32 Battalion: The Terrible Ones

Every war has at least one - a unit so different, so daring, that it becomes the stuff of which legends are made and heroes are born. Among the South African forces fighting in Angola from 1975 to 1989, that unit was 32 Battalion.
Founded in utmost secrecy from the vanquished remnants of a foreign rebel movement, undefeated in 12 years of front-line battle, feared by enemies that included both conventional Cuban armies and Namibian guerrilla fighters, the Buffalo Soldiers became the South African army’s best combat unit since World War II, with no fewer than 13 members winning the highest decoration for bravery under fire.
But when peace broke out in southern Africa, the victors of Savate became the victims of sophistry. Their fate and future determined by politicians who understood little and cared less about this truly unique fraternity, 32 Battalion ceased to exist in 1993, its short history and long list of battle honours known only to those whose enemies called them Os Terriveis - the Terrible Ones.
Now, for the first time, the story of 32 Battalion can be told in full, with neither adornment nor apology, by one of its longest-serving members.
The book draws from top secret documents, revealing information that has never been made public before. Also included are rare photographs that evoke the colourful, and often controversial, history of 32 Battalion, as well as detailed maps depicting specific operations and deployments.

32 Battalion: The Terrible Ones
Random House Struik
30 August 2012


A new and comprehensive two-volume work by Piet Nortje chronicles the unit's explosive history


THE MILITARY HISTORY PUBLISHING EVENT OF THE DECADE

Two volumes. 1400 pages. 80 maps. 600 photographs. Based on 10 000 pages of previously classified documents. Draws from over 200 interviews with former 32 Battalion members as well as Portuguese, SWAPO, Angolan, Cuban and Russian soldiers. A must for collectors.

The Terrible Ones

The Complete History of 32 Battalion (two volumes)

Piet Nortje

The soldiers of 32 Battalion were so feared by their enemies that they were called ‘Os Terriveis' - ‘The Terrible Ones'. Founded in utmost secrecy from the vanquished remnants of an Angolan rebel movement, they were forged into an effective fighting machine that took on guerrilla forces and conventional armies alike. Undefeated in 12 years of frontline battle, the ‘Buffalo Soldiers' became the South African Army's best combat unit since World War II.

This comprehensive two-volume work chronicles the unit's explosive history. Starting in the early 1960s, it covers events in Angola that would eventually result in the formation of 32 Battalion, and it ends in the 2000s, when the soldiers of the unit unknowingly betrayed themselves. It describes in detail the 117 documented military operations that 32 Battalion took part in from 1976 to 1993, explaining how they were planned and executed, and illustrating them with maps. It also provides personal recollections from former 32 Battalion members and their allies and enemies, vividly recreating the experience of what happened on the ground.

The Terrible Ones provides a complete picture with new insights, drawing from thousands of pages of documents in the Department of Defence Documentation Centre that have only recently been declassified. Definitive and magisterial, this is one of the most impressive military histories ever written.

SPECIAL OFFER

Pre-order your copy now and get 20% discount and free delivery!

Normal price R850, you will get it for R700 including delivery.

Delivery to a street address in South Africa only. Delivery charges will be quoted for international orders. Not applicable for Europe and USA.

Offer ends 30th September 2012

Download the special order form here and email antheab@randomstruik.co.za to place your order or order on-line at www.randomstruik.co.za/terribleones

Available for sale as two volumes in a slipcase. The two volumes are not for sale separately.

Visit www.randomstruik.co.za for more information.

Shopper recounts Radiokop PnP robbery

JOHANNESBURG - Five men have been arrested and one killed after a robbery at a Pick n Pay in Radiokop on Thursday night. Police ran into the gang of at least 14 armed robbers, resulting in a shootout that left three people inside the store wounded, and one of the suspects dead. Another four suspects were arrested in Booysens. Shoppers said they were traumatised by the brutality of the men who stormed the store. A woman who was outside the store during the robbery said, “I gave them my cellphone and told them it was all I had. He told me to lie down. He switched off cellphone and then gave it back to me.” Police are still looking for the rest of the group who managed to flee from the scene after the violent shootout. Meanwhile, a group of robbers broke into an iStore in Fourways earlier this week. One armed man was arrested while two managed to get away. (Edited by Lindiwe Mlandu) - Eye Witness News - Shooting at Radiokop store August 30 2012 at 09:03pm By SAPA Comment on this story . . Johannesburg - Police confirmed on Thursday night that there had been a shooting in Radiokop, west of Johannesburg. Lt-Col Katlego Mogale could not confirm whether it was at a Pick n Pay shopping centre. She said she would provide more details later. - Sapa IOL - Comments by Sonny - This gang is suspected of many robberies at Pick n Pay stores in the past. Why should it be so difficult for the SAPS with all their intelligence to not identify and arrest them? These gangs always select 'closing times & weekends' for their crime sprees!

