Nongqai Vol 13 No 11

GOD PRAAT MET JOU DEUR SY WOORD

Pastoor Koot Swanepoel

God praat met jou deur Sy Woord

“.. “Dit is die Gees wat lewend maak; die liggaam baat jou niks. Die woorde wat Ek aan julle gerig het, is Gees en lewe.” Johannes 6:63 NLV

God sal met jou deur Sy Woord praat. Jesus het gesê: 'Die woorde wat Ek aan julle gerig het, is Gees en lewe,' maar jy kan nie net die verse wat jou goed laat voel gaan uitkies om te lees nie.

Om in geloof te groei, moet jy elke dag tyd bestee om jou Bybel deur te lees. Jy kan nie arbitrêr besluit dat een vers op jou van toepassing is terwyl 'n ander een nie is nie.

'Die hele Skrif is deur God geïnspireer en is nuttig om ons te leer wat waar is en om ons te laat besef wat verkeerd is in ons lewe... Dit is God se manier om ons voor te berei, ten volle toegerus vir elke goeie ding wat Hy wil hê ons moet doen' (2 Timoteus 3:16 17 NLV).

Die manier om sukses in jou Christelike lewe te behaal, is om jou Bybel te ken. Dis soos die analogie van die spermsel en die eiersel. Nie die manlike spermsel of die vroulike eiersel is tot voortplanting in staat nie. Eers wanneer die spermsel die eiersel tref en die eiersel die spermsel omring, vind bevrugting plaas, wat tot lewe en geboorte lei. Dis dieselfde met jou geestelike groei.

Wanneer God se Woord en 'n ontvanklike hart bymekaar uitkom, gaan iets gebeur! Jy kan nie langdurige blootstelling aan die Skrif klop nie. Daar sonder sal jy nie hoor wat God vir jou sê nie. Jy sal dan altyd van iemand anders se interpretasie daarvan afhanklik wees. Kan jy jou indink om so met jou man of vrou te kommunikeer? Hoe lank dink jy sal so 'n verhouding hou? Dieselfde beginsel is op jou verhouding met God van toepassing.

Laat God vandag toe om persoonlik met jou deur Sy Woord te praat.

WELKOM

Hartlik welkom by hierdie besondere, unieke uitgawe van die Nongqai: Uniek omdat ons lesers meeste van die stories self geskryf het. Hier is baie juwele tussen al die foto’s en artikels. Ek staan verstom oor die goeie taalgebruik van ons lesers! Polisiemanne en soldate is normaalweg vegters in meer as een sin van die woord en gewoonlik nie skrywers nie! Julle doen puik!

U weet dit is ons reël dat ons artikels en dies meer plaas soos die skrywer dit in sy/haar eie woorde geskryf en ingestuur het.

‘n Spesiale woord van dank aan Kobus de Villiers vir sy reeks unieke artikels wat ons beoog om maandeliks in die Nongqai te publiseer. Dankie Frans Bedford Visser

Ook wil ek graag vir dr Willem Steenkamp uitsonder met sy innoverende gedagte om ‘n blog te begin en ook om grepe uit die Nongqai op YouTube te publiseer.

Ons het ‘n dure plig en verantwoordelikheid om self ons nasionale veiligheidsgeskiedenis vir die nageslag te bewaar. Niemand anders gaan dit doen nie!

Die Nongqai is een van die mediums om u en u voorsate se nagedagtenis vir die nageslag te bewaar.

WELCOME

A warm welcome to this special, unique edition of the Nongqai: Unique because our readers wrote most of the stories themselves. There are many gems here among all the photos and articles. I am amazed at the good language use of our readers! Policemen and soldiers are normally fighters in more than one sense of the word and usually not writers! You guys are doing great!

You know it is our rule that we post articles and the like as the author wrote and submitted them in his/her own words.

A special word of thanks to Kobus de Villiers for his series of unique articles that we intend to publish monthly in the Nongqai. Thanks to Frans Bedford Visser

I would also like to single out Dr Willem Steenkamp for his innovative idea to start a blog and also to publish excerpts from the Nongqai on YouTube.

We have a duty and responsibility to preserve our national security history for posterity. No one else is going to do it!

The Nongqai is one of the mediums to preserve your memories and that of your ancestors for posterity.

Dis bloot natuurlik dat, in enige ouer se oog, sy kind perfek is. Vir ons as redaksie, is NONGQAI soos ons kind. Dit sou dus erg raar wees as ons hierdie kind van ons (waarop ons nogal heel trots is!) skielik sou wou omvorm in iets heel anders. Wees gerus dis ook glad nie wat ons as redaksie beoog nie, al kop skrum ons tans baie oor die toekoms van u geliefde tydskrif en sy formaat!

Wat mens met ‘n kind doen, is om sy kern te bly koester en versterk, maar ook om wanneer daar nuwe geleenthede en middele beskikbaar word mens se kind toe te rus om by te bly en dit alles vorentoe tot die maksimum te kan benut. Voorts kan mens natuurlik die gesin ook verder uitbou, met nóg kinders sonder dat jy jou eersgeborene daarvoor gaan nek omdraai!

Waaraan ons dus werk, is om die bestaande tydskrif as sulks te bewaar en nog beter te maak (veral sy toeganklikheid, sodat dit maklik sal lees op alle tipes fone, tablette en rekenaars). Dit sal bly maandeliks verskyn, net soos nou, op dieselfde bekende platforms: ISSUU en SA Mirror. Maar dan het ons die platforms reeds aangevul met ons eie internet domein oftewel web tuiste op die wêreld wye web: www.nongqai.org Dit sal ons in staat stel om ons “eersgeborene” nog beter en makliker in u in hokkie te kry. Met dan die groot plus: ons kan nou ons NONGQAI “gesin” met nog twee talentvolle en aantreklike nuwe “kinders” aanvul ons eie NONGQAI kanaal op YouTube, plus ons BLOG. Sodat dié drie telge dan saam, as spannetjie, vir u nog meer gebruiker-keuses kan bied.

‘n Enkele voorbeeld van ons YouTube kanaal se potensiaal: u kan gerus luister na ons her uitsending van “Squad Cars” van Springbokradio van ouds! (Ons het gereël om elke week ‘n nuwe episode te kan uitsaai, met elke episode as ‘n sg. “podcast” wat u dan “op aanvraag” of sg. “on demand” op kan kliek en na kan luister wat dus beteken: wanneer u wil en u tyd daarvoor het).

(Kliek op die beeld hierbo, om hierdie artikel as ‘n video te sien)

DIE VERDERE UITBOU VAN U TYDSKRIF: INISIATIEWE OM KONTINUÏTEIT VORENTOE TE VERSEKER, U MEER OPSIES TE BIED EN MODERNE TEGNOLOGIE TE BENUT

As u nog nie met ons nuwe YouTube kanaal kennis gemaak het nie, kan u gerus HIER KLIEK en bietjie daarna loer (die “trailer” bekendstelling video is minder as 2 minute lank – kliek op die beeld hiernaas om dit te sien). Oorweeg asseblief om in te teken op die kanaal (m.a.w., te “subscribe”) en daardie klokkie onder die video te “lui” (dit meen: daarop te kliek), sodat u outomaties kennis sal kry elke keer as ‘n nuwe video opgelaai word.

Verdere voordele van ‘n eie video-kanaal hê, is dat statistiek bewys dat mense deesdae al minder geneë is om te lees en verkies om inligting oudiovisueel in te neem (soos wat mens ouer word, wil die oë ook dikwels nie meer so lekker saamspeel nie, wanneer dit bv. by lang, in diepte artikels kom). Bykomend hiertoe, bied die kanaal die moontlikheid om te put uit ons talle bydraers se deskundige kennis en insigte op ‘n maklik volgbare wyse, deur bv. kampvuur styl gesprekke te voer en op te neem, wat dan as óf video, of sg. oudio podcasts beskikbaar gemaak sal word. Ook om belangrike gebeure, reünies, gedenk plegtighede en so meer op beeld vas te lê en ou film te deel.

Wat ons nuwe “BLOG” aanbetref: dit sal bedryf word in die formaat van ‘n aanlyn-tydskrif. Met die sagteware wat ons daarvoor bekom het, kan ons dit heel professioneel aanbied, bv wat betref die uitleg en die vermoë van die stelsel om self die aanbieding van teks en illustrasies outomaties aan te pas, geïndividualiseerd, vir elke leser se eie tipe foon, tablet of rekenaar, vir maklik lees.

‘n Ander probleem wat die Blog sal help oorkom, is die feit dat ons maandelikse uitgawes deesdae lywig is, tipies 200+ bladsye vol van pitkos en lees genot. Dis ‘n allemintige “olifant” om in een sessie te probeer op eet. Omdat die blog ons toelaat om individuele stories te plaas sodra dit elk in eie reg persgereed is, sonder om te wag tot die maand einde, sal lesers dus die NONGQAI “olifant” soos in die ou gesegde rustig in byt grootte stukkies kan kou (LW: die bestaande pdf formaat maandelikse uitgawe sal steeds, soos nou, uitgegee word, as deel van die blog se argiefkomponent). Omdat dringende nuus nou dadelik geplaas sal kan word, sal die Blog dus ook meer aktueel kan wees as die huidige maand einde uitgawes bv. vir aankondigings betreffende begrafnisse, gedenk geleenthede, samekomste en so meer wat dit ‘n meer dienlike werktuig sal maak vir ons leser gemeenskap om te benut vir interne kommunikasie van nuus van daardie aard.

Les bes, sal hierdie drie formate van kommunikeer (die Blog, video kanaal, tydskrif) tesame met ons Facebook blad, ook baat by die moderne media se maklik maak van onderling skakel en spring tussen die gekoppelde platforms in ons multi media “gesin”, sodat mens moeiteloos sal kan beweeg tussen die tydskrif, blog en kanaal om ‘n bepaalde tema te volg, bloot met die kliek van ‘n skakel. Dus: lekker lees / luister / kyk, en neem asb. kennis dat dit nou nog makliker word om u bydraes in te stuur u hoef nie meer ure agter die rekenaar te sit en tik nie, maar kan bv. sommer op u slim foon u bydrae opneem, dit aanheg by ‘n e pos en instuur. Ons hoor graag wat dink u van dit alles!

DIE OMMESWAAI IN DIE USSR SE BELEID JEENS PRETORIA: Die gesamentlike projek om MIG-enjins in SALM Mirages te sit Dr Willem Steenkamp

NONGQAI is hierdie maand bevoorreg om ‘n reeks artikels af te skop oor ‘n opsienbarende projek uiters geheim in sy tydvak van die laat tagtigs en vroeg negentigs om die Suid Afrikaanse Lugmag se Franse Mirage F1 en Cheetah vegvliegtuie van destyds, op te gradeer deur dit toe te rus met enjins vanuit Rusland. Die Klimov RD-33 enjin van die MIG-29, spesiaal aangepas vir die Suid Afrikaanse vliegtuie, wat deskundig ombou moes word om dit te kon akkommodeer. Ons reeks kom uit die pen van niemand minder nie as die man wat die hoof ontwerp ingenieur en Suid Afrikaanse spanleier was vir die projek. Die span wat saam met die Sowjet-ingenieurs, onder oë van KGB wagte in Moskou, die herontwerp van die Klimov enjin gedoen het ‘n Persoon wat ook in latere jare erkenning sou verwerf as ‘n lekker lees skrywer: Kobus de Villiers (dis gewaarborg dat u sy vertelling baie onderhoudend sal vind!).

Hier kan u die resultaat, die “Super” Mirage F1, in vlug sien: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRfe9EKdRhE (Video verfilm tydens ‘n lugskou in Rusland, waartydens die vliegtuig sy loods ‘n top tien posisie help verower het)

My stuiwer in die armbeurs (met hierdie inleiding), is om die projek in historiese konteks te plaas. Want u vra sekerlik: hoe is dit móóntlik dat die USSR, midde in die destydse internasionale wapenverbod en met sy voorgaande geskiedenis van militêre, geldelike en politieke steun aan die ANC en ander Suider Afrikaanse bevrydingsbewegings, met die “Boere” begin saamwerk het aan so-iets?

Wat ek in hierdie agtergrondskets vir u wil boekstaaf, is dat dié krygstuig projek allermins eiesoortig of uitsonderlik was, in die konteks van Pretoria/Moskou verhoudinge aan die einde van die tagtigs en begin negentigs. Dit het sy eweknieë gehad in intelligensie samewerking, ekonomiese sinchronisasie mbt die bemarking van edelmetale, diamante en ander grondstowwe wat die RSA en USSR in gemeen had, en in die omseiling van ekonomiese sanksies. Dit is nie alom bekend nie, maar Pretoria het teen die einde van die tagtigs daarin kon slaag om die USSR (en vervolgens die Russiese Federasie) tot samewerking te oortuig en, overgesetsynde, om sy bande met die ANC af te skaal. Dit was nie ‘n geval dat die USSR disintegreer het en toe tree hierdie resultaat daarná in nie. Dit was ‘n logiese, doelbewuste Suid Afrikaanse strategie, geloods vóór die val van die Berlynse muur. Dis onweerlegbaar só dat dié ommeswaai in Sowjet gesindheid, die val van die USSR voorafgegaan het. Dit het ook nie maar net toevallig in Pretoria se skoot geval nie. Dit was ‘n strategiese doelwit wat Pretoria daadwerklik probeer verwesenlikhet, o.a. ten einde die ANC van sy hoof borg te stroop. Dié projek wat ons nou hier in NONGQAI met u gaan deel, nl om Sowjet enjins in Suid Afrikaanse vegvliegtuie in te bou by wyse van spreke “uit die perd se bek” is net maar een konkrete, onomstootlike bewys daarvan.

Die USSR se ontknoping uit Suider-Afrika: Dis bekende geskiedenis dat die USSR aan die einde van die tagtigs sigself gedwonge gevoel het om die lande van Oos Europa hulle eie koers te laat gaan, sowel as om te onttrek het uit Afghanistan (dus gebiede direk aanliggend tot sy eie grense). Die Kremlin het dit gedoen, ten spyte van die noodwendige negatiewe impak daarvan op sy internasionale magsbeeld, en met risiko van ‘n moontlike kettingreaksie van destabilisering van die Sowjet Unie se Moslem deelstate en die bevolkings van Oekraïne en Belo Rusland, sowel as die Russiese bevolking self. Daarom is dit logies dat dit nie vir die destydse Politburo sin sou maak om duur avonture in afgeleë dele van die Derde Wêreld te bly voortsit nie. Duur konflikte soos in Suider Afrika...

Die toenemend kritiese beskouinge jeens hierdie avonture wat merkbaar geword het in akademiese studies gepubliseer in Moskou gedurende die tagtigs veral oor die minder as rooskleurige vooruitsigte vir die vestig van sosialistiese regimes in die Derde Wêreld, het ook algou in die Gorbatsjof regering se uitkyk begin reflekteer. Die ervaring in die harde praktyk met die MPLA regime in Angola is byvoorbeeld as “rampspoedig” tipeer. Weens sy ekonomiese krisis kon Angola nie sy skulde aan die USSR betaal nie. Die destydse daling in die olieprys en die nood behoefte aan verhoogde wapen lewering om die stryd teen UNITA en die SA Weermag te kon bly voer, het terselfdertyd die Angolese skuldlas jeens die USSR aansienlik verhoog. Die Sowjets het, as gevolg van hulle eie verslegtende ekonomiese toestande, toenemend probleme ondervind om sulke nie presterende skuld te kon bly dra.

Die Sowjet leierskap was ook veral geïnteresseerd in die vermindering van die impak van dispute oor Derde Wêreld kwessies op die ontwikkelingsgang van Oos Wes verhoudinge. Hulle het erken dat konflikte waarin hulle kompeterend betrokke geraak het, vordering mbt sentrale kwessies soos handel met die Weste en wapenbeheer belemmer het. Eduard Shevardnadze het daarom ‘n nie ideologiese buitelandse beleid voorgestaan, met 'n verminderde fokus op klassestryd en eerder klem op 'n gesamentlike diplomasie van konflikoplossing, as synde deel van ‘n beleid van "universele veiligheid”. In die Suider Afrikaanse konteks, is die vooruitsigte vir sodanige samewerking as besonder belowend beskou deur Moskou, gegewe die wedersydse belang van die USSR en die VSA om konfrontasie en eskalasie in die streek te vermy Gedurende die tweede Sowjet/Afrika-konferensie in Moskou gedurende Junie 1986 het hierdie nuwe uitkyk manifesteer in ‘n toespraak deur die toenmalige adjunk direkteur van hulle Afrika Instituut, Gleb Starusjenko, wat gepleit het vir “omvattende waarborge vir die Blanke bevolking van Suid-Afrika”.

Op interstaatlike vlak het die Sowjet Unie se nuwe benadering jeens Suider Afrika op 29 Maart 1987 gestalte gekry by wyse van ‘n wedersydse besluit om ‘n hoë vlak klandestiene skakel kanaal tussen Suid Afrika en die USSR daar te stel, via die destydse KGB en die Nasionale Intelligensiediens. Die voorkeur vir onderhandelde oplossings is verder stukrag verleen deur die bloutjie wat die FAPLA/Russiese offensief vanaf Oktober 1987 in Angola geloop het in die gevegte aan die Lombarivier, waar die SAW die kommunistiese magte ‘n reeks beslissende neerlae toegedien het. Die analise wat die Sowjet militêre daarna aan Gorbatsjof voorgehou het, was dat die bevrydingsbewegings nie suksesvol gaan wees daarin om die Suid Afrikaanse regering met wapengeweld omvêr te werp nie.

Die nuwe windrigting in Moskou het Fidel Castro van Kuba genoop om daadwerklik en dringend plan te maak om sy troepe uit Angola te onttrek. Pas terug in Havana van ‘n ontnugterende besoek aan Moskou, het Castro op 15 November 1987 ‘n noodvergadering belê van sy top veiligheidsadviseurs. Daar is besluit op ‘n dubbelloop strategie: enersyds om direk uit te reik na die Suid Afrikaanse departement van Buitelandse Sake sowel as na die VSA, om dringend vredesonderhandelinge aan die gang te kry, en andersyds om aktief tot die toe-ontvouende militêre stryd in die suidooste van Angola toe te tree (hulle het eers op die kantlyn gestaan gehad, krities van Sowjet strategie). Laasgenoemde is gedoen met twee taktiese oogmerke eerstens om te verhoed dat FAPLA uit hulle basis area by Cuito Cuanavale verdryf word, en tweedens om by wyse van ‘n massiewe ontplooiing van konvensionele elite magte, ‘n nuwe front te open teenoor die belangrike waterskema by Ruacana (lg. om Suid Afrika se magte te verdeel en die SA Regering voor die uitdaging te stel om te kies tussen onderhandel, of in ’n “werklike” oorlog betrokke te raak). Soos bevestig deur die destydse Sowjet adjunkminister van buitelandse sake, Anatoli Adamisjien,

was daar egter ‘n geheime ooreenkoms tussen die Russe en die Kubane dat lg nie sou probeer om die SWA grens oor te steek nie want die USSR sou allermins so ‘n werklike eskalasie wou sien. Dit is bekende geskiedenis dat die SAW se Afdeling Militêre Inligting hierdie skuiwe van Castro korrek interpreteer het as blote skyn, alles ter wille van onderhandeling soek, met die oog daarop dat die Kubane “eerbaar” kon onttrek en nie alleen met die gebakte pere sou bly sit wanneer die USSR ontknoop nie (alhoewel die SAW uiteraard gebeurlikheidsbeplanning en voorkomende stappe gedoen het, soos die oproep van ‘n groot aantal Burgermag eenhede).

Aangesien dit deurentyd Suid Afrika se bedoeling was om die kommunistiese magte uit Afrika weg te kry, met die oog op onbelemmerde plaaslike hantering eventueel ook van Suid-Afrika se interne situasie, is die geleentheid om te onderhandel om die Kubane se onttrekking te fasiliteer te baat geneem. Die internasionale akkoorde het dan ook spoedig gevolg, wat tot Namibië se onafhanklikwording gelei het. (Vir Kuba was dit belangrik om nie as verloorder te onttrek nie, en daarom het Castro propaganda gewys ‘n “defensiewe oorwinning” fabriseer in die vorm van “die slag van Cuito Cuanavale” met die mite van ‘n uitgerekte, brawe Stalingrad-tipe “veldslag” wat kwansuis gesorg het dat dié dorpie nie in UNITA se hande geval het nie).

Verdere konkrete openbare bewys van die veranderde Sowjet beleid jeens Suider Afrika het gekom in Mei 1988, tydens die 25e herdenking van die V.N. se Spesiale Komitee teen Apartheid in New York. Die afgevaardigde van Oekraïne, Gennadi Oedawjenko, het nl. verklaar dat daar reeds betekenisvolle verandering in Suid-Afrika plaasgevind het, sodat omstandighede nie meer was soos wat dit 25 jaar tevore daar uitgesien het nie, en dat die tyd dus aangebreek het dat vorentoe beweeg moes word na ‘n politieke skikking.

Kort hierna, op 17 Mei 1988, het die eerste hoëvlak ontmoeting in Wenen, Oostenryk, plaasgevind tussen verteenwoordigers van N.I. en die KGB. In parallel, het die delikate aanvoorwerk vir die projek om Sowjet-enjins in te bou in Pretoria se vegvliegtuie, in 1988/89 begin. Teen November 1989 was dinge reeds so vêr gevorder dat Kobus de Villiers Moskou toe kon vlieg vir die eerste sessies op tegniese vlak tussen die ingenieurs. Terselfdertyd het die ANC se toegang tot Moskou begin taan. Oliver Tambo, destydse ANCpresident, se laaste besoek aan Moskou was bv in Maart 1989, maar hy is nie deur Gorbatsjof te woord gestaan nie. Vladimir Shubin (wat destyds in Moskou ten nouste betrokke was, as hoof van die Afrika seksie van die KPSU se buitelandse betrekkinge) verduidelik dit só: “because it became increasingly difficult to ‘mobilise’ the Soviet leader to meet Africans.” Gedurende die nag van 9 November 1989 het ‘n menigte Duitsers die Berlynse muur begin afbreek 'n versperring wat byna 30 jaar lank die Koue Oorlog verdeling van Europa simboliseer het. Teen Oktober 1990 is Duitsland herenig, wat deur die vinnige ineenstorting van die ander Oos Europese regimes gevolg is Shubin se insigte oor die veranderde houding in Moskou jeens die partye tot die Suider Afrikaanse konflikte is insiggewend, en dit is dus nuttig om dit hier direk aan te haal (uit ‘n artikel van hom getiteld “The USSR and Southern Africa during the Cold War”, November 2008): “However, on the threshold of the 1990s the Soviet Union underwent serious political and institutional changes. Its foreign policy, directed by Gorbachev and Shevardnadze, was rapidly changing as well, and not in favour of the liberation struggle. In a speech to the UN General Assembly in September 1989, Shevardnadze pledged “to oppose ... resolutely all kinds of violence, no matter what had caused or motivated it”, and this could be read, in particular, as opposing any resolute action again the racist regime in South Africa.

“The release of Nelson Mandela made it possible for him to visit the USSR for the first time. However, rather unexpectedly his visit became a problem in Moscow’s relations with the ANC. True, an invitation “on behalf of the USSR leadership” was sent to Mandela in the name of Gorbachev, but up to the end of his administration nothing came of it. On the surface, the reasons for this were purely technical, but beneath the surface these delays reflected far reaching changes in Gorbachev’s policy. Anatoly Chernyaev, then his assistant for international affairs (and a Central Committee member!), who proved to be another turncoat, wrote in his memoirs: Gorbachev had a rather good nose for people who had no prospects and were “useless to us” ... He “froze” his meeting with Mandela, though both academics and Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials (true, with some resistance on my part) more than once argued wordily that it had to be done: that [Mandela] travelled

all over the world, everywhere at the highest level and yet could not come to Moscow! Gorbachev did not believe that by supporting the ANC and supplying it with arms we were assisting the correct process in South Africa.”

In Maart 1991 het twee KGB-generaals Pretoria besoek, en o.a. met Pres. F.W. de Klerk ontmoet. Hulle het ‘n boodskap vir hom gehad, van Gorbatsjof: “We are facing serious difficulties with our national economy in providing the country with feeding stocks and foodstuffs.”

Ekonomiese samewerking tussen Suid Afrika en die USSR was dwarsdeur die tagtigs reeds aan’t versterk. ‘n Belangrike voorbeeld hiervan was die verkoop van Russiese diamante, via De Beers se enkel-kanaal in Londen. So ook was dit logies vir die Sowjets en Suid-Afrika om saam te werk mbt die bemarking van goud en platinum, waarvan hulle die twee groot wêreld produsente was. Beweerdelik is die Oppenheimers by geleentheid in die Bolshoi teater in Moskou gesien, en het Sowjet afgevaardigdes Johannesburg gereeld besoek rondom veral die gemeenskaplike belange rakende platinum.

