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Last Update: September 23, 2001 |
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SA sticks to its guns: no troops for Bush The government is holding to its position that it will not give military assistance to the United States in Washington's coalition against terrorism. The fact that the US has not yet made such a request does not mean one will not be made, and Washington has made it clear that it expects those it calls on for assistance to respond positively. US acting assistant secretary of state for Africa William Bellamy has said that if it became necessary to ask South Africa for military support, America hoped for a positive response. Foreign Affairs spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa said the cabinet had ruled out military assistance, and would stick to this position if such a request is made. South Africa announced last week it would assist the US in investigating who might have been responsible, and authorities confirmed at the weekend that a list of 241 possible suspects was being followed up. Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad said on Friday that no clues had led to South Africa. Meanwhile, domestic political fallout from the September 11 tragedy and its aftermath will continue this week, and is likely to reach high pitch again during a special parliamentary debate. The national assembly is to hold a debate this week to give political parties the opportunity to respond to Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma's statement to the House on Thursday about the cabinet's stance on the terror attacks. No date has been set for the debate. The political atmosphere is already highly charged, after Democratic Alliance leader Tony Leon vehemently criticised some senior government figures and the African National Congress for their reactions to the attack. While Leon praised President Thabo Mbeki's initial reaction to the attack, the DA leader lashed out at Speaker Frene Ginwala and Eastern Cape Premier Makhenkesi Stofile for their reported statements, and he urged the government to distance itself from its ties with Cuba, Libya and others in order to identify South Africa with the world coalition against terrorism. Leon's statements embroiled him in rows with Minister in the Presidency Essop Pahad and Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad, who accused him of making cheap politics out of a tragedy. Leon's decision to make public a letter he wrote to Mbeki, reportedly before Mbeki had received the letter, also sparked resentment and anger, including among media commentators and radio talkshow callers who said Leon's response was inappropriate. Leon hit back at Aziz Pahad on Friday, saying his "blustering" response had not addressed the issues Leon had raised. At the weekend, DA spokesperson Andre Gaum called on Safety and Security Minister Steve Tshwete and national police commissioner Jackie Selebi to brief parliament on measures to protect the country against terror attacks. "No one knows whether any plans have been drawn up to beef up South Africa's security," Gaum said. More on this tragedy: * A second wave of terror is coming, US warns * SA police receive list of US attack suspects * South African Muslim leaders call for calm * Taliban claims to have lost Osama bin Laden * US and British forces massing to strike back Thanks to IOL.co.za [ Top ]  Kytie Koekblik ColumnKytie Koekblik Washington D.C. - Absolute numbness vandag. Asof ek myself emosioneel totaal ooreis het. Ek kon nie gisteraand slaap nie en het heeltyd gedink aan die US president se boodskap aan die wereld: Oorlog teen alle nasies vol terroriste en die wat terroriste harbour. Ek dink heeltyd, dalk het die US gisteraand met grandeur en applous en ‘n klomp grys suits aan die wereld gese, geen negotiation is moontlik nie; ons is invincible; ons het mag en power en met die mag en power gaan ons almal in pro-US en anti-US kampe inboelie. Dis dalk net wat Bin laden wou gehad het: die West teen die Islam. EN honderde innocent mense regoor die wereld wat net met hulle lewens wou aangaan, leef in vrees en betaal met hulle lewens. Asof ons nie al genoeg lewens verloor het nie. Is dit weereens American Imperialism? Om deur diplomatiese pressures al die regerings in al die lande in die region te dwing om saam te werk? Gaan dit nie meer wrok en opstand en anti-US sentimente aanblaas nie? Gaan andersins moderates ge-alienate word ‘n verdere terroriste generasie van