'Malema is finished'

30-AUG-2012 | MOIPONE MALEFANE POLITICAL EDITOR | 138 COMMENTS "The ANC towers over the individual." Enoch Godongwana SHARP END: President Jacob Zuma addresses thousands of mine workers who are demanding a pay rise from their employers in Marikana, scene of a massace, near Rustenburg, in North West. Photo: Kopano Tlape RELATED ARTICLES Conman aims at top officials ANC leader warns against graft THE Marikana tragedy that left 44 people dead, including mineworkers and police, will not affect President Jacob Zuma's re-election at the ANC's elective conference in Mangaung. This is according to Enoch Godongwana, ANC national executive committee member and former leader of National Union of Metalworkers of SA. He said Marikana would not directly affect the ANC as the unrest was specific to the platinum sector and "not something broad based". He made the remarks to Merrill Lynch, a wealth management division of the Bank of America. In a briefing note to investors, Merrill Lynch quoted Godongwana as having said that the deadly dispute was unlikely to spread to other parts of the country as the circumstances that led to the strike in the Lonmin mine were unique. Godongwana said Marikana was a wake-up call for Cosatu which, through its affiliate the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), had possibly "dropped the ball". He said: "There was also a leadership vacuum. No union demands from either NUM or Amcu (Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union) were made to management." Godongwana, who is also head of the ANC economic transformation committee, said expelled ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema's political opportunism at the mine - where he addressed striking workers after police shot and killed 34 miners - would not help his political career. "Outside the ANC he is finished. The ANC towers over the individual. The ANC has had its fair share of mavericks in over its history and Malema is no different." Malema was asked to preside over a memorial service in Marikana last week where he attacked Zuma and his cabinet ministers, saying the government was treating them like pigs. When Zuma addressed workers the day before, they also told him Malema was the first politician to come and address them. Godongwana suggested that divisions within NUM had led to the strengthening of Amcu. Wage demands came from self-appointed leaders of the illegal striking workers. "NUM is weakened in the public eye and has to regain its strength and fix its internal divisions. "However, NUM is not a populist union and won't try to regain its strength via populist or militant policy," Godongwana said. He said unions needed to look at the lack of collective and centralised bargaining in the platinum sector. Centralised bargaining, he said, was a more effective tool than the current state of fragmented bargaining. - This article was first published in the printed newspaper and eEdition on 29 August 2012. Click on this link to view the eEdition - SOWETAN - Comments by Sonny - This is merely a lot of ANC window dressing. One should take a look at the holistic unrest in SA because of dysfunctional service delivery, on the part of Zuma's government, to assess the true economic position in the Country! Enoch Godongwana is just a messenger for Zuma and thus disseminating this Communist rhetoric and distortion of the true facts...... Zuma does not want the Global investors to disinvest in their dying economy. Zuma is greed driven and will do anything in his power to stay on the "Golden Throne!"

McKaiser: Nudity has lost its political potency

29 AUG 2012 15:05 - GENEVIEVE QUINTAL The reaction to a new painting of President Jacob Zuma with his genitals exposed has been banal but in an interesting way, Eusebius McKaiser has said. OUR COVERAGE ANCWL defends Zuma after 'sexist' complaint 'Abuse of the arts': ANC bristles at new Zuma painting Strategic ABZ victory spells trouble for Zuma MORE COVERAGE There's work to be done, Zuma tells women New painting gives Zuma's privates another airing New painting gives Zuma's privates another airing 'Anyone but Zuma' faction wins day in OR Tambo "It's quite a beautiful thing – nudity has lost its political potency," McKaiser said on Wednesday. "In other words, people were shocked the first time because it went against their social norm, so when you see it again it can't have the same effect." McKaiser used the example of seeing a dead body for the first time. It can be quite traumatic and a person might even need to get counselling, but when they see a dead body for a second time it is less shocking. "It's good for art that it lost political potency because artists don't have to be afraid," McKaiser said. According to the Star newspaper on Tuesday artist Ayanda Mabulu's painting of Zuma wearing traditional attire and his penis exposed, entitled Umshini Wam [weapon of mass destruction] was part of an exhibition – Our Fathers. The painting went on display at the AVA Gallery in Cape Town on Monday night. Bigger conversations The exhibition also has works of Brett Murray, whose controversial painting, "'The Spear'", resulted in protests at Johannesburg's Goodman Gallery in May. 'The Spear', which also depicted Zuma with his genitals exposed, was vandalised and removed from display by the Goodman Gallery. City Press published a photo of it on its website, but removed it following a public outcry. The Film and Publication Board gave it a 16N rating. Mabulu's painting has received a more low key response. McKaiser said another reason for this was because focus in terms of the news cycle was on the shooting at the Lonmin Platinum mine in Marikana. "There is a bigger conversation going on about inequalities, labour relations, and violence. [This was] so incredibly larger that anyone who spent their political energy on this would look irrelevant," he said. Workers at the world's third-largest platinum producer went on strike earlier this month, demanding a monthly salary of R12 500. They have vowed not to return to work until their demand is met. Attention seeker The strike turned violent and 34 mineworkers were killed on August 16, in a confrontation with the police. Ten people including two policemen and two security guards, were killed between August 10 and 12. Many took to social networking site Twitter calling Mabulu an "attention seeker". Yet the question was asked why when Murray painted Zuma with his genitals exposed he was called a racist but Mabulu was called an attention seeker. McKaiser said this could easily be explained. "South Africans think, and wrongly so, that you can't be racist to people who look the same as you. I think everyone can be a racist, whether you are black or white, and can be racist to the same group," he said. This was why the race motive was not used. – Sa - Mail & Guardian - Comments by Sonny - ....."One man's penis is another man's penny whistle"..... One person's racism is another man's 'Attention Seeking Should I conclude...."One's man's Pecker is another woman's Pleasure!" Or TRAUMA.. Lonmin is in the News to stay for the next few weeks..... Let's just cut to the chase and admit that Zuma's Penis is a stale attachment!

