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Viljoen reveals just how close SA came to war In 1993, former Freedom Front leader General Constand Viljoen mobilised between 50 000 and 60 000 armed Afrikaners in preparation for war with the ANC's armed wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe. "We had computers in all centres with the details of all the men we knew we could really rely on," Viljoen said when he revealed this week for the first time just how close South Africa had come to a full-scale war. In January 1994, although Viljoen had met with ANC leaders and made an informal agreement with them, Nelson Mandela made a public statement that the ANC would never allow the creation of a volkstaat. "My own followers started pushing hard: they wanted an end to all talks, they wanted the war to start," said Viljoen. At a huge meeting of rightwingers in Pretoria on January 29 1994, people shouted him down and chanted: "We want war!" Viljoen then told the leadership: "You don't know what war is like. You don't understand the implications of war. If I can't say to myself, my God and my volk that war is the last way out, I will not make war. "I am a militarist. I have experience of war. I knew that if we went over to military action, it would lead to an enormous bloodbath in South Africa. MK didn't waste their time - they had huge amounts of weapons stashed inside the country. "It would have been a battle between us and the elements of the SADF that joined us, and MK and the remaining elements of the SADF. It would have been a bloody war." And he was always reluctant about starting another boer war. "I knew the price of war. It would have led to great suffering for my people and the other peoples in South Africa. It would have meant a disaster in the economy, and it would probably have lead to international interference. "And then came the AWB gemors. We ordered Eugene Terre'Blanche to pull out [of Bophuthatswana], but he ignored us. His men behaved very badly. They drove into Mmabatho hurling hand grenades and shooting people. "The anger in Mmabatho led to a mutiny, and the arms which the Bop army had to issue to my forces were handed out to the public. When my forces asked for their firearms, they were told they had been stolen. I had to pull back all my men to the airport. It was a damn disaster. I told my men to go home. "But the effect it had on me was very important. I suddenly realised that I would find it very difficult to conduct a complicated military operation under these fluid circumstances without plunging the country into wholescale war. "I knew for certain then that the political strategy was the only one left. "I phoned the Mulder brothers from Mmabatho and said, 'We are going to register for the elections. Today.' It was now the only way. In that sense Mmabatho was a very important turning point." Thanks to IOL.co.za [ Top ]  Kytie Koekblik ColumnKytie Koekblik Washington D.C. - Al die buitelanders wat my hier in die Washington ontmoet, dink altyd ek is vanaf ‘n vreemde planeet as ek se ek kom uit Suid-Afrika. Die meeste dink dit is besonder eksotiese plek, veral omdat dit “Afrika” in hulle koppe is. Ek dink weer dieselfde as ek hoor mense kom van Brazilie, of Kuba of Frankryk, ek dink hulle is eksotiese mense met lewens waarvan ek films kan maak. Ontmoet ek ‘n Amerikaner, dink ek altyd, jy weet nie wat jy uitmis nie - ek dink so omdat die meeste Amerikaners genoeg dollars het om soveel dinge mee te doen, en die meeste van hulle doen in elk geval niks met daai geld nie. Hulle hou vakansie in toeriste-oorde of gaan op MTV-springbreak vakansies. Ek dink altyd dis die land waaruit jy kom, wat jou ‘n interresssante mens maak of nie, en ek besef nie altyd hoe interressant ons eie geskiedenis ons vir mense maak nie. Ja, bo en behalwe ons apartheidsgeskiedenis, is selfs my geisoleerde klein dorpie doodboring lewe vir ander interressant. Op die oomblik hang my mond oop van totale kultuurskok. Plekke soos Jamaica en name soos paul McKartney en Bono van U2, is soos vreemde planete of wesens wat nie regtig bestaan nie, hulle is TV dimensies, droomdimensies, so ontwykend soos daardie woordjie “eendag.” Ek ontmoet toe hierdie Jamaican girl met ‘n groen kaart en ‘n Franse paspoort. Haar lewe lank het sy in Jamaica gewoon, en sy verwys daarna as “the island,” of “on the island.” Sy grootgeword deur Kersfees saam met die McKartney’s te hou, en saam met Bono op die strand uitgehand en Chris Blackwell is haar cousin. Dis asof sy grootgeword het deur die Moontlike te proe. Asof sy nooit in Eendag-Tyd geleef het, ‘n tyd van drome wat later begin vervaag soos jy ouer en meer realisties raak nie. Ek het al gewonder of dit ‘n Suid-Afrikaanse ding is, of ‘n Afrikaanse ding. Of ‘n kleindorp ding. Dalk is dit dit. Kleinplekkie-sindroom, die meeste wit Afrikaners wat sonder dat hulle dit besef het, die steunpilare was van apartheid, lei daaraan. Amerikaners uit die “Bible-Belt” of die South lei glo ook daaraan, in klein dorpies in Frankryk broei dit ook. Ignorance, complacency. Engelse woorde - ek het dit eers later in Engels geleer toe ek my klein plekkie verlaat het. As iemand vir jou sou se “dalk eendag,” het jy geweet wat dit beteken, skryf dit op jou maag en vee dit af met ‘n nat lap. Die onmoontlike. Soos om Bono te ontmoet. Om dit in Amerika te maak. Om ‘n ander taal aan te leer. Mental blocks waarmee jy groot word, jy spandeer jou hele lewe om die goed te probeer afbreek. Jy droom om aktrise te word. Of om oorsee te gaan. Maar dit gebeur mos nie met gewone mense nie. Wel hierdie perfekte gewone Jamaican vriendin met die vriend in Bono, leef en dink asof