South Africa (catch all)

[davidbfpo]

The BBC's latest comment:http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/8602512.stm

South African President Jacob Zuma has called for calm after white supremacist leader Eugene Terreblanche was killed. Mr Zuma told the nation he was shocked by the news and urged unity. He sent condolences to the Terreblanche family. Police have arrested two farm workers who they say beat Mr Terreblanche to death in a dispute over wages. Mr Terreblanche's far-right movement is urging its members to be calm. It says his murder has political overtones, a claim the governing ANC rejects.

A wider BBC obituary:http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3797797.stmwhich ends with this:

...he was still as much a master of the grand gesture as he had been throughout his ineffectual political career.

There maybe angry Afrikaner farmers and some sympathy amongst the fringes of the now inactive political right, but is this a "spark" for trouble? I doubt it, partly due to the long history of the political right, their inability to make inroads amongst the mainly urban white population and revenge aside what do they offer.

The government would be wiser to look again at the number of farmers being murdered, although I'm not sure if the murders continue at the pace of a few years ago. Long time since I have looked at these issues in depth.

[davidbfpo]

After the murder there clearly are those who wish to cool down the situation, see this BBC report:http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/8603706.stm

The party of murdered South African white supremacist Eugene Terreblanche has withdrawn a threat to take revenge for his death....Visits to the Terreblanche farm by senior ANC figures...

Note the two suspects for the murder remained at the scene and were arrested. Hardly, no maybe not the actions of persons radicalised by hatred and those in the ANC who have strong views on white farmers.

[davidbfpo]

A dour, pessimistic article on Julius Malema, an ANC "youth" leader, who has just been in Zimbabwe visiting President Mugabe:

If you ask me, Malema is the point-man for a powerful ANC faction whose motive is greed and whose chosen weapon is racial demagoguery of the most primitive kind.

The trouble is that this card trumps all others. Our underclass is huge, poorly educated and desperately poor. They know what happened in Zimbabwe, but even so, the prospect of loot is irresistible, and that's Malema's bait. Mandela gave them free houses. Mbeki gave them welfare grants, leading to a situation where five million taxpayers support 13 million indigents, with the total rising far more rapidly than our ability to pay. Now Malema and the faceless vultures behind him are offering them the rest. They are playing the death card, the Ace of Spades.

Link:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...eath-card.html

[carl]

Some of the saddest people I ever met were white South Africans with children. They are fearful, almost terrified, of what is coming and are desperate to get their children out, but mostly can't.

There is comment attached to the story about Julius Malema saying that the difference between Zim and South Africa is the white South Africans have no place to go. If that continues to be true, who knows what will happen.

We used to tell each other the critical point will be when Mandela dies. I guess we'll see.

[davidbfpo]

The other day there was a report:

South African police have foiled an attempt by right-wing extremists to bomb black townships ahead of the World Cup, according to the co[/URL]untry's police minister.

Link:[URL="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/africaandindianocean/southafrica/7686944/South-African-police-foil-extremist-attempt-to-bomb-black-townships.html"]

Today this:

Dozens of people have been injured in South Africa's coastal city of Durban on Sunday after an explosion in a train carriage, police said.

Link:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...explosion.html

Waiting for developments and hoping the two are stories are not linked.

[Kevin23]

The other day there was a report:

Link:[URL="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/africaandindianocean/southafrica/7686944/South-African-police-foil-extremist-attempt-to-bomb-black-townships.html"]

Today this:

Link:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...explosion.html

Waiting for developments and hoping the two are stories are not linked.

Let's hope so,

However from what I take it, the South African far-right has been fairly inactive and quiet about things even after ET's death.

[JMA]

Let's hope so,

However from what I take it, the South African far-right has been fairly inactive and quiet about things even after ET's death.

The soccer (football) World Cup starts in South Africa in a month or so. There is a real concern that some hothead will do something at one of the games that will start a chain reaction that will have far reaching effects for the nation.

Let me tell you its a worry out here.