David Bullard
25 February 2007
I’m trying to get worked up about the ANC’s controversial Progressive Business Forum.
According to newspaper reports the ANC promises to set up a meeting with a Cabinet minister or a senior government official in exchange for money for the ANC’s coffers.
It’s not clear what is discussed at those meetings but I imagine a few hints are dropped about how difficult it is to get by on a Cabinet minister’s salary and how nice it would be to own some free shares in a successful company — or buy a shiny new car at a special price.
So what’s all the fuss about then? We know from long and bitter experience that the ANC favours shady businessmen. When Imperial boss Bill Lynch won an international award last year there wasn’t a murmur of congratulation from senior politicians in the press (or if there was it was in very small print).
Compare that with the nauseating adulation heaped on the late Brett Kebble.
The ANC won’t even discipline dishonest politicians within Parliament and with good reason; if it did there would be very few politicians left. So all those who fiddled their travel expenses keep their jobs and are free to cast about for the next scam knowing that there is no chance they will ever be punished.
Over the past few years the ANC has effectively become the largest organised crime syndicate in the country. Which is why the Mafiosi tactic of calling in money for favours should come as no surprise.
Call it protection money, influence peddling, bribery or just a donation ; it all amounts to the same thing. That’s the way business is done these days and if you don’t like it then emigrate.
I was at a high-profile function recently where the guest speaker was Presidential Rottweiler Essop Pahad.
After he finished speaking, the MC for the evening, Ursula Stapelfeldt, thanked the minister for his ‘‘meaningless” speech which was cause for much mirth around the room.
We tried to work out whether Stapelfeldt had made a mistake but decided she had probably listened carefully to the minister and just said what all of us were already thinking. It was a lot of twaddle and it’s frightening to think that such intellectual featherweights are free to roam the planet representing South Africa.
Bearing that in mind, what would you really be getting for your money if you applied for platinum membership of the Progressive Business Forum?
The general feeling among the thinking classes is that there are only about five Cabinet ministers who know what they’re doing.
The rest enjoy security of tenure thanks to President Thabo Mbeki’s curious policy of refusing to sack the no-hopers. So, for example, you would really need to consider the investment carefully if you wanted to set up a meeting with the Health minister.
Even if you enjoy what could be diplomatically termed “a full and frank discussion”, is there any guarantee that the minister concerned will remember who you are when you fax your proposal for a new football stadium through?
Remember that this is primarily a money-making venture and 10 minutes after you left another sucker would have been wheeled in for an exclusive one-on-one.
So I’m afraid I can’t get at all worked up about the Progressive Business Forum. It’s just further confirmation that the ANC has sold its soul and sunk deeper into the mire of avarice but at least they’re no longer being secretive about it.
Monday, 26 February 2007
Mbeki puts on thinking cap to wrestle with crime
By Ilana Mercer
My apologies; I've misled readers about my native South Africa. I called it the most violent place on earth outside a war zone. I was wrong. BBC World recently – and reluctantly – disclosed that South Africa jostles with Iraq and Colombia for the title of most violent country in the world, war zones included.
In a short segment, correspondent John Simpson reported that in South Africa, on average, 50 people are murdered every day (population: 47 million), three times that number are raped; and 300 are violently attacked and robbed daily. And these are the official, likely filtered, figures. They say nothing about the seldom-reported hundreds of muggings carried out in broad daylight and captured by security cameras. According to Robert McCafferty of the United Christian Action, moreover, the South African Medical Research Council tallies 89 daily deaths; Interpol's statistics are double those released by the police – a bent and brutal outfit whose chief has been linked to the mafia but has yet to be suspended.
When my family and I presciently left South Africa in 1995, it was still a country with a space program (on which my husband worked), "gleaming skyscrapers" and department stores that rivaled Macy's. The Central Business District in Johannesburg bustled. Crime was well controlled. When mobs stoned cars en route to the DF Malan Airport in Cape-Town (geographical names across the country have since been changed to expunge Afrikaans history), a tough and competent police force sprung into action. An equally impressive Western system of Roman-Dutch law dished out just deserts in response to muti-murder (ritual killing) or "necklacing" (placing a car tire around a putative offender's neck and igniting it with gasoline).
