Losing a war

In recent weeks Washington DC has been rocked by a sex scandal. A Republican member of Congress, Mark Foley, was accused of soliciting underage pages (teenagers who work as aides to members of Congress) by sending them emails with explicit sexual content. Foley, who was known as a campaigner for "values", was exposed as a hypocrite when copies of the emails were published on the blog "Stop Sex Predators" before it was picked up by ABC news and broadcast nationally.

These allegations are scandalous, to say the least, and politicians, spin-doctors, journalists and others went into a feeding frenzy. Talking heads on television shows and radio commentators pontificated about the scandal and its consequences for hours and sometimes days on end while journalists in the print media wrote many inches of columns, analyzing and dissecting the allegations. This is Bill Clinton all over again – sex in the holiest of American places, in the Congress and Oval Office. Only the American Supreme Court has remained immune, so far.

Arguments about the allegations have now descended to their predictable low, namely, who knew what when, and who should be blamed. Republican members of Congress are busy arranging themselves into a firing squad taking aim at one another, and soon the shooting will start in earnest, with members of the Democratic Party looking on in bemusement, if not amazement.

These events would have been tragicomic and provided humorous relief from the drudgery of everyday life, given normal circumstances. But these are not normal days, and while American politicians are twisting themselves into knots about the scandal, the rest of the world is busy moving on to an apparently inevitable destination.

The depth and viciousness of the reaction to Foley’s transgressions also illustrate that Americans have psychologically progressed beyond September 11, 2001, and that the perception is taking hold that the War on Terror has become at best a distraction, and at worst an unnecessary drain on national resources. The fact remains that the consequences of the Foley scandal may well influence the perception and actions of Americans in world affairs, and in particular in the War on Terror.

The timing of the Foley scandal will almost certainly drastically affect the upcoming elections for Members of Congress on November 7, 2006. The Republican Party, which enjoys small majorities in both Houses of Congress was expected to hang onto reduced majorities, but the Foley scandal and the increasing unpopularity of the Bush administration, have almost certainly swung the election in favour of the Democratic Party.

Observers are generally of the opinion that a change of majority party in the American Congress will have dramatic consequences internationally. A major rift is developing in American society on the issue of the War on Terror, and particularly, about the war in Iraq. While the White House still claims that the war is being won, there is a pervasive pessimism about the War, and rumour has it that even insiders in the White House and in Congress are privately expressing their doubts.

On the left of the political spectrum the Democratic Party is positioning itself to present the war as similar to the war in Vietnam. From this perspective the war cannot be won, and a speedy withdrawal is necessary to save lives and to spare America a humiliating and inevitable defeat.

On the right the Republican Party argues that the war is in the American interest. Handing over the battlefield in Iraq to Muslim extremists, they argue, would simply move the conflict from the Middle East to the Home Front. After all, September 11, 2001, was an attack on the Home Front, and by invading Iraq, the conflict was transposed to the Middle East.

The war is now dragging through its fourth year, and American casualties are mounting, surpassing 2000 in 2006. Material losses, the deaths of countless civilians, and a determined insurgency mounted by foreign Muslims, are the hallmarks of this conflict. American intentions to dethrone Sadam Hussein and to turn Iraq into a democratic state seem now like the naïve dreams of a teenager.

The situation in Afghanistan may appear more hopeful, but is in reality not much better than in Iraq. Dead and wounded Canadian and other NATO soldiers are becoming a reality of the West’s attempts at pacifying the country, and Pakistan is becoming more open in its de facto support of the Taliban while covert Pakistani support of insurgents represents a major headache for Western soldiers.

Thus, while the fascination and accusations regarding Foley’s sexually predatory behaviour towards teenage pages are capturing American attention, the War on Terror drags on and a Congressional election is looming with an outcome which will probably be decided by the Foley scandal, with the result that the War on Terror will be either scaled down significantly, or perhaps even abandoned.

This is the stuff of small random events having major and lasting consequences.

That the war in Iraq has deeply divided Americans is becoming clearer with each passing month. A nascent anti-war movement is starting up, paradoxically initially led by Cindy Sheehan, the mother of a dead American soldier. While some European Powers are directly involved in Afghanistan under NATO command, Europeans generally do not have the desire to become further involved in Iraq, and repeated American requests for more soldiers to add to the 144,000 American soldiers already deployed in Iraq and in Afghanistan have fallen on deaf ears. In fact, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have become more or less a war between an Anglo Alliance and Muslim insurgents, with the rest of the world looking on in either bewilderment, or bemusement, depending on their points of view.

Can America defeat the Iraqi insurgency and create a democratic Iraq, the goals they set for themselves in 2003? Probably not, and with a predicted Democratic Party victory in the upcoming Congressional elections, one may expect Americans to start planning a withdrawal – if not under the leadership of President Bush, then under his successor. The American public is increasingly against the Iraq war, and the anti-war movement is likely to grow over the next couple of years. One may also expect, all things remaining as they are, that the next American Presidential election will be influenced and perhaps be decided by the war effort.

What does this all prove? First, that Osama bin Laden and his enablers were correct when they predicted that the West cannot fight a prolonged war. Western attention spans are short, and modern Westerners generally have a singular inability to maintain a difficult course, even if it is in their own interest.

Secondly, this proves that the warnings of demographers that Western population decline will have dramatic affects on the ability of the West to project power in other regions of the world, were correct. America is being proven impotent by a rag-tag army of ill-trained and ill-equipped insurgents, and it appears that the time has ended when European and American governments could project power at will into every corner of the world. Perhaps the defeat of the Russians by the Mujahaddin in Afghanistan was a precursor to the current troubles Western forces face, and NATO is not faring any better in their attempt to subjugate and pacify Muslim radicals in that part of the world.

Thirdly, it proves the self-evident truth that only demographically robust societies can fight limitless wars. The suffering and heartache of small families in the West whose only sons are killed in far-flung corners of the world have a much more severe impact on their societies than the deaths of Muslim insurgents of demographically strong societies who fought for perceived liberation within their own countries. In addition, their more robust demographics ensure a virtually limitless supply of fighters. If the West can fight for 5 years, then these societies can fight for 50, and still be ready for the next battle.

Fourthly, the changing demographics in Western countries, with their own surging Muslim populations, is having an effect on the perception of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars in the Western mind. Muslim citizens of Western nations are joining and influencing the debate with respect to the War on Terror, and their surging demography will likely increase their influence on both international and domestic policy. Anti-Muslim activities in Western countries are on the increase, but it will be difficult for "indigenous" Westerners to turn the demographic tide. Projections of a "Londonistan" and "Eurabia" by Western observers and authors seem accurate, and this will change post-Christian Western countries and Westerners fundamentally.

Fifthly, the war in Iraq and the inability of the Americans to project their power must paint a disquieting picture for the Israelis. An American defeat in Iraq will prove American impotence and embolden anti-Israel sentiments in the region. As America withdraws from the region, more will Americans will question their involvement in the Middle East and their historical support for Israel. Already, prominent American lawmakers are questioning the involvement of America in the international sphere, and they are pleading for a more isolationist stance or a complete American withdrawal from the international arena. This will mean that America’s allies will be abandoned, and Israel, still reeling from her (mis)adventure in Lebanon earlier this year, must be concerned about the developments and inability of America in Iraq.

That the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan may be decided by the sexual escapades of a relatively unknown American Congressman is indeed ironic, and is surely a sign of American and Western decadence. Al Qa’ida declared war against the West, and their sympathizers claimed that the West has become too decadent to fight a prolonged war.

The testing grounds for the recipe followed by the Muslim and Al Qa’ida insurgents in Afghanistan and in Iraq, in my opinion, were the African wars of liberation, fought after the Second World War between Portuguese, Rhodesian and South African forces on the one side, and nationalist African insurgents on the other side. In all these wars a weak and often divided insurgency was time and again definitively defeated in battle, yet they all eventually prevailed by achieving all their goals, and some more.

Muslim insurgents in Afghanistan and Iraq would know that their efforts are not wasted, and that time is on their side. As ZANU-PF and Frelimo and the ANC marched to victory to prove that ill-trained and ill-equipped insurgents can defeat well-trained, well-armed and motivated armies, the Muslim insurgents are following a proven recipe, and it is obvious who will prevail in the long run.

The North-Korean bomb

At 10:39 a.m. local time on 9 October 2006, a small tremor shook North Korea’s North Hamgyong Province. The event was measured at magnitude 4.2 on the Richter scale by the US Geological Survey, although detectors in Japan, China and Australia detected localized seismic activity which may have been somewhat lower on the Richter scale.

There was an immediate flurry of activity internationally, culminating with announcements by Japan, the US and China condemning North Korea for testing a nuclear weapon and breaking its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty which it signed in 1985 as a condition to buy a nuclear power plant from the Soviet Union.

It is unclear whether this nuclear test was successful. The yield of the weapon was in the kiloton range, and smaller than the bombs which destroyed Japanese cities in 1945. Current speculation is that the explosion may have fizzled, and that the weapon still suffers some design flaws and other deficiencies. There are even allegations that this is all an elaborate hoax by the North Koreans.

General agreement by experts, however, seems to suggest that a nuclear device was set off, and that a nuclear chain reaction was part of this event. Even if the test "fizzled", it would still have produced valuable data for the engineers and scientists constructing the weapon. They will now make the necessary improvements and changes to increase the yield of the weapon, and I think that an announcement for a second test will be made in a matter of months, if not weeks.

There have long been suspicions in the West that North Korea is in the process of developing nuclear weapons. In his state of the union address on 22 January 2002, the American President Bush labeled North Korea as belonging to the "axis of evil" together with Iran and Iraq, and it appears that these countries have been exchanging nuclear technology.

It does not take much to make a nuclear weapon. Banks of industrial grade centrifuges and a supply of fissionable material (usually Uranium or Plutonium), and knowledge of nuclear chemistry (the chemistry of radioactive transuranium elements), plus engineering skills are really all that is needed.

The science and engineering behind these weapons are old and well understood, and are freely available, at least for older designs such as the Hiroshima bomb (an uranium bomb) or the Nagasaki bomb (a plutonium bomb). In most of these designs, subcritical masses of enriched uranium or plutonium are blasted together or imploded and radiated with neutrons from a neutron source to set of an uncontrolled chain reaction in a supercritical mass of fissionable material. The resulting run-away chain reaction fissions large numbers of atoms in nanoseconds, and releases enormous amounts of energy at the nuclear scale by breaking bonds formed by the strong force between nucleons. This release of nuclear energy produces hard radiation (gamma rays and X rays), enormous amounts of heat and pressure, resulting in a very large explosion which at the low end will be measured in kilotons. In more sophisticated designs a fission bomb is used to set off a fusion reaction in deuterium and tritium atoms resulting in explosions measured in the megaton range. This is the hydrogen bomb.

To be sure, while the science and engineering of nuclear weapons are understood and now even old science, constructing a bomb is not without challenges. Uranium and transuranium elements are heavy metals, and apart from the dangers of their radioactive nature, are also chemical poisons that are often difficult to work with. Enrichment (which involves the separation of isotopes to make fissionable material) is a difficult engineering challenge, and working safely with the nuclear materials in the construction of the bomb is not easy.

It is however, doable for a poor and backwards country. And this is what North Korea seems to have demonstrated.

The CIA fact book estimates that the GDP of North Korea is about 40 billion dollars. This is not much more than the GDP of Zimbabwe, which is about 28 billion dollars, and somewhat less than the GDP of Cuba (about 40 billion dollars).

Generally, North Korea is considered a poor place with an incompetent economy, bad leaders, and economic output per capita less than that of an average Zimbabwean. It is run by a megalomaniac leader (Kim Jong Il) with a rubberstamp Supreme People’s Assembly in an oppressive Stalinist State where people have no individual freedoms. Normally, such a basket case would be ignored at worst by the rest if the world, or be the recipient of aid at best.

North Korean scientists and engineers do not have free access to Western resources. The export of industrial tools necessary for the making of a nuclear weapon is controlled by the International community. North Korea is also isolated in its own region. Japan is hostile, and border disputes with China, as well as refugees which flow from North Korea into China, results in strained relations with its most important neighbour and trading partner.

Yet, in spite of this, this very backwards and poor country appears to have produced a workable nuclear weapon, and it is also well on its way developing missiles which may be able to deliver this weapon over hundreds, if not thousands, of kilometers. To be sure, some difficult challenges remain, but if nothing is done, then it may eventually succeed in producing a workable nuclear tipped missile which could strike Japan or even further away.

The news of North Korea’s nuclear bomb has caused consternation in the West and especially in Japan. It is known that North Korea and Iran are exchanging nuclear technology, and all indications are that Iran is working on its own bomb, perhaps in collaboration with North Korea.

An Iranian bomb will upset the balance of power in the Middle East. At this time Israel is the only Nuclear Power in the region, but it may be joined soon by a threatening Iran.

Meanwhile, a North Korean bomb will also upset the balance of power in East Asia. South Korean insecurities will be enhanced, and the immunity a nuclear weapon provides will allow North Korea to take a much more threatening and bold position along the demilitarized zone (DMZ) which was established at the end of the Korean War to separate the warring parties from one another.

More importantly, the North Korean bomb proves that even an isolated, backwards and poor state can manufacture nuclear weapons. As in any population, the North Korean population does contain its share of technological and scientific geniuses, and enough of them to build a bomb. The hostility of an Iran or North Korea to the West may also induce them to provide radicals with the bomb or help them to construct their own, with unthinkable results.