terroriste gebreed word? Gaan ons terroriste met ‘n oorlog uitwis? Ons het nog nooit nie. EK het gisteraand in my lounge gesit saam met ‘n liberal Jewish American; ‘n redelik apathetic Arab van Marocco, ‘n blonde bom van California wat haarself as ‘n intelligent agent wil gaan aanmeld, ‘n Suid-Afrikaanse kultfiguur met ‘n oopkop en ‘n Conservative uit die South. Bush het op die TV-screen verskyn. Die Conservative in my lounge het gese: Tell us who we’re going to kill first. Die groepie in die lounge het ‘n bottel shampanje uitgehaal en getoast: To the end of the world as we know it. Kytie is moeg, en deurmekaar. Ek hoor op die nuus daar is protests buite die US ambassade in London; buite Reagan airport is daar protests omdat mense net met hulle lewens en jobs wil aangaan; in Afghanistan het die arme mense wat in elk geval onder hulle Taliban regime suffer, ook vandag teen die VSA geprotest. En steeds is daar meer as 6000 mense wat vermis word en die ordinary men gaan voort om in die rubble vir liggame te soek. Dalk was daar alternatiewe. Die US was die victim. Die was ‘n absoluut despicable act wat soveel families se lewens heeltemal opgeblaas en ontwrig het; die Amerikaners het skielik ‘n sin van security verloor en ‘n bekende wereld is omgedop. Maar dalk gaan ons net meer vyande maak. Die boodskap aan die wereld was immers duidelik: As jy nie met ons is nie, is jy teen ons. Ek vra nie om die acts unpunished te laat gaan nie. EK weet dit gaan nie help om met candlelights vreedsaam te protesteer en te dink ons gaan weer met ons lewens kan aangaan nie. Ek wonder net of alternatiewe ondersoek het. Gisteraand het ‘n vrou ingebel na ‘n nasionale nuusprogram met haar “alternatiewe” opinie. Bush het fassisme en nazisme uitgesonder gisteraand. Die vrou het gevra hoekom hy nie ook imperialisme en kolonialisme daarby ingesluit het nie. Dalk is ons weereens besig om in talle Middle-East lande ‘n vorm van militere imperialisme te impose waar daar civilians teen regerings gaan draai; waar anti-US sentimente gaan ontvlam; waar daar gewone civilians dalk more in terrorisme gaan ontaard. Wie kan ‘n war maak teen ‘n land met alliansies; wapens; mag en geld? Terrorisme se roots; die onstaan van ‘n terroris dalk is dit die vrae wat ons moes vra. Iemand het geskryf dat hulle in die US nie tyd het om te rou nie omdat hulle in ‘n oorlog in moet storm. Kytie weet nie wat sy wil he nie. Sy le met oop oe in die nag en luister na die helikopters en die fighter jets wat bo haar huis rondvlieg. Hierdie VSA het vir my soveel gegee: Opportunities en ‘n veilige lewe. Ek rou omdat dit van soveel honderde onskuldige Amerikaners af weggeneem is. Ek rou oor die families wat ek moes interview en hulle pyn, hulle is nog net besig om met die loss van geliefdes te cope en nou moet hulle aan vrees en oorlog en die lewe post September 11 2001 dink. Ek rou ook omdat my onskuldige housemates gisteraand kon sjampanje drink terwyl onskuldige civilians honger rondswerf langs die grense van Afghanistan. Ons voel almal vrees. Soms dink ek ons is almal victims van ons regerings of hulle nou demokraties is of te not. 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 ] Website honours SA man killed in US attack Washington - Friends of Nick Rowe, the South African whose body was among the few to have been found in the rubble of the World Trade Centre, have been paying tribute to him on a special website. Created by Rowe's close friend Bernhard Lenz, the site carries various pictures, including some taken on St Patrick's Day, which was also Rowe's birthday. Even a drunken phone call that Rowe made can be listened to. Saddest are some of the most recent photos of Rowe, including one taken during the past summer of 2001 against the backdrop of the Manhattan skyline. In one picture, one tower of the World Trade Centre is in perfect alignment with Rowe, as if it is growing out of his head. The website is currently located at www.bermark.com. Lenz will change the domain name of the site to www.nickrowe.com as soon as he is able to transfer the ownership from Rowe to his family. Rowe was his company's "poster boy", according to his employer, UME Voice chief executive officer Additya Padala. Padala was too traumatised on Friday to talk about the employee that he "loved to death". "I want to do Nick justice," he said. "He was such a sweetheart." The UME offices are based in New Jersey, and Padala was on his way to the World Trade Centre to join Rowe. He had just flown in from California, and mused: if only