Dit was ook nie net die Nasionale Intelligensiediens wat bande met saakmakende instansies in die USSR ontwikkel het nie. Dr Marc Burger, die hoof van sanksie omseiling by Buitelandse Sake, het gedurende die 2e helfte van die tagtigs toenemend sterker bande met handelshuise in die USSR gebou. Hy vertel in sy boek “Not the Whole Truth”: “Our approach to the USSR was based upon identifying major actual and potential common interests which would hopefully serve as the foundations for a sound, mutually advantageous relationship that would supersede the distrust and hostility born out of ideological conflict. I believe we got the message across. The first Soviet delegation we brought (discreetly) to SA comprised the heavy weights of all the areas we had chosen as practical priorities. It seems they were equally interested. Neither I, nor the others involved, could recall a single fruitless meeting in the USSR either. This says that homework was being done - after all, there was precious little first-hand experience of the empire with which we had severed relations in 1956. I had some interesting encounters which reminded of earlier days. One official I dealt with in Leningrad (now, once again, St Petersburg) had been born in Pretoria. His father was a Consul in the USSR Consulate-General that we expelled for spying in 1956... Dad was now Chief Director of the First Chief Directorate of the KGB the next most important job after the Chairman!”

Volgens Hennie van Vuuren se “Apartheid Guns and Money” was Krygkor toe reeds ook knie diep betrokke by die USSR met wapenhandel en krygstuig-ontwikkeling: “A former senior Armscor official, who asked for his identity not to be disclosed, confirmed that not only were there talks between the parties (USSR & SA), but that it had developed to such an extent by the late 1980s that Armscor had achieved the unthinkable. Armscor had a team of military experts working from within the Soviet Union, including an office in Leningrad. Moreover, a team of Armscor officials, who we should recall received their funding from the Department of Defence, also operated from the Siberian city of Omsk, home to a squadron of MiG 23 and MiG 31 aircraft during the Cold War… The Armscor team in Siberia were involved in jet engine development intended to improve the design of the French manufactured aircraft which the South African Air Force possessed. In return, the Armscor team taught the Russians how to develop single crystal blade technology for jet engines.” (Van Vuuren het duidelik nie behoorlik die kloutjie by die oor kon kry nie; in Kobus de Villiers se artikelreeks hier in NONGQAI, sal u nou vir die eerste keer die ware feite oor dié opsienbarende projek onder oë kry).

Gedurende Julie 1991 het Dr Niël Barnard as NI DG Moskou op amptelike uitnodiging besoek. Op 10 Julie, na sy program daar haastig herskik moes word omdat sy vader ongelukkig skielik oorlede is en hy dus voor tydig na Suid Afrika sou moes terugkeer, het Mikhail Gorbatsjof sy eie program aangepas (o.a. deur ‘n Politiburo vergadering te herskeduleer) ten einde met Dr Barnard te kon ontmoet vir ‘n gesprek van 40 minute. Steeds egter, is mnr Mandela nie in Moskou ontvang nie... Vervolgens het dinge ten besluite heeltemal skeef geloop vir die kommuniste in Rusland, toe op 18 Augustus 1991 ‘n staatsgreep probeer is teen Gorbatsjof. Dit het egter uitgeloop daarop dat die Russiese publiek die strate en parlementsgebou beset het, met die gevolg dat Boris Jeltsien, die president van die Russiese Republiek, die gesag oorgeneem het en die USSR in Desember 1991

ontbind is. Shubin beskryf die effek daarvan op Russiese verhoudinge met die RSA soos volg: “…during stormy events in Moscow the next month, August 1991, when a ‘very strange coup’, organised by a group of people from Gorbachev’s retinue, was followed by a ‘counter coup’ led by Boris Yeltsin, the banning of the CPSU and then the “dissolution” of the USSR in December. The political renegades and sell outs who controlled the country and its foreign affairs during that period did their best to distance themselves from the ANC (just as from other old friends of Moscow) and embrace Pretoria. While the Umkhonto cadres were sent away, Pik Botha, visiting Moscow, signed a protocol in November 1991 restoring consular relations between the two countries, then in February 1992 Yeltsin’s notorious Minister of Foreign Affairs, Andrey Kozyrev, signed an agreement on the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and South Africa in Pretoria. Finally, instead of receiving Mandela, Yeltsin welcomed de Klerk in the Kremlin in late May 1992.”

FW De Klerk is dus in die Kremlin op ‘n staatsbesoek ontvang, lank voor mnr Mandela In Oktober 1991 het Jewgeni Primakof, die hoof van die Russiese opvolger-intelligensiediens van die KGB, Suid Afrika amptelik besoek. Volledige diplomatieke betrekkinge tussen die twee lande, op ambassadeursvlak, is aangeknoop, met professor Gerrit Olivier wat aangestel is as die eerste Suid Afrikaanse ambassadeur in Moskou. Vir die duur van die grondwetlike onderhandelinge in Suid Afrika (maar in wese dus reeds vanaf ‘n hele aantal jare tevore), het die ANC nie meer vir Moskou as borg gehad nie. Van hierdie stelling is die projek om Sowjet enjins te herontwerp vir inbou in aangepaste Suid Afrikaanse vegvliegtuie, waarskynlik een van die mees konkrete, onontkenbare bewyse. Mens sou bv. kon redeneer dat die kontak op intelligensie vlak net maar praat praat was, en van die samewerking tussen Buitelandse Sake en die Sowjets op ekonomiese terrein is daar uiteraard nie eintlik foto bewyse nie. Maar van hierdie opsienbarende krygstuig-projek sal u baie foto-bewyse in hierdie reeks sien, en is die mees tasbare, onomstootlike bewys daarvan, sekerlik die Mirage F1 met stert nommer 216, en dié se dosyne suksesvolle toetsvlugte in Suid Afrika en trouens oorsee (om nie van die Cheetah D2, met stert-nommer 847, te vergeet nie).

Hierdie projek kon net suksesvol aangeknoop en deurgevoer gewees het, asaan twee voorvereistes voldoen is: eerstens, dat die USSR doelbewus besluit gehad het dat dit in sy eie belang was om met die Pretoria regering te begin saamwerk op hierdie aller sensitiefste, mees simboliese van terreine, eerder as om die RSA te bly beveg; en tweedens, as Moskou se lugvaart deskundiges oortuig kon word daarvan dat die Suid-Afrikaanse krygstuig-industrie en tegniese deskundigheid genoeg op peil was om sulke gesamentlike ontwerp projekte van ‘n hoogs gevorderde aard, prakties moontlik te maak.

Hierdie kort agtergrondstuk het hopelik aan u duidelik gemaak dat die voorvereiste van ‘n politieke wilsverandering in die geledere van die Politburo in die Kremlin, (ooreenkomstig Pretoria se doelbewuste strategie om hulle oor te haal) wél aanwesig was, reeds teen die einde van die tagtigs. Vervolgens, glo ek, sal Kobus de Villiers se reeks by u geen twyfel laat nie dat Moskou se lugvaart deskundiges baie gou oortuig kon word van hulle Suid Afrikaanse eweknieë se tegniese vaardigheid, as waardige en volle vennote in so ‘n hoogs gespesialiseerde gesamentlike projek. Wat my veral opgeval het uit sy vertellinge, is die besonder goeie spangees wat daar in Moskou tussen die twee span-komponente ontstaan het. (U kan gerus Kobus se boek “’n Poskaart uit Moskou” lees dis wel sg “faction”, oftewel dan ‘n mengsel van fiksie en feite, maar dit adem die gees van daardie samewerking).

‘n Uiters belangrike vraag wat ten besluite wel gevra kan en behoort te word, is: As Pretoria nie aan die einde van die tagtigs daarin geslaag gehad het om die Politburo in die Kremlin te “swaai” nie, en sou dié voortgegaan het om die ANC in sy “gewapende stryd” te steun sou die onderhandelde oorgang in Suid Afrika steeds kon gebeur het?

MISSIE: MIRAGE-F1 MET MIG-29 ENJIN – MOSKOU, 1989/90

Die ware verhaal van MIG-enjins inbou in die SALM se Mirage-F1s Kobus de Villiers

1e AFLEWERING: Die opskrif in Salvo-tydskrif se uitgawe No 3 van 1994 sê dit alles “Beer krag” vir die Suid Afrikaanse Lugmag se Mirage F1s en Cheetahs!

Die bekende lugvaart kenner, Helmoed Römer Heitman, se 1994 artikel (hieronder) het die lugvaart industrie om die wêreld heen skielik laat regop sit..

Maar hoe het dit regtig gebeur? Was dit waar? Baie min mense het hiervan geweet. Nou dat dit vêr oor die skouer is en ons daaroor kan praat, sal ek in hierdie reeks artikels vir NONGQAI, dele van die storie vertel.

In 1977 het ek as lugvaartingenieur by Atlas Vliegtuig Korporasie begin werk. In die jare wat hierop volg, het ek aan verskeie projekte in Suid Afrika, asook in die buiteland, gewerk.

Die meeste van ons werk was Uiters Geheim en partykeer klandestien. Daar was groot avonture en soms gevaar, maar daar was een projek wat seker altyd die hoogtepunt van my loopbaan vir die Suid Afrikaanse Lugmag sal wees. Tegnies die mees uitdagend en persoonlik die een wat my lojaliteit en persoonlike oortuigings sou toets.

Hierdie reeks sal feite gebaseerde uittreksels in sluit uit my onlangse boek, “‘n Poskaart uit Moskou” (NB: die boek self, as sg. “faction”, is ‘n mengsel van feite en fiksie) © Kobus de Villiers

Deel I

Agter die Ystergordyn

My braai-vuurtjie knetter gesellig. Die koue glas witwyn sweet koel druppels teen die kante af en my ete vir een is op die stoeptafeltjie uitgepak. My blou swembad se watervalletjie vou die Transvaalse vroegaand geluide toe.

Sondag middag se vergadering bydie generaal se huis draai nog in my gedagtes. Ek het grootgeword met die konsep dat Rusland en veral die Sowjetunie en die gepaardgaande kommunisme, totaal onaanvaarbaar is vir ons Afrikaners. Die meeste van die wapens en die mense wat op ons skiet in die Grensoorlog is van Russiese afkoms, of word gedryf deur Russiese doktrine.

Ons was gereeld gewaarsku teen die Rooi Gevaar en alles wat daarmee geassosieer word; die bedreiging van internasionale kommunisme vir godsdiens, ekonomiese en politieke vryheid op die Suider Afrikaanse subkontinent.

Nou wil die Firma hê dat ek na Moskou reis en gaan vasstel of ons ʼn hoë tegnologie vliegtuigenjinprojek saam met die einste mense kan aanpak! Die Mig 29 vegvliegtuig met sy Klimov RD 33 enjins is op die oomblik een van die mees gevorderde vegvliegtuie in die wêreld. Dit is al wat ons in die Weste daarvan weet.

Ek sou natuurlik verkies om aan ʼn Amerikaanse eweknie te werk, maar met ons vreemde politiek sal dit seker nie in my leeftyd gebeur nie. Hierdie is ʼn geleentheid om ons vermoëns te meet aan dié van die allerbeste in die bedryf. Wat weet dié ouens alles wat ek kan leer?

Ek wonder wat my pa sou sê.

Ek weet wat my plaas oupa sou doen. Ek dink aan die besemstok en tamatiekassie vliegtuigie wat ek en hy in sy motorhuis gemaak het toe ek ses jaar oud was.

Nou moet ek besluit.

My vorige besoek, amper ʼn jaar gelede, was nie juis suksesvol nie. Dié keer is daar egter die versekering dat die reëlings goed sal werk.

Hierdie gaan my Rubicon wees, maar eintlik in die teenoorgestelde rigting! Ek gaan na die nes van die aartsvyand, die definisie van boosheid, alles waarteen ons gewaarsku was. Waarteen ons geveg het op die grens.

Daardie oggend by Projeksekerheid se finale voorlegging het die hoof, Jan van Greunen, dit duidelik gestel. Dit is definitief ʼn stap in die onbekende. Ons het geen infrastruktuur in Rusland nie, so ek kan nie staatmaak op enige hulp daar nie. Ons gaan geen direkte lyn van kommunikasie hê nie. Om die waarheid te sê, hy het subtiel genoem dat ek selfs daar kan ‘verdwyn’ en niemand sal van beter weet nie!

Die kinders is by hulle ma en daar is genoeg voorsiening vir hulle in my testament. My pa leef nie meer nie en my broer sal goed na my ma kan kyk. Met my werk het ek oor die jare myself noodwendig onttrek van familie en vriende.

Die werklikheid is dat niemand my eintlik regtig sal mis nie.

o0o

Dit sneeu nog steeds en gelukkig hou die huurmotor reg voor Heathrow Terminaal 3 se deure stil. Die bestuurder help my met my tas en knik tevrede as ek vir hom sê om die kleingeld te hou.

Die vertreksaal is ruim en lekker warm. Ek kan my swaar ou jas oor my arm drapeer. Ek maak seker dat my Oosblok klere en my oefeningboek met gekodeerde notas in my handbagasie is.

Die eerste stap is om my tas met my Westerse klere by die lughawe se stoorkamer in te gee. Die datum bo aan die gedrukte strokie wat die klerk oor die toonbank skuif, is skaars leesbaar. Dit kan heel moontlik ʼn baie belangrike datum in my lewe wees; 26 November 1990.

Ek het oor die jare vele vreemde plekke besoek en aan heel ongewone projekte gewerk. Gebeure en ervaringe wat ek met niemand kan deel nie. Dit is nie meer vreemd nie, dit was tog nog altyd deel van my werk, my lewenswyse.

Hierdie avontuur gaan egter seker een van die hoogtepunte van my loopbaan en die vreemdste van my lewenslesse wees! Jan van Greunen by Projeksekerheid se stem is helder in my geheue. Ons moet nou eers, om sy woorde te gebruik, die ‘rookskerm’ om my vertrek na Rusland uitvoer.

-o0o-

Ons groot swart motor stop by ’n verkeerslig en ek verkyk my aan die gewoel en geskarrel van so baie mense wat tussen die koue, mistige wasemwolke deurvleg. Dit word nou vinnig donker; In Moskou se vroegmiddag word die staalgrys lug harder en die flou lig sukkel om landmerke te identifiseer.

Die straatligte, die wat nog werk, kom aan en mense skarrel in die dik sneeu vanaf die Metrotreinstasie of bus na hulle bestemming. Hulle waggel soos spoke tussen die stoomwolke op die sypaadjie deur. Die koue se vingers vat ook vas as die lig verdwyn. Gelukkig werk die motor se verhitting heel goed.

Baie mense staan nog tou terwyl dit fyn sneeu, rantsoenkaartjie vir melk en brood in die hand. Daar is geen advertensies op enige gebou nie, en die winkels het net hier en daar flou geel ligte in die meestal leë vensters.

Na ‘n koue en rustelose nag in die Гостиница, uitgespreek as gostinitsa, wat blykbaar naastenby vertaal kan word as gastehuis of hotel, is my ‘lyfwagte’ met die groot swart motor voor die deur.

Ons ry in Tverskaya-Yamskaya af, verby die Belorussky-treinstasie en stop voor ʼn hoë gebou met Stalin se standbeeld op ʼn granietblok.

Die trappe is breed en skoongevee en daar is geen sneeu op die sypaadjie nie. Mense in ushanka hoede en warm jasse wat snyerstyl pas, stap flink nader en maak die motor se deure vir ons oop.

Die ingangsportaal van die Aviatsionnogo Nauchno-Issledovatel’skiy Tsentr is minstens twee verdiepings hoog en daar is beelde en portrette van Stalin, Lenin en verskeie Sowjetunie leiers wat ek kan herken aan die SAUK se nuusberigte van die Rooi Gevaar.

Die vertrek is ietwat te warm.

“Zdravstvuyte, ya Sergey Stepanovskiy,” terwyl hy sy hand uitsteek. ʼn Man wat seker met die tyd te veel van die vetterige Russiese etes genuttig het. Waterige bruin oë en ʼn olierige kuif wat oor sy ongesonde bleek voorkop hang. Ferm handdruk.

“Hallo, ek is Sergey Stepanovskiy,” vertaal die tingerige klein meisie met fyn, rooierige blonde hare. Haar Engels het ʼn effens Amerikaanse aksent.

“Ek is Alonya. Ek sal die vertaling doen. Laat my asseblief weet as jy iets nie verstaan nie.”

Groot blou oë en ʼn klein sproetneusie, moontlik Rusland se weergawe van Twiggy. Haar hand is koel en klein.

Sy kyk oor haar skouer na die fris ou voordat sy voortgaan.

“Meneer Sergey Stepanovskiy was die hoofontwerpingenieur op die Mikoyan 29 vliegtuig. Ons is geëerd om hom hier te hê!”

Ek word ook voorgestel aan Stanimir Turgenev en Jaroslav Petrov. Beide is glo kenners wat gewerk het op die installeringsontwerp van die Klimov RD 33 enjins in die Mig 29 vliegtuig.

“Khorosho, davayte nachnem!” Meneer Stepanovskiy rol ʼn tekening op die tafel oop en begin praat.

Alonya hou haar hand in die lug en hy wag half ongeduldig. “Meneer Stepanovskiy sê: ‘Goed. Laat ons begin!’”

Hierdie gaan ʼn lang dag word.

Die volgende drie dae volg dieselfde patroon. Die enigste verskil is dat ek elke dag meer leer en ook begin glo dat die projek baie uitdagend sou wees, riskant, maar wel haalbaar. Ons werk vir twee weke aan voorstelle en planne om een van Klimov se groot enjins in ʼn Mirage F1 en Cheetah D2 in te bou. My eerste keuse, die Mig 31 se Soloviev D 30F6 enjin, was hopeloos te groot, maar die RD 33 wat in die Mig 29 is, kon amper pas.

Op die laaste dag maak ons saam ʼn opsomming van ons idees en aanbevelings. Almal is optimisties en ek kan aanvoel dat die Russe oorspronklik onder die indruk was dat ons mense in die Republiek nie die vermoë het om saam met hulle te werk nie, maar nou daarna uitsien om so iets saam aan te pak.

Meneer Stepanovskiy kom terug in die vertrek en steek sy hand uit.

“Poka my ne vstretimsya snova!” Alonya leun vorentoe. “Meneer Stepanovskiy sê dat hy daarna uitsien om jou weer te ontmoet!”

Ek probeer my bes om hom te laat verstaan dat ek sy insette en goeie kennis waardeer en dat ek ook daarna uitsien om verder saam met hulle te werk. Hy klop my speels op die skouer en lyk baie tevrede.

Alonya verduidelik dat Stanimir môreoggend saam met my sal vertrek na Leningrad waar ons die ingenieurs van die Klimov enjinfabriek gaan ontmoet.

o0o

Veilig terug in Suid Afrika en ek doen ʼn tegniese voorlegging aan die besluitnemers. Die ander drie lede van die span wat die haalbaarheid van die projek moes ondersoek, deel hulle bevindinge oor finansies en politieke risiko’s.

Na ‘n paar weke kom die antwoord; die projek is ‘n hoë risiko, maar as dit slaag gaan dit baie voordele inhou vir Suid-Afrika se lugvaart-industrie en die Lugmag. My eerste taak is om ʼn klein span tegniese spesialiste saam te stel. Ons word onderwerp aan ʼn baie rigiede proses van Sekerheidsklarings. Verder beplan ons watter tegniese inligting, tekeninge en toerusting ons by die werkplek in Rusland gaan benodig.

ʼn Logistieke span word saamgestel en hulle begin met al die reëlings om, vanuit Suid-Afrika, ons tegniese span in Rusland te ondersteun.

Dek stories word saamgestel en ingeoefen. Kontak besonderhede by ‘n adres en telefoonnommer in Pretoria word verskaf aan die span se families, wat oudergewoonte nie mag weet waar ons gaan werk nie.

Word vervolg.

Klimov RD 33 enjin van ‘n MIG 29, soos dié hieronder (krediet Wikimedia Commons)

Buiteblad, SALVO 3/1994 Die eerste keer dat die projek offisieel in 'n tydskrif beskryf word, met hierdie mooi foto van die vlieënde “Super” Mirage F1 op die buiteblad.

Hier staan ek voor die Гостиница, uitgespreek as gostinitsa, wat beteken: hotel of gastehuis. Moskou, Desember 1990. Plaasjapie met vellies in die -34C buitelug! Die blyplek was baie primitief. Daar was geen toerisme destyds nie.

Russiese ma, ouma en kleindogter op pad om te gaan tou staan by die koswinkel

My kamer in die gostinitsa. Daar was mos geen werklike 'toeriste' uit Westerse lande destyds nie, so die staatshotelle was soos 'n gastehuis vir besoekers uit ander Oosblok lande.

Alles het muf geruik, die bed het 'n harde klapperhaar matras gehad en die verhitting het nie goed gewerk nie. Daar was ook 'n loergaatjie met 'n kamera in die muur.

My tas het vir 3 dae by die lughawe ‘vertoef’. Toe ons KGB wagte dit uiteindelik ‘gevind’ het, was my jeans en Reebok hardloopskoene weg.

Die tafel, in die hoek van ons gostinitsa se eetkamer, was waar van die eerste sketse en berekeninge van die projek gedoen was. Die kos was nie juis iets om oor huis toe te skryf nie.

Ek kon die kragstasie van my kamer af sien. Die oorblywende stoom wat by die kragopwekker turbines uitkom, word gebruik om die omliggende geboue te verhit. Ongelukkig was die pype geroes en daar was baie lekplekke, so ons gebou was maar goed koud.

TROU TOT DIE DOOD TOE: 1987

Genl JV van der Merwe

In September 1989 het die TNV in ’n verslag voorspel dat die ANC met die revolusionêre aanslag teen Suid-Afrika sal voortgaan. Daar is ook voorspel dat die sogenaamde Defiance Campaign onder die vaandel van die Mass Democratic Movement sou voortwoed en dat die hoë vlak van onrus verder sou toeneem. Die ANC sou sy terreuroptredes verskerp, sy ondergrondse bedrywighede uitbou en toenemend massa aksies aanstook.

Al die lede van die inligtingsgemeenskap het met hierdie evaluering saamgestem. Ek is nie bewus daarvan dat die Nasionale Intelligensiediens in enige stadium tydens pres. Botha se bewind onderhandelinge met die ANC as ʼn moontlikheid voorgehou het nie.

OP ʼn dag in September 1987 het mnr. Vlok my na sy kantoor ontbied en ʼn foto aan my gewys. ʼn Geskokte foto ontwikkelaar van Heidelberg het sy persskakelbeampte, brig. Leon Mellet, oor die foto gebel en dit aan hom gestuur. Volgens die ontwikkelaar het ʼn konst. Strydom die negatief ingegee. Op die foto verskyn ʼn blanke polisiebeampte in volle uniform met die onthoofde kop van ʼn swartman in die een hand terwyl hy ʼn jagmes met die ander hand teen die onthoofde se keel hou.

Ek die saak dadelik laat ondersoek en vasgestel dat die polisieman op die foto konst. Barend Strydom van die Nigel polisiekantoor is. Hy het by ʼn padongeluk wat die polisie ondersoek het, die onthoofde kop opgetel en die foto laat neem. Stappe is dadelik gedoen om konst. Strydom departementeel te laat vervolg met die oog daarop dat hy sielkundig behandel word. Hy het egter ontslag geneem voor die departementele verhoor kon begin.

Op 15 November 1988 het die polisie berig ontvang dat ʼn blanke man wild en wakker op swartmense op Strijdomplein in die middestad van Pretoria skiet. Hy is in hegtenis geneem en dit het geblyk Barend Strydom te wees. Hy het 8 swartmense doodgeskiet en 16 gewond, sommige baie ernstig. Die Nasionale Party se kongres was in dié stadium in die Pretoriase stadsaal aan die gang en ek het mnr. Vlok oor die voorval gaan inlig. Gedagtig aan die feit dat daar by so ʼn kongres soms onnadenkende dine gesê word, het ek terloops opgemerk: “Minister, onthou net vir meneer Jimmy Kruger.” Mnr. Jimmy Kruger was Minister van Justisie toe Steve Biko, leier van die swart bewussynsbeweging, in September 1977 in polisie-aanhouding dood is. Mnr. Kruger het in reaksie hierop gesê Biko se dood laat hom koud. Die media het hom verguis oor dié uitlating en dit het sy politieke loopbaan vernietig.

Tydens Strydom se verhoor het dit geblyk dat sy optrede uit haat vir swartmense gespruit het en dat hy inderdaad ernstige afwykings gehad het. Die doodstraf is in Mei 1989 aan hom opgelê, wat versag is tot lewenslange gevangenisstraf toe die doodstraf in 1990 afgeskaf word. In 1993 is hy saam met 175 lede van die ANC, wat almal lang vonnisse gehad het, deur die Staatspresident, mnr. F.W. de Klerk, vrygelaat ingevolge die sogenaamde Record of understanding.

