South Africa (catch all)

[TV-PressPass]

The force commander now wanted to use his mobile Special Forces group to drive the enemy further back, but found that the FACA element at the position had parked a bulldozer on the bridge to block it. It took some time to find the driver and move the vehicle, but then the Special Forces began to patrol north to clear the area in front of the position.

Well that would be frustrating. I can't see the bridge being described, but everything else has been clear to follow along with.

Interesting how detailed some of the specifics are. Wonder who all Heitman interviewed?

[davidbfpo]

From an unusual direction, the UK-based 'New Statesman' an article on the SANDF, with a sub-title:

On the face of it, life continues as normal, but behind the scenes the South African military has been cut to the point where it's doubtful it will be able to live up to its African responsibilities.

Yes the budget has shrunk, but this example alone illustrates it is far more than money:

Earlier this month it was revealed that the Air Force has no maintenance contract for the 26 Grippen fighter jets, ordered at great cost in 1999. Without maintenance they aircraft are almost useless....With six trained pilots....

Link:http://www.newstatesman.com/internat...itary-meltdown

Curious that a mixed bag of US units are in the Eastern Cape on an exercise this week:http://www.army.mil/article/107990/U...red_Accord_13/

[davidbfpo]

I'd nearly forgotten this plot:

The ringleader of a white supremacist plot to assassinate Nelson Mandela and drive black people out of South Africa has been sentenced to 35 years in jail.

Former university lecturer Mike du Toit was convicted last year of treason for his leadership role in the plot, after a trial lasting nine years.

Twenty other members of his white supremacist militia Boeremag were also jailed for between five and 35 years.

Link:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-24725177

[carl]

Mandela died today.

I am curious about what people think this will mean for the RSA. Will his passing send the country down the Zimbabwe road? Did his mere existence act as a restraint on the people who might be inclined to lead it that way?

What do people think? (calling JMA. calling JMA.)

[JMA]

Carl, due to massive corruption and world leading incidence of violent crime South Africa was already heading down that road (when Mandela was alive).

I find that fellow South Africans tend to express an opinion on the future based on wishful thinking and/or pitiful hope. The prognosis is not good.

Mandela died today.

I am curious about what people think this will mean for the RSA. Will his passing send the country down the Zimbabwe road? Did his mere existence act as a restraint on the people who might be inclined to lead it that way?

What do people think? (calling JMA. calling JMA.)

[Bill Moore]

Mandela's radicalism often ignored by Western admirers

http://america.aljazeera.com/article...e-radical.html

As a global statesman of grace and humility, he was long courted by Western leaders drawn by his irresistible story of triumph over tyranny. Yet Mandela, who died on Dec. 5 at 95, was also a more radical and politically complex figure than has been commonly acknowledged by his admirers in the West

.

No surprise the media creates enduring myths that disguise the complexity and distort the reality. The media dismisses the word "and" all too often from its narrative, yes Mandela fought oppression, and he......

"If you talk to many American liberals, they think Mandela was Martin Luther King," Ellis said. "If you say, 'No, Mandela started a guerrilla army, he was a communist, he did this, he did that,' they just don't get it. They don't know what you're talking about."

Yet even later, as South African president from 1994 to 1999, Mandela would irk his friends in the West by expressing solidarity with leaders such as Cuba's Castro and Libya's Muammar Gaddafi, as well as finding common cause with the Palestinians in their struggle for statehood.

[carl]

Carl, due to massive corruption and world leading incidence of violent crime South Africa was already heading down that road (when Mandela was alive).

I find that fellow South Africans tend to express an opinion on the future based on wishful thinking and/or pitiful hope. The prognosis is not good.

You're right. I guess my question actually should have been will the trek down the road to Zimdom accelerate now that Mandela is dead. I guess it will, but then it may be a matter of how quick a cancer kills you; this week, next week-you're still going to die.

I saw that wishful thinking/pitiful hope when I was in RSA for a few months some years ago. A 15 year old son of an acquaintance was bothered because they changed the name of Pietersburg to Polokwane even though the town had been founded by the Boers. So he wrote a letter to Mbeki about it. It was such a sad thing to see. This poor white kid actually thought that somebody in the gov would give a dam about what he thought or why he thought it. So sad.

In view of what may happen to the RSA in the years to come, where will the people who want to leave go? When Rhodesia was no more, people could drive to the RSA I imagine. Where will they go now? What countries are open?

[davidbfpo]

Carl asked:

In view of what may happen to the RSA in the years to come, where will the people who want to leave go? When Rhodesia was no more, people could drive to the RSA I imagine. Where will they go now? What countries are open?

"Taking the gap" in Rhodesia started long before independence as Zimbabwe in 1980, partly due to the demands of military service, having a young family, some transferable assets, personal skills and a passport that others accepted. Yes many went to South Africa, although a good number used RSA as a stepping stone.

I am aware of good numbers of ex-Rhodesians ending up in Canada, New Zealand, UK, a few in the USA and lots in Australia. There are even small numbers in Africa - farmers mainly - and around the Gulf, mainly pilots.

Whether this emigration pattern is repeated with RSA is a moot point. A few years ago there were a good number of young, white South Africans in London who had ample transferable skills. Large numbers are in Australia, especially Perth - which has a booming economy, based on mining - and now has a full-time rugby team, reflecting the changes.

Will the relatively new Portuguese community in RSA look to Brazil and the former, nearby colonies? I expect the shallow foundations of the German business community have not stood up to the new pressures.