the poster boy had arrived late at his important sales presentation with Cantor Fitsgerald in the North Tower on Tuesday September 11 2001. Rowe's close friend and financial adviser Mike Delano, 38, himself used to work in the World Trade Centre until 1992. He said he never had any hope that Rowe had survived the attack. "There were not any survivors from that high up in the building." The two mates met through the Manhattan Rugby Club. "Nick was a very nice guy. He loved sports, having a good laugh, he was fun-loving, giving and open, with a very good nature and a lot of friends." According to Delano, Rowe planned to go home to South Africa in December. "He spoke very fondly of his country." Manhattan Rugby Club captain Clint Tomlinson said: "There are too many things to say about Nick. He was always looking at the good side of things. He was very positive. We are going to miss him a lot." Tomlinson said Rowe missed South Africa a lot "because all his family is there, and he went back regularly. He often spoke of Johannesburg." On the Manhattan Rugby Club website, the players are listed with their previous rugby experience. Next to Rowe's name it stated that he had previously played rugby "somewhere in the bushes of South Africa". The team gathered last Saturday evening for a private memorial service. Rowe's father and his girlfriend, Michelle Baker, also attended the meeting. Rowe was also an active member of the New Jersey/New York Springbok Club, a South African club that gathers regularly at a pub in Manhattan. "Those of you who knew Nick would know that he was one of the most energetic and fun-loving people around," said organiser Jerry Weiss. Thanks to IOL.co.za [ Top ] Natalie in the swim with her winning spirit There was hardly a dry eye on the beach on Sunday, and it had nothing to do with the light drizzle, as swimming star Natalie du Toit, 17, finished second in the first-ever mass swim from Robben Island to Bloubergstrand. Du Toit, who lost a leg in a motorcycle accident last year, finished only seven minutes behind seasoned distance-swimmer Steven Klugman, who won in 2hrs:12mins. Jerry van Niekerk, a representative of Du Toit's sponsors, Old Mutual, who donated all proceeds from the swim to the Vista Nova school for the cerebral palsied, was unable to contain himself and waded into the sea fully clothed to help her through the surf and present her with her medal. Du Toit swam with John Dickerson, who shared joint second, but admitted: "If anything, Natalie held herself back to accommodate me, not the other way around." Du Toit, who swam for her country at the 1998 Commonwealth Games, admitted she was stunned at her podium finish after 33 swimmers had started, with only 23 finishing. Choppy seas grew progressively worse, and 10 struggling swimmers were pulled from the ocean. "It feels like a big weight has been lifted from my shoulders, and although it was cold towards the end, I enjoyed it. I think it was a great achievement just to go out into the sea and be able to finish, as I was very scared of sharks, the cold and other factors," Du Toit said. "It was also great to swim with John and another guy with two kayaks for company. We even had two whales in front of us for company for a while." If there was a message she hoped people would receive from her effort, it was: "I just say to everyone that it's important to go for what you believe in and have a focus to fight. Even if something happens that's bad, always try to find some good in it." Thanks to IOL.co.za [ Top ]  Nel's KitchenRagel Nel Ragel Nel Washington D.C. - The unexpected little vacation - thanks to our Webmaster's newfound marital bliss - is over, and it's good to be back here with you in the Kitchen. As we all know, an unspeakable amount has happened in these past few weeks. I dare to think that the entire world stopped - if only for a moment - on September 11. Of course, for those of us who are here in the United States, it happened very close to home. Those of you in other countries can probably imagine how news about the terrorist attacks have been dominating the print and broadcast media in the States ever since that day, nearly two weeks ago. I'm sure it's going to be that way for a long time to come. When I sat down today, wondering what this first column should be about, I suddenly recalled an article written a few months ago by an American columnist, right around the time when the frenzy about missing intern Chandra Levy and Congressman Gary Condit was at its height. The