Sexwale’s African ventures court controversy

Stefaans Brümmer & Craig McKune Aug 24 2012 NEWS ANALYSIS: It is inconceivable that the minister does not know what his company does with his money “Minister Sexwale remains placid and … having resigned from all business operations he remains focused on his ministerial responsibilities for the poor.” -- Xolani Xundu, June 22 “It is a well-known fact that Minister Sexwale has publicly resigned from all companies and will therefore not dignify faceless sources by confirming or denying any of their stories.” -- Xolani Xundu, June 28 “It is reiterated that no response will be entertained in respect of operations and activities of companies that the minister is no longer in charge of.”-- Xolani Xundu, August 16 Human Settlements Minister Tokyo Sexwale’s spokesperson, Xolani Xundu, earns his salary by not saying much these days, it seems. And although Sexwale was worth ­R1.9-billion in listed equities when he joined the government in 2009, his parliamentary and ­Cabinet interest declarations are as taciturn as Xundu. Sexwale’s 2011 Cabinet declaration gives a glimpse of the apparent reason why he does not make declarations and the exotic riches behind his silence. Forget the shares in the mining, service and publishing companies that made Sexwale a household name in empowerment. (See also: “Suspicion circles Israeli diamond maven who ‘understands negroes’”). All that Sexwale declared was a 15% stake in a charter jet and a trust that “has investments in various immovable properties and a yacht”. Only one of the properties was accorded further elaboration -- although not enough to confirm it was all of an Indian Ocean island, Quilálea. The declaration simply said: “One of these is a property in Mozambique that has been used as a personal asset to date, but which could be developed for commercial purposes in the foreseeable future.” Because of the possible commercialisation, Sexwale declared: “I have instructed my advisers to transfer the … shareholding in this asset to one of the ‘blind’ trusts to be executed as soon as possible.” Put differently, Sexwale’s business interests are housed in “blind” trusts, the assets of which are not declared. Blind who? But who is kept in the dark? Sexwale, as he should to insulate him from conflicts of interest, or the public, which is deprived the right to know what fills his coffers (and may fuel his political campaigns)? A blind trust, Wikipedia says, is one in which the trustees “have full discretion over the assets and the trust beneficiaries [read: Sexwale] have no knowledge of the holdings of the trust and no right to intervene in their handling”. It is an arrangement popularised by developed-country politicians whose assets tend to be amorphous portfolios of listed shares, easily administered without their knowledge. Sexwale’s holdings are different. Most of his known investments are through Mvelaphanda Holdings, which he co-founded with Mark Willcox and Mikki Xayiya after his first stint in government ended in 1997. Although the trusts through which Sexwale co-owns Mvela Holdings may now be technically blind and beyond his control, it is inconceivable that he will be truly unaware of what the company, which Willcox still runs, does with his money. For starters, Mvela Holdings’s listed investments have been there for all, including Sexwale, to see. Stakes in Absa bank and media company Avusa are examples recently in the news. Much less visible to the public are the Mvela Holdings interests that went into African Global Capital (AGC), an offshore joint venture with United States hedge fund Och-Ziff. Offshore Until recently, Willcox managed AGC through Africa Management Limited. AGC would not be invisible to Sexwale, though, both because he was actively involved when it was set up in 2007 and his Mvela Holdings associates remained involved. AGC sprouted investment tentacles through a warren of island secrecy jurisdictions back into Africa and even to South Africa, where one of its investee companies, Coal of Africa, earned controversy for its mining development near the Mapungubwe heritage site in Limpopo. Sexwale appears not to be as insulated from conflicts of interest as he should be. If he knows where his money is, as he arguably does, he may be tempted to use his power as a public representative to serve his interests over the public. Has he succumbed to the temptation? Because the extent of his holdings is unknown, it is impossible to answer. But the Sexwale aura has been there for the exploiting. Signet Mining Services, a uranium explorer subsidiary of AGC, boasted on its website of “strong political alliances in Africa through Mvelaphanda”. And in Congo-Brazzaville an unexpected controversy showed Sexwale’s apparent willingness to “show face” to assist another AGC subsidiary, oil junior New Age, to land a stake in a major gas field. Congo-Brazzaville Sexwale, a trustee of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, gave permission to use a passage, apparently from an old Mandela speech, in a biography of Congolese president Denis Sassou-Nguesso. When the passage was used as a foreword purporting to be purpose-written by Mandela, the foundation roared about the “brazen abuse”, sparking a diplomatic incident. Sexwale, then more than six months in government, popped up in the Congo, placating Sassou-Nguesso on national television. What was not known then was that New Age, the company Sexwale was invested in through AGC, was in the throes of negotiating a stake in the Marine XII offshore gas field with Sassou-Nguesso’s government. Six months later, in June 2010, New Age had the stake. One person with knowledge of the negotiations claims that the Sexwale factor was crucial. “New Age appeared at the time as a South African company and there was a willingness from Congo-Brazzaville to improve its relations with South Africa, with the newly elected President [Jacob] Zuma and [his] new team in place.” Sexwale, this person claims, “promoted” the New Age deal directly with Sassou-Nguesso during his visit. DRC The investments through AGC placed Sexwale in bad company -- that of Israeli businessman Dan Gertler -- as revealed by the Mail & Guardian last week. Even if Gertler’s wildest antics were yet to come when they joined up, the unfolding events gave rise to the kind of reputational risk that usually sends politicians scurrying. But Sexwale (or at least his money) stayed put — arguably as the risk of exposure was minimal owing to the opacity of his and AGC’s interests. The formal relationship with Gertler started in 2008, while Sexwale was still actively in business. AGC invested $150-million with Gertler’s British Virgin Islands-registered Camrose Resources, which had some Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) mining assets and acquired more with part of the AGC money. The $150-million was more than a loan, as it was convertible to equity and the terms gave AGC quasi-ownership rights to Camrose. For the next two years, Gertler was hocked to AGC through Willcox-run Africa Management Limited. During those two years, Gertler embarked on a series of controversial “grab and flips” of mineral assets in the DRC (see also “Suspicion circles Israeli diamond maven who ‘understands negroes’”). In these, Gertler (who denies all allegations) stands accused of using his connection with DRC president Joseph Kabila and the latter’s consigliere, the now-deceased Augustin Katumba Mwanke, to bag public assets cheaply and without tender, selling or part-selling them to established miners at great profit. Greatest grab In August 2010, Gertler perfected the “grab and flip” that would lead to the greatest outcry, that of the Kolwezi copper and cobalt tailings project from which Canada’s First Quantum Minerals had been bumped by the authorities after spending $430-million developing the assets. Gertler brought Kolwezi into Camrose, his company hocked to Sexwale and his associates, before onselling half of Camrose to a mining major. Only then -- and it is understood largely at the behest of Och-Ziff, which as a United States company has to be particularly sensitive to reputational risk -- did Sexwale and associates exit Camrose, transferring their loan to another Gertler entity under arms-length terms. Were Sexwale or his associates complicit in Gertler’s “grab” of Kolwezi? There is no evidence to that effect, but their involvement in a similar and simultaneous stunt suggests they were not simple bystanders. Oil blocks In June 2010 and without any notice or tender, Kabila signed two Lake Albert oil blocks, already sold to Irish and South African concerns, to two entirely opaque companies, Caprikat and Foxwhelp, both newly registered in the British Virgin Islands. South African presidential nephew Khulubuse Zuma initially claimed to be the owner of both, but fingers pointed at Gertler. Zuma Jr has since disappeared off the scene and the DRC oil minister confirmed Gertler’s involvement two months ago. The M&G revealed Sexwale and Willcox’s own proximity to Caprikat and Foxwhelp in 2010, when it showed that the addresses the companies used as legal domicilium belonged to Mvela Holdings and a Sexwale charitable foundation. At the time, Willcox denied he, Sexwale or any associate had financial interest, saying he had simply given “strategic advice” to Zuma Jr. Willcox is known to have been involved in subsequent attempts to onsell the oil blocks to oil majors -- arguably the flip after the grab. There is no evidence he has done this by dint of ownership, but the facts suggest that Willcox, and Sexwale by extension, knew exactly what Gertler was doing. — Additional research by James Wood Now read: “Suspicion circles Israeli diamond maven who ‘understands negroes’ - Mail & Guardian - Comments by Sonny - Mr Mosima Gabriel Sexwale's controversial life always makes for good reading.....