alles moontlik is. Want dit is dalk net. Wie’t immers ooit gedink Mandela sou uit die tronk kom en president word, dit is daardie ongelooflike onmoontlike. Dit is die een ding wat ek so bewonder van die Amerikaners. Dis asof hulle groot word met die moontlike. Jy kan ‘n moviemaker word as jy wil, wanneer jy wil, al is jy nou ook Jan Publiek. Jy gaan eenvoudig na die naaste Public Access Channel, loop ‘n kursus en saai jou eie programme uit. Jou kinders kan skilesse neem of leer ysskaats al is hulle ook drie jaar oud en bly in ‘n Klein Plekkie In Pennsylvania. Die huis waar ek op die oomblik bly, is vir my ‘n motivering. Die surfer bly myle van ‘n surfplek af, maar dit stop hom nie. Hy bestuur ‘n band. Die band het besluit hulle gaan musiek maak waarvan hulle hou, en toe hit hulle die regte noot. Selfs ‘n Backstreet Boy het laat weet my housemate se band is sy favourite. Die “onmoontlike” het hulle nie gestop nie. Die ander housemate werk by ABC. ‘n REUSE TELEVISIE kanaal. Die standaard reel is mos, “it’s so difficult to get into television.” Ja, ja. Die housemate het dit reggekry. Die surfer se girlfriend is ‘n aktrise. Sy doen nou wel net klein rolletjies en ekstras, maar sy onmoet kontakte en sien hoe die groot hande werk. Tussendeur reis sy deur die wereld. Die American hippie werk in restaurante. Hy’t drie maande gewerk op twee jops, ‘n video kamera gekoop en nou’s hy in Brasilie vir ses maande. Jy kan daai lewe leef waarvan jy gedroom het. En Suid-Afrika is DIE LAND wat dit bewys het met ons geskiedenis. Dit was dan Kytie Koekblik se motiveringspraatjie vir die week.. Kytie K. Kytie Koekblik would like you to respond to her tongue-in-cheek running commentary on suburban life in America in this editorial. Fresh off the boat, she is ready to explore and experiment with American bath plugs and to drive on the other side of the road. You can contact her here. © RSA-Overseas & Matheson Communications [ Top ] Land distribution gets go-ahead in KZN The long-awaited settlement of black farmers in KwaZulu-Natal will begin in May, with each farmer receiving a grant of up to R100 000 to access agricultural land as part of four provincial pilot projects. This was announced by KwaZulu-Natal's minister for agriculture and environmental affairs, Narend Singh, in his annual budget speech in the Pietermaritzburg Legislature on Friday. Singh said 36 000 hectares of land had been identified for farmers' settlement, which would benefit "several hundred" people - some of whom were still to be identified. The projects were based on the Land Redistribution for Agricultural Development (LRAD) Programme, whose main objective was to increase access to agricultural land by black people and to contribute to the redistribution of about 30 percent of commercial farmland over 15 years. To access LRAD grants, which ranged from R20 000 to R100 000, depending on farmers' own contribution of at least R5 000, farmers would have to apply after the grant procedures had been advertised in May. However, the land redistribution initiative would not end there. "It is envisaged that 15 settlement projects could be completed in KwaZulu-Natal this year. As the process will be applicant-driven in respect of private land, it is difficult to anticipate the number of applications that will be received," Singh said. In one of the four pilot projects, 1 000 hectares of state-owned land would be sub-divided into five farms. Negotiations would then take place on who should occupy the farms and on what terms. "Other negotiations involve state-owned land, private land and land owned by the Land Bank. In one case a decision has to be made as to whether agriculture or eco-tourism should be the primary land use," Singh said. He added that the pilot projects would give his department valuable experience, which would improve efficiency when land reform began in earnest. An additional amount of R2,6-million of agriculture and environmental affairs' R671-million budget had been set aside for mentoring the newly-settled farmers. "This will allow them to make the transition from being subsistence farmers to becoming commercial farmers," Singh said. Thanks to IOL.co.za [ Top ] Easy adoption makes SA a 'baby supermarket' South Africa is becoming an international "baby supermarket", as foreigners rush to pay big money to adopt young, HIV-negative children. But worried social workers say the lack of legislative controls over inter-country adoptions means the system is wide open to abuse by modern-day "slave traders" - unscrupulous syndicates who adopt children for use in the sex trade or as cheap labour. Black social workers in South Africa, who spoke to the Saturday Star, said they were concerned that in many cases, white social workers make the decision to allow black children to be adopted abroad. This is because of a belief that black families are not willing to adopt - a suggestion that is not borne out by reality. The number of black couples wishing to do so has risen dramatically in the past seven years. When section 18 (4)(f) of the current Childcare Act was declared unconstitutional a year ago, it opened up the way for foreigners not living in South Africa to adopt local children. However, this left a gap with no central authority to control the adoption process. Pam Wilson, adoptions supervisor for the Johannesburg Child Welfare Society, says "Couples in developed Western countries are desperate to adopt, and word is spreading fast that they can get children in South Africa. We get regular approaches from foreign agencies, some of which want to set up what amounts to a trade market for children. "While we do support inter-country