title of the column was something like "Why I Have Not Written About Chandra Levy", and in it, the author cited his reasons for refusing to write about it. Ironically, by writing that, he ended up doing just that, and the whole article was about Levy and Condit. Today I feel a bit like him. Because I didn't really want to write about the events of September 11. Not because I would like to forget about it, or even because I want you to forget about it. Neither was my reluctance to write something about it meant as some sort of a statement , or out of a profound, silent protest. I didn't want to write about it, simply because I have nothing new to say about it. Even though I'm geographically close to Arlington and even to New York City, I wasn't at the Pentagon or in the financial district in Lower Manhattan that day. I didn't witness anything with my own eyes. Like most of the people in the US and the rest of the world, I saw the events play out on the television news, heard most of what I know about it on the radio, and read the facts (and the speculations) in the newspaper. Still, I couldn't NOT acknowledge it. I also empathize with the comedians who host the late night television variety shows. After being preempted last week due to the ongoing coverage, they were all back on the air this week. In heartfelt monologues (which normally are humorous commentary on the events of the day in the format of a standup comedy routine), both Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien were unusually serious, and even apologized for the nature of their work. I relate, because - as you've hopefully realized by now! - I choose to keep my column lighthearted, and, when I'm really daring, even try to be funny. I'm a staunch believer in humour and the medicinal value of laughter. Goodness knows, there are already enough people airing their gripes out there! (A more noble reason for using humour, though, is that it seems to be easier to evade libel suits when you say something under the cover of wit.) Those of us who rely on tickling the funny bone in order to entertain others actually have psychiatrists on our side nowadays. They say the world must go on as normally as possible, and just like before, people should go to the movies, go shopping, go to broadway shows, and watch their late night comedians - basically do all those things which makes America what it is. Eventually, they say, people must stop grieving. Eventually. For now though, the wounds of others are still too fresh. It's difficult to look at the world in a funny ha ha sort of way when so many around you are grieving. Suddenly, the jokes seem very flat (oh, all right, flatter than usual, then!). So today I'm not even going to try. I would like to sympathize with all the victims and their families, especially the families of those South Africans who've perished in the attacks, and for those who are still unaccounted for at the World Trade Center. I will never forget. © RSA-Overseas [ Top ] Symbolic unity for SA on Heritage Day This year, South Africans are commemorating Heritage Day with celebrations of our national symbols, which encourage the public to strive for unity, reconciliation, tolerance and a common heritage among cultural groups. Deputy President Jacob Zuma and Arts and Culture Minister Ben Ngubane were expected to be the key speakers at the main celebrations at the Union Buildings gardens in Pretoria. Ngubane's spokesperson, Andile Xaba, said the festivities would be preceded by a parade at 9.30am from Church Square by members of the South African National Defence Force and SA Police Service, war veterans and a range of cultural groupings. Xaba said the morning session of cultural performances would be preceded by the singing of the national anthem by a choir comprising members of 14 choirs from around the country. This was to be followed by a concert where musicians across the cultures were to perform. Special events, including the Zamdela Arts and Culture Centre Heritage Day celebrations, have been organised in Johannesburg. It will not only be a day of song and dance, as sports stars such as Andre Vos, Baby Jake Matlala and Penny Heyns were scheduled to appear at the Day of the Stars event held at the Randburg Central Sports Complex. For those wishing to hear Indian, Greek, Xhosa or Afrikaans music, the Ekurhuleni heritage festival was due to take place at Germiston Lake from 10am on Monday Thanks to IOL.co.za [ Top ] |
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