Angola's Dos Santos wants another term to rebuild

News Africa - Angola's Dos Santos wants another term to rebuild ANGOLA.... 30 AUG 2012 07:00 - GRIFFIN SHEA Angola's president has asked the country to give him five more years in power to further his drive to rebuild the country after its 27-year civil war. OUR COVERAGE Angola polls could spring a surprise MORE COVERAGE Thousands rally for Dos Santos ahead of Angola polls Angola's elections highlights its economic divide President José Dos Santos, already in office for more than 33 years, has campaigned on his MPLA party's multibillion-dollar drive to pour the nation's oil wealth into building roads, schools and clinics to pull the nation from the ashes of war. That oil wealth has also helped his family, particularly his daughter Isabel, assemble a business empire whose largesse was on full display in the carefully choreographed tribute to the man who dominates Angolan politics. Speaking on a stage outside the country's biggest stadium on the final day of election campaigning on Wednesday, he acknowledged the problems facing the country that has created one of the world's fastest-growing economies but left the majority of its people in abject poverty. "We know the challenges that Angola faces. We are a realistic, pragmatic party," he told tens of thousands of cheering supporters for the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA). Dos Santos said he wanted "everyone to feel part of the grand project to make Angola a prosperous and democratic country". He also urged private business to join government in creating jobs for young Angolans, in a country where more than half the population is under 18 and unemployment is at 30%. The rally was designed like a well-branded street carnival with jumbo screens, thumping music by local pop stars praising the party, and tens of thousands of people – mostly bused in for the party. Dialogue The event is his last campaign stop before Friday's general elections, when the MPLA is expected to easily win. Thursday is a day of deliberation before the voting. The opposition National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (Unita) held a far smaller event late on Wednesday, gathering a few hundred supporters in the sprawling neighbourhood of Viana. Unita leader Isaias Samakuva repeated his criticism of the elections preparations, and said he would seek a meeting with Dos Santos to find ways of resolving them. "We are going to propose a conversation with the candidate and president ... to one more time use dialogue to resolve this situation." Speaking alongside a banner reading "united for change", Samakuva said 2 000 of the party's election monitors had yet to receive accreditation. "Many Angolans' names don't appear on the voter roll, and in many places the voter roll has not been released," he said. "We have come to the conclusion that the National Electoral Commission is not ready. The conditions don't exist to ensure the minimum of an organised, transparent process." Challenges Unita is also facing a challenge from the Casa party, a breakaway formed by Abel Chivukuvuku along with a top MPLA figure, smaller opposition groups and key figures from civil society. He's heavily courted young voters with promises of jobs and better living conditions, issues that resonate with many who had little direct experience of war and now eye Luanda's sparkling new skyscrapers with envy. Angola's last elections were judged overall as legitimate, but this time the voting will take place with far fewer observers. The European Union sent the biggest team last time, but only sent two technical experts this year due to the costs of working in Luanda, one of the world's most expensive cities. Civic groups are stepping in, but their abilities are limited in a country that keeps a tight lid on their activities. Despite efforts to contain dissent, Dos Santos has been rattled by a series of protests since last year by young activists, not linked to any party, taking to the streets to demand jobs, housing, water and electricity. The protests have been small and quickly repressed, but clearly unnerved a government that tolerates little public dissent. Security forces quickly squashed the demos, often beating the activists. Young unemployed men at the Unita rally bemoaned their treatment at the hands of security forces, saying they just wanted to raise the issue of unemployment. "The Chinese come here to work, and we have no jobs," said Raul Mandela (27 - AFP - MAIL & GUARDIAN - Comments by Sonny - Another African Dictator who does not want to relinquish power in a democratic style! Politicians always promise their citizen 'The World' before elections and when they are voted into office their promises fall on deaf ears! South Africa is a good example of this equation!