A decade hence, the city of Johannesburg, renamed Egoli, looks like Mogadishu – streets strewn with garbage, many spectacular skyscrapers overrun by squatters, vandalized or boarded up with brick by desperate owners. The five-star Carlton Hotel closed in 1997. The safety of its guests could no longer be guaranteed. Ditto other landmarks such as the Great Synagogue and the green glass Garden Court Hotel.
The specter is repeated across South Africa. Gun battles are commonplace on city streets. Shopkeepers often sit behind iron bars. Stories abound of soccer moms and dads being robbed during a game. As the Christian Science Monitor's South African correspondent put it, "Nothing says 'Home Sweet Home' like 10-foot walls, electric fencing, burglar bars and at least one panic button wired directly to an armed-response team." Recent prominent victims of criminals include Nobel Prize-winning author Nadine Gordimer, assaulted in her Johannesburg home, and Anglo-Zulu War historian David Rattray, murdered in his Northern-Natal lodge.
So, to spare myself a future mea culpa, be advised that the BBC's crime statistics were, in all likelihood, obtained from the police who've been less than frank about the scope of the carnage. Malfeasance, graft and corruption are all in a day's work for a force hollowed out by affirmative action. If you object to this unflattering characterization, observe them in action on YouTube. The BBC has filmed a fairly typical crime-scene intervention during which the police "think about" arresting a man who had stabbed another in the face, but … "change their minds. He is allowed back on the streets again."
"Think," of course, is the wrong word – especially when it comes to the brain trust of the ruling African National Congress. President Thabo Mbeki ignored the BBC's otherwise incontinent exhilaration about everything else South African, choosing instead to frame as racism the network's newfound realism vis-à-vis crime. Mbeki wields this ad hominem like an assegai. He is, however, much less adept at logic.
"Nobody can show that the overwhelming majority of the 40-50 million South Africans think that crime is out of control. Nobody can, because it's not true," he admonished. Thabo "thinks" truth is decided by majority vote; Thabo "thinks" that if he could get a representative sample of South Africans to agree crime was insignificant, then that would settle the matter.
It so happens that South Africans are fed up ("gatvol" in Afrikaans) with crime. Why else would communities across the country be staging marches in protest? The futile purpose of these events is to present Mbeki with a petition. The premise for such folly being that the ruling kleptocrats are not only competent, but well intentioned and caring too. Thabo will take note, mind you, if the once-mighty Afrikaners take to the streets with their weapons, not with petitions and scented candles.
Mbeki's ministers share his oil-and-water relationship to the truth. One of them told itvNEWS that when adjusted for population, levels of crime in the Unites States approximate those of South Africa. Lies. Going by the underreported police numbers, the murder rate in South Africa is 10 times worse than the U.S. According to the MRC figures, it's 14 times worse.
At least the safety and security minister is honest; he doesn't conceal his racial hostility. "Only whites complain," he smirked, adding that "they can continue to whinge until they are blue in the face, or they can simply leave this country."
Monday, 19 February 2007
How the ANC sold Arms to a Warring faction in the DRC!
[Here is another bit that I was told directly by someone senior in one of the few remaining Commando Units.
He told me that some time back, the ANC decided to SELL lots of R4 military rifles from our army. For those outside SA, the R4 was a special military rifle developed by the S.African army, based on the AK47. The R4 has a lot of the features of the AK47 but is a more sophisticated and superior weapon. It became the standard issue rifle in our army.
According to him, the Govt suddenly decided to "sell" stacks of R4 rifles. So it put them out "on tender" and it was put in the Govt Gazette. But "by chance" the group who got the tender was one of the warring factions in the DRC (Zaire)!
According to him, they got these weapons at a ridiculously low price. I can't remember the exact price he quoted but it was either R54 ($8) PER RIFLE or LESS!!! This is for a sophisticated rifle that is better than an AK47. This group in the DRC got them, from our Govt "on tender" for less than $8 PER RIFLE. According to him this was a huge sale.
I wish I knew more. I will try to dig up more in the future. But this story is extremely fascinating.
I have never seen the mass media comment on or even hint at this possible story. But according to him the whole thing was done via a normal public tender via the Government Gazette!!