Ligter oomblikke was daar darem ook. Pas nadat ek as hoof van die veiligheidstak aangestel is, het ek probeer om ons hysbakprobleem op te los … tevergeefs.

Wachthuis het uit 10 verdiepings bestaan en dit was ʼn tydrowende proses om met die twee ou hysbakke by jou kantoor uit te kom. Dit het my intens gefrustreer om by enige plek vir ’n hysbak te wag en ek het hulle altyd probeer vermy. Die hysbakke in Wachthuis was voltyds in gebruik omdat die lede van die veiligheidstak gedurig in en uit die gebou beweeg het.

Op ʼn dag, nadat ek amper vyf minute lank op ’n hysbak gewag het, het ek besluit om ʼn stelsel uit te werk om dinge vinniger te laat verloop. Ek het opdrag gegee dat die een hysbak net vir die derde, vyfde, sewende en negende verdiepings gebruik mag word en die ander hysbak vir die ander verdiepings. Waar moontlik, moet die trap gebruik word.

My kantoordeur was altyd oop en enige lid van die veiligheidstak kon my enige tyd spreek. Besoekers moes egter deur die sekretaresse se kantoor loop om by myne uit te kom. Terwyl ek in my kantoor sit, hoog in my skik met die nuwe hysbakreëling, storm brig. Duveen Botha by die sekretaresse se kantoor in met die woorde: “Wie is die idioot wat die gebruik van die hysbakke beduiwel het?” Brig. Botha was voorheen hoof van die vrouelede van die SA Polisie en het ná haar aftrede gehelp om ons verslae taalkundig te versorg. Sy was hoogs intelligent, skerpsinnig, spitsvondig en uitgesproke sonder om aanstootlik te wees.

Haar woorde was duidelik bedoel om my ore te bereik en ek kon nie help om te glimlag nie. Ek het opgestaan, na die aangrensende kantoor gestap en aangekondig: “Ek het die opdrag gegee.” Brig. Duveen het kastig verleë om verskoning gevra en toe vertel watter chaos my “eenvoudige”

stelsel veroorsaak het. Sommige lede het die verdiepings waarop ’n hysbak mag stop, verwar met dié van die ander hysbak, met die gevolg dat daar op elke verdieping harde woorde geval het. Ek moes die opdrag maar terugtrek en weer tandeknersend op die hysbak staan en wag.

Ek het tydens ʼn besoek aan die polisiehoofkwartier in Hongarye die antwoord op ons hysbakprobleme gevind. Die twee hysbakke daar het nie deure gehad nie en voortdurend stadig op en afbeweeg. Mense het net eenvoudig vinnig in en uitgespring. Dit het baie goed gewerk, maar ek is bevrees dit sou nooit aan die veiligheidstandaarde van Suid Afrika voldoen het nie.

KONTAK MET DIE STAMOWERHEDE – ‘N VREEMDE ERVARING EN ‘N LES IN RESPEK

Kol Wynand Schoeman

Kontak met die Stamowerhede ‘n Vreemde ervaring en les in respek.

Kort na my aankoms as Stasiebevelvoerder op Katima Mulilo in die Oos Caprivi in Desember 1978, word ek bewus daarvan dat daar hoofsaaklik twee dominante swart stamme in die Oos Caprivi is, elkeen met sy eie stamgebied. Naamlik die Mafwe’s wat meer in die sentrale en westelike gedeelte van die Oos Caprivi woonagtig was met hul setel by Linyanti (wat soms met Chinchimane as setel afgewissel is), in die omgewing van die Linyanti-meer, en dan die Masubia’s (soms ook Basubia’s genoem), in die oostelike gedeelte van die Oos Caprivi, met hul setel by ‘n plekkie met die naam van Bukalo. Vir albei was hul grondgebied, sogenaamde “Heilige Grond”. Dit het nie veel saak gemaak dat hul almal Capriviane was nie. Elkeen se stamverband en stamgebied was die deurslaggewende faktore. Nogal ‘n vreemde beginsel vir ‘n Westerling soos ek. Iets wat ek voortdurend in ag moes neem in my kontak met die plaaslike bevolking. Daar was drie of vier ander kleiner stamgroepies of stamvolgelinge soos die Mayeyi, Matolela en Mashi, maar het nie wesenlik ‘n groot invloed in die gebied uitgeoefen nie.

Adjudant Offisier Johann Bacher, ‘n uiters bekwame ondersoekbeampte op Katima Mulilo deel my mee dat dit goed sou wees as ek myself aan die twee Stamowerhede kon gaan voorstel. Deels uit respek vir die twee stamme en hul leiers en dan ook om goeie verhoudinge aan te knoop. Ek het my trouens nou in hulle gebied bevind en nie hulle in myne nie. Johann Bacher was reeds baie jare in dié gebied en het hul vreemde gebruike, gewoontes en kultuur goed geken. As ondersoekbeampte het hy dus periodiek met die stamme kontak gehad. Wanneer hy die onderskeie stamgebiede binnegegaan het, het hy van tyd tot tyd by hul stamkantore aangegaan om te sê dat hy in hul gebied doenig was.

Johann Bacher lig my in dat ek nie sommer net by die stamsetels kon opdaag nie. Alles sou haarfyn beplan en gereël moes word. Ek sou vooraf een van die plaaslike lede, wat lid van die betrokke stam is, en reeds “status” in sy gemeenskap het moes stuur om die beoogde besoek te gaan

“onderhandel” en die beplanning van daar af te vat. Ek kon dus nie ‘n Mafwe na die Masubia’s stuur of ‘n Masubia na die Mafwe’s nie. Dit sou neerkom op minagting van die betrokke stam. Ek kon ook nie sommer net een van die jongmanne (al was hy ‘n stamlid), stuur om te onderhandel nie. Dit moes iemand wees wie se jare in ouderdom al ‘n bietjie aangestap het, getroud was en kinders gehad het. Dit het sy “status” en respek in die plaaslike gemeenskap bepaal. Dit was deel van die stamme se kultuur en ‘n baie belangrike aspek wat in ag geneem moes word. Dit was duidelik dat “ouderdom” in hul kultuur en in hul groepsverband “status” bepaal. Om te “onderhandel”, sou ek vasstel, kom daarop neer om konsensus te hê oor dit wat bespreek gaan word én of daar enigiets as teken van goedgesindheid (“token of goodwill”), uitgeruil gaan word.

So stuur ek vroeg in Januarie 1979, op dieselfde dag, twee plaaslike lede, Konstabel Chaka na die Mafwe en Konstabel Likando na die Masubiastamme. Albei was ondersoekbeamptes wat respek in hul onderskeie gemeenskappe geniet het, en bekend met hul stamgebruike en tradisies was. Hulle was ook nie vreemdelinge vir hul onderskeie Stamowerhede nie. Dit moes op dieselfde dag geskied om te voorkom dat een stam kon aanvoer die ander stam word voorgetrek. Ek het ‘n oop agenda gehad met die bedoeling dat ek net wou kennis maak en goeie verhoudinge van staanspoor af met die Stamowerhede vestig. Beide lede sou die Stamowerhede nog twee keer besoek om kleinighede en ‘n haakplek hier en daar uit die weg te ruim. Die Masubia owerheid het amper die beoogde besoek laat skipbreuk ly omdat hul gevra het dat ek met dié besoek vir hulle ‘n paar sakke mieliemeel moes optel en aanry. Ek het nie gedink hierdie versoek was in ‘n goeie gees nie. Dit was egter bekend dat die Mafwe owerheid nog altyd ‘n beter gesindheid teenoor die S.A. Polisie geopenbaar het as die Masubia’s. Daarby was die Masubia owerheid klaarblyklik nog altyd meer SWAPO gesind.

Daar word op twee verskillende datums ooreengekom vir die onderskeie besoeke. Gelukkig was die Mafwe besoek ‘n paar dae voor die Masubia besoek en kon ek dit dus maklik verduidelik as dit ‘n kwessie sou wees. Die verhoudinge tussen die Mafwe’s en die Masubia’s was ook stram omdat daar tussen die twee stamme ‘n grond geskil was oor die Muyako gebied naby die Linyanti meer. Beide stamme het op die lappie grond aanspraak gemaak en sou dit vorentoe amper tot ‘n burgeroorlog tussen dié twee stamme lei wat met tussenkoms van onder andere die SWA Administrasie vir Capriviane (en ek dink ook die tussenkoms van die S.A. Weermag Sektorbevelvoerder), ontlont is.

Om die samestelling en doel van die Stamowerheid (ook bekend as die Khutha of iKhutha), te verstaan, moet mens die stamstelsel verstaan. Elke statjie het ‘n Hoofman gehad wat normaalweg die oudste of dan senior manlike persoon in dié statjie was. Elke statjie het uit so 15 tot 20 families bestaan. Bokant elke statjie-Hoofman was daar ‘n Senior Hoofman of Indoena wat weer toesig oor ‘n paar statjies gehou het en hul by die Stamowerheid (meer bekend as die Khutha of iKhutha onder die plaaslike bevolking), verteenwoordig het. By die Stamowerheid self was daar dan ook ‘n persoon wat as ‘n Hoofraadgewer, bekend as die “Ngambela”, gefunksioneer het. Die “Ngambela” het die Stamowerheid én die Stamkaptein of Opperhoofman van die betrokke stam (bekend as die “Chief”), van raad bedien. Alle siviele aangeleenthede, verskille tussen inwoners en statjies en kleiner regsaangeleenthede is deur die Stamowerheid hanteer. Dit het die uitbreiding van statjies en betaling van lobola’s ingesluit. Nie alle diefstalle is by die S.A. Polisie aangemeld nie en is dan deur die “Khutha” hanteer en afgehandel, veral as die oortreder bekend was. Een van die redes daarvoor was dat hulle die gewone Westerse regsproses nie altyd verstaan het en as te stadig, langdradig en te omslagtig, beskou het. Oortreders is dan gewoonlik “boetes” opgelê wat meestal die uitruil van beeste behels het. Die uitruil van of betaling van ‘n “boete” deur middel van beeste het dan ook groter waarde gehad as ‘n gewone “boete” wat in ‘n gewone strafhof opgelê sou word. Besluitneming word hoofsaaklik deur die manlike geslag hanteer en het vroue nie sitting by die Stamowerhede nie. Die manne is dan ook verantwoordelik vir verdediging van hul gebied en vir jag terwyl die vroue die landbouers was. Dit is dan ook omdat ek nooit eintlik manne gesien het wat die lande bewerk nie. Daar is ooreengekom dat Johann Bacher my in albei gevalle sou vergesel. Die plaaslike lid (soos van toepassing) sou saamgaan en onder andere optree as ‘n tolk waar nodig en die verrigtinge aan

my verduidelik soos dit vorder. Omdat dit my eerste kennismaking met die Stamowerhede is, sou daar by die Mafwe’s en Masubia’s ‘n klein programmetjie aangebied word. Die plaaslike lede het my ingelig dat ‘n lofsanger vooraf die goeie eienskappe van die “Chief” as Stamkaptein of Opperhoof sou besing waarna ’n kort stamdans sou plaasvind om my in hul gebied te verwelkom. Daarna sou daar iets geëet word waarna ons blykbaar in ‘n kring vir die gesprekvoering sou sit. Deur in ’n kring te sit waar almal mekaar kon sien, kon almal mekaar in die oë kyk as ‘n teken van eerlikheid en dat jy absoluut niks het om weg te steek nie. Dit is dan ook die rede dat ek agterna gevind het dat die “Khutha” vergadering soms sommer buitekant in die opelug onder ‘n groot boom gehou word waar almal mekaar in die oë kon kyk. Veral as dit baie warm was. So tussen die lyne het ek verstaan dat beide Stamowerhede as “goodwill” ‘n paar bottels wyn sou waardeer. Ek reël met die tapkantien vir 6 bottels wyn (drie rooi en drie wit) asook ‘n bottel whisky vir die Stamkaptein of “Chief” toe ek die Mafwe owerheid gaan besoek. Om een of ander rede sê my voorgevoel vir my om nog ses bottels in te pak wat ek een kant in die voertuig hou. Vir die wis en onwis neem ek ook ‘n pak van 6 blikkies Coca Cola saam.

Met die besoek aan die Mafwe owerheid sou die Stamkaptein (“Chief”), Richard Muhinda Mamili V, die Opperhoof van die Mafwe’s, self teenwoordig wees. “Chief” Mamili, soos hy algemeen bekend gestaan het, was van 1972 tot 1987, die Opperhoof van die stam en ‘n gematigde en baie nederige leier wat bekend was vir sy goeie samewerking aan die Administrasie, Polisie en die SAW. Hy was ook die eerste Hoofminister in die Administrasie vir Capriviane, en was dus inderdaad die “Eerste Minister van die Caprivi”. Die Mamili’s het afgestam van die Koningshuis van ene George Mamili en het dus “blou bloed” in sy are gehad. Ek sou hom leer ken as ‘n waardige en nederige leier wie die respek gehad het van almal met wie hy in aanraking gekom het.

Op die betrokke dag, ‘n Woensdag, pak ek en Johann Bacher die rit na Chinchimane, so 70 kilometer vanaf Katima Mulilo, aan waar die byeenkoms sou plaasvind. Die plaaslike lid volg in ‘n ander voertuig en bring ook die alkoholiese verversings. Die afspraak was vir 11:00 die oggend. Ek het aanvanklik gedink om nie in uniform te gaan nie maar ‘n langbroek safaripak aan te trek omdat ek nie wou hê dat my rangtekens die byeenkoms versteur nie. Op die ou end het ek wel in my kamoefleeruniform, wat ons standaard drag in die Caprivi was, gegaan omdat ek die S.A. Polisie verteenwoordig het en in elk geval aan diens was.

Ons arriveer so twintig minute voor elf by die Mafwe Stamowerheid en ek en Johann Bacher bly in die voertuig sit terwyl Konstabel Chaka ons aankoms gaan rapporteer. Heel stiptelik kom Konstabel Chaka net so voor 11 uitgestap en meld dat ons kon nader beweeg. Hy verduidelik dat die “Chief”, die “Ngambela” en ses van sy Indoenas ons voor die gebou sou inwag. Die “Ngambela” sou die “Chief” en sy Indoenas voorstel, waarna hy, Konstabel Chaka, vir my en Johann Bacher, aan die “Chief” sou voorstel. Konstabel Chaka sou aan my linkerkant plek inneem en sou ook as tolk optree om die verrigtinge aan my te verduidelik. Johann Bacher sou regs van my aantree. Die alkoholiese verversings bly eers in die voertuig. Ons beweeg nader met ons drie in ‘n reguit lyn met my in die middel en gaan staan so 6 tree vanaf die “Chief” met sy gevolg toe Konstabel Chaka ons vra om te stop. Sonder om ‘n woord te sê buig die “Chief” en sy gevolg asook die “Ngambela” ver vooroor as ‘n teken van respek. Respek het nie ‘n taal of woorde nodig nie. Konstabel Chaka deel my mee dat ons die teken van respek moet erken deur ook vooroor te buig. Ek en Johann Bacher buig ver vooroor terwyl konstabel Chaka op sy knieë afgaan as teken van respek en omdat dit van hom verwag word as stamlid. Nog steeds word niks gesê nie. Toe almal regop gekom het, beweeg die “Ngambela” na vore en stel die “Chief voor” wat weer ‘n buiging na vore maak. Daarna stel hy die Indoenas een vir een voor waarna elkeen, na sy voorstelling ook weer ‘n diep buiging maak. Die “Ngambela” praat Lozi en Konstabel Chaka verduidelik in Engels wat besig is om te gebeur. Die “Ngambela” vra Konstabel Chaka daarna om ons voor te stel. Konstabel Chaka tree so tree na vore en stel vir my en Johann Bacher voor, alhoewel Johann Bacher reeds aan die meeste “Khutha” lede bekend was. Na elke voorstelling buig ek en Johann Bacher as teken van respek. Daarna word ons die geleentheid gegee om met almal hande te skud.

Konstabel Chaka vra ons om weer so ses of sewe tree terug te staan sodat die lofsanger sy ritueel en passies kan kom uitvoer. Van die kant af kom ‘n lofsanger, geklee in tradisionele drag, ‘n diervel met ‘n skild en spies in die hande, aan, terwyl hy heen en weer wieg en kom staan tussen ons en die stamlede terwyl hy diep voor die “Chief” buig en dan regop kom. Ek verstaan nie ‘n kop of stert van wat hy sê nie maar Konstabel Chaka verduidelik dat hy die lof van die “Chief” besing deur van sy wysheid, goeie kenmerke en dapperheid te vertel. Hy vertel ook dat die “Chief” die goedgesindheid van die voorvaders ervaar en dat die Mafwe’s in besonder geëer is om so wyse man as hul Opperhoof te hê. Toe hy klaar is buig al die Indoenas in die rigting van hul “Chief” en ek en my gevolg buig eweneens. Vir so wyse man moet jy baie respek hê en die Indoenas buig ‘n tweede keer. Konstabel Chaka vra ons om weer te buig en ons buig nog ‘n keer en verduidelik hy aan my dat dit is om te wys dat ons dit wat die lofsanger gesê het, as waar erken. Die lofsanger onttrek na so 5 minute en ek sien dat ‘n tromslaner en groepie vroue, ook in tradisionele drag, aan die regterkant stelling ingeneem het.

Die “Ngambela” praat met Konstabel Chaka en hy vra ons om so entjie verder terug te beweeg sodat die stamdansers hul passies kan kom doen. Die volgende moment begin die tromslaner sy trom timmer met ritmiese handbewegings wat so vinnig geskied dat ek dit nie met my oë kan volg nie. Die vroue begin in die binnekring in die rondte dans, eers deur heen en weer te wieg en dan sulke sprongetjies in die lug te maak terwyl hul ‘n tradisionele lied sing. Soms klink dit asof hul jodel. Konstabel Chaka verduidelik dat dié stamdans is om ons te verwelkom en dat ons agterna weer sal moet buig en gepaardgaande daarmee sal moet hande klap as erkenning aan die dansers. Die tromslaner se getimmer en gepaardgaande sang is so bietjie hard en ek moet Konstabel nog ‘n keer vra wat hy gesê het maar ek kry die boodskap. Die stamdansery duur sowat 10 minute waarna ons drie die nodige erkenning gee deur te buig en hande te klap. Weer ‘n vorm van respek.

Die rituele aan die buitekant is afgehandel en die “Ngambela” verduidelik dat ons nou na binne kan beweeg en dat daar nou eers iets geëet gaan word. Niemand kan op ‘n leë maag vergader nie en as teken dat ons mekaar se goedgesindheid en as persoon aanvaar, sal daar nou eers geëet word. Ek sien die “Ngambela” praat met Konstabel Chaka. Konstabel Chaka deel my mee dat daar gevra is of ons wyn saamgebring het. Ek deel hom mee om die wyn, whisky en Coca Cola te gaan haal en die whisky direk vir my te bring aangesien dit spesifiek vir die “Chief” bedoel is. Ek is so bietjie lugtig vir wat bedien sou word maar sien dat daar twee bakke met gebraaide vleis is. Daar is ook ‘n kastrol met pap en nog ‘n dis of twee wat ek nie ken nie, op die tafels. Tydens die seremonie buitekant het ek gebraaide vleis geruik maar nêrens ‘n vuur of rooster gesien nie. Ek sou later agterkom dit was aan die agterkant van die gebou. Alles is netjies gerangskik en daar is borde met messe en vurke om vir ons voorsiening te maak asook tafels en stoele met voldoende sitplek. Daar is ook wynglase in een hoek gerangskik. Ek sien dat die bottels wyn sommer onmiddellik oopgemaak word. “Chief” Mamili dui aan dat daar eers gebid gaan word en een van die Indoenas tree nader om te bid in sy eie taal.

Die “Ngambela” beduie dat ons kan gaan skep. Ek vra die “Chief” om eerste te skep en hy doen dan ook so om aan te dui dat die kos veilig en skoon is en dat ons dit moet geniet. Ek is dankbaar vir die mes en vurk want dit sou maar moeilik as Westerling gaan deur net met die hande te eet. Van die vleisnitte lyk nie vir my juis bekend nie en ek gaan maar vir die kleinste stukkie in die bak. Ek is verbaas om te sien daar is gebraaide boerewors in die een bak, iets waarmee ek bekend is en gaan eerder daarvoor. Ek sou later hoor dat “Chief” Mamili ‘n voorliefde vir braaiwors ontwikkel het en dit spesiaal laat aankoop het. Boerewors was so aan en af in die plaaslike slaghuis op die dorp beskikbaar maar nie heeltemal dieselfde gehalte wat geur en smaak betref as wat jy in die stad sou kry nie. Die pap was van growwe meel maar iets wat ek saam met die wors kon geniet. Die ander twee disse wat ek nie geken het nie, was tradisionele geregte wat van inheemse plante gemaak is. Iets onbekend. Die wyn vloei en die Indoenas geniet hulleself. Ek bly maar by Coke en is dankbaar ek het dit saamgebring. Ek merk op dat Johann Bacher ook maar by die wors en pap bly. Ek moet sê ek het lanklaas gesien dat so klein groepie mense so baie vleis kon wegpak. Om goed te eet was deel van dié mense se kultuur. Die deursneë Capriviaan was so maer soos ‘n

honger sprinkaan maar jy sou dit nooit geglo het as jy nie gesien het hoe hulle kan eet nie. Tydens die ete het ek en “Chief” Mamili basies oor ons families en kulture gesels. Hy vra my uit oor die blanke kultuur en vang my so bietjie onkant omdat ek nie mooi weet wat om te antwoord nie. Ek vertel hom toe maar van ons liefde vir familiekuiers, sang, sport (rugby), braaivleis en pap. Dit was vir my duidelik dat die stamtradisies baie meer kultuurryk was in vergelyking met ons eie tradisies.

Na ete was dit tyd om bietjie in ‘n kring te sit en te gesels en vertrouensbande te smee. Van die Indoenas het hul gate uit geniet met die wyn en ek dink van dié manne het die wyn bietjie te vinnig weggesluk. Alhoewel dit in ‘n koelhouer met ys was, was dit nie meer so koud nie. Selfs na die formele geselsie het dié manne nog lekker gekuier en gesorg dat die wyn nie vermors word nie. Ons het almal in ‘n kringetjie gaan sit om te gesels. “Chief” Mamili het ons toe in ‘n paar woorde persoonlik verwelkom en my toe kans gegee om ‘n paar woorde te spreek. Ek gebruik die geleentheid om dankie te sê vir die geleentheid om hul te ontmoet en dat ons daar is om vriendskapsbande te versterk. “Chief” Mamili vra my weer uit uit oor die grote van my gesin en familiebande en dit is gou duidelik dat groot gesinne in die stamkultuur eintlik hul “rykdom” en status bepaal, in teëstelling met kleiner gesinne in die westerse kultuur. “Chief” Mamili het geen probleme of klagtes gehad met polisiëring in sy gebied nie. Ek oorhandig aan hom die bottel whisky as teken van ons goedertrou en wens om met die Stamowerheid saam te werk. Op sy beurt oorhandig hy aan my ’n vlakvarktand wat in hul kultuur die liefde vir jou gesin maar ook dapperheid simboliseer. Dit is bekend dat ‘n vlakvark alles sal doen om sy of haar kinders teen die “vyand” soos ongediertes te beskerm. Vlakvarke was volop in die Caprivi en waarskynlik ‘n lekkerny op die etenstafel. So eindig ons besoek aan die Mafwe Stamowerheid. Die besoek aan die Masubia’s het nog voorgelê. Stamkaptein (“Chief”) Joshua Mutwa Moraliswani was die Opperhoof van die Masubia’s met hul Stamkantore by Bukalo, sowat 40 kilometer ooswaarts vanaf Katima Mulilo, op die roete na Ngoma op die Botswanagrens. Die Masubia’s se geskiedenis kan eweneens teruggespoor word na die tydperk van ene Koning Sanjo in die 18de eeu of self vroeër. Die Masubia lede op die stasie het my onder andere meegedeel dat die Masubia “Khutha” dan ook bekend staan as “The Palace of the Masubia Kingdom”. My gevoel gedurende my tydperk in die Caprivi, was dat Kaptein Moraliswani die regering van die dag nie so goedgesind was nie. Dit is egter my mening en ek kon verkeerd wees. “Chief” Moraliswani het al bietjie aangestap in jare en was ouer as “Chief” Mamili van die Mafwe”s.

