rights Act, because he deserves it. But spare us your posturing about who should or should not write in The Guardian. It strikes me as somewhat disingenuous.

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Iraqis don’t have human rights

The Attorney General was today facing allegations that he had instructed Army chiefs to ignore the Human Rights Act in Iraq.

Leaked emails between London and military chiefs in Iraq suggest Lord Goldsmith advised a "pragmatic" approach to handling prisoners rather than adherence to the "higher standards" of human rights.

Experts claim the Attorney General was effectively advising the military to observe the Geneva Conventions but ignore the Act, according to The Independent.

They say this was contrary to advice given by the Army’s senior lawyer in Iraq, who urged for the higher standards to be met.

Rights groups and international law experts will call on the Government to disclose Lord Goldsmith’s legal opinion amid fears that the advice could have helped create a culture of abuse.

Last month, the first British soldier convicted of a war crime was jailed for a year and dismissed from the Army.

He was convicted of mistreating Iraqi civilians, including hotel worker Baha Mousa, who died of injuries at the hands of British soldiers.

In 2005, three British soldiers were jailed by court martial in Germany after "trophy" photographs showed Iraqi detainees being abused.

Rights groups are preparing action over about 60 more allegations of abuse.

Tension within NATO

Turkey asked the United States formally on Tuesday to avoid another violation of its airspace after an incident that exposed tensions between the NATO allies.

Last week, two U.S. F-16 warplanes briefly infringed Turkish airspace near the Iraqi border. U.S. diplomats say the incident was an “accident.” Turkish media say it was intended to send a message to Ankara not to send its troops into northern Iraq.

“After we received detailed technical information from the General Staff on the incident, the necessary diplomatic initiative was made today in the presence of (a representative of) the U.S. Embassy,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

[…]

“In the note given (to the embassy representative) it was requested that this kind of incident not be repeated.”

In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman Tom Casey told reporters the planes had inadvertently violated Turkish airspace for “a couple of minutes” and that the United States was investigating and would seek to prevent any recurrence.

“We are going to make sure we thoroughly look into this and make sure that there are no further incidents of this kind,” he said. “Obviously we don’t want to do anything that would violate Turkish airspace or infringe in any way on their rights.”

[…]

The rebels use northern Iraq as a springboard to attack military and security targets inside Turkey. Ankara has long urged U.S. and Iraqi forces to crack down on the rebels.

Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said on Friday there were no preparations in parliament to give approval to send troops into Iraq. In its statement on Tuesday, the Foreign Ministry said it was working closely with the General Staff on the issue.

Turkish newspapers have suggested the two institutions have not been coordinating their actions. The General Staff recently helped prevent Gul, a former Islamist, being elected president in an election in parliament that has now been postponed.

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US lags behind, OECD

School students in the US think they are just great at mathematics: but by the age of 14 they are two years behind the level in other industrialised countries and overall come 24th in a class of 29.

The causes are perplexing. But a central factor that has to be corrected is a climate of low school standards, low expectations and not enough exams.

So says the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development in a survey yesterday of underlying policies and trends in the US economy, against a background of recent warnings that emerging countries such as China and India, are producing more engineers than the US.

The OECD stressed that the higher education system is still a world leader and that overall spending on education is high. But it is damning in its analysis of school standards.

“A country’s ability to compete in an ever more integrated economy depends crucially on a highly educated workforce. However … the US has lost its leading position. Test scores at the compulsory level are at or below the OECD average and lag those in many other major economies.”

But US school students think they are the tops in mathematics, a benchmark subject. Surveys show that they have a high opinion of their capabilities, expressing greater confidence than students at a more advanced level in other counties, offering comments such as: “I understand even the most difficult work,” or “I learn mathematics quickly,” or “mathematics is one of my best subjects.”

In fact, the OECD says, US school students “rank 24th out of 29 OECD countries in mathematics performance.”

It explained: “By the middle grades, the top achieving countries … begin the transition to the study of algebra … geometry and even in some cases, basic trigonometry. By the end of the eighth grade in these countries children have mostly completed US high school courses in algebra 1 and geometry.

“By contrast, most US students are destined to mostly continue the study of arithmetic. In fact, we estimate that at the end of eighth grade (about age 14) US students are some two or more years behind their counterparts around the world.”

Part of the explanation, the OECD suggests, is that not only have standards “been lowered to accommodate low performance” but have also been “lowered by more than student ability warranted.”

The “astonishing self confidence” expressed by US school students “also suggests standards are lax,” the report said. “Contrary to widespread hopes that promotion of self-esteem and confidence will encourage learning, grade inflation seems to lower performance…”

“In short, one reason why US students perform worse than their international counterparts seems to be that they are not being challenged.” Another explanation was that in the US there was no school-leaving exam based on a set curriculum.

Another factor is the absence of any control by the national government over the curriculum or exams.

The underlying weaknesses have roots going back decades, since Congress took steps in 1964 to address weak performance in schools.

“For years, the US high school diploma has been criticised for being little more than an attendance certificate, as states rarely required students to pass a central exam as a condition of graduation.

“Lagging performance is evident across the board, including among affluent and academically successful students. The US does not just have more students performing badly – it also has many fewer students performing well … Resources do not appear to be at the root of the problem because the system is comparatively well-financed.”

By contrast, “the US system of higher education is widely seen to be the best in the world but “in some areas other countries are overtaking.”

A generation ago, the US had the highest rate of higher education in the OECD area, today it ranks eighth even though in 2003 it spent 2.9% of gross domestic product in this field, about twice the OECD average.

Spending per student on higher education was $19,500 (14,100 euros) compared with an OECD average of $7,800. Most of the difference reflected high US incomes, and the average tuition fee of $8,700 a year was nearly five times the OECD average of $1,800.
A striking feature is the diversity of higher education since 75% of undergraduates attend state-financed institutions, 20% private non-profit institutions and “a small fringe attend private for-profit institutions…”

“At private schools, fees are higher and more variable, with top-tier schools (such as Harvard, Chicago and Stanford) charging between $32,000 and 34,000 a year. However, real fees were lower, owing to discounting, grants and tax benefits.”

The OECD says there is much evidence to suggest that the tuition costs, together, with living costs, dissuade many people from pursuing higher education. The solution, it suggests, is to extend arrangements for student loans rather than to increase grants.
Repayments should be linked to earnings to reassure some “overly pessimistic” students worried that they might not earn enough to repay.

Higher education is an excellent investment. On average the total costs of $87,000 for four years at a state-funded university, with interest, could be repaid out of the extra earnings flowing from a degree, by the age of 33.

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