In the United States these events have generated some comment, and I thought for a moment that some Republican members of Congress fell on their knees to thank the gods for the North Korean bomb. The Republican Party, whose members of Congress are facing a difficult election in November, is usually seen as the party which is better at providing international security, and Americans have traditionally sent more Republicans to Congress when feeling insecure because of international events.

This time around, however, Americans have given the news of the North Korean bomb a big yawn, and the momentary hope that this will turn the tide for Republicans evaporated as soon as new poll numbers became available. The Mark Foley scandal, President Bush’ unpopularity, the increasingly unpopular Iraq war, and other domestic issues, still dominates the political discussion in the US, and the North Korean bomb could sweep these issues aside.

Should Americans be concerned about the North Korean bomb? Only time will tell.

But it is conceivable that many other peoples in other parts of the world should thank their lucky stars that they have become bystanders, and that their disagreements are not anymore as closely connected with the West’s fortunes as it were during the Cold War.

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South African crime: resistance against white theft?

Ntokoza Mthembu

Academic Ntokoza Mthembu explains himself in an e-mail interview with Dan Roodt

"If I knew whether it was guerrilla war or resistance I would not be writing articles asking whether crime is a surge in resistance but I would be part of it, taking part in the war right now. That said, I don’t know whether it is resistance."

"All settlers need not to be fearful but what they need to do is to hand over the land and all the resources…"

DR: I see that you use the name "Azania" for South Africa. So I gather that you reject the 1910 name that was given to this country by Botha, Smuts, Hertzog and others?

NM: It is true that I reject the colonialist name South Africa, as it represents western glory of victory and steam rolling over indigenous populace ideals of this part of Africa in the arrogant and vicious manner. I argue that it is foolish for anyone who thinks that the naming spree of the white colonialist settlers in likes of Botha, Smuts, Hertzog which is still visible today is justifiable to exist forever. I’m saying this because it is a known fact that the murderers, thieves or the evil doers will not rule or sustain or hide the truth forever or cannot go away just like water fading in the sand. No ways! That cannot happen, no matter the number of generations after generations can be killed or tamed, threaten like in times of Botha and the crew. The name issue is not a negotiable like anything that belongs to Africans and you need not to be fooled by the concoction of negotiated political settlement at CODESA circus.

DR: How do you feel about name changes in general, for example Potchefstroom, Pretoria, Jan Smuts airport that became Johannesburg International and now O.R. Tambo airport?

NM: Firstly, when you whities named these African places on your names who did you consult and debate with except amongst you party of European gangs disguised in the name civilisation whilst it meant daylight robbery?

In addition to what I have said above, I will argue that the name change is not an issue that need to be negotiated. It is a known fact that names such Pretoria or names that refer to those settlers and its crime in terms of true humanity- ubuntu to continue calling these places in the name of the colonialists’ settlers. I will argue that the government of the day is wasting time and resources in entertaining jokes by western clowners such as those one who refuse the name change programme. If anyone claims that it is justifiable to retain Botha’s names, I will argue that s/he believe in the ideals of Blood River- where Africans were slaughtered in the name of white supremacy of which need to be dealt with accordingly in Africa and need to be encouraged to prosper in Europe.

In addition, it still shows that the government of the day is nothing more than one of those famous shows in town that normally those are usually seen to be and still entertain racist driven arguments that argue against or refuse the name change. We also see the inheritors of colonialist spoils have guts to claim to deserve some rights or privilege to sustain stolen property of the African people. So far the privilege that they still have for now is to hand over peacefully the stolen property and the wealth accumulated there from.

DR: John Pilger, the Australian journalist, has just written a book called Freedom Next Time in which he says that "the African National Congress sold its soul to corporate bosses over glasses of single-malt whisky." According to Pilger then, the revolution never happened. We also know that individual blacks only own 2% of the shares on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. Would you agree then with Pilger’s view that the white ruling class has retained control of assets?

NM: Whilst I agree with Pilgner but is worthy noting that this organisation did not start selling-out at CODESA but you need to remember the historical reasons led to emergence of the Pan Africanist Congress. In addition, I concur strongly with the views of Pilger in this respect, as that is seen by the new shopping centres that are mostly accessible to the rich white and few rich Africans. Even the 2% that is claimed to be owned by the so called “African tycoons” of which is doubtable because how can a poor unionist/ returned exile become the millionaire overnight? If indeed takes place, I will argue that there is something unusual happened on the normal processes of wealth accumulation.

One of the good example about the scrupulous processes where government ministers reach secret deal and end up in prison to secure the interests of the capitalist in the name of freedom. These types of ministers exposes the true character of the government in which they are serving, as it was meant to lure Black people in believing in the white liberal- Joe Slovo’s Sunset Clause that guaranteed the land stolen to remain to the European thieves led by the Dutch and Britons. Just to mention the recent white activists without referring to the previous or earlier abalengu abasithatndayo the likes of Bishop John W. Colenso and his gang.

Furthermore, we need not to confuse the right of Black people of owning the wealth of their country with the opportunistic tendencies of individuals whose interests is to enrich themselves at the expense of the black majority and the advantage of the western world economic system. Whose interests are characterised by a corrupt deals that create assumptions that Africans own some wealth whist in fact they are just a front of the super corrupt rich white class. These are just individuals who are used in order to justify the political settlement that promotes white values and western ideology- democracy.

DR: Could you elaborate on what you understand by "total liberation"?

NM: Total liberation of African people will be characterised by the following:-

– Self determination of Africans as all others races aspire

– Control and benefit from their land * Africa from the south tip- Cape Town of the continent to top *Tunis or to the land of the Pharaohs and its resources

– Define their own political doctrine

– Control and in charge of the governmental organs such as administration, police, military and judicial system that reflect African ethos not the current joke.

– Economic system that is pro African needs not European export oriented or mass production system.

– Respect and promotion of world free from greed, hatred, racism, equality of the human race,

– Place where ubuntu principles are uphold and not mixed with the individualist oriented capitalism system.

– Nationhood the highest ideal of all peoples as Africans needs a nation and country of their own because that is the strongest security of any people and they must strive to attain that goal and that “African Republic” should be on the African soil and

– Remember no one will ever take away the spirit that has been part and parcel of the African people over the years of believing that AFRICA IS FOR AFRICANS, THOSE AT HOME AND ABROAD. This has been proven to any sober person as Africans have skill fully demonstrated that no force can take away that despite the fact some of the leadership has bought to the idea. But what is interesting is that each generation has its rightful rulers that give a sober direction, as the African race is not in charge of their survival or destiny but its Creator or God for that matter. Don’t forget that African people have a promise to fulfill of liberating Africa in all forms of oppression for many years to come any which way that is available in their disposal.

– Respect of nature-environment and creatures that survive thereto NO TO DOMESTICATION OF ANIMALS OF WHATEVER NATURE.

DR: Let’s now turn to the interesting issue you raised in your comment on Rasa FM. You described criminal acts as "incidences of resistance" by the poor. Would you therefore say that the much-publicised attacks on white suburbanites is part of some sort of guerilla war or resistance? Also, would you describe farm attacks and farm murders as part of the popular resistance you are referring to?

NM: Firstly, my comment on Rasa FM question the understanding of the notion of criminal acts as it tends to be bias and defined according to the interests of a particular race and in this case it’s the interests of the white colonialist race. I argue that when we speak of crime in South Africa, we need not to forget the manner in which the vicious way in which the stealing of the African people took place of which is the criminal activity on its own. In addition, that criminal activity is still treated as if it never happened and continues to receive bias publicity as part of protecting the stolen land by whites.

The resistance of the fact that the stolen property of Africans by the white criminals using whatever trick that is available in the book even shooting and killing African people on the streets in the broad daylight- do you remember Strydom just to mention few criminals? Lastly, how would you describe the continuous telling lies that African land belongs to everybody and turning a blind eye on the issue of returning it to the rightful owners? The root causes of crime have been described as an expression of lack, a lack of the “good life” currently enjoyed by whites in this country, a good life based on a historical act of crime and mass thievery. Now with that understanding, why do you insist pretending that this “crime” is a new thing? The best way to correct the situation is to correct the original Sin- White theft. For as long as the African remains precarious and wanting, in the continent of origin, for as long as the vast majority of those considered “criminals” remain poor and desperate sons and daughters of this stolen land, then the lines that define crime will remain intensely contested.

Lastly, if I new whether it was guerrilla war or resistance I would not writing articles asking whether is crime or surge in resistance but I would part of it parting in the war now the said part is that I don’t know whether resistance. But what I can describe a conventional reasoning I can say definitely is not crime as criminals are still wandering in the streets of South Africa not knowing whether the sun is rising or setting by virtue of the making noise of resisting the change that announce things to come in the future. This is seen by the acts of some of the organisation vandalising the statues of the gallant fighters of these might land- Africa and that cannot be tolerated at a long run. If these acts are not stopped soon, these are the recipe for disaster, we need not to forget how long Africans have be told to humble whilst continue to be oppressed and made a laughing stock. Only sober ones who ask themselves why Mandela just agree to that junk settlement and Africans just agree sheepishly?

DR: We have recently seen an uprising in Orange Farm where both sides of the Golden Highway were barricaded by the poor with a large placard reading, "10 years of freedom without water, sewerage, electricity – South Africa f*** democracy". Would you say that there is a tendency among the black poor to reject liberal democracy in favour of a more revolutionary system like socialism or even communism?

NM: You must understand that so far there has been no liberation in the true sense of the word especially to Africans but yes to the white populace as their stolen property continues to be protected through Slovos’ Sunset Clause and police and militarily. We need to remember that this western liberal democracy that was negotiated was not part of the mandate that African majority gave to the political organisations that negotiated the political settlement. But it was a broad day robbery, as the old poor prisoner * Mandela had to be convinced to believe he had the authority to reach a deal behind prison bars. Again we need not to forget that Mandela is not the first African leader to be sent to the island as part of silencing his freedom, we need not to forget that the Zulu Kings and Royal House were imprisoned in famous St Helena Island and same Robben Island where Mandela was a prisoner. Remember that did not stop the following generation to persue the liberation further, each generation sees fit and a responsibility to further the great march based on the material conditions that prevail then

Therefore, it will be stupidity for anyone to believe that African people would just accept that their land is justified to be taken by whites and these thieves to go away with the murder unquestionable. For your information, socialism nor communism is not equipped to total liberate the African race, as it is anti-christ in nature and Slovo good shining example. Do you remember Communist Party of South Africa early slogan- “white workers of the world unite to keep South Africa white” and that is why even today’s communist party kept its promise.

DR: You say that "it is criminal to continuously mislead Black people into accepting that the land is not theirs". How do you feel about land reform? What do you think should happen to white farmers?

NM: As I have mentioned above that stolen land of Africans is not a negotiable issue but the inheritors of the stolen property should return the land unconditionally whilst we are still sharing ways of returning it instead of Zimbabwe experience. The land reforms are nothing more than dealing darling about the suffering of African people as they continue to be squashed and dying in the slave camps such as townships, rural areas and informal settlements. It will be foolish for anyone to think the majority of Africans can afford to buy the land if they wish to buy it since they gave been selling their labour as cheap labour for more than 200 years. The current land reforms in South Africa are nothing more than just a fallacy to make African people to believe that land has been redistributed. On the humanly spirit the white farmers and those who occupied the stolen land need to hand over the land to the government or time will tell how long Africans will give an allowance to do so.

DR: What do you think of Robert Mugabe’s land reform policy?

NM: Remember the saying that says “let what belong to Caesar be return to Caesar”. So, Zimbabwe land reform policy is the sober policy that is meant for redressing the past injustices. In fact Zimbabwe land reforms have elements of humanity as it did not deal with the land repossession in the same spirit of those cruel, vicious, greedy and racist Cecil Rhodes and his party of gangs. So, Africa is for Africans at home and in the diaspora and that is the standing rule, no matter whatever the case maybe, Africa or Azania will be liberated in all fronts when time is ripe. You need to keep in mind that the land appropriations did not occur as a result of any State policy; rather the contrary is true Mugabe’s State developed a land redistribution policy as a result of ordinary people cynically labelled “war veterans” in a situation where the whole African population was at war against colonial occupiers of Zimbabwe. So too here in Azania, the whithey can think they have bought their insurance by fattening up five or six natives, the fact is the African as a people are not blind and they have began to rise, the Zuid Afrika/RSA state can choose to act similar to Mugabe or they may choose to defend the interests of their Baas- the people shall rise!

DR: In your reply to another (white) poster on Raza FM you wrote: "Your time is coming…" and that "Azania, Zimbabwe and the white world will be liberated from all forms of oppression – mental, physical and otherwise beyond your Western brain-washing." Is this the second phase of the revolution that the ANC and SACP have always envisaged or an international revolution against all Western countries?

NM: Truly, time is in fact on for those white colonialist settlers and blacks who think their misleading notions that entrenches white supremacy are permanent to see that are slowly and surely fading. We need not forget that now white or black person thought white person can be imprisoned and African people can naturally take repossess what is rightful theirs. We need not to forget that no big gun/s or weapons of mass destruction or mercenaries nor snipers nor murdering nor assassination can stop this last march for a total emancipation of the African race. For example, the times of slavery no one thought it will ever end and again remember the heydays of white colonialist the so called primitive accumulation and now Zimbabwe is the good example of good and unstoppable things to come.