So ry ek en Johann Bacher dié betrokke dag na Bukalo met die plaaslike lid wat volg in ‘n ander voertuig en weereens die alkoholiese verversings saambring. Weereens neem ek 12 bottels wyn, ‘n bottel whisky en 6 blikkies Coca Cola saam. Net duskant Bukalo ry ons verby ‘n “tradisionele slaghuis” waar ‘n beeskarkas opgehys in ‘n boom hang en klante dan die stuk vleis kom kies wat hul wil hê. Langs die boom sit ‘n man met ‘n kapmes om jou homp vleis vir jou af te kap soos jy dit ookal verkies. Dit is soos dit in die Bos gedoen word. Met die vleiskarkas in gedagte wonder ek wat die Stamowerheid te ete gaan voorsit en ek hoop maar, as dit enigsins vleis sou wees, dit nie van die “tradisionele slaghuis” afkomstig sou wees nie. Die stapelvoedsel in die Caprivi is maar merendeels Caprivibees, pap (wat hul “inkoko” noem), vis wat meestal gesondroog word en suurmelk. Die vis bestaan merendeels uit botterige modderbabers, tiervis en kurpers. Veral die kleiner kurpertjies word netso in die son gedroog. Verder maak vlakvark, bosvark, seekoei en olifantvleis, springhaas en waterbok deel van hul dieet uit. Natuurlik sou hul plaaslike hoendertjies nie weggegooi word as dié te sterwe gekom het nie.

Ons arriveer weer so twintig voor elf by die Masubia “Khutha” maar word eers heelwat later as elfuur genooi om aan te tree. Daar was blykbaar nie haas nie en Afrikatyd laat hom so bietjie geld. Toe ons so 40 minute later nader genooi word, neem die verrigtinge min of meer dieselfde vorm aan as by die Mafwe Stamowerheid. Daar is die tradisionele lofdanser en stamdans (sonder die trom). Met die ete loer ek so vinnig wat in die kastrol op die tafel is (wat lyk soos kookvleis), en wat die ander disse behels. Dit lyk ook of daar vis op die tafel is maar ek is nie so seker nie. Ek vra Konstabel Likando om vir my te gaan kyk en hy kom terug met die inligting dat dit kookvleis, gedroogde vis, gewone pap asook suurpap is. Met die gedagte aan die “tradisionele slaghuis” op pad na Bukalo,

sien ek nie kans vir die kookvleis nie en skep vir my gewone pap en ‘n stukkie gedroogde vis in. Ek kan nie vir alles nee dankie sê nie. Ek is maar skrikkerig vir die gedroogde vis (wat ‘n groot lekkerny onder die Capriviane is), en ek sluk dit met pap en slukkies Coke af. Dit proe nogal nie te sleg nie. Die wyn vloei en die Indoenas, met die “Ngambela” aan die voorpunt beweeg nie te ver weg van die hoekie waar die bottels wyn staan nie.

Na die ete sit ons weer in die tradisionele sirkel om almal in die oë te kan kyk. “Chief” Moraliswani heet ons welkom maar meld dat hy later vir ons ‘n klompie vrae het. Ek verduidelik soos by die Mafwe’s dat ons daar is om goeie bande te smee en mekaar beter te leer kan, maar dit verhinder die “Chief” nie om vrae te vra en opmerkings te maak wat die besoek so bietjie versuur nie. So wil hy later weet hoekom sy “onderdane” so lank in die polisieselle moet sit totdat hul hofsake afgehandel is (een van sy stambroers sit reeds 6 maande in die selle vir moord en nog steeds is dié betrokke hofsaak nie afgehandel nie). Hy wil weet hoekom word sake so baie keer uitgestel en nie sommer dieselfde dag afgehandel soos by die “Khutha” nie. Hy is klaarblyklik vies omdat borgvoorwaardes neergelê word waar die borggeld nie betaal kan word nie omdat sy mense nie daardie klas van geld het nie. Kan beeste nie as borggeld dien nie? Dan is hy ook ontevrede omdat die Masubia’s in die selle, nie kos van buite kan ontvang nie. Dié kos wat aan die prisoniers en verhoorafwagtendes voorsien word, is nie tradisioneel nie. Laastens wil hy weet hoekom gevonnisde prisoniers wat langtermyn tronkstraf uitdien (langer as 1 jaar), hul vonnisse in Windhoek moet uitdien en nie op Katima Mulilo nie. Hy peper my met vrae. ‘n Regte korrelkop wat jou nie behoorlik kans gee om op sy vrae te antwoord nie. Ek probeer verduidelik dat dit nie net die S.A. Polisie is wat hier betrokke is nie, maar ook die Departemente van Justisie asook Gevangenisse. Hy wil dit nie verstaan nie want dit is die S.A. Polisie wat sy stamgenote gearresteer het en weggeneem het. Die S.A. Polisie is dus verantwoordelik. Nie juis goeie en opbouende diplomatieke interaksie van die “Chief” se kant af as ons juis goeie betrekkinge wil verstewig nie. ‘n Regte volstruisbenadering. Kop in die sand en storm voort. Sonder om te dink dat hy eintlik verhoudinge vertroebel nie. Johann Bacher kom tussenin en verduidelik dat hy die staatsaanklaer in die moordverdagte se saak is. Die plaaslike Landdroskantoor het nie volle jurisdiksie nie en daar word dus gewag vir die volgende sitting van die Streekhof op Katima Mulilo. Daar is dus uitstelle en vertragings. Johann Bacher verduidelik dat hy sy probleem met borgvoorwaardes met die Landdros moet opneem. Dit lyk egter nie of hy veel ag slaan op wat van ons kant af gesê word nie. Johann Bacher verduidelik dat sake nie in een dag klaar ondersoek word nie. Ondersoek is ‘n tydsame proses. Daar moet onder andere gewag word vir vingerafdrukrekords. Dit klink nie of die Masubia’s oor die algemeen baie respek vir die regstelsel het nie, onder andere omdat hul nie die prosesse verstaan nie. Nie te min die man het vinnig afgekoel toe ek die bottel whisky uit haal en op die tafel neersit juis met die doel om die rigting waarin die gesprek beweeg het, te stop. Ek dink dit was net my en Johann Bacher se ingebore ordentlikheid en polisiedissipline wat gekeer het dat dié gesprek heeltemal skeef loop. Net soos by die Mafwe Stamowerheid bied hy my ook na sy tirade ‘n vlakvarktand aan. Terug by die stasie het Konstabel Likando genoem dat hy graag so vlakvarktand wil hê wat aan sy “Chief” behoort het. Ek het toe summier die vlakvarktand aan hom geskenk. Omdat Konstabel Chaka sal weet dat ek dié tand aan Konstabel Likando gegee het, gee ek hom toe ook maar die tand wat ek by “Chief” Mamili ontvang het. Die besoek aan die Mafwe “Khutha” het onder gemakliker omstandighede plaasgevind en ek vermoed dat die Indoenas by die Masubia “Khutha” vir “Chief” Moraliswani so bietjie opgesweep het en letterlik van “skietgoed” voorsien het. Dit was die enigste keer wat “Chief Moraliswani” so teenoor my of Johann Bacher opgetree het, al het ons albei hom agterna weer verskeie kere gesien. Miskien was dit maar sy “sterkman politiek”vir die betrokke dag. Volgens Johann Bacher wou “Chief” Moraliswani met die intrapslag aantoon dat die Masubia eintlik die dominante fak tor in die Caprivi was en nie die Mafwe”s nie. Sy optrede was egter nie in die gees van die dag nie. Wat ‘n anti klimaks. Ek het agterna die Landdros ingelig en versoek om ‘n afspraak met die betrokke “Chief” te maak om aan hom te verduidelik hoe die regsprosesse werk. Na die twee besoeke het ek nogal baie gehad om oor na te dink. (Nota: S. A. Polisie Katima Mulilo het as gevolg van lang afstande en afgesonderdheid van dié gebied, op daardie stadium toestemming van Departement Gevangenisse gehad om gevonnisde prisoniers wat tot I jaar of minder gevonnis is, in die polisieselle aan te hou vir uitdiening van hul straf).

Omdat ek besef dat ek maar min van die tradisionele swart kultuur weet en inderdaad verstaan, vra ek die plaaslike lede agterna om my meer daarvan te vertel. So verneem ek dat die doel van die lofsanger was om die goeie eienskappe en dapperheid van die “Chief” onder my aandag te bring en te beklemtoon. Tradisionele danse weer word om verskeie redes gedoen en verskil van mekaar. Danse kan ondermeer ‘n geestelike inslag hê of seremonieel wees. So word daar gedans om gaste te verwelkom, kontak met voorvadergeeste te maak of dankie te sê vir ‘n suksesvolle jagtog of oes. Daar is ook oorlogsdanse of danse wat spesifiek by trouens gedans word. Daar is ook danse vir verskillende lewenssiklusse en storievertelling. Dit was duidelik dat danse ’n groot mistieke inslag het en van groot kulturele waarde is. So leer ek met die intrapslag sommer ‘n paar dinge wat ek nie geweet het nie. Soos die tyd in die Caprivi aangestap het, het ek agtergekom dat ek nêrens ‘n gewone begraafplaas sien soos ons dit in die weste ken nie en ek vra die manne daaroor. So leer ek dat afgestorwenes gewoonlik in die betrokke statjie se beeskraal, min of meer in die middel van die statjie begrawe word. Dit sou die voorvaders welgeval en dan ook groter beskerming aan die statjie en stam verleen. So leer ek dat die vrou(e) en kinders van ‘n afgestorwe broer byvoorbeeld sou oorgaan na die volgende broer in die familielyn en dat hy vir hul versorging én die kinders se opvoeding verantwoordelik sou wees. Ek kom agter dat beide stamme ‘n bonatuurlike vrees vir uile het. As ‘n stamlid ‘n uil naby een van die statjies opgemerk het, moes hy dit aan sy hoofman gaan rapporteer sodat daar tot die voorvaders gebid kan word om beskerming. ‘n Uil beteken in stamverband dat iemand gaan sterf of dat een of ander ramp die stam gaan tref.

Ek sou agterna weer by die Stamowerhede aangaan as ek in hul gebied was uit respek. Dit is tradisie dat die plaaslike inwoners teenoor mekaar buig, veral as hul die “Chief”, “Ngambela” of selfs ander senior indoenas sou raakloop of sou wou spreek. As hul die “Chief” wou sien is daar dan meestal op hul knieë gegaan met hul hande bymekaar, soos in aanbidding. Die “Chief” het dan ook teruggebuig om aan te dui dat hy hul respek aanvaar. So het veral “Chief” Mamili as hy my wou sien, vooroor gebuig as erkenning van respek. Ek het dit elke keer erken deur dan ook vooroor te buig as respek vir hom.

‘n Interessante maar vreemde ervaring vir ‘n polisieman wie se ervaringsveld tot op daardie stadium tot die stad beperk was. Dit was iets waarvoor ‘n Offisierskursus my nie kon voorberei nie. Ek sou dit vir niks ter wêreld wou mis nie. Daarby saam was ‘n les by die Mafwe’s hoe om werklik respek vir mekaar te kan hê, iets wat ons in die weste maar by hulle kan leer en toepas. (Nota: Die alkoholiese verversings wat by die “Khutha’s” voorgesit is, se koste is deur ‘n spesiale fonds gedek wat ons op die stasie gehad het om vir gaste voorsiening te maak, juis omdat soveel besoekers die gebied op deurlopende basis besoek het).

CONGRATULATIONS: WO (RET) ODIN MOORECFOFT: 90 NOT OUT

Warrant Officer (Ret) Odin Moorcroft, former Commanding Officer (Station Commander), SA Police, Training College (Non European Indian Depot), Wentworth, Durban turned 90 years old.

Happy Birthday, Sir. Salute!

Congratulations on your milestone birthday. First police member to achieve two silver medals for participation in the Comrades Marathon.

Col Logan Govender shared the following photos:

Col Logan Govender

W/O Odin Moorcroft and family

1955 NUWE SAP OFFISIERE

WO Moorcroft and his Son

1953: BREVET

Louwrens Pretorius

Foto Links: Links op die foto is pres SJP Kruger en sy aide de camp mnr HC Bredell.

Foto regs: Lt kol HC Bredell, KPM. Hy was die eerste Sekretaris van Polisie en eerste hoof adjunkkommissaris van die SA Polisie.

Hy was ook verbonde aan die “Geheime Politie” waar hy ‘n stafoffisier was.

CAPT WILLIAM BANNISTER JONES: CP, SAMR, SAP

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21st

3rd

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• Kings South Africa

(additionally entitled to Orange

1807 Pte W.B. Jones, 21ST Coy. Impl: Yeo.

Africa 1901 & 1902 to 895 L. Cpl W.B. Jones, C.P. Dist2.

• 1914/15 Star to Lt. W.

• British War

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LT. W.

LT. W.

clasps

S.A.M.R.

William Bannister Jones was born in Chester, Cheshire on 30 July 1878 the son of William Henry Jones, a Cashier and Manager for a Tile and Cement Merchant by occupation, and his wife Jane. He was baptised in the Church of the Holy Trinity in Chester on 22 September 1878.

We first encounter William at the age of 2 where, according to the 1881 England census, he was at home in 4 Abbey Street in the Cathedral Precincts of Chester along with his parents and Jessie Bithell, a 14-year Domestic Servant who administered to the small family’s needs.

Ten years later, at the time of the 1891 England census, the family were still living in the same house. William was now a schoolboy of 12. His father, now a manager of a building concern, and mother had not been idle in the intervening years since the last census. William did not now lack for playmates he was joined by siblings Florence (9); Gertrude (7); Constance (5); Arnold (2) and Charles (18 months). 16-year-old Harriet Roberts was the General Servant in attendance.

As has been seen, the Bannister Jones family were reasonably prosperous and it wasn’t the lot of a labourer that befell a young William on leaving school. Instead, he joined the firm of Cheers & Hopley of 6 Northgate Street, Chester as an apprentice Chemist. This business had been taken over in 1891 by Samuel Cheers in partnership with John Henry Hopley and William set about learning the trade under their wing.

Late 19th century Victorian England was an exciting place to find oneself in. The Empire was at its Zenith and the sun did not look as though it was ever going to set on the Queen and her Dominions but, trouble was on the horizon long simmering tensions between the United Kingdom and two obscure Boer Republics on the southern tip of faraway Africa were coming to a head. Paul Kruger of the Transvaal and his ally, the Orange Free State, were severely discombobulated by what they perceived to be British plans to unseat them in their quest for colonial expansion.

Things came to a head in October 1899 when, on the 11th of that month, an ultimatum to withdraw all Imperial troops from the borders of the two Republics was met with the expected silence. War followed and, the next morning, Boer Commandos crossed the borders on the British colonies of the Cape and Natal. Initially the Imperial effort stuttered, indeed faltered, and the Boers swept through with almost no military presence to check their progress. This culminated in what became known as Black Week a series of military reverses suffered by the Imperial forces clearly something had to be done and urgently!

Troops stationed in various parts of the Empire were routed to Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and Durban to bolster the number of men on the ground. Aside from this, the call went out for the establishment of an Imperial Yeomanry to assist the efforts of the Regular Army. Men from all walks of life came forward to enrol. Officers who were on the reserve list or on half pay enlisted as Private soldiers in order to get in on the action. All told, three drafts of Imperial Yeomanry were sent out to South Africa at varying times – by far the better stamp of man was to be found with the first draft. Gentlemen from the clubs in London, professionals and members of the nobility and landed gentry all flocked to the banner and it was to this corps that a 21 year old Bannister Jones gravitated, attesting for service with the 21stCompany of the 2nd Battalion (Cheshire Yeomanry) at Chester on 12 January 1900.

Confirming that he was a Chemist by occupation, Bannister Jones was 5 feet 7 ½ inches in height, weighed 130 lbs and had a dark complexion, brown eyes and dark brown hair. Having been passed as Fit by the Doctors he was assigned no. 1807 and the rank of Private. His next of kin was his father and his address, unchanged after all these years, was 4 Abbey Street, Chester. After a very brief period of 18 days on home soil, Bannister Jones and his Company set sail for South Africa and the front.

Arriving in South Africa they took to the field in the Cape Colony. In order to gain a glimpse of where they were deployed and what action they saw it is prudent to consult “The Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser” of Wednesday, 27 June 1900 which carried an article under the banner “Cheshire Yeoman’s Experiences – Letter from Lord Arthur Grosvenor” which read as follows:

“The Mayor of Chester yesterday received a letter from Major Lord Arthur Grosvenor, giving a graphic description of the experiences of the 21st Company of the Imperial Yeomanry. The letter is dated Upington, Orange River, May 26th. Lord Arthur states that they had been at Upington seven weeks, and would very much like to move again, as the men were always in better spirits when marching. They had been very busy fortifying Upington, and although the men had to work in the hottest sun, they were always most cheerful over it.

The officers occupied an hotel free of charge, as it had been packed with rebels. They thought it a perfect palace after sleeping out on the veldt. There had been a strong commando of rebels about 50 miles away, and once they came nearer, so much so that the Yeomanry were saddled up all one night and slept fully armed with their boots on, but the rebels did not attack them. They had one false alarm but were all ready. The guns were out in a moment but no enemy appeared.

It was real bad luck not getting to the front. It was entirely a misfortune which they had to put up with like many other regiments. Fighting was really expected on that side, and Lord Kitchener came up to Prieska with 3000 men, but the rebels bolted. The only fun they had had on the march there was to chase the rebel horses, and take rifles from the farms, and bring in a prisoner or two. The gaol at Upington was full of rebels.

The men in the 21st Company were keeping very well. They had about 10 ill there mostly from malarial fever. Three men had died, and 17 had been left behind sick at Orange River Station, but most of them were well except two Chester men. The Yeomanry were a rough looking lot in the clothes they were wearing. They had got no others and no tents. It was a long time to keep the troops without tents, but no one grumbled and they took the rough as if it was smooth.”

As can be gleaned from the above letter, Bannister Jones’ 21stCompany was hardly in the thick of things and, as time wore on and no orders came to move anywhere near where the action was perceived to be, the more adventurous among the men looked for the first opportunity to transfer out into a unit that, while not guaranteeing them action against the Boers, would at least place them in the vicinity of the enemy. They had been marooned in Upington since April 8th.

The opportunity, when it came, was in the form of the Cape Police. This well known unit would have been familiar to the men of the 21stas it operated within their orbit. On 23 August 1900, after 231 days with the Yeomanry, Bannister Jones and 38 men and non commissioned officers took their discharge, having been marched to Kimberley and enrolled in the ranks of the Cape Police. A full list of these men was published in the Cheshire Observer of 6 October 1900.

On attesting with the Cape Police District II (based in Kimberley), Bannister Jones was assigned the rank of 3rd Class Private and no. 895 (this later changed to no. 234) on a rate of pay of 4 shillings per day. His career with this august body was not without blemish on 28 January 1901 he was fined 10/ for “Hesitating to obey an order”. That he served in the Orange Free State and Transvaal subsequent to joining the CP is confirmed by the award of these two state clasps to add to that of the Cape Colony.

The Cape Police was such a ubiquitous unit with so many men in the field that it is difficult to determine exactly where and when each man was. Suffice it to say that they were often mentioned in the dispatches of the day for the sterling work they did in the guerrilla period of the war where the Boers, now broken up into small “hit and run” style commandos, were doing their best to break through the cordons and block house lines that were employed to hem them in and force their surrender.

The new recruits to their ranks from the Imperial Yeomanry were, according to a letter that George Powell (no. 1886, 21st Coy, I.Y./899 Cape Police) wrote which was published in the Cheshire Observer of December 29, 1900, split up into a contingent destined for Mafeking and a contingent destined for Vryburg. Fortunately, we know that Bannister Jones was assigned to the Vryburg contingent and we are thus able to track his movements through the content provided by his colleague Powell who wrote wholesomely on their actions thus:

“We joined the police as we wanted to see a bit more life than is to be found at Upington, and it looked like another six months for us there. We rode to Kimberley (a 300-mile ride) and landed there in almost rags and tatters; it was not long before we were visiting the tailor’s and the bootmaker’s shops.

After staying there, a week we moved off to Vryburg from where a column was going out under General Little, and we went to relieve a place called Schweizer Reineke, which had been besieged for several weeks. On our way the burning of houses was a great thing. The Boers moved their positions each day in front of us. At last, we landed in Schweizer Reineke and stayed the night. Next morning, we went back half-way to escort a convoy which had been sent on after us. At last, the convoy came along, so we went on with our marching. The next place was Commandant Pretorius’ farm, a fine house but this had to come down with the rest.

The next place we came to was De la Rey, and this came down in quick time, as we wanted to get into Schweizer Reineke at night. Next day we left for Christiana with the column. We had no hurry this trip, and we found Christiana well garrisoned, and stayed there a week while the convoy went to Fourteen Streams for provisions. Here they found us patrol work to do. At last, our convoy came in and we started to march on Bloemhof, which was occupied by the Boers. As we were nearing the place, they “spotted” us coming over the hills and bolted in quick time. Here we burnt a few houses in the afternoon.

We had a fine chase after them for some miles, but their horses were better than ours so they managed to keep well out of our way. From there we went to Hoopstad which we found well under our own garrison so we stopped for a day to fill ourselves up with rations. From there we went to Bothaville, and leaving there in the early morning we came into line with the Vaal River by noon. There we camped for dinner and in the afternoon, sniping started and continued until we got to our camping ground for the night. Here, about two o’ clock in the morning, they opened fire on us from the other side of the river, when they put a few volleys into us, doing little or no harm.

We held tight to the ground while they were buzzing past our heads, but we did not answer their fire to let them know where we lay. Next day we advanced up the river, sniping going on all the time until we came to Commando Drift. Here we communicated with General Hunter. Next day we made a move back still firing continued all along the river. At noon we made a camp for dinner, intending to get to Hoopstad that night.”

Powell went on to recount how we was part of a small patrol who was detached from the main force and who then got captured by the Boers. I haven’t included this as there is no evidence to suggest that Bannister Jones was part of this patrol.

Bannister Jones’s war in the service of the Cape Police seems to have been much more interesting than the time he spent with the Imperial Yeomanry. The war over on 31 May 1902, he elected to stay in South Africa, in the employ of the Cape Police. He had been promoted to 1stClass Private on 4 February 1902 this was followed by promotion to Lance Corporal on 24 October 1902 and to Corporal on 15 March 1903. By this time, he was on a daily rate of pay of 8/ but this was increased to 8/6 per day on 15 March 1905 after he was able to evidence his mastery of the Dutch language.

Disappearing from the scene for a number of years, Bannister Jones surfaced again in Kimberley where, on 22 December 1913, he accepted promotion to Lieutenant with the 3rd South African Mounted Rifles, from the rank of Corporal. Soon after he was transferred to Dundee in Natal. His next appearance was at Dordrecht in the Eastern Cape where, on 13 April 1914 at the age of 35, at St. Augustine’s Church, he wed Sarah Harding, a 22 year old young lady whose family farmed “Pilgrim’s Rest” at nearby Wodehouse. He was still stationed at Dundee in Natal at the time.

1914 was to be a momentous year in his life, and in the lives of millions of people all over the world, for another entirely different reason. On 4 August 1914 the world woke up the Great War only 12 years after the cessation of hostilities in South Africa, the British Empire was to take up arms again on this occasion against the German aggressor, Kaiser Wilhelm II. South Africa was prevailed upon to assist with an “urgent Imperial service” the conquest of neighbouring German South West Africa and the decommissioning of a powerful radio transmitter the Germans had erected there. But first there was the matter of internal rebellion to suppress not everyone was happy with South Africa siding with Britain. There were a number of Boer leaders and men within whose bosom rankled a sustained hatred of the British foe they had fought so recently. General Botha and his Minister of Defence, General Smuts, having navigated the bill through parliament which saw South Africa allied to Britain now had to quell the internal uprising. This was done with ruthless efficiency and, by the end of December 1914, the country was ready to invade German South West Africa. Bannister Jones, already in uniform with the S.A.M.R., was deployed with effect from 23 August 1914, entering the theatre of war at some point. On 4 March 1915 he was sent back to Tempe (Bloemfontein) suffering with a Not Yet Determined (N.Y.D.) condition which required hospitalisation until his discharge to Light Duty on 7 March. He remained at Tempe until the conclusion of the campaign on 9 July 1915 and saw no further service outside the borders of South Africa for the remainder of the war.

Bannister Jones’ next move was to Pietermaritzburg where he found himself in 1917. From there he was posted to Port Shepstone, on the South Coast of Natal it was here that at least two of his three children were born. The Government Gazette of 1 April 1920 carried the order that, “The following officers of the South African Mounted Rifles have voluntarily transferred to the South

African Police and have been appointed in the following ranks.” in the case of Bannister Jones it was from Lieutenant to Sub Inspector.

By 1925 he was an Inspector of Police stationed at a place well known to him Vryburg in the Northern Cape. It was here that his last child, Eric Raymond was born on 25 May. The family were living at the Police Camp at the time.

Unbeknown to either himself or his family, he didn’t have many more years left in him. On Sunday, 19 January 1930 at the age of 51 years 6 months, he passed away at the Potchefstroom Hospital. He had undergone an operation for acute appendicitis on 15 January which failed to drain correctly, leading to septicaemia and heart failure. He left behind a grieving widow and three children.