News National ANC backtracks on key info Bill clauses

News National - ANC backtracks on key info Bill clauses 29 AUG 2012 13:08 - STAFF REPORTER - The ANC's concessions on the secrecy Bill have- further reduced the threat posed to whistle-blowers and the Promotion of Access to Information Act. OUR COVERAGE NCOP wants to avoid vote on secrecy Bill When public interest could trump NPA confidentiality Zuma: Why we're not laughing any more MORE COVERAGE DA: ANC deliberately blocking attempts to fight corruption When the National Council of Provinces's (NCOP) ad hoc committee dealing with the Bill resumed its deliberations on Wednesday, the ruling party agreed to delete two bitterly contested clauses. The first was the provision that the Bill would trump the Promotion of Access to Information Act (Paia). This clause was strongly criticised by the Congress of South African Trade Unions, among others, as being unconstitutional. The second concession was the removal of strict penalties for disclosing any state security matter. The concern with this clause was that the country could be turned into a "security state". In May the committee bent to pressure from interest groups and agreed to its own version of a public interest clause within the Bill. According to that version, whistle-blowers who unlawfully and intentionally disclosed classified state information in contravention of the Act would be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine or imprisonment (for a period not exceeding five years), except where such disclosures reveal criminal activity, including criminal activity for ulterior purposes. Meetings Political parties in Parliament have spent the past few weeks in private discussions in an effort to reach consensus on the Bill. Wednesday's meeting of the ad hoc committee was the first since August 7, when committee chairperson Raseriti Tau adjourned proceedings, saying the process of party-to-party engagements would continue in an attempt to try and reach agreement. "We're not that far apart and that's a good sign," he said at the time. The committee has a deadline of September 30 to consider proposed amendments, before having to report on the Bill to the NCOP, which then submit the changes to the National Assembly. The Bill has drawn international condemnation, with the the United States, Canada, Czech Republic, Germany, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Sweden and Switzerland expressing concerns the proposed law could be a major threat to media freedom. The intervention was welcomed by activists who oppose the Protection of State Information Bill, which could make journalists and whistle-blowers vulnerable to prison sentences of up to 25 years. South Africa's human rights record was scrutinised by a working group of the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva. A draft report of the meeting shows Spain "asked about measures adopted to ensure that the future protection of state information does not curtail freedom of the press and the right to information on possible inappropriate action by public officials". – Additional reporting by Sapa, AFP - Mail & Guardian - Comments by Sonny - Once the ANC gets this diluted version of the Bill through Parliament they will just amend certain sections to suit their corrupt agenda! The "Protection of State Information Bill" is an unjust document and should be scrapped in its totality! WE ARE ALREADY IN A POLICE STATE IN SA! Love your country - fear your ANC government! How long will the ANC keep violating the Constitution before they amend it?