Remember that no institution nor gang nor mafia can stop or control the anger of the dispossessed African majority when it erupts. For example, look at Zimbabwean government has been one of the agents of western economic interests that secured land to the minority colonialist white settlers. But when the anger of the indigenous populace rose, the Mugabe regime was forced to choose between to part of enriching and securing the interests of racist white ‘Buckingham palace’ or vanish in the memory archives or be part and parcel of setting the irreversible project that is declared to take more than 200 years. A word of good advice will be that all white thieves to hand over the spoils of colonialism unconditionally and soon whilst the moment of repossession still at reasonable rate.

DR: Many Afrikaners believe that that they have been betrayed by FW de Klerk and Roelf Meyer into surrendering power and that there is an African-style "uhuru" coming in which large numbers of them will be killed or otherwise they will be kicked out of Azania by force. Are they justified in having these fears?

NM: Any Dutch or British settlers that think de Klerk and his gangs betrayed them they will sick because they were supposed to be regarding this “bhunu” as their messiah as he managed to manipulate and market their own made leaders as they managed to convene the CODESA circus and endorse same white supremacy interests like Mugabe in the 1980s * Lancaster Agreement. Another interesting part is that circus that was characterised by the most famous opportunists ever produced by the white race civilisation. All settlers need not to be fearful but what they need to do is to hand over the land and all the resources that are justified to be were stolen property. There will be no peace in South Africa, no matter whites can cry aloud as possible or organise expensive conferences or apologise in whatever manner or wash feet for many people as possible as today and every hour African people are subjected to fatal socio-political environment in their many thousands. Peace will realised the day the inheritors stop saying they were not there in times of accumulation whilst riding high on privileges or spoils of colonisation and handover peacefully.

DR: Is there still a place for Afrikaners in Azania as you call it or do you think they should leave of their own free will while they still can?

NM: In Africa everybody is welcome to live fairly and respect and acknowledge the Africans as the rightful owners of this mighty land unconditionally and also willing to stop breeding teachings of racism and lies of false claiming of African land as theirs and handover the vast hectares of stolen land. Those who steadfastly don’t believe in handing over the wealth and the land voluntarily must start consider that option. For those who would are eager to vortrek or back trek to their homelands- Holland, I believe it will be a healthy exercise for them, as it is their homelands. There will be nothing wrong for those sober whites who would voluntarily handover and consider going to their homeland, as they will acknowledging the need of Africans to reorganise themselves not whites acting as advisers. Furthermore, there is still a need to repatriate the Africans in the diaspora in terms of the prophecy that will be fulfilled for some to come.

DR: Do you feel that Afrikaans should still be an official language of Azania?

NM: Afrikaans need to be taught in Holland where it belongs and those who are eager or passionate about its survival they are justified to do so as it their language not African Language. Remember June 16 1976, blood was shed to resist that madness of Afrikaans as the language of education. But it is a known fact that white settlers enjoy shedding the blood of African people and fear, they will attempt to persue the failed project as the strategy of prompting the possibilities of shedding blood. All white in Africa must start learning one indigenous language soon as time is sweeping and more interesting moments ahead.

DR: How would you describe your own ideas? As African nationalism, black consciousness, négritude, pan-Africanism or some other term?

NM: I would describe my ideas as Ethiopianism because they refer to the fundamentals of Black world and the manner of defending itself and as well as the fulfilment according to time as it was prophesised and promised that will be fulfilled. It was promised that when the time is ripe, we will recognise by the fact that “great men and women of our times will be a disaster to their humankind and defended illusion”. This is witnessed by the fact that whites have scrapped the apartheid policies automatically Africans will accept that everything is ok as they “enjoy” the smell of sharing the same toilet and continue to be servants and whites remain masters as possible. Ethiopianism is not something that one is inventing but it’s the time that determines its proclamation. We need not to forget that history indicates that Africa was and is still a world of faith or in short a theocratic world. So, Africa reaches a point is slowly reverting forward to its state of perfection as it was and it is going to be as promised. This promise or fire is unstoppable no water can chill this fire not like the ancient Zulus whose fire was quenchable with water, as they were fulfilling their work for the set time.

Lastly, Azania of which is the province of this mighty continent- Africa has been and is still a theocratic state that need to be liberated from western capitalist, democratic, barbaric and greedy system that breeds poverty, hatred, racism and disguises as civilisation. This proven by the fact Africa since the white laid his foot on the shores of the mighty continent it has become the cradle of poverty in the world. Whilst Europeans have become enriched many times than before they started colonising Africa and still continue looting wealth at a greater scale than before. No matter whatever the case maybe, the total liberation of Azania or Afrika is certain.

Thank you for interview and hoping it will in addressing outstanding doubts about the future of this land that has turned to be a cradle of poverty and its riches continue being drained to Europe.

Ntokozo Mthembu is an Outreach Officer at the Centre for Civil Society in Durban, a think-tank supported by the National Research Foundation and the Embassy of Finland, among others. He holds a postgraduate (B.A. Honours) degree from he University of Natal in Social Science and is the author of numerous articles.

Comment on this interview by sending a letter to letters@praag.org.

Underneath are his original comments on the RASA FM website that sparked the debate:

http://rasa.m2014.net/spip/article.php3?id_article=90

South Africa (Azania): In a state of crime or a surge in resistance?

Sunday 20th August 2006 posted by motho

By Ntokozo Mthembu 28 June 2006

Today the media and electronic publications tell us about the soaring crime rate and its negative effect on South Africa. But it is interesting that we hear little or nothing about the rationale behind these incidents of ‘crime’; all we hear is that ‘crime does not pay’ and this and that. This situation raises a lot of questions about what is really facing this country, in view of the fact that it is a country still characterised by clear lines between the former (and still) oppressed and the former (and still) apartheid beneficiaries. I wonder whether these reports that crime is rising in this country are true. Perhaps the better question is whether these activities should actually be described as criminal; labelling these activities as ‘crime’ fails to acknowledge the fact that disadvantaged communities are sick and tired of being given false promises that things will be better.

In order to better understand exactly what is happening in South Africa, one must look to the historical background of this highly celebrated country. With this in mind, it becomes clearer that what is viewed or defined as crime by the capitalists or the rulers in a particular time or place cannot necessarily be regarded as such by the poor populace and visa versa. Writers like Schönteich et al (2001) urge us to note that crime cannot be understood as a problem of today, and must be understood within South Africa’s history. It is argued that the issue of so-called crime began to be seen as a threat to apartheid capitalism in the mid-1980s and early 1990s. Some people will recall that this was a period of intensified struggle by the popular organisations resisting against the apartheid regime. This period was characterised by intense, violent crime perpetrated by the South African security forces against anybody who was identified as or associated with ‘terrorists’.

Most of the oppressed majority hoped that this violent time would pass; they hoped that the country’s majority who had been dispossessed of their land would get their land back. They hoped for more than the dangling carrot in the form of the so-called right to vote. The criminals who dispossessed the Black majority, on the other hand, hoped that the dispossessed people would just sheepishly accept the crumbs which fell from the capitalist masters’ tables, without any form of resistance. These hopes were not realised after 1994 because levels of recorded ‘crime’ (what I will call ‘incidences of resistance’) have increased since then. I would argue that if the so-called ‘crime’ has been increasing this only shows that the Black majority’s aspirations were not met; it means that people are continuing with the resistance that was hijacked by the Black elite in conjunction with their buddies – ‘amabhunu’ – at the expense of the oppressed populace. In addition, if ‘crime’ started increasing in the 1980s, it shows that the goals of these actions were to unseat the apartheid regime and its economic system (goals which were not achieved). Instead of thrashing down apartheid, we saw the co-optation of a few Black elite into the ranks of capitalist apartheid.

On the other hand, the super-exploited majority remains in the same status as they were in the times of Botha and de Klerk; now under Mbeki they are still subjected to selling their labour power as the ‘only’ way of making a livelihood, but the labour market still sees very high rates of unemployment. In addition, the Black townships and city streets are still characterised by that famous dance, the toyi-toyi; the rich still lock themselves in behind high concrete walls. The majority remain beggars in the city streets – a sign of not yet uhuru, not yet liberation.

The poor black people remain landless despite their tireless struggles to liberate themselves from the vicious oppressive system; their elite leadership had a different view, as they saw the only way to fight colonisation as becoming part of it.

It seems that the leadership of the oppressed majority opted to follow the famous proverb that says ‘if you cannot beat them, join them’. In other words, the leadership did not have a mandate that was reached at CODESA (the Convention for a Democratic South Africa); instead deals with ‘amabhunu’ were made that secured the stolen property in the hands of the thieves and ensured that the Black majority remained squashed in the labour reserves.

Incidences of ‘crime’ are viewed differently by the ‘Rainbow Nation’ community, as they have different interests in the survival of the ‘New South Africa’; they are encouraged to see everything as as normal as possible, given their interests in the new dispensation. Again, I ask myself whether these incidences that are reported as crime are not in fact the continuation of popular resistance. Popular resistance under apartheid came in various forms, many of which are being repeated now; workers strike and attack what they see as part of the problem. Communities are up-in-arms in various parts of the country, demanding the same old demands such as access to basic services and land distribution. I know the schools of thought of resistance differ but, in reality, when did this thing of ‘crime’ start? In the 1980s, blacks increased attacks on whites in various forms that included making them feel uncomfortable in their stolen cocoons and that was regarded as ‘crime’. But what about the crime committed by whites to the blacks, crimes that include colonisation that was characterised by extreme violence, at magnitudes unseen before. Furthermore, it is criminal to continuously mislead Black people into accepting that the land is not theirs.

In short, I am trying to highlight fundamental things which cannot be easily ignored by sober-minded people, especially when we aspire for a peaceful world, free from hatred in the form of racism, violence, crime and exploitation for profit. When we talk of the rise of crime in South Africa (Azania) what are we really saying? Are we judging ‘crime’ as threats against capitalists, whose profits and interests continue to grow? What is it that is happening in the land of the ‘colonised and the coloniser’?

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> South Africa (Azania): In a state of crime or a surge in resistance?

3rd August 2006, posted by Scared

You claim, to summarise, that the majority black people in SA today are still without farms (land) and in exactly the same position as they were before they started the struggle, right? You then justify (or excuse) crime as the continuation of popular resistance in order to achieve ‘liberation’ goals, right? Then you must also admit that the Apartheid word (theory behind it) and the “abolishment" thereof was and still is nothing but major political trickery (national and international propaganda), right? (…it tricked you, for one!). Now THAT is exactly what us whities were trying to tell you all along (referendum: 80%+ whites pro-liberation, remember?) but you were too deafened by all the BLACK POWER promises and your own chanting and toyi-toying to even consider the one and only solution: "Let’s walk the road together!" All South Africans together!

12 years into the "Promised Land" and I find a letter like yours (a black SA citizen!), posted on the Internet for the world to see, shamelessly and lamely blaming the same dead propaganda horse, apartheid and whites, as the "confused majority’s" justified reason for increased crime activities! How embarrasing to all black people this must be!

Black South Africans, just in case you didn’t know, are socially and economically, the most priviliged blacks in all of Africa with the highest per capita income (even during your "apartheid") and the most oppurtunities (by law affirmatively priviliged above whites) for education, sport and financial success. 70% of the votes were for the ruling party whose top priority should be to create safety and security for its citizens, …but you blame apartheid for your shortfalls?

Wake up! The honeymoon is over! There are no free farms and there will never be, no matter who rules! I’m white and never had a farm (I Wish!)! Neither is there a free lunch! Farmers desert SA farm workers to take on Zimbabwean refugees, why?, because they are prepared to WORK! No strikes!

And lastly, no matter how hard you try to create guilt in us for being white, I know that your future, my friend, would have been a certainty if only you’ve opened yours eyes in time. At the end of this year, because of CRIME, our family of six white South Africans, two engineers, a lawyer, an actress, an A-level matriculant and a baby without a future here will be leaving this country for good – thanks to scary articles like yours. And the brain – drain continues… (won’t be surprised if this doesn’t make your forum!)

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- > South Africa (Azania): In a state of crime or a surge in resistance?
  
  19th August 2006, posted by Ntokozo Mthembu
  
  First and for most thank you Mr/Ms Scary for your response and further showing your guts and spirit of believing in your same old white lies of thinking that when you generation of white settlers leave Africa will suffer. I want to remind you that the days of spreading your colonialist theories are fading slowly and surely and if you are not willing to see and hear the winds of change sweeping in front of you. If that is the case I’m concern my friend your future as the white race is bleek, so wake up and leave. It will be sad if you don’t see that the majority of Africans no longer have trust and believe in your puppets who were tricked by yourselves to think that the liberation of Black world will be negotiated-CODESA by the Anglo-Americans and the likes- business.
  
  Do you remember the broad day light robbery, the so called primitive accumulation by your homeland countries- Europe from 1600 onward and the brutally exterminating of the Africans as they resisting that stealing process? Do you remember the partitioning of Africa in Berlin in the 1800s and do you remember then legislated era and now under apartheid and who benefited? You benefited by virtue of being white irrespective of the tribe-(i.e. English or French or whatever for that matter) you come from. According to your false white supremacy and “civilisation” your grandfathers purported to be bringing to Africa of taking some bodies property illegally, forcing your values and culture to other races and what did they say to you? They did not tell you that they were committing crime? If they did not that is where they were wrong, so it is better that now you need to start making up your mind. Whether to live the rest of your life with this fallacy and illusions of white supremacy and clinging to stolen property and this thought of believing that you are indispensable.
  