The Chronicle of Saturday, February 22nd, 1930 carried the following article: -

‘Death of Capt. Bannister Jones An Old Cheshire Yeoman

The Cheshire friends of Captain Bannister Jones will be sorry to hear of his death at Potchefstroom, Transvaal, South Africa after an operation for appendicitis. When war broke out in South Africa, Capt. Jones joined the 21st Battalion, Earl of Chester’s Yeomanry, and proceeded to South Africa and served until the end of the war, when he joined the Cape Mounted Police and obtained his commission. He served for many years as Commandant at Vryburg, and was recently transferred to Potchefstroom.

Full military honours were accorded at the funeral, at which his police sergeants acted as pall bearers. The police band preceded the cortege, while a detachment of men of the Mounted section of Police drawn from town and out stations in the district paraded with rifles at the reverse. The mourners were the widow and children, Major Cullinan of Vryburg and Mrs Burt of Pretoria, a sister of Mrs Jones. A detachment of foot police followed, after which came the local staff of the Prison Service, headed by the Chief Warder. A detachment of 24 cadets of the School of Industries under command of Captain H. Buttery, attended, and the rear was brought up by a number of native constables.’

William Bannister Jones, had departed this life early he had much more to give

• His medals

1939

HBH

1945: OSSEWABRANDWAG: DURBAN

Majoor George Cloete Visser, KPM, skryf onder meer in sy boek: OB: Traitors or Patriots, op p118 min of meer soos volg:

“

Speursersant P. C. van Zyl en ander lede van die polisie het toegeslaan op 'n huis in Orielweg, Wentworth, waar 'n gekamoefleerde opslagplek (cache) versteek was. 'n Vertikale ingang het na 'n sementvloer kelder gelei wat so diep was dat wanneer 'n man daarin staan net 'n deel van sy kop sigbaar sou wees. Die opslagplek was goed gebou en goed versteek.

Hier het Van Zyl 144 stokke geligniet, 194 ontstekers, 41 spoele lont en 'n boks met 45 handgranate gevind. Onder dokumente waarop beslag gelê is, was een waaruit dit blyk dat 'n plan aan die gang is om die droogdok in die Durbanse hawe op te blaas.

Latere navrae het daarop gedui dat hierdie twee mans 'n baie doeltreffende spioenasiestelsel in Durban bestuur het en inligting oor skepe en verskeping by kontakte in die hawegebied ingesamel het.

Dit is meer as waarskynlik dat hierdie sel verantwoordelik was vir die insameling van die inligting met betrekking tot die Suid Afrikaanse ekspedisiemag wat in April 1942 na Madagaskar gevaar het”

Indien

DIE

Genl Van der Merwe as Sersant in Johannesburg boonste foto heel regs. Hieronder die oorspronklike foto:

Bo: Op die grens van die RSA en Lesotho. Onder: Soos ons hom geken het

ons hom geken! Ernstig dog met ‘n bietjie humor!

Links twee oud-DK-klerke: AO Willie du Plessis en genl Johan van der Merwe

Old Mutual gebou: Die ‘ou’ DK kantoor te Standerton

‘n Nota aan AO Willie du Plessis deur genl Van der Merwe

1983: SAP LEEU-GAMKA

De Wit

AOMartinSwanepoel(SB)enSersRonaldPalmer.Foto1983.

R de Villiers

SERSANT RS DE VILLIERS

Ek is 'n Polisieman kind, en my oorlede vader het my baie dinge van die SAP nagelaat wat ek graag met my oud kollegas en dienende lede sal wil deel. My vader het in 1929 as berede lid in die destydse Pretoria Polisiedepot opleiding gekry, daarna in Oos Kaap op die Lesotho grensposte diens verrig.

Na paar jaar is hy Witdraai in die Kalahari verplaas waar hy kamele moes ry en afrig.

Met die uitbreek van WW2 is hy Noord Afrika toe as deel van SAP 2de Divisie en is te Tobroek deur die Duitsers gevangene geneem.

Hy is na Italië per boot geneem waar hy net noord van Rome lank in krygsgevange kamp was. Hy en groot groep mede gevangenes ontsnap en stap 3 maande deur die Italiaanse berge suidwaarts hopende dat die Geallieerde magte uit die suide van Italië hulle sal vind.

Die Kanadese magte kry hulle eindelik en my Ou Kêrel word per boot na Egipte en daarna per vliegtuig na Pretoria gestuur.

Daarna is hy weer in SAP opgeneem en het 42 jaar diens in totaal gehad met aftrede! Ek heg sommer so paar interessante foto’s van sy wedervarings aan vir julle.

1929 Troep Foto

SAP Depot & Leeujag

SAP Kamele

Pietermaritzburg: Genl maj IP de Villiers inspekteer die SAP Brigade

‘n Duitse tenk waarop die SA Magte beslag gelê het

HER FATHERS’ DAUGHTER

John Elsegood

Rozanne Visagie always believed she had had two fathers, “one a King and the other a president.” That is why she told this writer, some two years ago, she wanted to be remembered as Her Fathers’ daughter, plural, rather than the President’s daughter.

Indeed, her father was the South African national leader, PW Botha, who led the country for almost 11 years, after being Defence Minister for 12 years, in perilous times, due to Soviet Cuban threat in bordering countries. Her mother, Elize, was the daughter of a church minister and as Rozanne said, “I saw them on their knees many times and I have fond memories of their Christian influence on me.”

In 1978, Rozanne was a student in the South African Army Woman’s College and was awarded the most diligent student award, in the same year her father became Prime Minister, (and six years later the first executive State President).

The same diligence would later apply to her university studies and music- both as a composer and singer.

However, it almost all came to naught in her formative years when a drunken driver crashed, head on, into the car of the then young 16yo teenager, almost claiming her life as well as his own and his friend. Rozanne had a ruptured spleen and was bleeding internally. A passing motorist drove her to hospital, instead of waiting for an ambulance and a faulty anaesthetic machine revived before the emergency operation. “It was my Damascus Road experience, when I realized life was fleeting and I needed to seize the day- Carpe Diem- and make the most of every moment.”

It would be an experience repeated in her married life when her husband Schalk, a Police Colonel was ambushed by murderous assassins on a motorway. His car was riddled with bullets, in February 1999, causing him to be seriously wounded and also undergoing a perilous operation.

During this stressful time, at the hospital, the then President Nelson Mandela, paid her a visit, where she was not backward in expressing her concerns at the explosive growth of criminal activity during his presidency a situation that unfortunately has only worsened.

The pair had met when he was a young officer attached to the presidential protection unit, marrying on 1st December 1990.

Rozanne was not ‘out of the woods,’ as more blows would descend. She fought two earlier battles with cancer, in 2009 10 and 2016, before succumbing this month. “Again, I was aware of the fragility of life and His amazing grace.”

Such demoralising setbacks can be faith destroying but she said she was strengthened to ‘stand against the pricks,’ by the example of her earthly father and those of her timeless spiritual one.

Indeed, looking at her life you can only see determination and a sense of purpose, from the days as head girl of Groote Schuur High school, to her singing, poetry, acting and debating talents.

As an Arts graduate from Stellenbosch University (1981), in Sociology and Philosophy, she was also developing her career as a singer, composer and lyricist, cutting an LP and winning an Afrikaans music contest with her own composition, in this early period.

Her lilting Waai Suidooster (South Easter), sung in the rain, atop Table Mountain and the rollicking, frolicking, Kan ’n Man Dan Nie, engender evocative fishing scenes, food and scents of the Cape, for this writer. Later the love of gospel music became her preference with the CD, Broken Fence, (14 tracks), being released, in 2010.

This Renaissance woman used her talents as musical director of various concerts and TV productions, writing three children’s books, being a newspaper columnist (for Beeld), building Christian action groups, and like her mother was involved in youth outreach and aged care functions, and continued recording, producing a new Afrikaans love song, Wie is jy nou? plus others.

Rozanne appeared on various television and radio programs and worked for Mimosa Films, as production co ordinator, on documentaries as well as the international film, Freedom Run, filmed on the Namibian border, Johannesburg and Tzaneen areas.

In 2012 13 Rozanne launched a new campaign, ‘I will be your voice,’ in aid of the rhino and other species endangered by poachers and political corruption. She sang a duet with her daughter, Shanna backed by son Schalk playing piano and guitar with the group ‘Heavenly Quartez’ singing in Xhosa, in the chorus. Money raised were donated to three wildlife centres.

Her wildlife and horse riding interests stemmed from her father. Ironically ‘PW’ was called the Great Crocodile, (by political opponents), albeit, as the Frontline Fellowship missionary director, Peter Hammond, said, one with a great sense of humour. “That was something Rozanne had too, she was great fun,” he said.

The musical interest has been maintained by Schalk Jr, a data scientist, with four degrees, (in Advanced Maths and Economics), and particularly Shanna who has completed Languages and Philosophy degrees with her missionary work taking her to places such as Uganda, Lesotho, Egypt and the Ukraine. The siblings have combined to sing, write and record too. As Rozanne said of their faith, interests and career paths, “What more could a parent want?”

But clearly Rozanne wanted to give more, and she continued releasing musical singles and another children’s book. In addition, flowing from the rhino project, she was a co-founder of a new Cape Craft Centre, involved in job creation and skills development while still being active in Christian outreach organisations, such as the ’40 days of Global worship,’ prayer walks and various faith events. For recreation, Rozanne enjoyed activities such as water skiing, wind surfing, hiking, animals and nature adventures.

Rozanne’s life was not a long one, and nor like her late friend, the South African missionary, Lenora Hammond, was she spared pain. However, like Lenora, it was a life of drama, compassion and achievement.

END Details

Born:

Died:

•

•

Africa,

October 1959

SAPS HONDE-EENHEID

Dana Kruger

Skokkend, hartroerend, betreurenswaardig, tragies en al die woorde in die wat dui op swak diens. Ek gesels nou met 'n dienende lid van die polisie honde eenheid. Ek sal nie name noem nie en stad vermeld nie. Chaos op chaos.

Enige bloubloed hondeman sal beroerte kry.

Hulle werk tot 3 maande sonder rusdae .

Hy begin soms werk om 03:00 en gaan huistoe na 01:00 die volgende dag maand na maand. Geen rusdae nie.

Hulle is minder as 10 lede oor, ek sal nie die regte getal vermeld nie.

Van die honde is "due" om gekeur te word.

Van die lede wat daar is, doen ook nie meer as wat hul moet nie.

Die rassisme kaart kry voorkeur.

'n Polisiehond het uitgekom en tuinslang in stukke gekou.

Nou maak hulle nie hokke skoon nie.

So julle wat met honde gewerk het, ken die skoonmaak prosedure?

Hy moes vandag 'n emmer gebruik en al die hokke homself skoonmaak terwyl sy kollegas sit. Geen hulp of dank vir sy hulp met die taak nie.

Hulle kry wel oortydbetaling.

Al die hondevoertuie se lisensies het 3 jaar terug verval. Al die voertuie ry daagliks sonder lisensies rond.

Laat dit bietjie insink hoeveel boete geld ter sprake is?

Voertuie staan vir maande by motorhawe.

Daar is net 2 panelbeaters. Onkruid groei deur die voertuie. Daar is 2 VW Golf's wat 7 maande staan.

Een kort 'n waterpomp en die ander 'n termostaat. Voertuie verbak in die bloedige son. Sodra 'n voertuig afgehaal moet word, dan moet 'n nuwe battery eers bekom word, vanweë die staan raak batterye ondiensbaar .

Die proses vat tot 'n week om 'n battery goedkeuring te bekom. Nee wat vriende dit is nag

Ons is besig om loadshedding in alle staatsdiens en munisipaliteite te beleef. Polisievoertuie wat ingaan vir paneelwerk en sê die "stickers" moet verwyder word was vir die laaste 2 jaar nog nie vervang nie.

Jy ry net so sonder dat die voertuig gemerk word, waar hy herstel is.

Ek wou nie verder luister nie anders slaap ek nie vannag nie. Dit is wat gebeur as bevelvoerders en ander offisiere nie meer weet wat hulle werk en pligte behels nie.

Geen ervare lede meer wat leiding kan gee nie. Is jy blank, is jy outomaties 'n rassis. Raar maar waar.

OPPERMAN ZARPS

Iain Hayter

Opperman was born in Cradock on 16 January 1861. In 1873 he moved to the Harrismith area with his family. He served in the 1884 expedition against Usibepu. Here he met Louis Botha, a future comrade-in-arms.

In 1893 he was appointed Lieutenant in the ZARP’s and posted to Swaziland. He served in the Anglo Boer War with the Swaziland Burghers. He fought at Colenso and at Pieters Hill where he was carried from a trench after being concussed by a lyddite shell. He also fought at Barberton, Vryheid and Piet Retief. He was wounded at Itala in September 1901.

A most competent soldier, he was mainly responsible for the British defeat at Scheepersnek and the capture of two guns at Bloedrivierpoort in September 1901 as well as for the destruction of Bethune’s Mounted Infantry.

He was wounded twice before being killed in action on 4 January 1902. when attacking Major Valentin of Plumer’s Column at Onverwacht, near Ermelo, he was shot in the forehead within 20 metres of the enemy as he urged his men forward.

His body lay on the field and his adjutant, M W Coetzer, and Willem Collins battled to load the 120kg body onto a horse. By then, the British columns were arriving at the top of the ridge and the Boers now became subjected to artillery fire. In spite of all their efforts, they failed to recover the general’s body which was left on the field. (Today it lies buried in Vryheid cemetery.)

KOEVOET:

Kol J.J. (Dicks) Dietrichsen

Nota

Op 22 Junie 2022 het ek ‘n e pos van Brigadier Willem Botha ontvang waarin hy my meegedeel het dat Jonathan Pittaway hom op 21 Junie 2022 besoek het en ‘n aantal vrae beantwoord wou hê ten opsigte van bouprojekte vir Koevoet in Oshakati, die Okavango en op Opuwa in die Kaokoveld. Die doel daarvan is om in te sluit in ‘n tweede druk van Jonathan se boek Koevoet – The men Speak Die vrae, puntsgewys soos van Willem ontvang, is net so behou in die verslag wat volg. Ek het wel subnommers toegeken waar nodig en vir makliker verwysing na spesifieke paragrawe.

Inleiding

As operasionele polisiemanne is lede van Koevoet gedurende die tydperk van Desember 1979 tot Desember 1985 getaak om basisse vir huisvesting van gearresteerde SWAPO lede te bou en ook kantore vir die operasionele en administratiewe personeel van Koevoet. Voorts is huisvesting gebou vir ongetroude lede; huisvesting in karavane (mobiele huise) vir getroude Koevoet-lede se elektrisiteit en water gekoppel aan Oshakati se voorsieningstelsels; ‘n groot ontspanningsaal vir Koevoet lede en hul gesinne; woonstelle vir besoekers; ‘n groot werkplek vir Casspirs; woon en kantoorgeriewe sowel asook ‘n groot stoor op Mannheim naby Tsumeb; ‘n Koevoet basis Arendsnes naby Rundu in die Okavango; en kundige advies verleen aan Opuwa vir uitbreiding van hul Koevoet-fasiliteite; werk aan ablusie geriewe by die Koevoet-basis te Ongwediva.

Nota: Tensy in die samehang anders blyk verwys die woorde ek of my na die skrywer van hierdie verslag naamlik J.J. (Dicks) Dietrichsen. Ek het as ‘n Luitenant in Augustus 1979 by Koevoet begin; is Desember 1981 bevorder na Kaptein. Izak Ferdinand (Sakkie) van der Merwe het ‘n week voor my as ‘n Kaptein van Kokstad af by Koevoet aangekom en is in Desember 1981 na Majoor bevorder.

Waaruit het die bouspan bestaan?

In algemene gesprekke met ander lede van Koevoet waar Generaal Dreyer ook teenwoordig was, het ek en Sakkie van der Merwe (toe ‘n Kaptein) vertel dat ons albei self aanbouings aan ons woonplekke gedoen het voor ons verplasings na Koevoet. So het dit gebeur dat Generaal Dreyer (toe nog ‘n Kolonel) ons twee so begin November 1979 gevra het of ons kans sien om ‘n basis by Oshakati te bou waar die gearresteerde SWAPO lede aangehou kan word. Op daardie stadium is al die gearresteerdes nog by 5-Verkenningskommando (5-VK) se fasiliteite by die Ondangwalughawe aangehou en het ons elke dag van Oshakati na Ondangwa gery om ondervraging van gearresteerdes daar te gaan doen. Generaal Dreyer het toe al reeds besluit dat die SAP-lede op hul eie gaan opereer en daarom die behoefte om ‘n eie aanhoudingsplek te hê. Ons het albei gesê dat ons die bouwerk sal doen sonder om op daardie stadium te weet wat dit alles sou behels. Die aanvanklike doel van ons samewerking met 5Vk was ‘n ooreenkoms wat die Kommissaris van die Suid Afrikaanse Polisie, Generaal Mike Geldenhuys, met Generaal Magnus Malan, destyds Minister van Verdediging gehad het. Generaal Malan het versoek dat ‘n eenheid van die Suid-Afrikaanse Polisie inligting moes insameloor SWAPO aktiwiteite in Ovambo om oor te dra aan die SA Weermag vir operasionele optrede. Die keuse daarvoor het op Generaal Dreyer geval wat as voorwaarde gestel het dat hy sy eie personeel mag kies wat die eenheid saam met hom kon begin.

Ek en Sakkie van der Merwe (links bo) is oorspronklik by Koevoet ge emplojeer as spesialis ondervraers van SWAPO terroriste en hulpverleners. Nie een van ons twee het voor ons diensaanvaarding by Koevoet teeninsurgensie-opleiding gehad nie hoewel ons albei lang diens as Veiligheidstak lede gehad het.

Met die bou van Onaimwandi-basis einde 1979 en in begin 1980 het ek en Sakkie aanvanklik self die gate vir die pale waaraan die 6 meter lange IBR sinkplate horisontaal vasgeskroef moes word, gegrawe. Ons het die sement op die bak van ‘n Bedford-trok aangemaak wat vir die pale gebruik

Sakkie is Desember 1982 Oos-Londen toe verplaas. Vanaf begin 1983 was ek alleen in beheer van die bouspan en ook bevelvoerder van Onaimwandi basis tot einde 1985.

is. Ons het aanvanklik nie betonklip gehad nie en het stukke van stene wat ons oral in Oshakati bymekaar gemaak en gebedel het, gebruik om bietjie volume aan die sement te gee. Die gate was diep en ons het op ons mae gelê en sover as wat ‘n arm kon bykom, die los grond onder in die gate met blikkies van ingelegde groente of vrugte uitgeskep. By dit alles het die miere – balbyters – ons ook bygekom. Daarvoor het ons ‘n halwe blik Dubble Bendix by Departement Waterwese van die Ovambo Administrasie gebry. Ons het die poeier met water gemeng en in die gate waaruit die miere gekruip het, gegooi. Dit het baie gehelp dat ons nie hul tot prooi geval het nie.

Omdat ons ook ondervraging van gearresteerde terroriste gedoen het, het die werk aanvanklik stadig gevorder. Ons het ook dikwels saam met die ondersoekspanne van Andre Erwee en Sakkie du Plessis (toe albei Luitenante), veral snags, uitgegaan. Sakkie het aan Generaal Dreyer voorgestel dat ons arbeiders moet indiens neem om behulpsaam te wees met die basis bouery. ‘n Motivering is na Veiligheidstak, Hoofkantoor, gestuur wat magtiging verleen het vir die indiensneming van 10 arbeiders. Met die aanstelling van die arbeiders het ons spesifiek gesoek na vakkundiges in die boubedryf. So het dit gebeur dat ons twee messelaars gekry het wat darem ook geweet het hoe werk ‘n waterpas en wat kon stene lê en beton aanmaak. Behalwe vir die res van die gate vir die pale het hulle ook fondasievore vir die geboue gegrawe en die beton aangemaak vir die fondasies en die vloere van die geboue. Later, met die bou van Oshana basis, het ek ‘n arbeider gekry wat by ‘n elektrisiën in Oshakati gewerk het wat handig te pas gekom het omdat hy die name van die verskillende komponente wat by bedrading van geboue gebruik word, geken het. Vir groot werke het ons die ex SWAPO lede wat in Onaimwandi was, tot ons beskikking gehad wat veral baie gehelp het as groot hoeveelhede beton aangemaak moes word. Die arbeiders het gewissel. Ek onthou van slegs twee wat sedert die eerstes wat aangestel is tot ek einde 1985 verplaas is, wat voltyds nog in diens was.

In Ovambo was geen klip vir betonwerk beskikbaar nie. Die naaste betonklip was op Tsumeb beskikbaar 285 kilometer van Oshakati af. Tsumeb Crushers het betonklip op Oshakati met ‘n 25 kubieke meter vragmotor by die basis afgelaai teen R855 per vrag waarvan R10 per kubieke meter vir die klip was.

Generaal Dreyer het eendag besluit dat aangesien ons brandstof vir die Blesbokke by die SA Weermag kry, dit goedkoper sou wees om die klip met die Blesbokke aan te ry. Hy het dus gelas dat van die spanne wat die week nie bos toe is om oorlog te maak nie, klip op Tsumeb moet gaan haal. Die Blesbokke was eintlik oorlaai met die klip. Op pad terug Oshakati toe, het een van die Blesbokke ‘n pap wiel gekry en met die afdraai van die teerpad af, het die Blesbok omgeval. Meer as een het oorverhit. Daar was dus meer skade met ‘n enkele trip Blesbokke om klip te gaan haal as die prys wat betaal was vir aflewering. Daar was net daardie een geleentheid wat die Blesbokke gebruik was. Sakkie van der Merwe het gesê: The moral of the story. Don’t try something that you are not built for!!

Erkenning vir hulp verleen met die bouery Met die bouery van Onaimwandi-basis het Willem Botha (toe nog ‘n Sersant) baie kere gehelp met gate grawe en sement aanmaak vir die pale. Andre Erwee en Sakkie du Plessis het soms ook gehelp as hul ‘n los kans gehad het. Nadat Onaimwandi in gebruik geneem is het van die tien TIN lede wat afgedeel was vir hul grensdiens in Onaimwandi, dikwels ook baie gehelp met verdere aanbouings in Onaimwandi en ookmet die bouery van Okave, Oshana, die Okave Ontspanningsaal, die woonstelle agter Onaimwandi en die werksplek vir Casspirs by die Melkery. Baie van die TINlede het die hulp wat hul kon aanbied as ‘n uitkomkans gesien om iets anders te doen as om wag te staan wat hul primêre taak was. ‘n Groot dankie aan elkeen van hulle wat ons take soveel makliker gemaak het.

Vrae soos deur Willem gestel, volg hierna:

1. In die eerste uitgawe van die boek meld jy dat Sakkie van der Merwe jou op Ondangwa opgelaai het en oppad Oshakati toe by Ongwediva gestop het waar julle die Generaal en oom George Steyn ontmoet het.

- Wat was die stand van ontwikkeling van die basis op daardie stadium?

Die dag toe ek Generaal Dreyer en Oom George Steyn op Ongwediva ontmoet het (was 31 Augustus 1979) was hulle besig om die eetsaal se sykante met split poles toe te maak. Die een sykant was reeds klaar en daar was reeds ‘n paar split poles op die teenoorgestelde sykant vas gespyker. Daar was toe reeds slaapgeriewe vir die Owambo’s van Eugene de Kock. Die Spesiale Taakmag lede wat gehelp het met opleiding van die Koevoet Ovambo’s het ook in die basis op Ongwediva tuisgegaan.

- Wie het daardie bouwerk/ontwikkeling gedoen?

Oom George Steyn het met van die Ovambo’s die meeste bouwerk gedoen. Ek en Sakkie het die pypwerk en toilette van die ablusieblok gedoen.

- Oom Bill Geldenhuys het in die begin ons logistieke stoor vandaar bedryf. Was hy toe al daar?

Ja, ons het Oom Bill daar gesien maar nie regtig met hom daar te doen gekry nie. Hy het af en toe kom oë wys as ons daar gewerk het of as ons ‘n breek vir iets te drinke gevat het. Ons het ook nie elke dag daar gewerk nie. Dit is afgewissel met werk wat ons by Onaimwandi gedoen het, wat toe in aanbou was, en ondervraging van gearresteerdes.

- Wanneer het die logistiek store na Z12 getrek? Dit was laat in 1982 nadat Kaptein Renier du Rand die store vir die spanne tussen Okave en Onaimwandi gebou het. Die presiese datum weet ek nie.

2. Oluno opleiding het reeds voor ons daar aangekom het bestaan. SAP Opleiding het die plek bedryf. Weet jy dalk wanneer ons, "K" die basis oorgeneem het? Koevoet het waarskynlik Oluna na 1985 oorgeneem. Totdat ek einde 1985 verplaas is, was J.B. Smith nog in bevel van Oluno.