Now, another military friend of mine was hinting to me just last week that he thinks we will yet discover that the ANC is also going to get involved in supplying some of the warring parties in that huge war which is brewing up in Ethiopia/Somalia and which is funded by the CIA in its fight against Al Qaeda. So we must keep an eye on that... I am curious to know which sides we have been clandestinely supporting in the DRC or Burundi, etc. Jan]
http://www.africancrisis.org
He told me that some time back, the ANC decided to SELL lots of R4 military rifles from our army. For those outside SA, the R4 was a special military rifle developed by the S.African army, based on the AK47. The R4 has a lot of the features of the AK47 but is a more sophisticated and superior weapon. It became the standard issue rifle in our army.
According to him, the Govt suddenly decided to "sell" stacks of R4 rifles. So it put them out "on tender" and it was put in the Govt Gazette. But "by chance" the group who got the tender was one of the warring factions in the DRC (Zaire)!
According to him, they got these weapons at a ridiculously low price. I can't remember the exact price he quoted but it was either R54 ($8) PER RIFLE or LESS!!! This is for a sophisticated rifle that is better than an AK47. This group in the DRC got them, from our Govt "on tender" for less than $8 PER RIFLE. According to him this was a huge sale.
I wish I knew more. I will try to dig up more in the future. But this story is extremely fascinating.
I have never seen the mass media comment on or even hint at this possible story. But according to him the whole thing was done via a normal public tender via the Government Gazette!!
Now, another military friend of mine was hinting to me just last week that he thinks we will yet discover that the ANC is also going to get involved in supplying some of the warring parties in that huge war which is brewing up in Ethiopia/Somalia and which is funded by the CIA in its fight against Al Qaeda. So we must keep an eye on that... I am curious to know which sides we have been clandestinely supporting in the DRC or Burundi, etc. Jan]
http://www.africancrisis.org
Thursday, 01 February 2007
[5 Pics] S.African Christians protest against Gay Marriages
[South African Christians of all races are generally against Gay marriage. This is another example of the ANC ramming through some legislation which suits its own viewpoint regardless of how the masses feel. Most S.Africans are Christians, and gay marriage does not sit well with them.
To be honest, I feel the same way. Let gays have their liaisons, but do not call it "marriage" and do not let it allow them to adopt children, etc. Here are photos of a multiracial protest against Gay marriage.
Well, I suppose it is good news for the ANC because now the ANC can extend its voting base from mere criminals, murderers and organised crime bosses to also include gays and lesbians. Perhaps the ANC should try courting paedophiles next! Jan]
Note eTV (Actually SABC) referring to "Tshwane" which is PRETORIA'S NEW NAME! This protest was in Pretoria!
Below it says: Protect the Sanctity of Marriage. Like me, they feel that marriage is a special event which occurs only between a man and a woman.
South Africa's Secret Murders
As the murder of white land owners in South Africa continues, farming in the country proves to be a dangerous profession, as this editorial will attempt to illustrate.
South Africa, a country with a population of 43,800,000 is situated at the bottom of the African continent and covers an area of 1,233,404 sq km. Every morning, farmers wake up to do the same job as farmers in every other country. But being a white farmer in South Africa is one of the most dangerous professions in the world. In the last 10 years, around 1,750 white African farmers have met violent ends at the hands of black gangs. We live in a society where we like to believe we are morally correct and do not condone racism. However, as soon as we are faced with the deaths of nearly 2000 white farmers in South, even the best of us can’t help but wonder why so little has been done to stop this and why it hasn’t been plastered all over the newspapers at our breakfast table.
The largest road in Africa, the N1, runs from Cape Town right across the country to the border. The new tarmac and polished buildings along the roadside are proof that a post-apartheid South Africa can work without the violence and disaster of its surrounding countries. However, as you reach central South Africa, it is said you can spot a cross in the hillside. This cross is formed by hundreds of smaller crosses placed in neat white lines – the bodies of white South African farmers. These are accompanied by two smaller hills on either side, themselves the bearers of hundreds more graves.
The attacks are executed by gangs, some of them offering $250 for the murder of a white farmer. No one knows where the gangs get their funding, but it’s been suggested it can be traced back to South African politicians. Every white African farmer is a target and often babies and the elderly are among the victims who are subjected to extreme violence, torture and rape. It’s no wonder to the white farmers in the northern regions of the country that often nothing is stolen – they know these are racist revenge attacks and as a result the Boers, the white tribe of Africa, fear their extinction.