  For the sake of reminder don’t ever think that all Blacks are drunk by your brain-washing of democratic euphoria like your elites whose minds have been tortured, in the institutions of learning, prisons and with your liberalism – the so called love of the blacks. If arrogant whites like you don’t learn from the Zimbabwe experience, you are in serious trouble, so I’m begging you your time is going and I think those whities who have realised they cannot take it, they have started votrekking back to Europe whilst the coast and the oceans are still calm. Because the sober minded Africans will never the accept that junk writing you just wrote. So, Azania, Zimbabwe and the white world will be liberated from all forms of oppression – metal, physical and otherwise beyond your western brain-washing.
  
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  - > South Africa (Azania): In a state of crime or a surge in resistance?
    
    21st August 2006, posted by Scared
    
    Thank you for responding. Maybe this extract will explain the situation better:
    
    "Tonight on eTV I saw an interesting news item. A habitual criminal in the USA was caught for the 226th time. They showed his face and hey presto he was a black man.
    
    Why the violence and why the crime? Why do these criminal swines have to resort to extreme and prolonged violence in the perpetration of what is usually a petty crime like the theft of a cell phone and a few household belongings – nothing of which could ever be worth a human life.
    
    The answers are clear. This is a country that after the release of Nelson Mandela and the build up to “democratic” elections was birthed with electioneering slogans and chants that actively and unequivocally called for the slaughter of white South Africans.
    
    How else is one to understand the meaning of “ONE SETTLER ONE BULLET” and “KILL THE BOER – KILL THE FARMER”? These chants were the platform upon which was engineered the ANC rise to power in SA and formed part of their campaign to rally support – word of mouth undertaking throughout the entire population of South Africa that whites were to be slaughtered after the “Liberation” of South Africa on a piecemeal protracted basis in the exact manner that we see taking place in South Africa at this precise moment.
    
    We do not exactly have the most sophisticated electorate on the planet – which African country does – and the question has to be asked, how would an unsophisticated electorate respond to the continuous brainwashing that white people have robbed him of everything he ever had or could have had and that white people are the cause of all ills that he, his ancestors and his descendants have, are, or are ever going to experience.
    
    Indoctrinating the population in SA in this manner has been the most infantile accomplishment of the current powers that be with the most incredible outcome. The rest of the world, absolutely incapable of fathoming the rudimentary workings of the indigenous African mind are at a loss and white South Africans at as much of a loss as to understanding why the violence.
    
    After some thoughtful consideration, the answer becomes easily apparent. We are dealing with a race that for the entire history of its existence has not developed or evolved in the same way as most of the world’s other races have. They have no written history prior to this being recorded by white people a few hundred years ago and this fact in itself challenges the exclusivity that South African blacks claim to this country at the exclusion of everybody else, particularly whites.
    
    We are dealing with a race that is infinitely fragmented into tribal and ethnic divisions, sub divisions, languages, dialects and others defining separatist mechanisms that makes defining them as simply as “Black People” outrageously simplistic and myopic if any effort is to be made to understand the absolute inability of these people to contribute anything constructive or positive to humanity.
    
    Nevertheless, in keeping with simply defining these murderers as "Black" we need to understand that as such we are dealing with a race of people that for whatever history is apparent of their existence have shown us that they have lived in as close proximity to their other splinter tribes and ethnic kin as geography, hostilities and speed of travel provided for.
    
    There was no economic activity other than that if one tribe or group required anything that they could not grow or make, they simply went over the plains to a neighboring tribe, wiped them out, usually very cruelly; took their belongings and livestock and burned down their dwellings before disappearing.
    
    WHAT HAS CHANGED ???? It is this same culture of entitlement and absolute lack of any economic evolution by indigenous black Africans that still manifest today as violent crime in modern societies all over the planet. It is a congenital peculiarity of blacks that no amount of integration into western societies will eradicate, maybe refine a little to give the illusion of similar levels of sophistication as western societies but never eradicate, as is amply evidenced by people like Mugabe who wears a suit, is by Western standards eminently civilized and educated with SEVEN university degrees – look what he did to Zimbabwe for all his western style sophistication and education – exactly what his ancestors have done throughout their history. He has plundered, murdered and pillaged to acquire what he wanted because he simply knows no other way despite his westernization.
    
    That is all these people know and this is all they will ever do. It is the reason that they were colonized in the first place and the reason they will be colonized again – for certain. Black Africa will be colonized again and this time, having been exposed as a murderous liability no matter where they put down their roots, their new colonizers are not going to be the benevolent kindly BOERS that they are killing daily. This time their colonizers will be a race of people that can currently put 200 million armed soldiers into the field at any time and THEIR approach to violent crime is simple – a bullet to the back of the head and the bill therefore to the criminals kin.
    
    In the meantime white South African are being slaughtered like pigs in an orgy of retribution and by way of penance for Apartheid – a system that was implemented precisely to preserve white people from the attentions of these savages that we see today – but has been twisted by the international bleeding hearts society to be perceived as a diabolical mechanism for persecuting blacks. Opponents of apartheid by way of their voluble opposition, sanctions etc, etc. have shown that what they understood of Apartheid was that white South Africans could only function if some perverse desire to see blacks squirming dying and being humiliated on a daily basis was assuaged sufficiently for them to be able to build the South Africa that the ANC inherited, took credit for and then proceeded to destroy.
    
    Never has the thought been given by these bleeding hearts to the possibility that the implementation of Apartheid was an act of survival by white South Africans to isolate them from the attentions of blacks that we see currently in a form and on a scale that by any definition can be labeled a Genocide of whites in SA.
    
    A genocide that has been cunningly planned all along by the ANC and equally as cunningly executed. A genocide that is justified by apartheid and the victims thereof acceptable losses for redressing of “Past injustices”. A genocide that is explained away as crime. A genocide that the government fully approves of, fully encourages, fully supports and fully endorses by its absolute refusal to do anything about violent crime against whites in South Africa.
    
    It is a genocide the agenda of which is clearly apparent to any thinking person without the odd loose cannon black giving it away at a “youth rally” at which the call was made to black youths to “Go and steal from whites because they stole from us…”
    
    This is the kind of indoctrination that generations have black youths have been subjected to to such an extent that they see little merit in applying any personal effort or endeavour into acquiring anything that their “leaders” are telling the they can simply take from white people and if it involves killing the white pig all the better – remember “KILL THE BOER KILL THE FARMER”
    
    They don’t have to go to “Youth Rallies” to be told this, it’s all they hear all the time because it is an ongoing part of the indoctrination strategy that has been inherited from the communists and implemented with absolute results.
    
    What the idiots haven’t figured out yet is what they are going to do when all the whites have been slaughtered or driven out of South Africa and every last possession of white people has been plundered and destroyed. The answer is equally as clear – they turn on themselves and before long the beautiful country that whites built is reduced to rubble and is just another African civil war zone – until the neo-colonizers move in.
    
    In the meantime law abiding, unarmed, productive white South Africans are slaughtered without the immediate realization that for every white life gratuitously snuffed out hundreds of blacks will ultimately end up starving and dying in the years to follow.
    
    And when things in the “Liberated” country get unbearable because the economy has collapsed the “Free” blacks invade the very countries from where their “Oppressors” originated and go and perpetuate their culture of entitlement there.
    
    So to all those bleeding hearts countries gleefully clapping their hands and laughing “Serves you right for Apartheid” (isolating yourself from black on white hate crimes); take note of who the perpetrators are in your cozy countries of unrest, riots, civil disobedience, murder, rape and robbery. I’ll put my money on it that it’s usually a black African….."
    
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    - > South Africa (Azania): In a state of crime or a surge in resistance?
      
      25th August 2006, posted by Ntokozo Mthembu
      
      Thank you once again Mr/Ms Scare by vertue of being scared that shows that you know exactly the truth. Without waisting my precious time, I just wanted to tell you that Africans have a documented history and wake up from your false slumber of your western lies. No matter you can jump or not Africa will be liberated in and out.
      
      We still urge arrogant whites like you to be realistic not believing in your own lies.
      
      Africa is for the Africans at and in ithe diaspora, so as to the Europe that is divided into tribes such as English, Franks and so forth in short we call them whites or Europeans.
      
      Reply to this message
      
      > South Africa (Azania): In a state of crime or a surge in resistance?
      
      28th August 2006, posted by Still Scared
      
      Sorry to waste your precious time but thank you in any case for your rather staggering reply! Scared I am indeed of your criminal and violent "surge in resistance" but you should be more terrified of your own "winds of change…!"
      
      A recent study titled: "A Nation In The Making: A discussion document on macrosocial trends in South Africa" (P34. Sunday Times August 27, 2006) amongst 29 773 126 citizens, found that "…it is significant that NO ONE (out of nearly 30 million!!) described themselves as AZANIAN…!!"
      
      OOPS!!! You must be totally devastated at this one or are you once more reaching for your usual "blank" comment, when cornered, of conveniently calling it all "lies"?! The realisation of finding oneself the only remaining rebel loyal to purposely driving White people out of Africa at all cost, purely because of their skin colour, perceiving everything about them as "lies", must surely be a terribly lonely and humiliating experience! Especially if you have to live with and daily witness and experience all evidence around you of the immaculate achievements and successes of White people, even making use of their technology to write your own pathetic racist propaganda on! Eish!!
      
      WAKE UP and get real: You are no Robin Hood or freedom fighter!! (we’ve got enough in "parlement" as it is). It is the Western (Whitie) Way combined with the hard work of all citizens that can save this land (and your ass…!) and it is the ONLY realistic way (you can see for yoursellf how the Black government fails to deliver and is rotten to the core with greed and corruption, right?). Your racist fantasy of a "liberated Africa the African Black way" will undoubtedly cast us back a couple of millenia calculated by our famous all-to-easy-to-find African examples like "circus-class-amusement-act-minus- three- zero’s"- Zimbabwean dictatorship and "comical-after-election-trigger-happy-democratic" (ha-ha!) Congo!!.
      
      I was bourne in South Africa and so were all my ancestors as far back as I care to remember and we happen to be all Whites. Not you or any earthling can deny, cancel or nullify this fact. I cannot return to my mother’s womb to make myself non-existant, nor am I going to commit suicide in order to please you and neither are many, many millions of other White people going to. We cannot be held responsible or apologise for the actions of our ancestors who then structured laws according to their circumstances and SAFETY FIRST…!!! We also do not "believe" in our dead forefathers like you do but in a Living God in Heaven.
      
      Your attitude of promoting crime in order to "liberate" the land (…again??!!) and views are socially, mentally and politically counter-productive to a progressive South Africa and is based purely on irreversable history and blatant racial hate! Once again, WAKE UP!!! We are all here to make this work! You are blocking progress by demoralising everyone by fighting the past over and over again (…the Bushmen were here long before you, but you Blacks savagedly drove them into the Kalahari! Are you going to give them back their land? NO YOU WON"T!!). Stop feeling sorry for yourself and GET OFF YOUR ASS, like us Whities and rather use your "precious" time to work towards creating new jobs and a future for the poor, all races, rather than just demanding and grabbing for free whatever it is the White man has that makes you so utterly jealous of him!
      
      Let me let you in (a little…!) on what us Whities are chatting about behind our high walls, around our braais while the boerewors are sizzling! We cannot thank your affirmative action (intended and particularly introduced to penalise and hurt us for our grandparent’s "apartheid") enough for forcing us out of our comfort zones (where you are now…) to once again become self-sufficient, having to think for ourselves, invent new ideas and dictate our own income, being our own bosses and create great wealth for our children abroad! All along scheming on how to dodge the taxman as best we can as to limit the gravy on the gravy train! And still, even though you hate us, we are solely responsible for creating 85% of work oppurtunities for our Black brothers and sisters. No lies my friend and I pray that you can find love and peace in your very bitter hart to except the White man because he is here to stay. I don’t think you have it in you to forgive the same way I do not apologise for something I had no control over long before my birth!
      
      Reply to this message
      
      > South Africa (Azania): In a state of crime or a surge in resistance?
      
      31st August 2006
      
      Ntokozo Mthembu
      
      What a piece of work you are!
      
      I left South African in 1988 and have not been back since. I am sure that I will never go back after reading what you are spouting.
      
      You my friend are the racist. And don’t for one second think that just because you are black that it is impossible for you not to be racist. You have an evil heart which is just as evil as some of the worst white racists that I met while doing my military service in 1980-81.
      
      I now live in Canada where we have many beautiful black African souls in our church who are NOTHING like you. They would be ashamed to share the same colour of skin that you have. I consider them to truly be my brothers and sisters.
      
      And you my friend should change your values before you destroy the future of your children and your children’s children. If you keep this up, they will eventually want to move to Canada to escape the devastation that your kind of thinking will bring about. I pray to God Almighty that your thinking is in the extreme minority.
      
      You reap what you sow and you are sowing the seeds of your destruction. What a TRAGIC waste!
      
      Truly, Cry the Beloved Country. Even Alan Patons wife left SA because the crime got so bad.
      
      PS. Don’t bother coming to Canada with an attitude like yours. You are persona non grata!
      
      What a miserable wretch you are.
      
      Reply to this message
> South Africa (Azania): In a state of crime or a surge in resistance?