3. Leon Mellet het einde 81/82 n feite sending met parlementariërs en joernaliste opgebring. Dra jy kennis van die datum min of meer ens. Dit moes in die tweede helfte van 1982 gewees het. Okave Steak House is op 31 Mei 1982 geopen en die parlementariërs is uit die Okave Steak House onthaal. Sakkie was nog met ons. Hy is einde 1982 Oos-Londen toe verplaas. Ek onthou een van die parlementariërs was Mnr Vause Raw van die opposisie. Hy was baie beïndruk met die hele opset daar. Dit was ook tydens daardie geleentheid wat Generaal Johan Coetzee wat toe hoof van die Veiligheidstak was, gesê het hy het die Eenheid die naam Koevoet gegee.

4. Kan jy onthou wanneer Oshivelo Hek met die oë begin het? Dit was gedurende September 1979. A/O Willem Coetzee was die man wat met die Oë daar gewerk het. Gedurende die Oktober skoolvakansie het my Kombi met die trein van Bethlehem af op Tsumeb aangekom. Ek en Sakkie met ons gesinne is Tsumeb toe om die Kombi te gaan haal. Ons het met ‘n geel Ford Cortina gery. Tussen Okatopi en 61 Meg se basis (ek dink dit was Miershoop ook genoem) het die Cortina ratkas probleme gegee. Ons het aangesukkel tot by 61 Meg waar die bevelvoerder ‘n groep Ovambo’s met ‘n Buffel gelas het om ons Tsumeb toe te sleep. Die Buffel het omtrent die voorste buffer en suspensie van die Cortina uit mekaar gepluk. Op Oshivelo het ons A/O Willem Coetzee se kar geleen om Tsumeb toe te ry. Die Buffel kon toe terugkeer na sy basis toe.

5. Wanneer het die Ops offisier konsep en Eenhana Z2 begin. Sover ek kan vasstel was John Adam die eerste.

Die Ops-offisier konsep het ook gedurende begin 1982 begin. Frans Claasen is op 20 April 1982 oorlede nadat hy saam met Tieklie Kessler in die vliegtuig van Tieklie was wat geval en gebrand het. Op daardie stadium was John Adam reeds op Eenhana waarvandaan die insypeling van terroriste na die Suide gemonitor was.

6. Wanneer Okave begin/klaar?

Okave is einde 1980 begin. Ons was nog besig om nog geboue in Onaimwandi op te rig soos die inwonergetal van gearresteerdes gegroei het toe Generaal Dreyer gesê het hy wil nader aan Onaimwandi wees maar hy kan nie met die admin-personeel in Onaimwandi werk nie. Daar is toe op Okave besluit wat sommer vinnig gebeur het. Die uitleg van die basis is gedoen. Eric Winter het toe ook van die Veiligheidstak oorgekom Koevoet toe as hoof van die ondersoekspanne van Sakkie du Plessis en Andre Erwee. Eric was ook aktief betrokke by die bou van die selle in Okave basis. Kantore van daardie groen pre Fab geboue is so vinnig as wat hulle van die RSA aangery is, opgerig. Met ons ervaring wat ons met die bouery by Onaimwandi opgedoen het, was die oprigting van die geboue in Okave kinderspeletjies. As die fondasies en vloere klaar was, het dit ons tussen ‘n driekwart uur en ‘n uur geneem om so groen gebou op te rig. Die laaste geboue is gedurende begin 1982 opgerig waaronder ook die waskamer met die klomp wasmasjiene wat die ongetroude lede se uniforms gewas en stryk het. Dit was slegs met sinkplate gebou.

- Wanneer Zulu Romeo by Okave begin?

Zulu Romeo was een van die eerstes wat ‘n kantoor by Okave betrek het na Jan Potgieter en Andre van der Walt van die navorsingsgroep hul kantore betrek het. Ek kan nie die datum onthou nie maar dit was voordat die laaste kantore opgerig was vir die admin personeel.

7. Wanneer geboue op plaas Tsumeb begin/klaar.

Ek was nie reg van die begin van die aankoop van Mannheim naby Tsumeb betrokke nie. Ek kan dus nie daardie datum gee nie. Dit was eers toe daar besluit is dat daar ‘n groot ablusiegebou opgerig moes word dat ek betrokke geraak het. Die ablusiegebou is deur ‘n boukontrakteur met ‘n Duitse van kan die van nie meer onthou nie opgerig. Daarna was ek betrokke by die oprigting van die voorafvervaardigde groen geboue van 4,5 x 8,3 meter wat as kantore en slaapgeriewe moes dien. Ek het ook die afdak tussen die ou gebou en die nuwe geboue opgerig wat toe as kroeg en eetkamer gebruik is. Toe die boerdery begin uitbrei het, het ekdie voorafvervaardigde staalstruktuur opgerig en op die kort sykante met staal en sink nog ekstra kamers gebou wat as stoorplek vir saad, kunsmis en gereedskap gedien het. Daardie bouery was so teen einde 1983 begin 1984 klaar. Die geboue op Mannheim was klaar voordat die plaas Scott verder op die Tsintsabas pad, aangekoop is.

8. Wanneer Onaimwandi klaar?

8.1 Onaimwandi se laaste geboue is middel 1983 klaar gebou. Die groot stoor in die verste hoek van die ingang af was die laaste bouwerk in Onaimwandi. Die stoor is slegs met sink en hout gebou. Ons het die stoor gebruik vir die boumateriaal wat vir ander geboue in Okave en later ook Oshana basis gebruik is. Die stoor is ook gebruik as ‘n werkswinkel waar die masjinerie gestoor en gebruik is. Onder andere is semi industriële houtwerkgereedskap nog uit die Veiligheidstak, Hoofkantoor, se begroting aangekoop. Dit was ‘n Metabo rolsaag met ‘n pre cutter toegerus sodat dit nie splinters aan die onderkant van die hout gemaak het as die planke gesaag is nie. Daar was ook ‘n Metabo skaaf/dikteskaaf kombinasie, ‘n drie fase/enkel fase kombinasie industirële boog sweismasjien wat vir werk op die Casspirs gebruik is.

(Nota: Ek moet meld dat die eerste drie geboue in Onaimwandi opgerig is deur die tegniese personeel van Veiligheidstak, Hoofkantoor.)

Aankoop van semi-industriële gereedskap vir bouspan 8.2 Ek was tydens die Pretoria skou einde Augustus begin September 1983 in Pretoria waar ek al die uitstallings en demonstrasies van gereedskap besoek en bekyk het. Daar kon ek die verskillende tipes wat op die mark beskikbaar was met mekaar vergelyk. Ek het toe op die masjiene

hierbo besluit weens die kwaliteit daarvan in ag genome die volume werk wat gedoen moes word. Toe ek die aanvraag by Veiligheidstak, Hoofkantoor, ingedien het, was daar hewig beswaar gemaak teen my keuses weens die duur pryse daarvan. Op daardie stadium het Brigadier Dreyer reeds aan my gemeld dat Koevoet baie sal moet uitbrei wat mannekrag betref en daarvoor is behuising, kantoor en ontspanningsfasiliteite nodig om gebou te word. Die omvang daarvan was toe nog nie bekend nie maar dat dit wel sou moes gebeur was ‘n gegewe. Brigadier Goosen by Veiligheidstak, Hoofkantoor, wat goedkeuring vir die befondsing moes gee, het gesê ek moet gaan kyk vir DIY gereedskap wat voldoende behoort te wees vir ons behoeftes en baie goedkoper is. Ek het geweier om toe te gee. Ek het hom gevra of die bouspanne van die Veiligheidstak of die Kwartiermeester DIY gereedskap gebruik vir hul projekte. Sy antwoord was NEE. Toe vra ek waarom moet ons met minderwaardige gereedskap tevrede wees want nie die bouspanne van die Veiligheidstak of die Kwartiermeester is meer betrokke by bouery in Suidwes nie en ons moet alle bouwerk self doen. Hy het toegegee en die befondsing van die toerusting wat ek aangevra het, gemagtig.

9. Kan jy onthou van enige oorgrens gesamentlike operasies met die weermag in jou tyd?

Ek was in die begin 1980s self in Angola saam met van die spanne by operasies van die SA Weermag in die Suide van Angola betrokke tot by Ongiva, waarvoor die Southern Africa Medal Nr. 020753 aan my toegeken is. Ek was tydens die operasies nie in enige kontakte met vyandelike magte betrokke nie.

10. Wanneer begin jy met Oshana basis. Oprigting van Karavane

10.1 Die oprigting van die karavane het die bou van Oshana-basis vooraf gegaan. Die eerste karavane het einde Maart en gedurende April 1984 op Oshakati aangekom. Ek was met die bouspan verantwoordelik vir die verwydering van die wielkombinasies waarop die karavane vasgebout was vir die vervoer daarvan. Die karavane is ge-level en toe is die water en rioolpype met die water toevoer en rioolstelsel van Oshakati gekoppel en later ook elektrisiteit gekoppel waar skakeling met en samewerking van die Departement van Werke van die Ovambo Administrasie verkry moes word. Ek het vyf karavane so gereed gekry vir bewoning. Die karavane was bedoel vir getroude pare.

Beplanning en bou van geriewe in Oshana-basis 10.2 Weens die uitbreiding van Koevoet se werksaamhede en die behoefte aan mannekrag om die aanslag van SWAPO die hoof te kon bied het Generaal Dreyer middel 1984 gesê daar moet fasiliteite vir 120 plus ongetroude polisiemanne gebou word. Op daardie stadium was Koevoet nie meer onder bevel van Veiligheidstak, Hoofkantoor nie. Ons het steeds boumateriaal van die Teeninsurgensie eenheid (TIN), Pretoria, gekry hoewel ons toe reeds eintlik aan SWAPOL gesekondeer was. Die agterkant van Okave basis is uitgekies as die plek waar die woongeriewe vir die ongetroudes gebou moes word. Daar is besluit dat 20 voorafvervaardigde geboue van 4,5 x 8,3 meter voldoende behoort te wees. Daarby moes dan ook ‘n ablusiegebou en ‘n kombuis eetsaalkombinasie gebou word sodat die basis heeltemal selfvoorsienend moes wees vir die manne wat daar moes woon. Daar is ook voorsiening gemaak vir onderdak parkering vir hul privaat voertuie. Die naam Oshana is aan die basis gegee omdat dit deels in die hoogwatermerk van die shona wat daar verby gevloei het, gebou is. Die geboue in die basis se fondasies was ook hoër gebou as wat normaalweg nodig sou wees want daar is voorsiening gemaak, sou daar vloedwater afkom, dat die water nie sommer in die geboue invloei nie. 10.3 Daar was nie voorafvervaardigde geboue wat groot genoeg was beskikbaar vir ‘n ablusiegebou en kombuis eetsaalkombinasie nie. Daar is ook aan my gesê dat die geriewe met houtpale en sink gebou moes word. Ek het egter kon bewys dat voorafvervaardigde staal strukture vir die ablusiegebou en die kombuis eetsaalkombinasie beter en doeltreffender sou wees en gouer om op te rig. Die staalstrukture het net die kolomme met die dakkappe en plate vir die dakke gehad. Die sykante en die binneafwerking vir die storte, toilette, wasbakke, urinale en wasgoedwasbakke

moes ek self beplan, ontwerp en bou. Ek moes dus die planne en materiaal vir die gasgeysers, storte, toilette, wasbakke, urinale en wasgoedwasbakke vir die ablusiegebou en die binne afwerking vir die stowe en wasbakke en gasgeysers vir die kombuis self teken en die hoeveelhede materiaal daarvoor uitwerk. Ek moes ook die hoeveelhede sand, klip, stene en sement vir al die geboue uitwerk. Daarvoor het ek formules vir sand en sement mengsels en sand , klip en sement mengsels vir beton in ‘n boek van ‘n argitek, Andre Grobbelaar, gekry wat handig te pas gekom het.

10.4 Ek het ‘n grondplan opgetrek sodat die totale binne oppervlakte van die basis bepaal kon word. Toe is weereens met die Departement Werke van die Ovambo Administrasie geskakel om die grondvlak waar die geboue opgerig moes word met grond op te vul en gelyk te skraap en die grondwalle buite om die basis te bou. Daarvoor is ‘n stootskraper en twee tonnepullers gebruik. Die koste vir die grondwerke is deur die Ovambo Administrasie gedra. Daardie gedeelte is gedurende die tweede helfte van 1984 gedoen. Intussen het daar al nuwe ongetroude lede by Koevoet aangekom. Van hulle is in Klein Angola gehuisves maar waar almal aanvanklik gebly het weet ek nie.

Suid-Afrikaanse Buro vir Standaarde (SABS) vereistes vir krag- en rioolaansluitings van Oshakati.

10.5.1 Met so groot projek moes met die Ovambo Administrasie geskakel word vir water- en elektriese kragvoorsiening sowel as aansluiting by die rioleringstelsel. Weens die lae ligging van die basis kon nie by die dorp se rioolstelsel aangesluit word nie en moes ‘n rioolput buite die walle van die basis gebou word. Een van die Ovambo Administrasie se vereistes was dat wat die kragvoorsiening en riolering betref, moes die werk voldoen aan die Suid Afrikaanse Buro vir Standaarde (SABS) se spesifikasies. Met die voorwaardes soos gestel is aangeklop by die Veiligheidstak en Kwartiermeester se bouspanne vir hulp. Ek het ‘n koue skouer gekry met die verskoning dat terreur en onluste in die RSA aan die toeneem is en dat mannekrag nie afgestaan kan word om behulpsaam te wees met die uitwerk, aanvraag en verkryging van kwotasies en die aankoop van materiaal vir die totale projek nie.

10.5.2 Ek het toe self Pretoria toe gegaan om te kyk wat gedoen moes word. Op daardie stadium was my kennis van benamings van die verskillende soorte materiale vir pypwerke en elektrisiteit baie beperk. Toe ek in Pretoria aangekom het, het ek die SABS se spesifikasies vir bedrading van geboue in Van Schaiks Boekhandel gekoop. Daarin word elke item vir bedrading van geboue beskryf en al die formules gegee om die regte dikte elektriese drade te gebruik volgens die krag wat op ‘n spesifieke lyn gebruik gaan word. Dit het my in staat gestel om die behoefte vir elke gebou uit te werk en ook die regte stroombrekers (circuit breakers) se waardes te bepaal. Voorts het ek ‘n katalogus van al die gegalvaniseerde pype en koppelstukke by Stewards & Lloyds gekry en ‘n katalogus van al die PVC pype en koppelstukke vir bo en ondergrondse gebruik by Marley’s.

10.5.3 Met die kennis verkry uit die katalogusse is ek terug tekenbord toe en kon toe elke tipe item en die hoeveelheid daarvan uitwerk vir die totale projek. Daarna het ek lyste opgetrek van die verskillende items wat benodig word en dit by verskeie boumateriaalhandelaars in Pretoria afgegee vir kwotasies. Elke handelaar moes my ‘n aanduiding gee hoeveel dae nodig sou wees om op die items op die lys kwotasies uit te werk. Ek het ‘n voorwaarde gestel dat daar nie op items gekwoteer moes word wat nie aangehou word nie of wat nie in voorraad beskikbaar was nie want dit sou ‘n vertraging in die lewering daarvan veroorsaak. Vir elke item moes drie kwotasies verkry word.

10.5.4 Nadat ek die kwotasies ontvang het, het ek uitgewerk by watter handelaar die beste pryse vir items gekwoteer is. Ek het weer lyste vir elke handelaar opgetrek wat verskaf moes word en dit afgelewer. Soos wat handelaars kennis gegee het van items wat gereed was vir lewering het ek baie van die voorraad self gaan haal, getel dat dit klop met die fakture en die goedere na die TIN store by die SA Polisie kollege geneem waar dit gestoor is totdat hulle met Albatrosse (20 ton Mercedes Benz trokke met landmynbestande kajuite) na Oshakati afgevoer kon word. Die groot

items is deur die handelaars self na die SA Polisie-kollege toe vervoer. Brigadier Liebenberg en Kolonel Gert Goosen van TIN store by die Kollege het weer daar hul kant gebring om al die aflewerings met die fakture te vergelyk en ontvangs te erken.

10.5.5 Na ses weke se verblyf in Pretoria is ek terug Oshakati toe waar gewag is vir die aflewering van die voorraad wat verwerk moes word. Kolonel Sampie Hendrikz verbonde aan die Eenheid vir Suidwes Afrika Aangeleenthede by Veiligheidstak, Hoofkantoor, het in sy kantoor vir my ‘n lessenaar beskikbaar gestel waarby ek kon werk met die planne en administrasie wat nodig was vir die aankope wat gedoen moes word.

10.5.6

Van die eerste geboue wat as wooneenhede gebruik moes word, is voor die einde van 1984 opgerig. Hulle kon egter nie bewoon word voordat die elektrisiteit en ablusiegebou klaar was nie. Elkeen van die twintig wooneenhede is met ‘n kragkabel vanaf die distribusiekas af voorsien sodat ‘n defek in enigeen van die geboue nie ‘n negatiewe effek op die res van die geboue in die basis sou hê nie. Die wooneenhede is in die middel afgeskort om meer privaatheid aan die inwoners te bied. Elke wooneenheid het twee fluoresseer ligte en vier kragproppe vir toerusting gehad. Soos die wooneenhede voltooi en geverf is, is hulle betrek vir bewoning nadat die ablusiegebou ook eers voltooi is.

10.5.7 In ligter luim! Omdat ek geweet het ek gaan lank in Pretoria wees vir die werk wat daar gedoen moes word, het ek ‘n voorraad gekerfde biltong in my handbagasie saamgevat. Met my aankoms by Ondangwa lughawe het ‘n groot groep dienspligtiges hul grensdiens voltooi en was oppad terug RSA toe met dieselfde Flossie as waarmee ek RSA toe is. Soos gebruiklik mag geen items afkomstig van diere uit die gebied geneem word nie omdat die moontlikheid van die verspreiding van Bek en Klouseer besmetting daardeur oorgedra kon word. Dit het ingesluit pyl en boë van velle gemaak, tromme wat met bees of wildsvel oorgetrek is, biltong, melk en so voorts. Die Militêre Polisie het dus elke soldaat se bagasie uit sy sak laat uitgooi op die sand. Beslag is gelê op enigiets wat van ‘n dier afkomstig was. Ek het ook in die ry gestaan om in die lughawe gebou toegelaat te word na deursoeking. Voor my in die ry is van die aandenkings wat die soldate gehad het, afgeneem. So vyf ses ouens agter my het een soldaat biltonge uit sy sak gehaal, op die grond gegooi, daarop gespring en in die sand vertrap en hardop gesê: “Ek laat nie ‘n fokken MP my biltonge vat om op te vreet nie!!” Ek het besef ek gaan my gekerfde biltong ook kwyt wees. Ek het die soldaat agter my gevra om my plek te hou en vinnig ‘n draai by een van die tegnici wat ek tydens my rit saam met Johan Steyn na Opuwa ontmoet het, gaan maak. (Sien paragraaf 13 hieronder.) Ek het hom meegedeel dat ek vir hom en die ander ‘n geskenk gebring het vir die hulp wat hul aan Johan Steyn verleen met sy vliegtuig. Die man het gestraal van blydskap toe hy die papiersak oopmaak en die inhoud sien. Ek is met ‘n swaar gemoed terug in die ry net voor die ingang van die lughawe gebou….. en toe is my bagasie nie eers deursoek nie. Binnelangs het ek gevloek oor my onnodige verlies aan heerlike biltong. In die Flossie het ek regs voor naby drie vlieëniers gesit wat oppad was Pretoria toe. Toe ons vlieghoogte bereik het, het een van die vlieëniers onder in sy sak waarin uniform oor ‘n hanger gehang het, ‘n lang biltong uitgehaal en met die woorde: “Die MPs het vergeet om onder in die sak te kyk” dit met ‘n knipmes gekerf en daarvan vir sy twee vriende weerskante van hom ook gegee. In Pretoria aangekom, het ek in ‘n restaurant in Schoemanstraat koffie bestel en ‘n pakkie biltong wat in plastieksakkies verpak is, gekoop om my lus te blus. Daardie biltong was só sleg en sout dat ek net ‘n paar skyfies geëet het en sommer my hele lus vir biltong geblus was.

Ablusiegebou opgerig deur Departement Openbare Werke. 10.6.1 Daar was nog ‘n ernstige probleem wat dringend aandag vereis het. Met die uitbreiding van die Koevoetspanne het die getal Ovambo’s wat die grootste deel van die spanne uitgemaak het, geweldig toegeneem. In die middel van die week wanneer die gevegspanne geruil het, was al die lede vir die grootste gedeelte van die dag by en om die basisse. Daar was egter nie naastenby voldoende ablusiegeriewe wat die Ovambo’s kon gebruik as urinale en toilette nie. Soos hul gebruik was, het hulle hul besigheid sommer gedoen waar hulle hul op ‘n gegewe stadium bevind

het. Behalwe vir die reuk het die “nommer twee’s” soos molshope oral tussen die basisse opgerys. Generaal Dreyer het versoek dat ek ‘n plan daarvoor moes uitwerk. Die enigste oplossing was ‘n ablusiegebou met voldoende fasiliteite wat gebou moes word. Dit was die tweede helfte van Oktober 1984. Soos die dae warmer geword het, het die molshope vermeerder en die reuk het swerms vlieë en brommers gelok.

10.6.2

Ek het in ‘n skrywe gerig aan die Veiligheidstak, Hoofkantoor, Pretoria, aansoek gedoen vir goedkeuring en voorsiening vir materiaal vir ‘n groot ablusiegebou vir die Ovambo’s. Die antwoord was dat daar nie meer enigiets van die Veiligheidstak aan Koevoet verskaf mag word nie. Dieselfde versoek is aan TIN, Hoofkantoor, Pretoria gerig. Dieselfde antwoord is daar ontvang met verwysing na SWAPOL toe vir hulp. TIN het egter bygevoeg dat hulle kan help met sinkplate waarvan daar redelik volop voorraad was. Ek het my versoek aan Generaal Dolf Gouws, Kommissaris van die Suidwes Polisie, gerig. Sy antwoord was dat daar nie fondse is vir so groot projek is nie. Daar sal gewag moet word vir die 1985-begroting. Ek het besef dat die omvang van die probleem duidelik nie mooi deur die lesers van my beskrywing en motivering verstaan word nie.

10.6.3

Ek het twee dinge gedoen om meer oortuigend te wees. ‘n Majoor Hoon van die SA Weermag was die Gesondheidsoffisier van Sektor 10. Ek het hom genader vir ‘n verslag oor die gesondheidsrisiko vir Ovambo’s wat stroomaf langs die shona wat verby die basisse vloei, afhanklik is vir water ook drinkwater omdat al drie die basisse eintlik deels aan die rand van ‘n shona opgerig is. Hy het in ‘n verslag beklemtoon dat die risiko vir e coli besmetting baie groot is weens die hoeveelheid menslike uitwerpsels wat in die opvanggebied van die shona is.

10.6.4 Die tweede aksie was soos volg: Ek het ‘n Polaroid-kamera gehad wat dadelik kleurfoto’s geproduseer het as die sluiter gedruk is. Ek het op my maag gaan lê en verskeie “molshope” in die voorgrond, gelaai met vlieë en brommers, afgeneem met van die karavane, die basisingange en geboue in die agtergrond. Met Majoor Hoon se verslag en my eie verslag met verwysing na elke foto en die karavane, basisingange en basisgeboue in die agtergrond, is ek per voertuig Windhoek toe om weereens die erns van die saak onder Generaal Gouws se aandag te bring. Daar aangekom het hy dit deurgekyk en net gesê hierdie is ‘n saak vir die Departement Openbare Werke. Hy het dadelik ‘n dringende afspraak met die hoof van Openbare Werke gemaak en ons is saam soontoe. Daar aangekom is die verslag en foto’s voorgelê met versoek of hulle kan help. Die antwoord was dat die dringendheid daarvan ingesien word maar dit gaan baie kos en daar is nie ‘n begroting daarvoor nie. Die hoof het nietemin beloof hy sal dringend aandag daaraan gee en terugvoer gee. Teleurgesteld maar met so greintjie hoop en bemoediging van Generaal Gouws se kant af is ek terug Oshakati toe.

10.6.5

Twee dae na my aankoms op Oshakati het ek ‘n oproep van ‘n siviele ingenieur van die Departement Openbare Werke, Windhoek, af ontvang. Al wat hy wou weet was of ek ‘n Dumpy Level en meetstok het en of ek beskikbaar sal wees as hy vroeg die volgende week op Oshakati sou aankom. Ek kon hom op albei vrae bevestigend antwoord. Met sy aankoms het hy die omgewing en ligging van die basisse in oënskou geneem en ‘n plek tussen Onaimwandi- en Okavebasisse voorgestel wat geskik sou wees vir ‘n ablusiegebou. Hy het my meegedeel dat boumateriaal wat vir ‘n hoërskool en koshuis elders in Ovambo aangekoop was maar nog nie gebruik is nie, vir die ablusiegebou gebruik gaan word. ‘n Bouspan van die Departement Openbare Werke het ‘n week of wat daarna opgedaag en die opdrag was dat die gebou klaar moes wees voordat hulle vir die Desember vakansie van 1984 sluit. Daar is goed gevorder met die gebou maar hy is eers in Februarie 1985 voltooi. Dit was die enigste steengebou in geheel by Onaimwandi en Okave. Die beraamde koste was R120,000. Die waarde van die foto’s met die regte goed op die regte plek het duideliker gespreek as bladsye vol beskrywings en motiverings!!!