News National Lonmin mining communities: A powder keg of inequality

27 AUG 2012 19:58 - FARANAAZ PARKER A leaked report shows that the appalling living conditions of Marikana miners are nothing new to Lonmin, despite its social responsibility efforts. SPECIAL FOCUS Marikana: Platinum mines in chaos OUR COVERAGE Deep Read: Marikana miners hit rock bottom Inquiry may paper over Marikana shooting MORE COVERAGE Lonmin tragedy lays bare violent inter-union rivalry in SA Lonmin estimate 57% of miners are back at work Prepared for Lonmin and dating back to 2006, the report and its follow-ups detail the abject poverty in Marikana and other communities where miners who work in Lonmin's platinum mines live. Marikana was the site of a bloody confrontation between striking Lonmin miners and police, which saw 44 people dead and over 70 injured. The report, which the Mail & Guardian has seen, investigated the health status of communities around Lonmin Plc in Bojanala but it also provides a useful insight into the conditions under which many of the affected miners and their families live. Surprisingly, the report showed Marikana was among the better off communities in the area. It details the severe poverty found in the seven villages studied, with the poorest being Modderspruit, Majakaneng, Wonderkop and Segwaelane. "In these communities more than 60% of the families live on less than R400 per household member per month, or 13 South African Rand per day," said the report. Researchers found that as many as 9.6% of the households across all the communities sometimes run out of food, while 7.5% reported that they always lack clean drinking water. A combined 77.3% reported living without cash income "always or sometimes". Asked what companies could do to assist families to improve their health, community members responded by asking for food parcels and access to water, sanitation and healthcare. "This is symptomatic [of] the poor living conditions of most of the households in this area," said the report. Living conditions Ward councillors expressed concerns about the poor access to water in certain areas. While most households in Marikana (78%) had a tap in the house, only 6% of houses in Bapong had taps inside the house. The report pointed out that in Marikana, an illegal cemetery was located at the same river bank where people collect water for domestic purposes, and wild animals defecated along the river. One of the most pressing concerns for the communities was the lack of adequate sanitation facilities. Pit latrines were the most common form of sanitation in the communities and councillors reported that community members living in many of the informal areas used the fields for sanitation purposes. In Majakaneng, the community collected water for domestic use from the same river used for sanitation purposes. Women and children at risk The primary purpose of the report however was to identify the main health issues in seven different communities, to help prioritise corporate interventions aimed at uplifting the communities. The researchers found that the most common reasons for which residents visited clinics in the areas were family planning and antenatal care, hypertension, and STIs and HIV/Aids. Professional health care workers identified HIV/Aids as the number one health concern in the villages that they are serving and teenage pregnancies were common among young girls. Malnutrition was prevalent in the communities and a number of children suffered from kwashiorkor – an easily prevented condition that occurs when there is insufficient protein in the diet. Kwashiorkor is more common in countries in a state of political unrest, or where there has been a drought or natural disaster. The nearest public hospitals are based in Brits and Rustenburg but the high transport costs involved in reaching these facilities are unaffordable to the poorest households, and the communities rely on the local clinics, which are cramped and understaffed, for their healthcare needs. The study recommended setting up projects to prevent lifestyle and poverty-related disease, providing food parcels to the indigent, improving HIV/Aids education, and improving health infrastructure and access to basic services in order to improve the health outcomes of the community. A more recent study, conducted as a follow-up, identified air pollution as well as access to water and sanitation as serious concerns for the community. Platinum mines fail at CSR But Lonmin, as with other platinum mines in the area, has been found wanting when it comes to corporate social responsibility [CSR]. The Bench Marks Foundation, a non-governmental organisation that monitors corporate social responsibility efforts, has come across a number of failed CSR projects while studying the impact of mines on communities in the area. The organisation has complained that the failure of mines to base programmes and concrete investments on what communities themselves say they need, has led to a string of failed investments. Among these is a multimillion-rand hydroponics project set up by Lonmin. The project was meant to facilitate high-tech farming using a mineral nutrient solution rather than soil, in an area where the environment has been denuded by mining. It was hoped the project would create 120 jobs but it allegedly collapsed following a dispute with a sub-contractor. Earlier this month, the organisation's executive director John Capel told the M&G: "Companies have made many false promises and there is huge community resentment as a result." Bench Marks recently launched a report on platinum mining, detailing the economic, social and environmental impacts of platinum mining and the increasing levels of conflict in the area. The report showed that a Lonmin-supported school in the area had classrooms built with asbestos and that 9 000 workers who had benefited from the company's housing scheme lost their homes when they were dismissed by the mine last May. It recommended that Lonmin use its CSR programme to fix the sewage system around Marikana, clean up bilharzia-infected water sources, and revive commercial agriculture in the area. Lonmin could not be reached for comment by the time of publication. - MAIL & GUARDIAN - COMMENTS BY SONNY - The blame lies squarely on the shoulders of the ANC government! They should have banned labour brokering a long time ago!