Faces are broken with steel poles, eyes are lost and bodies are burnt. Children are raped and skulls are smashed but the police take hours to arrive at the scene, and when they do appear, they make no attempt to search for the assailants. A book detailing all the incidents of attacks and assaults from survivors was released, but never made it overseas and was suggested to have been bought up from the bookshelves by the Government.
It is true however, that South Africa on the whole suffers from extreme violence on a daily basis. It has the highest recorded per capita murder rate in the world and, although the majority of deaths involve black victims due to the fact that they make up 75% of the country’s population, the probability of a white farmer’s death is still up to ten times greater than in any other profession.
In the western world, we tend to turn a blind eye to obscenities and events taking place in other countries. It never affects us. We can still watch the same great shows on TV, have the same meal each night and afterwards, sleep in the same soft bed and dream of tomorrow, when we can be in comfort again. We live in a society where our neighbours are friendly and our police take care of us instead of ignoring the deaths of thousands. Our governments don’t want to help these other countries unless there’s something in it for them - it’s just not worth the cost. Should we really be expected to die to save a country that’s done nothing for us? Should we have to pay for another government’s mistakes? Of course not, but should over 400 farmers and their families have to face attack and torture and a further 200 face death every year because they’re white?
As nations blessed with luck, we owe the people of South Africa and other countries alike the chance to enjoy life the way we do; there just isn’t an easy way to do that.
South Africa, a country with a population of 43,800,000 is situated at the bottom of the African continent and covers an area of 1,233,404 sq km. Every morning, farmers wake up to do the same job as farmers in every other country. But being a white farmer in South Africa is one of the most dangerous professions in the world. In the last 10 years, around 1,750 white African farmers have met violent ends at the hands of black gangs. We live in a society where we like to believe we are morally correct and do not condone racism. However, as soon as we are faced with the deaths of nearly 2000 white farmers in South, even the best of us can’t help but wonder why so little has been done to stop this and why it hasn’t been plastered all over the newspapers at our breakfast table.
The largest road in Africa, the N1, runs from Cape Town right across the country to the border. The new tarmac and polished buildings along the roadside are proof that a post-apartheid South Africa can work without the violence and disaster of its surrounding countries. However, as you reach central South Africa, it is said you can spot a cross in the hillside. This cross is formed by hundreds of smaller crosses placed in neat white lines – the bodies of white South African farmers. These are accompanied by two smaller hills on either side, themselves the bearers of hundreds more graves.
The attacks are executed by gangs, some of them offering $250 for the murder of a white farmer. No one knows where the gangs get their funding, but it’s been suggested it can be traced back to South African politicians. Every white African farmer is a target and often babies and the elderly are among the victims who are subjected to extreme violence, torture and rape. It’s no wonder to the white farmers in the northern regions of the country that often nothing is stolen – they know these are racist revenge attacks and as a result the Boers, the white tribe of Africa, fear their extinction.
Faces are broken with steel poles, eyes are lost and bodies are burnt. Children are raped and skulls are smashed but the police take hours to arrive at the scene, and when they do appear, they make no attempt to search for the assailants. A book detailing all the incidents of attacks and assaults from survivors was released, but never made it overseas and was suggested to have been bought up from the bookshelves by the Government.
It is true however, that South Africa on the whole suffers from extreme violence on a daily basis. It has the highest recorded per capita murder rate in the world and, although the majority of deaths involve black victims due to the fact that they make up 75% of the country’s population, the probability of a white farmer’s death is still up to ten times greater than in any other profession.
In the western world, we tend to turn a blind eye to obscenities and events taking place in other countries. It never affects us. We can still watch the same great shows on TV, have the same meal each night and afterwards, sleep in the same soft bed and dream of tomorrow, when we can be in comfort again. We live in a society where our neighbours are friendly and our police take care of us instead of ignoring the deaths of thousands. Our governments don’t want to help these other countries unless there’s something in it for them - it’s just not worth the cost. Should we really be expected to die to save a country that’s done nothing for us? Should we have to pay for another government’s mistakes? Of course not, but should over 400 farmers and their families have to face attack and torture and a further 200 face death every year because they’re white?
As nations blessed with luck, we owe the people of South Africa and other countries alike the chance to enjoy life the way we do; there just isn’t an easy way to do that.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