11.1 Soos die mannekrag gegroei het, het die behoefte vir eie ontspanningsgeriewe ontwikkel. Generaal Dreyer het gesê dis nie ‘n gesonde en gewenste situasie dat die jong manne veral die kantiene by TIN se hoofkwartier, die dorp se OOKV saal en ander plekke besoek en soms in argumente met ander besoekers daar betrokke raak nie. Die Okave Steak House wat op 31 Mei 1982 in gebruik geneem is, was heeltemal te klein vir die getalle. Daarom het Generaal Dreyer opdrag gegee dat die wiele aan die rol gesit moes word vir Koevoet se eie geriewe. Dit moes voorsiening maak vir ‘n groot genoeg kantien en ‘n saal waar al die personeel kon ontspan en ook dans. Dit was so in die eerste semester van 1984.

Aankoop van ‘n Staal struktuur by Ben Dicks & Seuns van Heidelberg, Transvaal. 11.2 Ek het in die Landbouweekblad advertensies nagegaan vir kontrakteurs wat staalstrukture bou. By drie kontrakteurs is kwotasies aangevra vir ‘n gebou van 20 x 45 meter 900 vierkante meter struktuur. So het die keuse geval op Ben Dicks en Seuns van Heidelberg, Transvaal…….miskien omdat my bynaam daarin voorgekom het. Hulle het die goedkoopste kwotasie gehad. Die kwotasie moes die struktuur met net die dakplate insluit. Die struktuur is bestel en die materiaal is met Albatrosse by die fabriek op Heidelberg gaan haal en Oshakati toe aangery. Slegs ‘n grondplan van die struktuur is saam met die materiaal ontvang wat die spesifikasies vir die beton voetstukke waarop die vertikale kolomme vasgebout moes word, gegee het. Op die lang sye is elke 4,5 meter ‘n beton voetstuk gegooi waarop die kolomme moes kom. Die gebou is tussen Onaimwandi en Okave basisse opgerig. Weereens moes die hoogwater merk van die shona wat by die basisse verby gevloei het, in aanmerking geneem word vir die hoogte van die fondasie en die vloer van die gebou. Die beton voetstukke is toe heelwat hoër as die bestaande grondvlak gelig.

Defekte geïdentifiseer met oprigting van die staal struktuur. 11. 3 Met die hulp van ‘n mobiele hyskraan wat Oom Willie Human van die Departement Werke van die Ovambo Administrasie vir ons beskikbaar gestel het, is die 20 meter lange kappe op die kolomme geplaas en vasgebout. Daar was egter ‘n groot defek waargeneem. Elke tweede kap was in die middel laer as wat dit moes wees. Die rede daarvoor was op daardie stadium nie duidelik nie. Ek het die kontrakteur geskakel en oor die defek ingelig. Mnr Dicks (Snr) het dadelik beweer dat die spesifikasies wat vir die kolomme voorgeskryf is en op die plan aangedui is, nie nagekom is nie. Ek het hom ingelig dat dit wel korrek was volgens die plan. Ek het toe voorgestel dat hyself of een van sy kundige personeel ondersoek moet kom instel wat die oorsaak van die probleem kan wees. Voorts is onderneem dat ons die kostes van so ondersoeker sal dra maar as die fout by die ontwerp van die struktuur bevind word, die fabriek die kostes moet dra. So het dit gebeur dat een van die seuns van Mnr. Dicks (Snr) Oshakati toe gekom het om ondersoek in te stel. Ek kan nie meer sy naam onthou nie. Ek het hom gewys hoe die gebou van die lang sye se kant af lyk. Hy het dadelik gesê dit kan nie ‘n fabrieksfout wees nie want die kappe word in “jigs” gemaak en almal is dieselfde. Daar kan dus nie ‘n fout daarmee wees nie. Die kappe bestaan uit twee dele van 10+ meter elk wat met “lipped channel” wat met die oop kante teen mekaar gesweis is, vervaardig is. In die middel van die kappe word hulle aan mekaar vas gebout om ‘n totale lengte van 20 meter tussen die kolomme te gee.

Defekte geïdentifiseer as ‘n fabrieksfout.

11.4 Ek het die dumpy level met sy stok en 50 meter maatband tot die beskikking van Mnr Dicks (Jnr) gestel en hom gehelp om al die afmetings na te gaan om te vergelyk met die fabriek se spesifikasies vir die oprigting van die gebou. Hy kon geen fout vind met die werk wat ons gedoen het nie. Hy het sy pa gebel en so ingelig. Mnr Dicks (Snr) het toegegee dat dit dus hulle fout was maar kon steeds nie insien hoe dit kon gebeur het nie. Ek het ‘n oplossing voorgestel naamlik dat ek die betrokke kappe se boute waar hulle in die middel aan mekaar vaskom, gaan los maak uitgesonderd die twee onderste boute, die kappe van onder af gaan opdomkrag sodat hulle in lyn met die ander kom. Dit sou tot gevolg hê dat daar ‘n opening aan die bokant van die kappe sal ontstaan wat gesteun moet word met pype as spacers waardeur die boute wat die twee helftes aan mekaar moet hou, moet gaan. Mnr Dicks (Snr) het daartoe ingestem. Vir die doel moes langer

106 Nongqai

11

boute van verskillende lengtes aangekoop word en ‘n 100 millimeter deursnee pyp van 6 meter lank wat aan die onder kant van die kappe met die defekte gebruik is om met ‘n domkrag te kon oplig. Dit het ‘n groot vertraging in die afhandeling van die struktuur teweeg gebring voordat die dakplate opgesit kon word. Die twee boonste “purlins” aan elke kant van die daknok moes ook nader na die nok verskuif word om in lyn met die veranderde dakstruktuur te kom. Ek het met die hulp van die TIN lede wat in Onaimwandi diens gedoen het, die nodige veranderings aangebring.

Oorsaak van fabrieksfout.

11.5.1

Die purlins (lipped angle) waarop die sinkplate van die dak vasgeskroef is, was 9 meter lank. Elke 4,5 meter was ‘n dakkap. Op die kappe wat in die middel van die 9 meter purlins was, is ‘n kort hoekyster met een gat in vasgesweis waaraan die purlins vasgebout is. Die kort hoekysters is in lyn met die kappe se lengte op die kappe gesweis.

11.5.2 Op elke 2de kap is ‘n hoekyster met twee gate in op die kap gesweis waar die purlins by mekaar gekom het en vasgebout is. Die lengte van die hoekysters met die twee gate in, was langer as die wydte van die kappe. Die hoekysters met die twee gate in is op die dwarste oor die volle wydte van die kappe gesweis. Daar was 7 rye purlins. Dit beteken dat daar op veertien plekke oor die dwars wydte van elke tweede kap gesweis is. Sweis laat yster krimp. Die veertien plekke wat op die kappe gesweis is, het dit soveel laat krimp dat dit die effek gehad het dat die kappe laer was as die ander kappe met hoekysters vir purlins waarin net een gat vir ‘n bout was. Vier kappe is so geafekteer wat regstelling nodig gehad het. Ben Dicks en Seuns het vir die ekstra materiaal betaal (verskillende lengtes langer boute met moere en pype). Hy is nie vir ekstra vergoeding gevra vir die ekstra werk wat verrig moes word om die fabrieksfout te herstel nie.

Ander uitgawes vir die Okave Ontspanning saal. 11.6 2400 sakkies sement is aangevra en goedgekeur vir die ontspanningsaal. Die sement is in Pretoria by die sementfabriek aangekoop en is afgelewer by die TIN-store by die SA Polisiekollege. Die sement is met Albatros vragmotors na Oshakati toe vervoer teen honderd en tagtig sakkies per vrag. Al die sement het ons op Oshakati nie bereik nie. Minder as 2,000 sakkies is by ons afgelewer. Een van die vragte het oppad Oshakati toe natgereën en moes weggegooi word. Ek het navraag gedoen oor die tekort. Kolonel Goosen van TIN het vir my gesê van die sement is “geleen” om basisse op die RSA-grens te bou en sou mettertyd vervang word …. wat nie gebeur het nie omdat die betrokke basisse nooit ‘n aanvraag ingedien het nie om die sement wat hul ontvang het te vervang. Omdat die sement ook oor ‘n lang tydperk eers gebruik is, het hul bindkrag verminder sodat meer sement per mengsel gebruik moes word om steeds die regte bindkrag te hê.

11.7 Omdat die ontspanningsaal ook in die vloedvlakte van die shona gebou is, moes die fondasies en die betonblokke vir die kolomme waarop die dakkappe vasgebout is, hoër gelig word om moontlike oorstroming te voorkom. ‘n Sersant Jansen wat drie maande grensdiens in Onaimwandi basis verrig het, het ‘n swaarvoertuiglisensie gehad. Hy het vir sy volle dienstydperk sand met ‘n tipper wat vir die doel deur die SAP voorsien is, aangery om die oppervlak van die vloer van die gebou gelig te kry.

Magtiging gevra en gekry om sement en daklatte by Ostora Hardeware, Oshakati, aan te koop.

11.8 Aanvrae vir sement en hout vir enige projek wat ons aangepak het, moes eers deur die bourekenaar van die Kwartiermeester van die SA Polisie goedgekeur word voordat dit aangekoop en gelewer is. Dennehout daklatte (50mm x 76mm x 6meter) is in bondels van 6 met hoepels aan mekaar gebind. Weens die droë klimaat by Oshakati het baie van daardie daklatte kromgetrek. As die hoepels afgeknip is, het party so erg kromgetrek dat hulle nie gebruik kon word as daklatte nie. Daar is spesifiek daklatte aangevra om die stoor in Onaimwandi te bou waarin boumateriaal gebêre is. (Sien paragraaf 8.1 hierbo)

11.9 Sement wat direk by die sementfabriek in Pretoria aangekoop is het destyds minder as R5 per 50kg sak gekos. Dieselfde tyd het ‘n sak sement in Oshakati tussen R11 en R12 per sak gekos. Die sement wat met die Albatrosse van Pretoria na Oshakati toe vervoer is, het 7dae reistyd geneem met twee bemanningslede en 7 dae terug Pretoria toe. Ek het die diesel wat per vrag gebruik is en die reis en verblyfkostes van die twee bemanningslede bymekaar getel en dit deur 180 sakkies wat per vrag vervoer is, gedeel wat op ‘n bedrag van meer as R35 per sak sement uitgewerk het. Dit sluit nie die verliese van sement wat beskadig is of nat gereën het in nie. Met bogenoemde motivering het ek aansoek gedoen dat goedkeuring verleen word om sement by Oshakati aan te koop wat toe toegestaan is. Dieselfde motivering is gebruik wat vir hout aankope gegeld het wat toe ook toegestaan is. Vir opvolg bouprojekte is steeds magtiging van die Kwartiermeester verkry vir spesifieke hoeveelhede hout en sement. Ek het ‘n reëling met die bestuurder van Ostora Hardeware, Oshakati getref dat ons nie al die sement of hout waarvoor goedkeuring verleen en betaal is, eenmalig te gaan afhaal nie. Net genoeg sement en hout is by Ostora gaan haal wat dadelik verwerk kon word. Sodoende het ons altyd vars sement en reguit houte van die rakke af gekry wat verliese voorkom het.

Dangerous pay.

11.10

So op ligter noot! Mnr Dicks (Jnr) wat gestuur is om te kom ondersoek instel waarom die dakkape van die Okave Ontspanningsaal nie reg was nie, was vir ‘n hele week ons gas in Onaimwandi. Sy taak is die dag na sy aankoms reeds voltooi maar hy kon eers ‘n week later ‘n vlug op die Flossie terug kry RSA toe. Hy het in Onaimwandi geslaap en het na ure vryelik met die TIN en Koevoet lede in die Onaimwandi kantien en by Okave Steak House gekuier. So het hy baie stories van die oorlog te hore gekom. Die derde dag na sy aankoms het hy die oggend kort na ek by Onaimwandi aangekom het, gevra of hy sy broer by die fabriek kan bel. Ek het hom toestemming gegee en aangegaan met administratiewe werk. Toe hy sy broer aan die ander kant op lyn gekry het, het hy in baie ernstige taal vir sy broer vertel hoe gevaarlik dit hier in Oshakati is. Al die polisiemanne loop met hul gewere en pistole rond. Terroriste is volop en mens se lewe is deurlopend in groot gevaar. Daar het tot bomme naby die basis ontplof. (Daar is met die 40mm lugafweer kanon wat op ‘n toring naby die basis was, kwelvuur geskiet. Die polisiemanne het waarskynlik met hom gek geskeer en vertel dat SWAPO bomme gegooi het en die kanonne moes terug vuur.) En toe kom die eis: Hy vertel al die mense in Oshakati kry “dangerous pay” en hy dring aan dat sy broer hom vir die volle tydperk wat hy in Oshakati is “dangerous pay” moet betaal en sy broer moet kennis neem dat die “dangerous pay” baie meer is as sy salaris. Ek kon nie hoor wat sy broer geantwoord het nie maar ek neem aan dat hy ingestem het om dit te betaal want Mnr Dicks (Jnr) het met ‘n tevrede uitdrukking op sy gesig totsiens gesê en my bedank dat hy kon bel. Ek het hom gevra hoekom het hy nie met sy pa gepraat nie. Hy het gesê sy broer werk met die finansies van die fabriek. So met die “dangerous pay” en die ekstra materiaal wat betaal moes word, was Ben Dicks & Seuns se wins heelwat kleiner as wat dit sonder die defekte dakkape sou wees! Die TIN lede in Onaimwandi het nog lank na Dicks (Jnr) se vertrek gespot met die “dangerous pay” wat hulle gaan kry met hul terugkeer in die RSA.

12. Wanneer help jy met Arendsnes?

12.1 Generaal Dreyer het my een oggend gedurende die eerste kwartaal van 1983 in Onaimwandi kom besoek en gevra of ek kans sien om ‘n Koevoet basis in die Kavango te bou soos wat Onaimwandi is. Ek het gesê met die kennis opgedoen met Onaimwandi en Okave sal dit nie ‘n probleem wees nie. Ek het konsep sketse opgetrek en voorlopige hoeveelhede uitgewerk volgens die behoefte wat Generaal Dreyer aan my gestel het en aan hom oorhandig. Ek het nie self die materiaal aangevra nie. ‘n Paar weke later het Generaal Dreyer my ingelig dat daar materiaal op Rundu beskikbaar is vir die eerste geboue en dat ek gereed kan maak om met die bouspan Rundu toe te vertrek.

12.2 Ons het ‘n 6 ton sagtedop Isuzu trok op Oshakati gehad wat vir algemene gebruik aangewend is. Ons het al die nodige gereedskap op die Isuzu gelaai en met die bouspan 10

arbeiders en ‘n paar van die Onaimwandi-inwoners wat gereeld by die bouery gebruik is na Rundu toe vertrek. ‘n Koos le Roux sou my langs die pad duskant Rundu ontmoet en gaan wys waar die basis gebou moes word. Ek het Koos ontmoet en hy het ons ‘n ent van die teerpad af in die bosse gaan wys waar die basis moes wees. Ons het tente opgeslaan wat ons tuistes was. Daar was nie walle wat buite om die basis vir beveiliging moes dien nie.

12.3 Met Koos le Roux se hulp is die grootte van die basis uitgemeet en dadelik begin om gate te grawe vir die sink heining buite om die basis. Ook is die fondasie vir die eerste gebou gegooi en met die bouery begin. ‘n Binne heining is opgerig waar die selle gebou moes word. ‘n Hek is ook in die heining aangebring wat van buite direkte toegang tot die selle se area gebied het sonder om deur die ander gedeelte van die basis na die selle toe te beweeg. Dit is gedoen uit ervaring wat in Onaimwandi opgedoen is wat nie ‘n aparte gebied vir die selle gehad het nie. As ek reg onthou het ons bouspan net twee van die voorafvervaardigde geboue van 4,5 x 8,3 meter opgerig. Die res van die geboue is deur die Koevoet-personeel van Rundu self gebou. Die naam Arendsnes vir die basis het op daardie stadium nie bestaan nie. Wyle Kolonel Willem Fouché wat in middel 1985 Oshakati toe verplaas is, het my jare na die oorlog verby was, vertel dat hy die naam Arendsnes vir die basis gegee het.

13. Wanneer help jy by die Opuwa basis.

13.1 Voordat ek my lang besoek aan Pretoria gebring het om Oshana basis se voorraad te gaan uitwerk en aankoop (sien paragraaf 10.5 hierbo) het Generaal Dreyer my ingelig dat ek ‘n besoek aan Opuwa moet bring om ‘n evaluasie te maak van hul geriewe en aanbevelings te maak vir opsies om die geriewe daar uit te brei om aan hul groeiende behoeftes te voldoen.

13.2 Die Koevoet bevelvoerder van Opuwa, Majoor Johan Steyn het my met sy privaat vliegtuig kom haal waar ons van Ondangwa-lughawe af vertrek het. Voor ons vertrek het hy my voorgestel aan van die SA Lugmag tegniese personeel wat sy vliegtuig nagesien het. Op pad Opuwa toe het ons ‘n stofstorm van die weste kant af gekry. Toe ons op die Opuwa vliegveld geland het, was die grond nouliks sigbaar.

13.3 Die oggend na my aankoms op Opuwa het Majoor Steyn my hul kantore gewys en uitgewy oor hul behoeftes vir uitbreiding. Ek kon hom adviseer wat onder die omstandighede die beste opsies sou wees om in aanmerking te neem en hoe te werk gegaan kan word om die nodige materiaal vir uitbreiding te bekom. Ek was nie self betrokke by enige bouwerk wat op Opuwa gedoen is nie.

13.4 Ek het nie geweet of die basis ‘n naam gehad het nie. Een van die lede wat die laat 80tiger jare op Opuwa by Koevoet was, het my ingelig dat die basis die Ovahimba naam Ohakane gehad het, dit is Basis van die Wilde Honde.

13.5 Ek het ‘n WhatsApp boodskap aan Johan Steyn gestuur en besonderhede oor sy dienstydperk by Opuwa versoek. Hy het die boodskap oopgemaak maar ek het geen terugvoer van hom af gekry nie. Ek weet nie wanneer hy bevelvoerder van Koevoet op Opuwa geword het nie.

14. Ablusiegeboue in Ongwediva en buite Oshakati opgerig deur ‘n Duitse kontrakteur.

14.1 Met die vermeerdering van die Koevoet gevegspanne by Oshakati het baie van die Ovambo’s met hul gesinne uit die wyke ver van Oshakati af na die buitewyke van Oshakati in plakkerskampe getrek. Die inwonergetalle by Ongwediva het ook sodanig toegeneem dat die ablusiegeriewe wat nog deur Oom George Steyn in die beginjare 80’s daar gebou is, onvoldoende was vir die groeiende behoeftes.

14.2 Generaal Dreyer het gevra of dit moontlik sou wees om ablusiegeriewe by Ongwediva en in die plakkerskamp waar die meeste Ovambo’s van Koevoet woon, op te rig. Ek het gesê dat met al die bouwerk by Oshana basis nie gou by daardie behoeftes uitgekom sal word nie. Ek het aanbeveel dat die Duitse kontrakteur wat die ablusiegebou op Mannheim gebou het (sien paragraaf 7 hierbo), versoek moet word vir kwotasies vir die twee geboue. Hy het ingewillig vir die bou daarvan as ons al die materiaal verskaf. Sy voorwaarde was dat dit alles staal en sink moet wees. Al die staal moes aanmekaargesweis word en die sink met rivits vasgesit word om diefstal te kan voorkom Hy het die hoeveelhede en tipes staal, sink, toilette potte, urinale en wasbakke van vleklose staal, uitgewerk en verskaf. Die oprigting van die geboue is goedgekeur – ek weet nie deur SAP of SWAPOL nie. Ek is Pretoria toe waar weereens kwotasies by verskeie staalhandelaars verkry is. Die staal is by verskillende handelaars aangekoop volgens die goedkoopste kwotasies. In totaal is meer as R450,000 se staal aangekoop en na Oshakati toe vervoer. Die twee ablusiegeboue is deur die Duitser gebou. Ek was geensins by die bouery daarvan betrokke nie.

Gastewoonstelle agter Onaimwandi

15.1 Openbare verblyfplek in Oshakati het nie bestaan nie. Daar was nie ‘n hotel of gastehuise beskikbaar waar toeriste kon tuis gaan nie. As familie of vriende van getroude lede kom kuier het, het hulle by die getroude lede tuis gegaan. Familie of vriende van ongetroude lede wat kom kuier het moes noodwendig tuisgaan by ‘n goedgesinde mede lid van Koevoet. So was daar ook nie verblyfplek vir besoekende offisiere vanaf die RSA aan Koevoet nie. Hulle is ook verblyf gegee by Generaal Dreyer se woning of by die TIN hoofkwartier in Oshakati wat bekend gestaan het as die Wit Huis. Daar was dus werklik ‘n behoefte aan blyplek vir besoekers. Generaal Dreyer het dus opdrag gegee dat twee woonstelle agter Onaimwandi gebou moet word wat beskikbaar sal wees vir familie of vriende van ongetroude lede en besoekende offisiere uit die RSA aan Koevoet.

15.2 Geskikte plekke agter Onaimwandi is toe geïdentifiseer waar twee woonstelle gebou moes word. Ek het self planne geteken vir die woonstelle en daar was ook ander lede wat planne voorsien het. Ek kan nie meer onthou wie se plan toe die gunsteling was wat gebou moes word nie.

15.3 Op 22 Februarie 1985 het ek van die plekke wat voorberei is om die woonstelle te bou, na die bouery van Oshana-basis gedraf. Onaimwandi-kantien se skottelgoedwater het met ‘n pyp onder die sekuriteitswal na buite in die veld in ‘n voortjie geloop wat gehelp het dat die gras weerskante van die voor groener en langer was as verder weg. Ek het oor die voor gespring en met my linker voet op ‘n los steen in die lang gras te lande gekom wat onder my voet se gewig gekantel het. My voet het negentig grade na binne gebuig. Ek het gedink ek het my enkel gebreek. Ek het op een been tot in Onaimwandi gespring waar een van die TIN-lede my na die SA Weermag se siekeboeg by Sektor 10 geneem het. Die dokter het bevind dat die enkel nie gebreek was nie maar dat al die ligamente geskeur was. Die dokter het my enkel teruggetrek in die normale posisie en my voet en been tot onder die knie in gips gesit. My hele been van onder my knie tot my tone was potblou. Na ses weke is die gips afgehaal. Die voet was steeds so geswel dat my tone nie op die grond kon trap nie. Die voet het skeef na binne geswaai sodat ek teen die agter kant van my regter voet geskop het as ek loop. Die dokter het gesê die ligamente het skeef aangegroei en sal met fisioterapie herstel kan word. Daar was op daardie stadium ‘n fisioterapeut by die Staatshospitaal in Oshakati waar ek drie maal per week pynigende behandeling ontvang het. In die tweede helfte van Mei 1985 was my voet steeds geswel en blou ten spyte van die fisioterapie. ‘n Ander dokter by die SA Weermag se siekeboeg het my toe na ‘n ortopediese chirurg in Pretoria verwys. Daar is toe die eerste keer x straal plate van die voet geneem. Die x straal plate het gewys dat daar ‘n bo normale opening tussen die gewrigte op die enkel was maar geen breuke nie. Hy het aanbeveel dat die fisioterapeut die ligamente moet skeur en reg druk sodat hulle op die regte plekke weer aangroei. Ek het twee jaar van helse pyn deurgemaak met elke besoek van drie maal per week aan die fisioterapeut in Oshakati en in Pretoria vanaf Januarie 1986 tot einde 1987. Hierdie besering het my hele lewe verander. Ek kon nie meer draf of aan enige sport deelneem nie. Voortdurende pyn het ook ‘n groot invloed op my produksie by die werk gehad.

Bou van werksplek vir Casspirs by die voormalige Oshakati Melkery

16. Werk aan die Casspirs onder die afdak by Okave-basis het met die toename van Koevoetgevegspanne heeltemal te klein geraak. Daar moes groter geriewe onder dak gebou word waar aan die Casspirs wat gediens moes word of herstelwerk benodig het, gewerk kon word. Die enigste geskikte plek vir so werksplek was by die voormalige Oshakati Melkery. Die sement vloer vir die werksplek moes weens die massa van die Casspirs veel dikker wees as vir wooneenhede……gemiddeld 150mm dik. So is die bouspan ook betrek om daar betrokke te raak. Groot hoeveelhede beton is op ‘n slag aangemaak. Daar is hoofsaaklik gebruik gemaak van die inwoners van Onaimwandi onder toesig van lede van die TIN eenheid wat toegedeel was aan Onaimwandi.