adoptions, we are against it becoming a profit-driven industry and feel strongly that it should remain a child-centred service." Wilson is worried about the screening for prospective adoptive parents who come from abroad. "When a couple arrive here with a slip of paper saying they are fit to be adoptive parents, it's not easy to check how in-depth their screening was. There are a lot of well-meaning people out there, and we never want to limit options for any of our children who have been abandoned or who are in institutions. "We just don't want to see our children treated like commodities, or leave space for criminals or profit-driven professionals to exploit gaps in the system." Controversy was generated in the United States recently when a set of twins were adopted via the Internet by two different couples, one American and one from Britain. The babies ended up in foster care, with the two sets of adoptive parents waging war in court. It was later revealed that the agent facilitating the adoption was never registered. After this incident, several other criminal adopting agencies, which sold children to the highest bidder, were exposed. South Africa has signed the 1993 Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption - under which states are expected to enact laws that reflect the rights of children as laid out in the UN convention - but has not ratified it and therefore is not obliged to put the controls in place that the convention requires. A search on the Internet by the Saturday Star revealed a website of a South African charity organisation that, even though it is not a registered adoption agency, has posted pictures, names and detailed personal histories of children in its care who have been abandoned. One toddler is about to be sent to the United Arab Emirates and another has already left for the UK. The site's guestbook shows several entries from people from abroad. While the intention of this organisation appears to be sincere, it is an indication of the urgent need for legal regulations to be put in place for intercountry adoptions. It also raises the issue of regulating the use of the Internet in adoptions and whether posting intimate details of a child's abandonment and physical condition is in breach of accepted good practices for all adoptions. Wilson raises a concern that the current policy decisions about sending predominantly black children out of the country are being made without the input of the black community. Nana Mazibuko, an adoption social worker, believes that not enough work has been done to determine whether it is better for black children to be sent far away from their land of origin. "What we have found is that adoptees often have a tremendous need to search for their roots," she says. "As much as we would like all our children in institutionalised care to be part of a family, there is not enough control in place to make sure that black children sent away will be adequately monitored. "Issues of teaching them their cultural history or even dealing with differences in physical resemblance could impact hugely on these children. Intense campaigning needs to be done, particularly in the black community, for more adoptive parents to come forward." Since 1994, Johannesburg Child Welfare has seen the number of black parents inquiring about adoption increase from 20 a year to 300. Rieki van den Berg is managing director of SA Cares for Life, a registered adoption agency that has intensely investigated inter-country adoption. Her agency deals only with European countries that have ratified the Hague convention and she has personally visited the central adoption authority in each country she has agreements with. "Inter-country is always a last resort, and we still do more local adoptions," she says. "We were amazed at the infrastructure and government support in these countries. "Families are sent on a study tour of their adopted child's country of origin. We never deal directly with parents. The agencies we deal with do thorough screening, including police reports. The agencies also provide monthly support group meetings for families, and monthly follow-up visits are done for the first two years after the adoption. The families are also required to send us letters and photos in those two years." Even though Van den Berg believes that written contracts she has entered into with foreign agencies are a good safeguard, she admits that the absence of legislative controls means that nothing is legally binding. The department of social development says it shares the concern about the lack of safeguards in intercountry adoptions. The government is finalising the process for ratifying the Hague convention, and a central authority will be set up for the implementation of the convention. The SA Law Commission has been instructed to expedite a review of all childcare legislation to ensure that issues such as intercountry adoptions are addressed. The department has access to a reputable international network, which it is using as an interim control mechanism. Thanks to IOL.co.za [ Top ] E.T. adapts to new "home" Eugene Terre'Blanche queued with more than 100 other prisoners for a shower on his first morning at his new home for the next six years, Rooigrond prison. When he walked into Mafikeng's Rooigrond prison Medium B section - the same prison and section where he served his last term of imprisonment - he was taken to a cell he will share with another inmate for the next six months. Officials at the prison said on Tuesday that the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging leader arrived at 6pm on Monday night and was admitted to