ANC Youth League not 'friends' with Malema gang

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News National - ANC Youth League not 'friends' with Malema gang 27 AUG 2012 17:33 - NICKOLAUS BAUER The ANC Youth League has denied any connection to the Friends of the Youth League formation and its actions at Lonmin platinum mine. SPECIAL FOCUS Mourning in Marikana Marikana: Platinum mines in chaos OUR COVERAGE 'Hijacker' Malema champions jailed Lonmin miners Marikana: Malema sparks chaos at memorial service MORE COVERAGE Malema lays blame for Marikana at government's door Shivambu: Malema is not a 'right wing leader' who exploited miners "The Friends of the Youth League are not our friends," deputy league president Ronald Lamola told reporters at Luthuli house following the youth body's latest national executive committee (NEC) meeting. "We, as the the league, are not connected to them in any way and cannot be held accountable for their actions," Lamola said. Last week Malema transformed a memorial held for the 34 miners shot dead at the hands of police on August 16 into a political rally decrying government's role in the tragedy. Malema claimed the service had been paid for by the Friends of the Youth League and used the platform at the service to call for President Jacob Zuma's resignation. His utterances resulted in several government ministers fleeing the memorial after workers at the mine became boisterous and began shouting anti-government slogans. This followed his laying of murder charges against the government and police earlier in the week in connection with the deaths at the mine. The Friends of the Youth League was formed shortly after Malema's expulsion from the ruling party was ratified in late April after being found guilty in November last year of sowing divisions within the ANC. It is still unclear under what ambit the new formation is operating and to what end they were originally formed. A team of lawyers Malema claims the Friends of the Youth League have assembled a team of lawyers, who are currently fighting for the release of over 200 arrested miners awaiting trial on charges of public violence, following the shooting. "If there was an attempt by anyone at Marikana – be it Malema or someone else – to undermine the unity of the ANC, then the youth league condemns such behaviour," league NEC member Abner Mosase said. The youth league claims Malema is and has been acting in his personal capacity since his expulsion. "As he speaks, he speaks for himself. We will listen to what he's saying in as much as we would listen to any individual South African's views," league spokesperson Khusela Sangoni Khawe explained. But, even though the league is distancing itself from what is essentially a Malema-run formation, the young lions are still calling for him to be reinstated in the ruling party and recognise him as the body's true president. "We believe he is coming back and we will be taking up his case at the Mangaung elective conference," Lamola said. Malema and the youth league have claimed the controversial leader will be readmitted to the ANC after delegates at the Mangaung elective conference in December vote to have his disciplinary charges set aside. No way to return However, it is unclear if the ANC's constitution will allow for such a move and secretary general Gwede Mantashe has previously claimed there is no way for Malema to return. The ANC Youth League also used the press conference to call for wide scale leadership changes in the ruling party. "We have resolved that the current leadership of the ANC must change so we can move forward," Lamola said. The league said it would reveal its preferred candidates for ANC leaders when nominations open in October. MAIL & GUARDIAN Comments by Sonny Is this what the rudderless Malema is doing to stir 'SHIT' in South Africa! News National Madonsela urges caution before turning to mass action 27 AUG 2012 17:15 - DEVEREAUX MORKEL Public protector Thuli Madonsela has some advice for the ANC Youth League leaders who allegedly threatened to make Cape Town ungovernable. OUR COVERAGE More police leases questioned Public Protector launches Prasa probe MORE COVERAGE Madonsela: Attendance at DA event 'a principled move' Protector's office defends Madonsela's attendance at DA event Madonsela probing education problems in three provinces "Only use mass action as a last resort," she said in Johannesburg. "Under apartheid, we had to render the state ungovernable because it was a state that wasn't created for us and didn't operate to support us. We now have a state that has built in it a lot of accountability mechanisms." The youth league and its allies protested in Cape Town on Monday against the proposed closure of 27 schools in the province. It also accused the province of not providing services to poorer communities. Speaking to reporters, Madonsela said that in a constitutional democracy, no one should make any province or city ungovernable. A lot of the complaints were around maladministration or socio-economic rights, so people who were unhappy could choose to approach either the public protector or the South African Human Rights Commission, she said. Democracy a dialogue Madonsela called on everyone to speak to each other, and said democracy was a dialogue. "It is your right to go for mass action. Like all rights, you have to use some of them when it is absolutely necessary to use them," Madonsela said. "My appeal to the nation as a whole, ANC Youth League included, let's use constitutional structures to engage in dialogues with organs of state." She said she realised that people resorted to mass action to demonstrate peacefully, but said they should be aware that there were other people who joined in who could have ulterior motives. "Often, people who get into these marches are thugs that have their own agendas," she said. Constructive talks "And once they are in, you can't really predict what's going to happen. If there are other channels of engagement, rather do not embark on mass action. It doesn't matter who you are." She said people should rather try to facilitate constructive talks between those in charge. At Monday's protest, the league insisted on Premier Helen Zille being present to accept its memorandum. However, she said earlier that she would not do so unless the youth league retracted its threat to make the city "ungovernable". League spokesperson Magdalene Moonsamy responded by saying: "We will never apologise to the madam, to Zille. Days of apartheid are over." – Sapa - MAIL & GUARDIAN - Comments By Sonny - Has Public protector Thuli Madonsela lost her sting? - IS THIS HOW THE ANCYL THREATENING PEACE IN THE WESTERN CAPE? - ANCYL call on 'madam' Zille to receive memorandum 27 AUG 2012 19:16 - GLYNNIS UNDERHILL For the second month in a row, the ANCYL has marched on Premier Helen Zille's offices and again she did not come out to accept their memorandum. OUR COVERAGE Service delivery: DA, Zuma lumped together De Lille: Don't blame me, blame your councillor MORE COVERAGE -

ANCYL march: Police are ready, warns Zille - She has stated categorically that she would not accept the memorandum from the league unless it withdrew its alleged threats to "make the city ungovernable". ANC Youth League spokesperson Magdalene Moonsamy said they would not apologise. "We will never apologise to the madam, to Zille. The days of apartheid are over. They want to charge us, but we'll charge Helen Zille for genocide in the Western Cape." Nobody was really expecting Zille to appear on the front steps of the provincial government offices on Monday. "We want Zille. We want the madam," the crowd chanted. Alan Winde, Western Cape minister of finance, economic development and tourism was given a poor reception when he stepped out of the building in her place. The chairperson of the youth league in the Dullah Omar region, Khaya Yozi, said he believed Zille was inside the building as the crowd gathered outside to vent its frustration at the alleged lack of service delivery. "We also called Zille to try and talk to her before the march, but she never calls us back," said Yozi. Regular marches Yozi said the youth league would now gather to decide whether it would stage regular "economic freedom" marches to the city. There now appears to be a political stand-off. Mayor Patricia De Lille and Zille have laid charges against the youth league after its march last month on the provincial offices and a claim in the memorandum handed in to her offices suggested that they would "make the city ungovernable". This week Zille said the investigation into the charges they laid against the ANC Youth League had only just begun. "The investigation is still in its infacy so the premier is awaiting feedback and updates from the police as their work progresses," said Zille's spokesperson, Zac Mbhele. At today's march, the league kept to its word that it would apply for the necessary permission and staged a peaceful march on the city route from Keizergracht Street to the Wale Street offices. But not everybody was happy with the marchers. De Lille said the march had permission to start by 11am, but it only got underway an hour later. There was also concern that some of the marchers had begun to gather from Salt River Station, instead of Keizergracht Street, where permission had been granted to begin the march. The police contingent in and around the city was large, and many of the police were wearing riot gear, which they told the Mail & Guardian had been purchased for the 2010 Fifa World Cup. Disciplined crowd Although the league declared Monday a public holiday, and said it was expecting around 14 000 people to join in, the anticipated numbers did not pitch for the march. Some tourists mingled with the disciplined crowd in the city, taking photographs of the marchers, while workers peered down from buildings around the city. Many shops were boarded up for the march, in anticipation of trouble, but the crowd dispersed peacefully. The league has demanded that land owned by private individuals and companies be made available to house the Western Cape's poor. This was the first of nine demands contained in a memorandum delivered to the Western Cape government. "There are white people who don't even live in South Africa. They live overseas. Yet, they own land in our country. Without land we can't fight for the economy we want," Yozi said , as he read the memorandum over a loudspeaker. Yozi singled out Constantia and the Rondebosch Common as land that could be given to the province's poor. More than 1 000 protesters, most of them affiliated to the local youth league, the provincial ANC, the Young Communist League, the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the ANC Women's League assembled outside the Western Cape legislature. Zille could not be reached for comment. – additional reporting by Sapa - MAIL & GUARDIAN - COMMENTS BY SONNY - How long can this "Shaken yet fragile Democracy" in South Africa last? Does Mandela bear the key?