28th July 2006, posted by White African

I as a white person must agree with the writer of the article. The country is still in the hands of the Anglo Americans(AA). I was hoping that the way that Africans do politics would be sufficient to get our country back. This is unfortunately not happening as the AA are experts in exploiting peoples weaknesses like for example GREED. Is crime the way out? I think not. EDUCATION is the only way to beat the AA as people need to know and understand enough of politics and strategies to "see" the truth. Can the AA be beaten in any conventional way. NO! Many upstanding people have tried only to die or be publicly humiliated for their efforts The only way to get our country back is through educating our people. They need to be able to see the truth before it will be of any consequence in telling them what really is happening. Only then will they be able to stand firm, make sacrifices and bring about the changes that is needed to ensure that the wealth of South Africa stays in South Africa in a way that will not allow the AA to vilify the people of our country.

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Joe Slovo’s legacy lives on

Joe Slovo may be dead, but his legacy lives on. With the release of the movie "Catch a Fire", Uncle Joe’s progeny (with Australian film maker Philip Noyce) have struck another blow against the evil Boers.

The plot, written by Shawn Slovo (the oldest of Uncle Joe’s awful trio), with credits to Robyn Slovo (another of Pappa Joe’s awful trio), is as predictable as it is dull: A morally balanced black victim is set upon by Nazi Boer operatives (the Germanic accent is as unmistakable as it was predictable). He vows revenge, and sets out to blow up an oil refinery – a plan crafted by Pappa Joe who used others to do his dirty work. This is yet another rehashing of an idea that may have been originally due to Nadine Gordimer, or some other author whose only claim to legitimacy lies in exploiting and warping the historical facts of the apartheid period in South Africa.

"The Acclaimed New Thriller Based on a True Story" exclaimed ads for the movie in Western newspapers, promising viewers a righteous journey of truth fighting evil. Yet some of the unmistakable details of the times are missing: no necklacings, no killings of accused collaborators of the white regime, no revolutionary songs extolling the virtues of killing whites (see for example http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcOXqFQw2hc), no killings of whites by stonings or shootings, and of course, no reference to the communist underpinnings of the philosophy extolled by the African National Congress at that time; whose Freedom Charter reads like an introduction to the Constitution of the Deutsche Democratic Republic.

The intellectual roots of "Catch a Fire" can be traced back to Joe Slovo. The absolutely awful Uncle Joe was in his day the leader of the South African Communist Party and a committed follower of an even more awful version of Stalinism. He was also the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe – the armed wing of the ANC that specialized in attacks on economic and civilian targets in South Africa. This is particularly ironic, since Uncle Joe’s parents fled Lithuania for South Africa, apparently because of a virulent brand of anti-Semitism in Joe Stalin’s Soviet Union in 1934. Once safely in South Africa, and under protection of the Boers, the awful Joe quickly forgot the evils of Stalinism, and instead switched sides to become a committed follower of Stalin and a determined enemy of the Boers.

Uncle Joe has already given up the ghost, but his spirit marches on in his children. One of his red diaper babies, now not a mere youngster anymore, has here made a movie which would make their Pappa proud. In this they have recruited Philip Noyce, who apparently would not let historical details such as Stalinism and necklacings stand in the way of making a good movie, and who would willingly rub shoulders with the inheritors of an ideology so banal and intellectually bankrupt that even the most stupid of leaders of the modern ANC have abandoned it. Only Blade Nzimande, some elements in the PAC and second tier followers of Jacob Zuma, still march on this abandoned road while Joe’s ghost eggs them on to even more outrageous ideological positions.

But Pappa Joe’s intellectual short-sightedness and evil ideology will not stop the Slovo girl from making a killing here. No, they have gone to the Capitalist West, got an Ozzie, and made a movie for the stupid capitalistic proletariat in the United States who will in droves ooh and aah about the intellectual shallowness of the script and the virtuous portrait it paints of black good and white evil. And then completely miss the point about the Stalinist legacy and blatant propagandistic motives underlying this effort. And for Pappa Joe’s girls, this is also another kick at the Boers in his honour.

The Slovo family fled the intense anti-Semitism in the Stalinist Soviet Union when Joe was only eight, and they should know, if by word of mouth, the evils underlying the stereotyping of entire populations. But this message appears lost on this awful lot. Like a Nadine Gordimer who in her torturous prose made a living vilifying and stereotyping Boers, the Slovo girls live in a universe of evil Boers from which they sample and display bits to make a living at the often lethal expense of others.

Shawn Slovo’s first movie (A World Apart, 1989) explored the same ideas as in Catch a Fire, and one has to wonder if her intellectual capacity is limited to but one idea. Her younger sibling (Gillian Slovo) has similarly explored the same theme in her novel Red Dust, an effort that could be safely ignored if it was not for the pervasive stereotyping of Boers in page after limited page.

In the world of the Slovo girls, Boers are one dimensional caricatures of evil to be exploited for profit at the box office. There are no good, bad or ugly Boers. No Boers with diverse opinions and even more diverse lives. No Boers who are sportsman, or honest soldiers, or academics or accountants or farmers or victims of assault or exploited and victimized children. No, the Boers are oppressive assholes who teach their children to shoot to kill.

But the Slovo girls are getting the last laughs. They have since abandoned South Africa and live in capitalistic comfort overseas, making fortunes by stereotyping Boers (of whom thousands have now been killed since 1994 in unprovoked attacks by former members of Umkhonto we Sizwe, Pappa Joe’s former outfit).

These girls may be the red diaper babies of a Stalinist, but at least they are not Boers – and even the progeny of a Stalinist love the moral high ground. That appears to be their claim to legitimacy. And the West will give them that. The Stalinist legacy will be overlooked, the stereotyping of an entire and diverse nation of Boers will be accepted at face value, and the Slovo girls will get filthy rich from royalties while striking a blow for Pappa against his old enemies. Pappa will frown at the blatant capitalistic profiteering of his girls, but he will approve of this movie.

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Alex Boraine: Scratching where it’s not itching

IN a recent news article, former deputy head of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) dr. Alex Boraine accused the National Prosecuting Authority of dragging it’s feet in the prosecution of people denied amnesty by the TRC. The United Nations Committee backed Boraine’s plea, claiming that people suspected of torturing prisoners during apartheid should be put "on trial and pay compensation to the victims."

n a recent news article (http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,9294,2-7-1442_2035657,00.html ), former deputy head of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) dr. Alex Boraine accused the National Prosecuting Authority of dragging it’s feet in the prosecution of people denied amnesty by the TRC. The United Nations Committee backed Boraine’s plea, claiming that people suspected of torturing prisoners during apartheid should be put "on trial and pay compensation to the victims."

One cannot help but question why the prosecution of former leading figures under apartheid is still considered a major priority amongst South Africa’s new ruling class. Obviously justice should be served, but the current levels of violence, murder and mayhem under ANC rule eclipses the crimes committed during apartheid by far, in effect making a mockery of the whole idea of justice, not to mention reconciliation. Had South Africa transformed into the stable, prosperous and peaceful country its citizens hoped for, the justice in this act would have been understandable. The current ANC’s feet-dragging policy towards combating AIDS and violence though, seems to be conveniently overlooked in this plea.

The absurdity is exacerbated if one considers the tendentiousness on which the TRC was founded. In stead of a bona fide courtroom trial, in which first of all the nature of a crime has to be thoroughly examined before prosecution could take place, the TRC drew an a-priori conclusion regarding the criminal nature of apartheid and henceforth proclaimed to investigate to what extent the crimes committed could be considered crimes. In short: You are guilty, but exactly how guilty needs to be discovered, effectively leaving the administrators during the apartheid regime in a Kafkaesque "damned if you do, damned if you don’t" double bind. In doing so, the TRC placed itself in the position of the sole moral authority over South Africa, an act that portends the rise of a totalitarian regime where a minority now finds itself at the mercy of a "moral" majority.

Boraine’s plea follows two significant events pertaining to South Africa’s past and present. Firstly former president P.W. Botha passed away, and contrary to the expectations of many South Africans, president Thabo Mbeki hailed Botha as a leader who made a significant contribution to dismantle apartheid. Messages of gratitude and scorn were echoed world wide through media and discussion forums, some calling Botha a hero and man of integrity, other calling him a Fascist, oppressor and even a war criminal.

The other significant event was the release of the United Nations Human Development Index (http://hdr.undp.org/hdr2006/statistics/countries/country_fact_sheets/cty_fs_ZAF.html), where the declining state of health in South Africa is for all to see. What makes this report especially significant is the gradual increase of South Africa’s general health from 1975 onwards, reaching a plateau in 1990 and sharply declining from 1995, shortly after the ANC took power. South Africa slid down 35 places since 1990, currently ranking at 121 out of 177 countries. The main cause of this decline is attributed to the AIDS epidemic.

Even though the TRC issued a harsh sentence towards apartheid, general health statistics paint a somewhat nuanced picture. Indeed, life expectancy amongst Africans increased significantly during white rule from Verwoerd onwards. Tuberculosis was brought well under control and infant mortality rate fell sharply. During apartheid, the economy grew at a steady 3,5% per annum, the number of black school going children increased by 250% during the first 25 years and during the last 20 years of white rule, the total number of income earners in the entire South African economy saw blacks almost double from 20% in 1975 to 37% in 1995. These contributions left TRC head Archbishop Desmond Tutu unimpressed, claiming "a bad tree cannot bear good fruit". Along with this, Tutu launched a fierce attack on F.W. de Klerk for possessing knowledge regarding the Boipatong massacre, perhaps even orchestrating it. A preposterous accusation, especially given the volatile transition period. No leader would ever risk a civil war by inciting violence amongst tribes. Only when De Klerk threatened legal action to shut down the TRC, Tutu withdrew his unfounded accusation.

From this perspective, Boraine’s accusation to once again pay attention to past crimes merits concern. Not only has the TRC revealed its biased witch-hunting approach that paid little respect for great achievements that were made during apartheid, it also claims to be an organ superior to the rule of law. This is demonstrated further when three years ago a legal team led by Ed Fagan wanted to sue major American companies for profiteering from apartheid, as apartheid was declared a crime against humanity ( http://www.odiousdebts.org/odiousdebts/index.cfm?DSP=content&ContentID=9459 ). Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu stepped in the fray discouraging the plaintiffs, with Mandela stating that South Africans do not need outside interference and are capable to deal with issues of reconciliation, reparation and transformation among themselves (the irony being that the same international interference turned Mandela into a leading symbol of hope). This makes one wonder as to the honesty of the TRC’s accusation that apartheid is a crime against humanity, a view originally held by the Communist block in the United Nations and dismissed by the West. It should surprise few that many TRC members had Communist sympathies, and the TRC hearing should therefore be seen as an elongation of Communist deceptive facade politics. After all, what damage could a legal tribunal have done that the TRC could not?

The most reasonable assumption for the UN committee’s and Boraine’s actions would be to distract the attention away from the current political chaos that is undermining South Africa as a nation. It seems as if a need to establish a moral credibility is needed. The ANC is clearly a failing government. Ten years ago South Africa boasted as world leader in training medical doctors. Today the minister of health, dr. Manto Tshabalala Msimang advises the use of a garlic cocktail to treat HIV infections. Many qualified South Africans are leaving the country because of unpopular government policy, opinion makers have expressed doubt in South Africa’s ability to host the 2010 FIFA World Soccer event, and leftist anti-apartheid authors and poets have expressed their discontent with the ANC government. Breyten Breytenbach referred to the ANC as racist and Stalinist, André P. Brink called safety and security minister Charles Nquakula a monster and Nadine Gordimer typified some developments in South Africa as ‘very, very worrying’. Mbeki’s comradeship with Zimbabwean dictator Robert Mugabe does little to inspire confidence with white landowners, whom are according to certain experts already being threatened with genocide. Incidentally, veteran anti-apartheid politician Helen Suzman warned against Thabo Mbeki stating he is "most definitely anti-white".

Dr. Boraine is in effect defying that very same moral principle he proclaims to uphold. The message he sends out justifies governments’ draconian anti-white laws and condones the current mayhem. To delve into the past twelve years after the end of white rule seems to reveal a certain sense of fatalism, a perception that South Africa could not be saved on its current course. This in turn reinforces governments continuing strive to turn South Africa into a once again divided country, but this time between rich and poor. Time will tell which the bigger of the two evils would be, even though many people already made up their minds on this matter. Poverty and hunger enslave people more than any "whites only" poster could.

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Propagandataktieke vir beginners

As daar een politieke wapen is wat die ANC baie goed bemeester het en waar Afrikaners van kan leer, is dit om propaganda te maak om hul beleid te verdedig. Hierdie standpunt is weliswaar oorvereenvoudig, aangesien ‘n hele klomp bykomstighede die Afrikaner se politieke rug gebreek het, maar daar is ‘n onmiskenbare element van waarheid hierin opgesluit. Die ANC het teen alle verwagtinge in die onmoontlike reggekry, hoofsaaklik omdat hulle ‘n goeie span rojaal befondste propagandiste gehad het en oor die nodige aggressie beskik het om hul idees die wêreld in te dra.

Die vraag verrys: Hoe het ‘n terreurorganisasie dit reggekry om ‘n ideologiese Berlynse Muur in Suid-Afrika op te rig juis in die periode toe sloophamers besig was om dié muur met groot fanfare in Duitsland met die grond gelyk te maak? Die antwoord is: propaganda.

Tussen die Eerste en Tweede Wêreldoorloë het die Chicago-skool ‘n hele groep navorsers bymekaar geroep om hierdie onderdeel van meningsvorming te ondersoek. Na die Tweede Wêreldoorlog het navorsing oor die krag van propaganda hoogty gevier met die stigting van die Frankfurt-skool en vanweë lukratiewe borge aan verskeie Amerikaanse universiteite wat juis ingestel was om ‘n verklaring te vind vir die gruwel van fascisme in Europa. Die resultate het gewissel van matig tot baie indrukwekkend, waarvan die bekendste sekerlik Stanley Milgram se gehoorsaamheidseksperiment was.