his old section that accommodates prisoners who are generally not considered to be hardened criminals. It is also in this section that inmates are accommodated two to a cell, although everyone sleeps on a separate bed. He was not given any preferential treatment, said prison authorities. All newcomers to the section are accommodated in cells for two as these are the only cells they have in that section. Terre'Blanche began his six-year prison term after he handed himself over to correctional services authorities at the Potchefstroom magistrate's court on Monday. He was immediately taken to Rooigrond prison. Terre'Blanche did not make it for supper on his first day as it is normally served at 2pm before inmates are locked up in their cells. Four hours after he had arrived in his new home, lights were switched off and everyone was expected to be in bed. On Tuesday morning, he woke at 4am to join a queue of more than 100 inmates for a hot shower, so that he could be ready for breakfast at 6am. As he is still new in prison, the authorities have not decided yet what job he is going to do, and therefore he spent the entire day within the prison yard before being taken back to his cell at 3pm. A former death row inmate, Phineas Mnambathi, said that life for a new prisoner could be very difficult. Mnambathi, who spent 11 years in jail, said those who went to prison normally received a hostile reception from other inmates. He warned that one of the major problems faced by newcomers was sodomy. Terre'Blanche will appear before the prison committee after six months to assess if his behaviour warrants a relocation to another prison section. Thanks to IOL.co.za [ Top ] Farmer wins first round against State Mpumalanga farmer Willem Pretorius on Tuesday described the government's decision to withdraw its land expropriation notice on his Lydenburg property as a small victory in a major battle. He said he was cautious to express happiness at the latest turn of events, but added: "I didn't sleep a wink last night. I am sure I will sleep very well tonight." He had expected the government to withdraw the notice, as his lawyers had advised him that he had a very good legal case, the farmer said. "Now it is back to square one. I will be waiting for the minister to come back to the negotiating table. We may have won this round, but the big war is still coming." Agriculture and Land Affairs Minister Thoko Didiza on Tuesday afternoon withdrew the expropriation notice served on Pretorius a week earlier. The farmer's lawyer said he received a notice to this effect shortly after 4pm. "We are very happy, but we knew they would have to withdraw the notice eventually because we had a very good case." Pretorius on Tuesday morning lodged an application in the Land Claims Court for an annulment of the expropriation notice. Chief land claims commissioner Wallace Mgoqi confirmed the withdrawal of the notice, saying the move was aimed at creating a climate conducive to further negotiations on the purchase price for Pretorius' land. "It has nothing to do with us fearing to lose the court case," he said. "This is a confirmation of the government's commitment to promoting negotiated settlements as far as possible. In order to achieve this, we are of the view that it is not proper to have the notice hanging like a sword over the head of one of the parties." Asked why the notice was then issued in the first place, he said expropriation was the only avenue left after a deadlock was reached in negotiations on the purchase price for Pretorius' farm Boomplaats. "We still believe that it was the appropriate route. "We are only postponing this, not abandoning it," he said. "You can be assured that in the event that we reach deadlock again, we will not hesitate to use expropriation." Didiza's office referred all enquiries to Mgoqi. In terms of the notice Pretorius received on Tuesday last week, his farm officially became government property at midnight on Monday, and he and his family were given until May 20 to find a new place to stay. Following the withdrawal of the notice on Tuesday, the land legally became Pretorius' property once again. The expropriation notice was served on the farmer after he could not reach an agreement with the government on a purchase price for his land. Pretorius is willing to sell the farm for R2,1-million. The government is offering R848 485 for the land, which it intends returning to its original owners - the Dinkwanyane community. The community, comprising about 600 families, was forcefully removed from the land between 1957 and 1961. They bought it in 1906 for £50 000 (now about R571 000). Pretorius claims he is entitled to R2,1-million for his property, as this was the amount determined by an independent valuator appointed by the government in 1998. Last year, a second valuator put the price at R1,5-million. This was the amount accepted by the government, from which was subtracted soft loans and subsidies granted to Pretorius by the previous government, to arrive at the sum of R848 485. Didiza's office and the Commission on Restitution of Land Rights maintain that the first quotation was inaccurate as it failed to take into account a number of factors - including the soft loans, and the original purchase price of the land. Van Dyk said the latest turn of events did not mean that Pretorius would abandon his legal course. "We intend continuing with this case, but now on the grounds that the government should pay the legal costs my client has incurred so far in fighting their expropriation notice," he said. Thanks to IOL.co.za [ Top ] |
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