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]
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