Met hierdie eksperiment is proefpersone geflous deur te glo dat hulle besig was om iemand te martel met pynlike skokke, maar het op aanbeveling van die "deskundige" navorser die skokke bly toedien wat steeds hewiger geword het. Slegs ‘n klein groepie proefpersone het teen die navorser se aandrang ingegaan en die eksperiment vroegtydig gestop omdat hulle die "marteling" nie meer kon aanskou nie (die "geskokte" persoon het heel oortuigend gemaak asof elke skok hom ‘n helse pyn toegedien het). Die oorgrote meerderheid proefpersone het "teen hul beter wete in" die eksperiment tot aan die einde toe voortgesit, omdat die navorser gesê het dat die skokke nie so erg is nie. Die konklusie was verstommend: Dis verbasend maklik om gewone, naïewe mense oor te haal om iemand te martel sodra ‘n gerespekteerde, magtige persoon jou daartoe aansit.

As ‘n mens ‘n ander indrukwekkende bevinding hieraan moet toevoeg, naamlik die konformiteitseksperiment van Solomon Asch, het ons al heelwat vordering gemaak om manipulasie en propaganda te begryp. In Asch se eksperiment is ‘n argelose proefpersoon na ‘n kamer vol ander "proefpersone" gelei en moes hy die lengte van ‘n streep op ‘n bord vergelyk uit ‘n keuse van drie ander strepe. Die proefpersoon was nie bewus dat die ander mense in die kamer deel uitgemaak het van die eksperiment nie. Hulle het gemaak asof streep C dieselfde lengte gehad het as die streep op die bord. Alhoewel die antwoord baie duidelik streep B was, het die meeste proefpersone teen hul beter wete in streep C geantwoord. Hulle het met ander woorde hul feitlike waarneming onderdruk ten gunste van dié van die groep.

Daar is ook nog ‘n derde sielkundige model van oortuiging wat hier van belang is, te wete die “Elaboration Likelihood Model” (ELM) van Richard Petty en John Cacioppo. In hierdie model het die navorsers ontdek dat daar twee weë is waarlangs ‘n mens iemand van ‘n bepaalde standpunt kan oortuig, naamlik ‘n sentrale weg en ‘n periferale weg. Die sentrale weg van oortuiging is net ‘n mooi naam vir die inhoud van die argument. Hoe duidelik is die standpunt, hoe realisties is dit, wat is die alternatiewe, is daar teenstrydighede daarin, ensovoorts. Die periferale weg daarenteen fokus eerder op die persoon wat dit sê se eienskappe en uiterlike kenmerke. Word hy/sy as ‘n deskundige beskou, is daardie persoon aantreklik, het hy ‘n mooi stel tande, lyk hy vriendlik, praat hy/sy mooi? ensovoorts. Sodra die argument wat hierdie persoon lewer van persoonlike belang is by een van sy luisteraars, sal die luisteraar meer geneigd wees om op die sentrale weg van oortuiging te fokus. Maar sodra die argument nie so direk ‘n invloed op die luisteraar het nie, sal hy/sy eerder op die periferale weg fokus, met ander woorde "wie sê dit" in plaas van "wat word gesê".

Met die ELM moet ek onmiddelik dink aan ‘n figuur soos Ronnie Kasrils. Die laaste parlementêre toesprake wat ek van hom gesien het, het hy ‘n vriendelike en beleefde indruk gemaak. ‘n Mens sou nie kon glo dat hy self betrokke was by die foltering van swartes in Quattro, die ANC se goelag in Angola nie, laat staan nog sy strydkreet dat hy blankes wil doodmaak. Dieselfde geld ook vir iemand soos Jeremy Cronin, wat ‘n aangename indruk maak, maar as ‘n mens sy argumente en opstelle lees, wemel dit van swak geformuleerde en onsamehangende standpunte. Hulle moet gebruik maak van hul sjarme om mense te oortuig. Aan inhoud skiet hulle ernstig tekort.

Navorsing het eweneens aangetoon dat dommer mense meer geneig is om duidelik bevooroordeelde propaganda te glo terwyl intelligenter mense beter oortuig word deur ewewigtiger standpunte. Egter, om angs in te boesem is ‘n goeie manier om mense te beheer. Dis ‘n taktiek wat Machiavelli goed beskryf het en nog daagliks deur sluwe heersers gebruik word. Die gevaar is dat hoe minder inhoud ‘n heerser kan gee om sy magswellus goed te praat, hoe meer vul hy die leemte met angs en massahisterie.

Aangesien dit nou twee voor twaalf is vir blankes in Suid-Afrika, is dit van uitermate belang dat aandag bestee word aan die feitelike gebeure van Suid-Afrika se geskiedenis. Die ANC se propagandasiklus moet verbreek word, desnoods deur teenpropaganda te maak. Gelukkig behoort ‘n blote aanhaling van die feitelike gebeure genoeg propaganda ten gunste van blankes te wees. Selfs linkse politici in invloedryke lande is agter die skerms meer ewewigtig as wat ‘n mens dink. Hulle weet dat feite aangespreek moet word en ontkenning op die lang termyn geen nut het nie.

Myns insiens sou ‘n uitstekende redmiddel wees om ‘n internetargief op te stel waarin parlementêre toesprake, biografieë, meningsopnames, sensusse, ensovoorts van die Nasionale Party-bewind en die ANC/SAKP se planne aan almal beskikbaar gestel kan word. ‘n Strategie wat ook kan werk, maar moontlik nie baie aandag sal geniet nie, is om geleerde blankes wat in die buiteland te woon te mobiliseer om met hul eie lande se politici aan tafel te sit en die situasie in Suid-Afrika aan die kaak te stel. Die ANC kan gelukkig geen druk uitoefen op internetwebwerwe of Afrikaners in die buiteland nie. Die internetargief kan desnoods deur ‘n buitelandse universiteit gedra word, hoewel Orania se webwerf se "In diepte"-afdeling ‘n uitstekende versameling informasie bevat.

Bok van Blerk het gewys dat daar nog steeds ‘n stewige solidariteit onder Afrikaners bestaan, sowel in Suid-Afrika as in die buiteland, mits ‘n mens die regte snare raak. Dat een lied die ANC so bedreig laat voel, is ‘n belangrike bewys dat Oom Thabo se imperium eintlik ‘n reus op kleivoete is. Sodra ons bewus raak van hoe propaganda werk, soos wat ek geprobeer het om met bogenoemde eksperimente aan te toon, ons feite aanhaal en onsself as skaflike en innemende mense aanbied, mag ons dalk meer op die wêreldtoneel regkry as wat ons gedink het.

Ek mag verkeerd wees, maar die middele tot onafhanklikheid lê dalk voor ons neuse. Dis net ‘n kwessie van moed, koördinasie en geleentheid om dit te benut. As Thabo Mbeki kan sê dat Zimbabwe se suiwering van blanke boere onafwendbaar was, wat weerhou ons om aan die beskaafde wêreld te sê dat ‘n onafhanklike volkstaat om dieselde redes onafwendbaar is? Thabo het so pas die geleentheid vir ons gegee. Ons kort nou nog net moed en koördinasie… en ‘n bietjie hulp van buite.

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Zim staan laaste in ekonomiese klas

Zimbabwe, wat deur die verdrywing van blanke boere en politieke onenigheid gekortwiek word, was Afrika se swakste ekonomiese presteerder in 2006, terwyl Angola, dansy olie-uitvoere, die beste was. Aldus ’n VN-studie wat verlede week gepubliseer is.

Zimbabwe met al sy probleme het ’n negatiewe 4,4 persent groeikoers geregistreer, wat dit die slegs presterende ekonomie maak, volgens die VN se Ekonomiese Kommissie vir Afrika in ’n verslag wat in Addis Abeba gepubliseer is.

“Ekonomiese prestasie in Zimbabwe het negatief gebly… veral vanweë politieke probleme wat deur herhaalde droogtes vererger is,” meen die verslag.

Zimbabwe se inflasiekoers is nou die hoogste ter wêreld op 1 730 persent en die Internasionale Monetêre Fonds voorspel dat dit tot 4 000 persent teen die einde van die jaar gaan styg. Vier uit vyf mense is werkloos en leef in volslae armoede.

Hierteenoor het hoë olie-uitvoerpryse Angola gehelp om die studie se topposisie met 17,6 persent groei in te neem.

Mauritanië is tweede geplaas, met 14,1 persent, terwyl mineraaluitvoere Mosambiek in staat gestel het om die derde plek met 7,9 persent in te neem.

Onder aan die lys saam met Zimbabwe, het die Comores, die Ivoorkus, die Seychelle en Swaziland die laagste ekonomiese groeikoerse in Afrika behaal.

Die verslag voorspel ’n 5,8 persent groeikoers op die vasteland vanjaar, wat ’n effense verbetering van verlede jaar se 5,6 persent was, dansy die toenemende globale vraag na grondstowwe soos olie, minerale en landbouprodukte.

Maar die verspreiding van MIV/Vigs, ’n gebrek aan verskeidendheid in uitvoere en onvoorspelbare weer, asook ondoeltreffende infrastruktuur en onbetroubare energietoevoer kan verhinder dat die voorspelde groei bereik word, lui die verslag verder.

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Afrikaners moet internet beset

Afrikanerbevryding kan in die kuberruim begin en uiteindelik na die fisieke territorium van Suid-Afrika oorspoel.

Sedert ek vir die eerste keer aan die einde van 1995 ‘n internetkonneksie verkry het, volg ek die ontwikkeling van dié verskynsel met belangstelling. Nie verniet nie het Jeff Bizos, die stigter van Amazon.com, gesê dat die internet nie net die manier waarop mense sake doen nie, maar ook die politiek gaan verander.

Bizos het die idee vir ‘n internetboekwinkel (maar wat deesdae omtrent enigiets onder die son verkoop) gehad terwyl hy iewers in ‘n motor tussen San Francisco en Seattle op reis was. Met ander woorde, hy het deur werklike grondgebied "geseil" terwyl hy sy revolusionêre idee vir e-handel uitgedink het.

Vele mense is besig om die verband tussen grondgebied in die tradisionele sin en die kuberruim raak te sien. Enkele jare gelede, in November 2000 om presies te wees, het die Franse filosoof Michel Serres op besoek aan Johannesburg beweer dat die internet soortgelyk aan die Middeleeuse woud is. Serres is iemand wat al oor enigiets van Fontaine se fabels tot die wette van termodinamika en kommunikasieteorie geskryf het.

In die Middeleeue was die woud ‘n plek waar geen reëls of wette gegeld het nie. Die embrioniese state van daardie tyd was te swak om nog ongerepte, onbewoonde gebied ook te regeer. Misdadigers en voortvlugtiges soos Robin Hood het hulle na die niemandsland van die woud gewend omdat hulle daar teen die gereg kon wegkruip.

In die Middeleeuse letterkunde, wat vir ons via Middelnederlands in Afrikaans toeganklik is, was daar ‘n figuur, die sogenaamde homo silvaticus oftewel "woudmens", wat in allerlei verhale en fabels voorkom. Hy was ‘n wilde mens wat hom nie by die reëls van die beskawing gehou het nie.

Tot onlangs was die internet, of dan die kuberruim soos dit ook genoem word, aan weinig regeringsinvloed onderworpe en was Michel Serres se vergelyking dus juis. Soos wat die kuberruim egter in omvang toegeneem het, het regerings en selfs internasionale instansies begin poog om die elektroniese woud deur wetgewing en regulering onder hul invloed te bring.

Hier by ons het die ANC ‘n Orwelliaanse kommunikasiewet ingestel wat elke diensverskaffer verplig om namens die staat inligting oor elke internetgebruiker in te samel. Intelligensiedienste het wêreldwyd begin om programmatuur te ontwikkel of aan te koop waarmee hulle kommunikasie deur verdagte groepe of mense kan monitor.

Maar die internet verteenwoordig nie bloot ‘n kommunikasiemiddel nie. Op sigself is dit ook ruimte en gebied wat deur state en hul inwoners beset word. ‘n Taal wat vandag nie ruimskoots op die internet verteenwoordig is nie, bestaan in ‘n sekere sin nie.

Belangriker nog is die volgende: die internet skep identiteite en voeg mense saam of verdeel hulle, ongeag geografiese afstande. Duisende Afrikaners in die buiteland neem elke dag aan kubergesprekke deel en is in ‘n sekere sin in ons land teenwoordig omdat hulle net sowel in die huis of kantoor langsaan kon gesit het.

Die internet globaliseer ons deur inligting vrylik tussen lande te laat vloei. Maar soos ons in Wes-Europa met die afskaffing van fisieke grense tussen lande gesien het, verval nasionale identiteite en kom streeksidentiteite na vore. Pleks van geografiese grense, het ons deesdae in Europa taalgrense. Die Dietse taalgebied van waar Afrikaans afkomstig is, bestaan deesdae uit ‘n aaneelopende area wat Nederland, Vlaandere en die westelike grensgebiede van Duitsland waar Platduits gepraat word, insluit.