WEDNESDAY, 3 AUGUST 2011 ANC Youth League Military Training

FACT OR FICTION JOHANNESBURG : AUGUST 28 2012 : 09:02 The ANC Youth League and Young Communist League have since last year been receiving full-time training at several SANDF military bases across the country. The training is government funded and currently at least 8000 black youths 18-35 years of age will receive 2 years training at a military base. No whites are included in this programme, nor any youths from any other political Youth groups. According to the Defence and Military Veteran Minister, they aim to train about 20 000 youths a year. The first batch to receive training were 500 youths recommended by the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform, altogether the Department recruited 2500 to take part in the programme and has urged them “to emulate the young revolutionaries of the 1976 generation”. “Skills development will include discipline, patriotism, life skills, rights awareness and specific skills areas empowering youth to change rural areas” The official name for the group is the National Rural Youth Service Corps (Narysec). In May last year 600 Narysec recruits had already received training at a military base in Bloemfontein. Their commander ordered them to paint the words 'UHURU' on white stones overlooking a busy road. The incident needs to be viewed in context, since it occurred just days after the murder of the AWB leader Eugene Terre'Blanche, making the message seem even more relevant and threatening to the Afrikaners and farmers living nearby. 'Uhuru' means 'freedom' in Swahili but in South Africa the word has generally taken a different term, meaning the 'killing of all whites'. The word is associated with large-scale violence and massacres against former white colonists in African countries gaining independence in the 60's and 70's. If you ask anyone in SA they'll know what you're referring to if you mention 'uhuru'. The Afrikaner civil rights group Afriforum tried to give a petition to the Minister and ask for more details in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act. Their request for information on the subject was rejected and called 'unnecessary' and they were told the Minister did 'not have time to answer questions' from them. The Minister has however been quoted in the past as saying that the programme was started in order “to train the youths as rural census-takers”. This has led Afriforum to officially launch a law suite under the Freedom of Information Act to force the Minister to give public details about the nature of these civilian military training schemes. The reply so far from the Ministry of Defence has been that even though training takes place at military bases no military training takes place “but we teach them how to salute and parade and we show them the guns”. They claim they do not teach the recruits to use the guns though. The Minister also claims they are taught “a lot of skills such as electrical engineering, business management and other skills.” Though why these skills need to be taught at a military base instead of the many specialised colleges and training campuses across the country is still a mystery. It sounds more like a loop-hole for the ANC to use the law and public funds to militarise their followers, particularly the Youth League. The fact that political youth groups affiliated with the government will be receiving training at military bases is an ominous one with too many horrific parallels in modern history. One of the most recent and most relevant would be Zimbabwe. Their National Youth Services militia also started out with the same claims and were later used as a tool for invading white owned farms and property. But their main acts of terror were against the population in general, using murder, rape and violence to intimidate voters and punish areas which had dared support the MDC opposition party. The youth are always the easiest to mold ideologically and due to conditioning at such a young age have often been some of the cruelest torturers. For example, the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia used mainly teenagers as their torturers and interrogators in the notorious Tuol Sleng torture facility. Likewise, the Red Guards, who were mobilised by Mao Zedong in China, were mostly students and teenagers.There are many cases of these youths publicly denouncing and even torturing and killing their own parents. Another more obvious example would be the Hitler Youth. They never received weapons training before the war, most of the focus was on political indoctrination and mentally preparing them for conflict and war. As well as familiarising them with military life and procedures such as basic training, marching, unit cohesion etc. Besides military training the most dangerous aspect is the propaganda and indoctrination, since all members will be associated with the ruling party and will have their ideology and principles drummed into their heads on a daily basis. And at the age where propaganda would have the maximum effect in shaping their minds. The ANC claim they won't be using any weapons, only 'shown' them. Personally, I don't believe this. Why are they training at a military base in the first place for so-called 'life-skills' and 'management' training? This could be done in any school or college. They'll also use military style uniforms, have ranks and use military salutes. The government must think the public are either very naive or very stupid. Or maybe they just don't care what anyone thinks since they have the majority in parliament, and like with all other laws they can just steam-roll whatever policies they want in place, no-matter the public reaction, especially from the opposition parties. Either way, having civilian members from the ruling party in a one-party dominant state receive military training is never a good idea. At least in a so-called democracy. Cape Report at 07:22 - CAPE REPORT - COMMENTS BY SONNY - Is this the ANC/MK/YOUTH LEAGUE secret weapon which the MK War Vets and the Youth League want to unleash in the Western Cape? It's more like an ANC inspired "Third Force" which was designed to keep Zuma in POWER!! This is one of the camps Lindiwe Sisulu wanted Julius MALEMA to ATTEND!