In ‘n groot mate geld dieselfde in die kuberruim: taal verteenwoordig die nuwe grens tussen mense. Maar die kuberruim is ook onderhewig aan geweldige mededinging; ‘n soort taaloorlog woed daarbinne, soortgelyk aan die territoriale oorloë van die Middeleeue. Vandaar dus die gedagte dat die kuberruim in ons tyd beset word en dat state, multinasionale maatskappye en etniese en taalgroepe vir Lebensraum met mekaar meeding.

Daar is ook ‘n bepaalde verhouding tussen fisieke grondbesetting en invloed in die kuberruim. Tot dusver het state sekere aansprake op die kuberruim gemaak, al is dit net deur die sogenaamde domeinsuffikse soos "uk", "fr", "de" of "za" wat ‘n "nasionale adres" verteenwoordig. Hierdie letters wat heel aan die einde van ‘n internetadres verskyn, word "boonstevlakdomeinname" genoem en word deur die Internasionale Standaarde-organisasie beheer.

Tot dusver het fisieke state hul mag gebruik om die kuberruim te beset, maar is die teenoorgestelde moontlik, m.a.w., sou ‘n sterk georganiseerde kubergroep in staat wees om grondgebied te bekom?

In 1994 het Afrikaners vir alle praktiese doeleindes ‘n staatlose volk geword. Oor die afgelope aantal jare het die gedagte van ‘n "kuberstaat" of "virtuele volkstaat" in politieke gesprekke begin opduik. Die mees onlangse voorbeeld waaroor daar in die pers berig is, was prof. Marinus Wiechers se uitspraak op Orania toe hy ‘n pleidooi vir ‘n "virtuele Afrikanerregering" gelewer het.

Wiechers is ‘n oud-professor in staat- en volkereg aan UNISA. Volgens hom is "die gedagte dat Afrikanergemeenskappe hier en selfs oorsee hul in die kuberruim kan organiseer tot ‘n ‘virtuele regering’ om die Afrikaanse kultuur- en taalerfenisse te bewaar en Afrikanerbelange te bevorder… dus nie vergesog nie.

"Vir só ‘n virtuele regering kan al die belanghebbende partye en instellings ‘n grondwet opstel, kan op ‘n vrywillige grondslag lidmaatskap en aanhorigheid gewerf word, ‘kieserregistrasie’ onderneem word, partypolitieke aktiwiteite georganiseer word, verkiesings gehou word, virtuele regeringsinstellings, soos ‘n parlement en uitvoerende organe, verkies word, begrotings aangeneem en ‘belastings’ onder aanhoriges gehef word."

Wiechers se voorstel word egter in ‘n konserwatiewe gees aangebied, "konserwatief" met betrekking tot die bestaande Suid-Afrikaanse orde. So ‘n "virtuele regering om Afrikaner-gemeenskappe saam te snoer (kan) inderdaad ‘n kragtige ‘staat binne ‘n staat’ word om Afrikaanse kultuur- en taalerfenisse te bewaar en te bevorder. Dit hoef glad nie die bestaande staatsorde te bedreig nie." Aldus Marinus Wiechers.

Teenoor Marinus Wiechers se konserwatiewe visie van ‘n Afrikanervolk wat hom virtueel organiseer om die las van oorheersing te versag, staan die meer radikale idee van Afrikanerbevryding wat in die kuberruim kan begin en uiteindelik na die fisieke territorium van Suid-Afrika mag oorspoel.

Ná alles sou ‘n Afrikanervolk wat hom in die kuberruim naas ander nasies met eie grondgebied soos die Dene, Tsjegge, Nieu-Seelanders of wie ook al handhaaf, ‘n onmiskenbare nasionale werklikheid verteenwoordig wat toenemend internasionale erkenning van ander state behoort te geniet.

Moderne nasies is die gevolg van die Franse revolusie en die Duitse romantiek wat gedurende die negentiende eeu ‘n vlaag nasionalismes regoor Europa ontketen het, iets wat in die twintigste eeu ‘n wêreldwye beweging geword het. State en "staatsapparaat" (om nou ‘n term van die Franse neo-Marxis, Louis Althusser, te gebruik) in die vorm van veral skole en verpligte onderwys is gebruik om nasionale identiteite te vestig.

Deur sy beheer van ons skole, poog die ANC-bewind om dié negentiende-eeuse spel voort te sit en sy Suid-Afrikanisme ten koste van Afrikaansheid te vestig. In die toekoms sal die internet waarskynlik meer identiteitsvormend as die tradisionele skool optree.

Dit is daarom van die uiterste belang dat Afrikaners vir hulle ‘n gebied in die kuberruim moet afbaken. Ten dele is dié proses reeds aan die gang, maar dit moet versnel en verhewig word. Die totale Afrikanergeskiedenis, -kultuur, en -letterkunde behoort vrylik op die internet beskikbaar te wees.

Een manier op dit reg te kry, sou wees om die Afrikaanse weergawe van die sogenaamde Wikipedia uit te bou. Laasgenoemde is ‘n gratis aanlyn-ensiklopedie wat deur vrywillige samewerking in elkeen van die vernaamste tale ter wêreld tot stand gekom het. Tans verkeer die Afrikaanse Wikepedia in die 46ste posisie wat die aantal gepubliseerde artikels daarin betref, dus nie baie hoog op die lys nie. Myns insiens behoort alle bestaande Afrikaanse kultuurorganisasies en akademici saam te werk om so ‘n Afrikaanse ensiklopedie tot een van die grootstes op die internet uit te bou. Afrikaans kan maklik een van die top twintig Wikipediatale, naas Engels, Duits, Frans, Spaans, ens. word. Afrikaanse boeke waarop daar nie meer kopiereg bestaan nie, behoort ook stelselmatig op die internet opgelaai te word.

In die Amerikaanse sakejargon word daar gepraat van ‘n maatskappy se "voetspoor" (footprint) in ‘n land of in ‘n mark. Hoe groter die Afrikaner se voetspoor in die kuberruim, hoe groter ons kans op oorlewing en op uiteindelike vryheid.

Antjie Krog se “surrogaatvader” is Lord Kitchener

Antjie Krog se jongste uitlatings oor Bok van Blerk se “De la Rey”-lied in die Mail & Guardian toon net weereens in watter mate sy die werklikheid agtergelaat het. Die feit dat sy eens op ’n tyd voorgegee het om ’n Afrikaanse digteres te wees, maar nou ’n anti-Afrikanerpropagandis geword het, kwalifiseer haar geensins om namens ons te praat of maak dat haar ekstremistiese sienings ernstig opgeneem kan word nie.

Om “De la Rey” te sien as ’n teken van die identiteitsoeke deur “kinders van Nazi’s” is belaglik.

Die gedagte dat rassesegregasie (wat ook in die VSA en in al die Britse kolonies in Afrika bestaan het) aan Nazisme of volksmoord gelykgestel kan word, is absurd. Die meeste Afrikaners voel geensins “skuldig oor die verlede” nie. Vele van hulle was onderwysers, lektore, verpleegsters en maatskaplike werksters in die sogenaamde apartheidtyd en beskik daarom oor eerstehandse kennis oor die ou stelsel wat nie op volksmoord gemik was nie, maar op opheffing.

Afrikaners sou die Engelse met Nazi’s vergelyk as gevolg van hul konsentrasiekampbeleid honderd jaar gelede, eerder as hulself. Ook oorreed hul huidige ervaring van plaasmoorde, diskriminasie op grond van taal en ras, naamsveranderings, ensovoort, hulle daarvan dat die ANC-bewind veel nader aan die tradisie van twintigste-eeuse totalitarisme verkeer, soos deur Hitler of Stalin voorgestel, as wat hulle ooit was. Kyk maar net na Mbeki se min of meer openlike steun vir die berugte diktator, Mugabe.

Antjie Krog behoort dit in haar kop te kry dat Verwoerd skole en huise vir swartmense gebou het toe hy nog minister van Bantoesake in die vyftigerjare was; hy het hulle nie vergas, hulle na kampe in Siberië gestuur of massamoord op hulle gepleeg en hulle in massagrafte laat begrawe nie.

Krog hou haar lyf populêre sielkundige deur te beweer dat die jong geslag Afrikaners ’n “surrogaatvader” in De la Rey sien, juis omdat hulle nie met hul eie “Nazi”-vaders kan identifiseer nie. Indien daar enige popsielkunde hierin te lees is, is Antjie Krog se “surrogaatvader” Lord Horatio Herbert Kitchener.

Die gewildheid van “De la Rey” spreek van die versterking van die Afrikaneridentiteit en die wil om weerstand te bied teen die tweede etniese suiwering en verdrywing van die Afrikaner uit Suid-Afrika. Die interessante vraag is watter vorm die Afrikanerstryd teen sy huidige oorheersing wat as openlik en ekstreem gesien kan word, gaan aanneem.

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500 miljoen dollar en geen demokrasie

Die internasionale gemeenskap is doodstil en het die afgelope 15 dae nog geen woord gerep oor die aanwending van hul skenkings, nagenoeg 500 miljoen dollar, ter bevordering van demokrasie aan die Demokratiese Republiek van die Kongo nie.

Die amptelike opposisie in dié land, gelei deur die eertydse vise-president Jean-Pierre Bemba, is vir alle praktiese doeleindes tot niet. Bemba is steeds ’n gas van die Suid-Afrikaanse ambassade in Kinshasa, waar hy sedert 22 Maart 2007 “gehuisves” word.

Hy wag tans vir ’n finale antwoord om na Portugal te kan reis. Alhoewel Bemba toestemming op hoogste vlak verkry het om die land te verlaat, is hy steeds in die ambassade. Hy het amptelik gevra om na Portugal te reis sodat mediese aandag aan ’n ou fraktuur geskenk kan word.

Volgens diplomatieke bronne heers daar ongelukkigheid binne sekere kringe in die regering self oor die besluit om hom te laat gaan ondanks die immuniteit wat hy as senator teen vervolging geniet. Bemba het die versekering gegee dat hy aan “geen politieke bedrywighede” tydens sy verblyf in Portugal sal deelneem nie.

Bemba se magte, oorblyfsels uit die rebellebeweging wat in ’n oorlog teen Kinshasa (1998-2003) gewikkel was, is verlede maand heeltemal deur regeringsoldate uitgewis. Bloedige gevegte, die ergste nog sedert die verkiesing van 2006 volgens sekere waarnemers, het tot die dood van tussen 200 en 500 mense gelei.

Joernaliste is nietemin deur regeringstroepe daarvan weerhou om foto’s van dooies en gewondes te neem en is by lykshuise en hospitale afgekeer.

Die eerste vier maande van Joseph Kabila se mandaat is nie net deur die algehele verbrokkeling van ’n opposie gekenmerk nie, maar ook deur skermutselings in sowel die weste as ooste van die land. Geen verklaring is voorts deur die regering uitgereik nadat die VN se hoofkwartier en TV-uitsaaistasie in die tydperk aangeval en geplunder is nie. Volgens ’n VN-woorvoerder ontvang hulle gereeld dreigemente en is hulle aan intimidasie blootgestel.

Desondanks die feit dat Kabila deur die EU berispe word vir ’n “voortydige reaksie” en “ontoepaslike” optrede, bly die president ongeërg en voel hy heeltemal geregverdig in sy besluit omdat hy “ten alle koste” orde moes herstel.

Bemba se ondersteuners het gevoel dat hul beoogde inlywing by regeringsmagte die opposisieleier sonder voldoende beskerming sou laat.

Hoe langer sy vertrek egter uitgestel word, hoe meer gekompliseerd raak die kwessie, het ’n diplomaat gekla. Daar is enersyds raadgewers van Kabila wat Bemba graag agter tralies wil sien. Vir gematigdes binne die regering sal dit andersyds nie lei tot die “normalisering” van die politieke landskap nie.

’n Westerse waarnemer meen “dat die regering beslis by die gesloer baat. Bemba is geneutraliseer en die opposisie sal nooit weer opstaan nie.” Hy het ook gesê dat die Weste se stilte oor hul skenkings ’n ramp vir die land is.

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Die merkwaardige tog van genl J.C.G. Kemp

Rebelleleier J.C.G. Kemp

Generaal J.C.G. Kemp en sy 600 manskappe se tog deur die Kalahariwoestyn kan seker as een van die fassinerendste hoofstukke in ons geskiedenis beskou word.

Generaal Louis Botha se 1914-besluit om die destydse Duits-Suidwes-Afrika binne te val op bevel van die Britse regering het die gevoelens onder Afrikaners hoog laat loop. Baie mense kon hulle nie versoen met die idee om oorlog te maak saam met hulle gewese vyande teen ‘n land (Duitsland) wat hulle eintlik goed gesind was nie.

Die dood van generaal Koos de la Rey in die Langlaagte-hinderlaag op 15 September 1914 was ‘n groot slag vir Afrikaners wat verward gevoel het en op die wyse generaal staatgemaak het vir leiding in ‘n moeilike tyd van broedertwis.

Op 7 Oktober 1914 het generaal Manie Maritz, wat uit protes uit die weermag bedank het, in Ukamas met die Duitse owerheid begin onderhandel om wapens te bekom ten einde Engeland te beveg en die Boererepublieke se onafhanklikheid terug te wen.

Op 12 Oktober het Botha se regering krygswet afgekondig om te verhoed dat generaal Maritz se protes meer mense beïnvloed. Tien dae later het Afrikanerleiers wat beswaard gevoel het oor die koers wat die regering ingeslaan het, in Koppies bymekaargekom. ‘n Plan van aksie is hier uitgewerk. Generaal Christiaan Beyers sou die protes in die Transvaal koördineer. Generaal Christiaan de Wet sou ‘n paar kommando’s in die Vrystaat agterlaat en met die res van sy manskappe langs die suidelike oewer van die Oranjerivier opruk en met Maritz kontak maak. Generaal Kemp sou met ‘n kommando uit die Transvaal al langs die noordelike oewer van die Oranjerivier trek om De Wet by Maritz te ontmoet. Van daar sou hy en De Wet na die Transvaal en die Vrystaat terugkeer met wapens en ammunisie wat van die Duitsers bekom is.

Op 27 Oktober het Isak Claasen namens generaal Kemp ‘n byeenkoms in Hakboslaagte gereël waarheen almal in die omgewing wat ontevrede met die regering se beplande inval in Duits-Suidwes-Afrika was, genooi is. Die skriftelike oproep het soos volg gelui: “Blijde Boodschap. Bekstop en gadskop is nou op een end. Ik kommandeer allen naar Hakboslaagte, perd, zaal en toom, mondprovisie voor 8 dagen. Geen geheim meer. Kemp is in onze midden.”

Op 2 November het 610 man by Vleeskraal naby Schweizer-Reneke besluit om Kemp te volg na generaal Manie Maritz naby die Duits-Suidwes-Afrika-grens. Kemp wou nie die tog sonder Siener van Rensburg aanpak nie. Siener, wat oor geweldige aansien in die Wes-Transvaal beskik het, het ook die manne by Vleeskraal toegespreek. Volgens hom het hulle niks te vrees gehad nie. Hulle sou veilig terugkeer, want hy het hoefmerke in die modder gesien. Hy het ook gesien dat die Botha-regering na Vereeniging vlug.

Steun vir die rebelle het gegroei aangesien die regering besef het dat nie genoeg vrywilligers vir die inval in Duits-Suidwes-Afrika gevind kon word nie en dat hulle verplig was om onwilliges op te roep. In Schweizer-Reneke self het die getalle van Kemp se manne tot 1 800 gegroei, maar Kemp het uiteindelik besluit om net 720 man saam te neem. Sy kommando moes bloot “‘n vlieënde kolonne” wees. Die manne wat Kemp vergesel het, was nie ‘n klomp avonturiers nie, maar hoofsaaklik boere van die Wes-Transvaal wat hulle vryheid wou terugkry.

Op 30 November is generaal de Wet, wat met ‘n berede kommando die grens van Duits-Suidwes-Afrika probeer bereik het, deur ‘n kavalkade van 110 motorvoertuie vasgekeer en gevang. Die rebelle is ‘n verdere slag toegedien toe generaal Beyers op 8 Desember 1914 deur regeringsmagte by die Vaalrivier vasgekeer is. In sy poging om die rivier oor te steek, het hy verdrink. ‘n Nadoodse ondersoek het bevind dat hy aan hartverlamming dood is.

Intussen het Kemp en sy manskappe vasberade voortgetrek in die rigting van Duits-Suidwes-Afrika. Hulle is deur die droë Langeberg deur regeringsmagte agtervolg en in die Kalahariwoestyn ingedwing, waar hulle erg gely het. Oral langs die Oranjerivier was daar regeringstroepe wat op hulle geskiet het, sodat hulle nie naby die rivier kon kom nie. Water het ‘n geweldige probleem geword. Baie perde het tydens die tog gevrek en die manskappe moes begin loop. Skaars sewentien dae nadat die tog begin het, was daar reeds geen weiding meer vir die osse, muile en perde nie. Teen 20 November was meer as ‘n derde van die kommandolede al voetgangers. Die vuurwarm sand het die mans se voete laat swel, het blare op die sole veroorsaak en die vel het dan afgeskuur. Baie het hulle skoene heeltemal deurgeloop. Wanneer hulle die nat vel van ‘n pas geslagte bees in die hande kon kry, het hulle skoene daaruit geprakseer. Sodra die vel egter begin hard word het, het dit die vel geskaaf en moes hulle dit weggooi. Hulle gefolterde voete het ‘n bloedspoor in die woestyn agtergelaat. Geleidelik het hulle ook van hulle besittings ontslae begin raak, want hulle kon dit eenvoudig nie meer dra nie. Die mans was voortdurend honger, want die slagosse was uitgeslag en die meel op. Die dors was egter die ergste. Hulle het meesal water by windpompe met klein dammetjies en panne gedrink. Dikwels is die water reeds deur die perde besoedel, want die reël was dat die diere eerste moes drink. Kemp het opdrag gegee dat die enigste motor van die kommando, wat later deur osse getrek is, se verkoelerwater afgetap moes word vir die dorstiges.

Dit is ongelooflik hoe hierdie swak bewapende en uitgeputte rebelle nogtans daarin geslaag het om telkens die regeringstroepe terug te dryf of te ontwyk.

Siener van Rensburg het ‘n groot rol tydens die tog gespeel, al was Kemp met tyd geïrriteerd met Oom Klasie (soos hy hom genoem het) se invloed op die kommando. Hy was oortuig dat God hom gestuur het om die rebelle van raad te bedien. Hy was ‘n eenvoudige boer, met net genoeg skoling om die Bybel te kon lees. Die manskappe se geloof in sy visioene was een van die redes waarom hulle in ongelooflik moeilike omstandighede steeds bly volhard het.

Nog ‘n persoon wat ‘n baie belangrike rol gespeel het, was Cornelius van Rooyen, wat die Kalahari uitstekend geken het en as spoorsnyer en gids opgetree het. Hy was van onskatbare waarde vir die kommando om water te vind tydens die woestyntog. Daar was ‘n hegte band tussen hom en Siener en hulle het mekaar voortdurend geraadpleeg. Die verkennerskorps van die kommando het verder ‘n groot rol gespeel om Kemp op die hoogte te bring van die regeringsmagte se bewegings.

Die tog het oor 800 km gestrek en het 22 dae lank geduur. Toe hulle op 29 November 1914 deur Maritz aan die Duitse kant van die grens ontmoet is, was hulle in ‘n gehawende toestand. 50 Rebelle moes in die hospitaal by Ukamas opgeneem word. Generaal Maritz het die volgende opgemerk: “Wie kan die lyding beskrywe van daardie mense? Wat het hulle nie deur moes staan nie? … Manne sowel as offisiers was in ‘n akelige toestand.”

Op 3 Februarie 1915 het hulle uiteindelik naby Upington oorgegee: Kemp met 530 man en Maritz met 700 man. Generaal Maritz het besluit om self nie oor te gee nie en na Duits-Suidwes-Afrika uit te wyk. Terwyl generaal Kemp ernstig siek was aan swartwaterkoors, het Maritz soos volg van sy manskappe afskeid geneem: “ Dit is vir my hartbrekend om van julle afskeid te neem, van my dapper boerseuns, maar julle kan trots wees op julleself. Julle het die Botha-regering ‘n harde knou toegedien. Generaal Botha sal ook bly wees om van julle ontslae te wees. Nou kyk, seuns, julle pak al die skuld op my, alles wat hulle julle vra, sê julle dat Maritz julle verlei het. Ek sal sorg dat Botha my nie in die hande kry nie …” Nadat hy deur Angola na Portugal uitgewyk het, is hy met sy terugkeer na Suid-Afrika in 1923 verhoor en drie jaar gevangenisstraf opgelê. Hy is egter kort daarna in 1924 vrygelaat.

Van al die rebelleleiers is Kemp die swaarste straf opgelê, naamlik ‘n boete van 1000 pond en gevangenisstraf van sewe jaar. Hy is op 22 November 1916 vrygelaat.

Met erkenning aan Generaal J.C.G. Kemp en die epiese woestyntog van M.C.E van Schoor, Protea Boekhuis, 2006

Britse sokkerboewe in Rome (videogreep)

Gevegte tussen ondersteuners van Manchester United en die Italiaanse sokkerklub Roma het uitgebreek, met die toetrede van die Italiaanse polisie.

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VSA wil Mugabe afsit

Eric Bost

Die VSA het gister vir die eerste maal openlik te kenne gegee dat hulle aktief daaraan werk om Robert Mugabe, president van Zimbabwe, te ondermyn.

Onlangs het berigte oor die aanranding van Zimbabwiese opposisieleier, Morgan Tvangirai, aan die hand van Mugabe se veiligheidsmagte opslae gemaak.

Alhoewel Washington nie regimeverandering steun nie, het die Amerikaanse departement vir Buitelandse Sake eergister in die verslag wat vrygestel is erken dat hulle die MDC-opposisie asook ander kritici van mnr Mugabe steun.

Eric Bost, huidige VSA-gesant in SA, het voorheen sy teleurstelling uitgespreek met die “gebrek aan aksie” uit Afrika om Mugabe se termyn tot ’n einde te dwing. Die VSA se verteenwoordiger In Harare het al by verskeie geleenthede kommentaar gelewer oor die rampspoedige gevolge van Mugabe se beleidsrigtings.

Die betrokke deel is vervat in die Departement se vyfde jaarlikse Supporting Human Rights and Democracy-verslag. Daarin is alle besonderhede vervat van Amerika se wêreldwye aksies om menseregte te bevorder. Lande soos Rusland en Iran word ook breedvoerig bespreek.

Die Amerikaners het bevestig dat hulle byeenkomste borg met die oog daarop om Mugabe se regering te “diskrediteer”.

Mnr Mugabe sal ongetwyfeld egter die bekendmaking verwelkom omdat hy reeds herhaaldelik Brittanje en die VSA van inmenging om sy bewind omver te werp, beskuldig het.

Die vrystelling van die jaarlikse verslag verloop nie altyd sonder kinkels nie. Drie jaar gelede moes dit vertraag word toe menseregteskendings deur Amerikaanse weermagpersoneel by die Abu Ghraib-gevangenis in Irak rugbaar geraak het.

Alhoewel die VSA getalm het met hul afkeur in die Mugabe-regering, was hulle verlede maand taamlik uitgesproke by die Menseregteraad (HRC) in Genève. Terwyl hulle erken het dat Zimbabwe ’n “nominale” demokraties-verkose regering het, is dit as “outoritêr” beskryf. Die verklaring lui voorts soos volg:

Om groter openbare debat oor die herstel van goeie regering [in Zimbabwe] aan te moedig, het die Verenigde State openbare byeenkomste geborg waar ekonomiese en sosiale ontledings aangebied is wat die regering se verskonings vir sy mislukte beleidsrigtings diskrediteer.

Om verder die pro-demokratiese elemente te versterk, het die VS-regering volgehou om die pogings van die politieke opposisie, die media en burgerlike samelewing te steun om demokratiese ruimte te skep en te verdedig en om persone wat die regering kritiseer te ondersteun.”

Barry Lowenkren, afgevaardigde, het volgens berigte gesê die doel van die verslag is nie noodwendig regimeverandering nie, maar moet as ’n manier om die speelveld meer gelyk te maak, gesien word. Hy het bygevoeg dat dit nodig is om aan die mense in Zimbabwe te toon dat hulle die ondersteuning van die VSA geniet.

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Iran gee geld vir Zimbabwiese propagandastasie

Die waarheid kom…

Zimbabwe gaan die Westerse media se propaganda-aanslag teen die regime van Robert Mugabe op ’n nuwe manier beperk, het dié land se staatsmedia Vrydag bekend gemaak.

“Ons mense word omsingel en gebombardeer deur Westerse media,” het die minister van Inligting, Sikhanyiso Ndlovu, aan die Ziana-nuusagentskap gesê.

Die nuwe radiostasie sal van kortgolf gebruik maak en sal die vyfde stasie wees wat deur die regering bedryf word. Volgens Zania en die regeringspreekbuis, The Herald, sal die uitsendings op 18 April begin om die 27ste herdenking van swart onafhanklikheid van Brittanje te vier.

Nadat Ian Smith in 1970 as verkiesingsoorwinnaar uit die Gemenebes gestap het, ’n republiek uitgeroep en sodoende die laaste band met die Britse kroon verbreek het, het die Britte wat vroeër by monde van Harold Wilson verklaar het dat Brittanje dit nooit sal aanvaar indien daar nie swart regering in die eertydse Rhodesië kom nie, hewige druk op alle partye uitgeoefen om Mugabe se heerskappy te bewerkstellig.

Onder die wakende oog van Brittanje is alle moontlike eertydse swart opposisiekandidate ook uit die weg geruim en duisende Matabeles is in Mugabe se wrede veldtogte uitgemoor.

Oor die nuwe stasie het die minister bygevoeg dat daar “rewolusionêre nuwe ontwikkelinge in die media gaan kom. Ons gaan by magte wees om ons eie weergawe te gee.” Hy het toe pas Iranse diplomate wat in Harare verteenwoordig is, ontmoet.

Die nuwe stasie gaan die sukkelende staat, in die knelgreep van hongersnood en wegholinflasie, 8,9 miljard Zimbabwiese dollar kos oftewel 39,6 miljoen VS dollar teen die amptelike koers.

Mnr Ndlovu het ná sy ontmoeting met Iran se ambassadeur, Rasoul Momeni, die aankondiging oor die nuwe stasie gedoen nadat ooreengekom is om Bulawayo, die tweede grootste stad, se oudovisuele geriewe ook op te knap,

Iran het reeds toegesien dat die uitsendingsgeriewe in die hoofstad nuut oorgedoen word.

Mugabe het agv Westerse kritiek homself gewend tot lande in Asië asook Iran om sy bewind te bestendig.

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