Slot

17. Ek is die middel Desember 1985 Pretoria toe om my dienste voort te sit by Veiligheidstak, Hoofkantoor. Op daardie stadium was daar nie meer ‘n fisioterapeut op Oshakati nie en moes ek steeds gereelde fisioterapie vir my beseerde linker enkel kry.

Oshana-basis is deur die ongetroude lede betrek maar die kombuis-eetsaal was nog nie heeltemal klaar nie. Okave Ontspanningsaal was ook nog nie klaar nie en so ook die twee woonstelle vir besoekers agter Onaimwandi. Dit was vir my ‘n totale anti klimaks om projekte waaraan ek soveel tyd en opofferinge spandeer het, onvoltooid te verlaat. Gelukkig was daar weer ander Koevoet lede wat kon voortbou en voltooi wat ek begin het.

Skrywer: J.J. (Dicks) Dietrichsen Pretoria 24 September 2022

Onveranderd geplaas - HBH

MY SKOOLVRIEND EN KOLLEGA: RAYMOND GRIFFITHS

My skoolvriend en ons kollega Raymond Griffiths (No 43751) is einde van verlede maand in Durban oorlede. Ons was saam in matriek te Dirkie Uys Hoërskool in Durban Hy is ‘n dag na my geattesteer Hy was ‘n gewilde persoon en goeie rugbyspeler, was ‘n goeie offisier in die Skoolkadette. Hy is die seun van wyle brig en wyle mev WA Griffiths. Lt kol Griffiths (regs) was my eerste DK te Durban Suid. Raymond is na kollege opleiding te Durban Noord geplaas. Ons eer sy nagedagtenis.

TOFFIE RISK

Dit is met groot leedwese dat ons kennis geneem het op Facebook van die afsterwe van ons oudkollega Toffie Risk. Hy was ‘n bekende lid van die veiligheidstak in Pretoria. Hy was ‘n vriendelike en innemende mens iemand wat ons altyd sal onthou! Ons innige simpatie aan sy gade en naasbestaandes. Ons eer sy nagedagtenis!

AP Stemmet

Hennie,

Ek het hom goed geken. Hy was nog die soort sersant wat die dorp regeer het. Groot fors man wie se militêre voorkoms gesag afgedwing het. Tog het ek baie by die wyse en waardige man geleer. Nie net van my werk as magistraatsklerk nie maar lewenswaarhede.

Dit was hy wat die paartjie van Derdeheuwel sommer een Vrydagnag geskei het en wat toe ‘n jaar later by die magistraat om hertroue aangeklop het. Ook die sersant by wie my pa eers sy mening wou kry voor hy sy prokureur se advies om te prosedeer wou volg. Toe sersant oor die moeilike waterprobleem raad gee, sê hy: PROSEDEER. My pa het want SERSANT sê so, en wen toe die saak.

Wat niemand sê nie, is dat hy nie net sy gesag geput het uit die feit dat hy SERSANT was nie maar ook omdat hy die staatsaanklaer was. ‘n Baie goeie een ook. Die hof en prokureurs het respek vir hom gehad. Sy rang was eerste klas sersant en hy was trots daarop.

As elke dorp in die land weer vandag ‘n SERSANT kan kry soos ons dorp, Montagu sin van destyds, was die Kaap gou weer Hollands en elke dorp se regstelsel weer gou reg.

Groete Adamus P. Stemmet

‘n Woord vooraf: Op een van die polisieblaaie op Facebook het iemand oor die legendariese sers Hauptfleisch van Montagu geskrywe. Ek het vir AP Stemmet gevra of hy hom geken het. Hier is sy antwoord.

Commissioner JHE Martins The commissioner of the Free State Police during the late 1890s

BEROEPE

Dr Coert Mommsen

Die inhoud van hierdie artikel is vertaal, geskryf en saamgestel deur Coert Mommsen, D.Phil. (Sielkunde), M.A.(Kliniese Sielkunde) EEG Tegnikus. Potchefstroom, Noordwes Dinsdag, 4 Oktober 2022, 1:39

Om uur na uur en dag na dag blootgestel te wees aan veral lewensgevaarlike situasies en heeltyd op jou hoede te bly is egter nie ‘n grap nie. Die Webblad Compare Guru lys die volgende beroepe as gevaarlikste in volgorde:

• Die Mynbedryf,

• Brandweer,

• Die Suid Afrikaanse Polisiedienste.

Die Mynbedryf

Melissa Cohen, die outeur van die artikel brei as volg uit oor die gevaarlike aspekte van hierdie beroepe en verwys ook na die versekering van werkers: “Myn industrie sterftes het met 31% in 2017 toegeneem sedert die vorige jaar toe 73 myners gesterf het. Redes vir sterftes is die volgende:

• Vasstorting;

• Toksiese gas inaseming;

• Houers onder druk wat ontplof;

• Ontbranding of ontploffing van gasse of stof

Versekering vir werknemers hang van verskeie faktore af: stadium van vordering, diepte ens. Myneiendom sowel as alle werkers is verseker.

Brandweer

Brandwonde is van die mees ernstige gevare van die beroep. Working on Fire, is ‘n staatsbefondsde program wat meer as 5000 jong mans en vroue in diens het. Dié is gestasioneer op meer as 200 basisse dwarsoor Suid Afrika. Bemanning bestaan uit 94% jeugdiges, 31% hiervan is vroue, en 3% is gestremde persone. Elke brandweerbeampte is verseker deur die werknemers vergoedingsfonds pensioen/voorsorgfonds, Groep Lewensdekkingplan.

Polisiedienste

Derde op die lys van gevaarlikste beroepe is die werk van beamptes van die Suid Afrikaanse Polisiedienste.

Gedurende 2016/2017 is 57 beamptes gedood. Die vorige jaar is 79 polisiebeampte sterftes aangeteken waarvan 40 aan diens sterftes was.

"Die feit dat ons lede aan diens aangeval is, dien as ‘n strak herinnering van die uitdagings waaraan ons beamptes blootgestel is, dien as bewys van die uitdagings wat ons aanspreek ten einde te verseker dat Suid Afrikaners veilig is en veilig voel. ‘n aanval op een beampte is ‘n aanval op almal, het Polisiekommissaris Khomotso Phahlane gesê. Versekering word aangebied deur SAPD Versekering. (2)

Die Webblad www.acs360.co.za berig dat Newsweek die 10 gevaarlikste beroepe in Suid Afrika as volg rangskik (Gevaarlikheid word bepaal deur sterfgevalle):

Houtwerkers

Die beroep met die hoogste sterftesyfer is Houtwerkers met 135.9 sterftes per 100,000 werkers. Hierdie is gelykstaande aan 91 sterftes per jaar. Dit maak die werk van die Houtwerker as die gevaarlikste beroep van 2019. Die werk is fisies uitmergelend en sluit die gebruik van swaardiens kettingsae en die fel van bome in, wat die werkers daagliks in ‘n risiko-posisie plaas. Geen of min toegang tot opleiding is vir die werkers beskikbaar nie. (3)

Visserye en Vissery-verwante werkers

Hierdie word beskou as die tweede mees gevaarlike werk van 2019, met ‘n sterfteverhouding van 86 per 100,000 werkers. Oorsake word toegeskryf aan weerstoestande, vervoer en masjinerie breke (4)

Vliegtuigloodse en vlug ingenieurs

Noodlottige beserings in hierdie beroep word bereken op 55.5, wat dui op 75 sterftes per jaar waarvan amper almal veroorsaak is deur vliegtuig ongelukke (5)

Dakbouers

Die sterfte gevalle van hierdie beroep is vasgestel as 48.6, wat dui op 100 sterftes per jaar. (6)

Afval en herwinbare materiaal versamelaars

Die bymekaarmaak van afval is nie net ʼn noodsaaklike werk nie, dit is ook ʼn gevaarlike een volgens die webblad. Die beroep het ʼn sterfte syfer van 34.1. Die meeste hiervan word veroorsaak deur vragwaens wat getref word deur ander voertuie of afspring van bewegende voertuie. (7)

Struktuur- en staalwerkers

Sterftesyfer binne hierdie beroep is 25.1 sterftes per 100,000 werkers (8)

Vragwa- en ander bestuurders

Die sterftesyfer binne hierdie beroep is 24.7, wat dui op 918 sterftes per jaar. (9)

Boere en Plaaswerkers

Ten spyte van die tegnologiese ontwikkeling die afgelope dekade moet boere en beesboere dikwels werk met swaar toerusting en masjinerie. Hulle werk ook met brandstof aangedrewe voertuie soos trekkers, grawe masjiene, ploeg toerusting en bewegende masjinerie. Laasgenoemde is verantwoordelik vir ʼn sterfte geval syfer van 23.1. Amputasies en ernstige snywonde is hoog aan die lys in hierdie industrie bereken op 312.3 per 100,000. Werkers wat gehospitaliseer word weens amputasies en snywonde is 986.6 per 100,000 werkers. TOP 10 MOST DANGEROUS JOBS (10)

Meer vroue

in die VSA meen Doug Rohan van Rohan Law, VSA. (11) https://rohanlawpc.com/women in

.

As motivering vir hierdie keuse noem hulle die volgende: “Tussen April 2016 en Maart 2017 is 22 Suid Afrikaanse posmanne deur honde gebyt terwyl hulle pos in die Wes-Kaap alleen afgelewer het. (Bron: IOL ). Statisties gesproke is daar 'n groter kans dat jy beseer word as posman as om as konstruksiewerker te werk. Maar om deur honde gebyt te word, is nie die enigste bedreiging wat posmanne in die gesig staar nie; hulle loop ook die risiko van fiets en motorfiets ongelukke en gevaar loop van derde party beserings .” (12)

Mynwerker

Die Departement van Minerale hulpbronne het 73 myn werker sterftes en 2662 beserings in SA myne gedurende 2016 aangeteken. (13)

Polisiebeampte

Die webwerf rangskik die werk van ‘n Polisiebeampte derde op sy lys.Die Blad gee die volgende rede hiervoor aan “Polisiebeamptes word in 'n posisie geplaas om gevaarlike misdadigers te hanteer, belangrike besluite ter plaatse te neem en hul lewens in gevaar te stel om die lewens van ander te beskerm.” (14)

Wolkekrabber: vensterwassers

Sommige geboue is hoer as 150m in suid Afrika. Die bedreiging is veral onvoorspelbare weerstoestande en die feit dat die wassers aan toue moet hang (op hierdie hoogtes) (15) Paramedici en nood mediese tegnici. Werkers word dikwels blootgestel aan gevaarlike noodsituasies soos skietvoorvalle of rampe, siektes en padongelukke. Baie paramedici vind beroepstevredenheid in hul werk en gee nie om om hul lewens te waag om ander te help nie. (16) Sekuriteitswag

Hierdie is ‘n sambreelnaam vir baie soorte werke in Suid Afrika, insluitend woongebied veiligheid, openbare parkeerarea veiligheid en selfs kontant in transito werk (17)

Polisiebeampte

Die Vereniging vir Staatsamptenare, Suid Afrika, beskryf die werk van die Polisiebeampte as volg: “Polisiebeamptes in Suid Afrika staar een van die mees skrikwekkende misdaadbekamping omgewings in die wêreld in die gesig. Suid-Afrika sukkel deurgaans met van die hoogste geweldsmisdaad syfers, insluitend moord en seksuele aanranding, in die wêreld. Hierdie dringende menslike tragedies ding mee vir polisie aandag saam met 'n wye verskeidenheid diefstal, motorkaping, teistering en nie kriminele uitdagings soos motorongelukke.” (18)

Die Vereniging se inligtingstuk lees verder as volg: “Die omvang van misdaad en onrus is genoeg om geweldige druk op Suid Afrika te plaas Afrika se 194 605 polisiebeamptes, wat alles bemoeilik word deur die onderliggende oorsake van misdaad in Suid Afrika, laasgenoemde wat ingebed is in 'n komplekse vermenging van ongelykheid, ontnugtering en die nalatenskap van apartheid. Daar is ook 'n geleidelike erosie van die oppergesag van die reg wat die land se veranderende waardestelsel vir die ergste. Kleiner wetsoortreding, soos om rooi lig te verontagsaam, padwoede voorvalle, omkopery, ensovoorts, word 'n algemene verskynsel.” (19)

Volgens die PSA inligtingstuk het misdaad, alhoewel dit nog buitengewoon hoog is, konsekwent die afgelope dekade afgeneem. Dit geld veral ten opsigte van kontak misdade (20)

Die Subjektiewe faktor in polisiëring

Dit is interessant dat die skrywers van die vorige artikel “kontak misdade” uitsonder as ʼn spesifieke faset van polisiëring. Dit is sekerlik dié soort aktiwiteit wat polisiewerk so gevaarlik maak. Nie net is die persoonlike belewenis van die werk (stres faktor) seker een van die ontstellendste nie, maar ook die onvoorspelbaarheid van wat elke dag se gebeure. Dit alleen, kan mens begryp verskil van beroep na beroep, maar is sekerlik een van die moeilikste aspekte van polisiebeampte se bestaan. Hierdie onvoorspelbaarheid raak ook nie hom alleen nie, maar ook sy gesin en geliefdes. Hulle is

dikwels en waarskynlik elke dag, heeldag in gedagte by die beampte, waar ookal hul met hul eie take besig is.

Ariami Wassermann, Deon Meiring en Jurgen Renier in hulle artikel getiteld: Stress and coping of police officers in the South African Police Service, gee ‘n mooi en akkurate beskrywing van die subjektiewe faktore wat ‘n rol speel in die polisiebeampte se werk: “Om in die polisiediens te dien, word gesien as een van die stresvolste beroepe ter wêreld (Anshel, 2000), omdat die aard van polisiewerk inherent veeleisend en gevaarlik is (Watson, Jorgensen, Meiring, &Hill, 2012). Beamptes word blootgestel aan verskeie ontstellende voorvalle (Young, Koortzen, &Oosthuizen, 2012) wat 'n groot impak op fisiese en sielkundige welstand het (Watson, et al., 2012).” (21)

Die navorsers vind dat ten einde daaglikse stres te hanteer, polisiebeamptes gebruik maak van Planryke probleemoplossing en positiewe her evaluering strategieë. Laasgenoemde word in dié studie beskou as aanpassingsmeganismes terwyl die uitkomste van konfronterende aanpassing konteks afhanklik is… Dit word aanbeveel dat opleiding met betrekking tot emosionele vaardighede oorweeg kan word ten einde die emosionele welsyn van polisiebeampte kan versterk en verbeter” (22)

Samevatting

Dit is duidelik dat die volgende slegs ‘n paar faktore is wat ‘n veeleisende rol speel in die alledaagse persoonlike belewenis van elke polisiebeampte :

• Konfronterings/ kontak polisiëring;

• Die onvoorspelbaarheid van daaglikse situasies;

• Gesinsbesorgdheid;

• Omstandigheidsbesorgdheid (stres oor wat enige situasie kan oplewer) en

• Korrekte(protokol) optrede.

Enigiets kan met enigiemand by die werk gebeur en niemand kan seker wees van die daaglikse verloop van sy/haar lewe nie, maak nie saak watse werk jy doen nie. Die werk van die polisiebeampte verskil van baie ander in dié opsig, dat sy/hy elke werkdag vol geteikende potensiële, uiters riskante en velerlei gevaar binnegaan.

Ten slotte

Dit is vir een en almal belangrik dat die Polisie in staat gestel word om om te sien na die veiligheid van die land en sy inwoners en hulle welsyn, en andersom.

Bronne

(1) https://compareguru.co.za/news/top 5 dangerous jobs sa/ (2) https://compareguru.co.za/news/top-5-dangerous-jobs-sa/ (3) https:// /top 10 most dangerous jobs/ (4) https:// /top 10 most dangerous jobs/ (5) https:// /top-10-most-dangerous-jobs/ (6) https:// /top 10 most dangerous jobs/ (7) https:// /top-10-most-dangerous-jobs/ (8) https:// /top 10 most dangerous jobs/ (9) https:// /top 10 most dangerous jobs/ (10) https:// /top-10-most-dangerous-jobs/ (11) https://rohanlawpc.com/women in dangerous jobs/ (12) https://sabest.co.za/2017/08/6 dangerous jobs sa/ (13) https://sabest.co.za/2017/08/6 dangerous jobs sa/ (14) https://sabest.co.za/2017/08/6 dangerous jobs sa/ (15) https://sabest.co.za/2017/08/6-dangerous-jobs-sa/

dangerous jobs sa/

source/psa documents/psa opinion/psa_police_2017.pdf?sfvrsn=21e36d8c_3

source/psa documents/psa opinion/psa_police_2017.pdf?sfvrsn=21e36d8c_3

source/psa documents/psa opinion/psa_police_2017.pdf?sfvrsn=21e36d8c_3

HOGGSBACK

Kol Louis Langenhoven

Ben Kruger Mississippi VSA

Hierdie skrywe gaan om die Nongqai Trust. Met die gejaag en bekommernisse van die moderne lewe en al die uitdagings wat mense daagliks mee te doen het veral in SA verdwyn geskiedenis maklik in ‘n waas. Toe ek vanoggend (30 Nov 2022) uit die kerk stap het ek net die gevoel gekry dat ek iets moet skryf omtrent die ontstaan van die Nongqai Trust sodat ook daardie geskiedenis nie verlore raak nie.

Onder leiding van oud Brig. Hennie Heymans is die Trust gestig, geregistreer en uiteindelik goedgekeur as ‘n Artikel 18A nie winsgewende organisasie. Die doel van die Trust is om oudlede wat aan Post traumatiese stres/ Depressie ly behulpsaam te wees. Maklik was dit nie, Brig Heymans het heelwat meer grys hare gekry deur die + 2 jaar wat dit geneem het om die registrasie te kry en verdien ‘n handeklap daarvoor.

Dit sal onregverdig wees om nie oorlede Conrad Kruger (nie familie van my nie) se bydrae te noem nie. Hy was ‘n prokureur in Nelspruit en het die Vlakplaas kenteken by die Dept. van Heraldiek geregistreer vir die Nongqai Trust sodat die Trust alleenreg daarop het. Die rede was dat daar gevrees was dat dit misbruik kon word vir persoonlike geldelike gewin. Conrad het die registrasie prosedure suksesvol uitgevoer sonder om die Trust ‘n sent te vra vir sy tyd en koste daaraan verbonde ook dit was tydsaam en moeilik. Ongelukkig is Conrad oorlede aan Covid 19. Mag hy in vrede rus.

Die enigste inkomste wat die Nongqai Trust het is skenkings van die publiek. In die afgelope paar maande het die Trust meer as R60 000 moes uitbetaal aan regskostes wat gelei het daar nou bitter min fondse in die rekening is. Daarom ‘n beroep aan een en elk om ‘n belasting aftrekbare donasie aan die Nongqai Trust te doen. Dink daaroor, ‘n ete vir twee mense by die Spur kos + R200 wat as dit een maal per maand geskied is dit R2400 per jaar, nie aftrekbaar van belasting. ‘n Donasie van R100 per maand is R1200 per jaar, wat belasting aftrekbaar is, dus kos dit niks!

Wat van: Ons stig namens die Nongqai Trust ‘n “Klub 100”, waar lede onderneem om elke maand R100 aan die Trust te skenk? Let dat ek nie ‘n trustee is nie, maar die trustees is almal bekwaam met bewese rekords.

Groete, beste wense en sterkte julle almal toegebid, Ben Kruger uit Mississippi

Robert

Please find the Brass type Metal Buckle for the Durban Borough Police worn by Black Policemen on their Left Upper Arm. It has number of 260 presumable their Service or Force number to Identify themselves as a Policeman.

Short history Durban Borough Police from 1854 to 1936

The Durban Borough Police were formed in about 1854 by the introduction of Legislation that gave the Lt Governor of Natal the power to create a Police Board Durban was also declared a Borough on 15th May 1854.

The same year Ordinance 1 of 1854 was passed to establish a Police Board.

The first Joint Police Board in Durban was the Mayor, Resident Magistrate was a government appointee and one Sitting Councillor. This was so that they could Monitor the Police. The first police Chief Constable was Edwin Lee, consisted of six white and several black constables. Followed by William Harrison in 1855

The Durban Borough Police were also the Fire Department of Durban. In 1861 The Lt Governor relinquished control of the Police Board and it fell under the Durban Borough Council. The Municipal Amendment Law 20 of 1861 had complete control of the Police Police had one Chief Constable, Two Sergeants, six constables. In 1871 consists of one Chief Constable, Sergeants, eight white constables, fourteen Black Constable and two Indians.

Dress of the Black Constables was his helmet, uniform jacket and knee length breeches and going Barefooted. They Carried handcuffs and armed with knobkerries. As pointed out above a Brass type buckle was worn on this left upper arm.

The Borough Police was a disciplined force serving the people of Durban. They had their own police stations, cells, detectives and fingerprint officers.

In 1936 the South African Police Force was forced on the Durban Borough Police and Durban. The Police changed their name to the Durban City Police. Certain duties were withdrawn from then and the did traffic and by laws policing.

In 1994 in the voting for a new dispensation, their name changed to the Durban Metro Police. They are the longest continual police force in the Republic of South Africa.

Disclaimer: All information in this article is my recollection in what I had read. Any Mistake made; I apologise for.

Information: Came from the following books and papers in my possession

• The Brass Type Badge is in my collection

• A history of the Durban City Police by Revd. Jack Jewell

• Newspaper Daily News July 13 2029

• Photos copy of the Durban City Police Force from one of the Durban City Publications

• Facts About Durban by Allan Jackson (Deceased)

• Notes received from a talk I attend (Cannot Remember the speaker's name).

DURBAN BOROUGH POLICE

Andrew Dinnes

Shoulder badge: DBP

Brassard and Special Constable’s Badge

ZULU POLICEMEN

1968:

SAKE, VERHALE EN STAALTJIES

Brig Ronnie Beyl

• Ongevalle

Tydens die spesiale dienste in SWA het twee lede die lewe gelaat. Konstabel Barend Maré was deel van die groep van tien Taakmag lede wat saam met luitenant Beyl gedurende 1979 die spoorbaankampe vir terroriste in die noorde van SWA gaan deursoek het.

Op 13 April 1979 het hulle na Johannesburg teruggekeer. Onderweg na sy ouerhuis met sy privaat motor was hy tussen Belfast en Waterval Boven in ‘n ongeluk betrokke waarin hy gesterf het. Die tweede sterfte was die van sersant Carstens. Die voertuig wat aan die Taakmag uitgereik was, het onklaar geraak.

Sersant Loekie Jordaan van Grootfontein het toe opdrag gekry om sy amptelike Ford 250 aan die lede beskikbaar te stel. Hulle was vanaf Grootfontein na Otavi, wat 92 km vanaf Grootfontein geleë was onder weg, toe die bestuurder van die groen Ford, met aankoms te Otavi, beheer oor die voertuig verloor, en die voertuig gerol het. Sersant Carstens het uit die voertuig geval. Sy kop het die enigste klip langs die pad getref, en hy was opslag dood. (Loekie Jordaan, Koos Strydom, RB)

• Probleemkind Word Terroris Gedurende 1976 het ʼn groep terroriste een Saterdagaand die Louw gesin op hulle plaas in die Grootfontein distrik aangeval en die vrou en haar seun vermoor. Hierdie aanval het chaos in die gemeenskap veroorsaak en dieselfde groep terroriste het voorts, naby Sukses, twee Duitsers op hul plaas vermoor waarna hulle tot in Windhoek gevorder het.

Twee terroriste in die groep, Simon Nangolo en Kanitius Henalesi, het die veiligheidsmagte baie probleme besorg. Kanitius was ʼn probleemkind en volgens inligting was hy weens sy wangedrag reeds op ʼn jeugdige ouderdom uit sy ouerhuis verjaag. Hierna sou hy in die veld groot word en oorleef van óf dit wat hy in die veld kon kry om te eet óf deur kos van inwoners te steel. Hy het mettertyd by SWAPO aangesluit en die rol van insurgent het hom uitstekend gepas. Sy kennis van die plante en veldkuns het gemaak dat hy vir soms lang tye in die veld kon oorleef en dit het boonop gemaak dat dit feitlik onmoontlik was om sy spoor te volg. Hy het dikwels bloot in die veld verdwyn wanneer die veiligheidsmagte hom gejag het. Ovambo’s wat hom geken het, het voorspel dat die veiligheidsmagte nie daarin sou slaag om hom te vang nie.

Terwyl hierdie twee terroriste in en om Windhoek was, het verskeie klein groepies terroriste die noorde van SWA ingesypel. Hulle het verskeie aanvalle op plase geloods en verskeie van hulle was deur die veiligheidsmagte doodgeskiet.

ʼn Groep van vyf terroriste het deur Etosha Natuurreservaat, verby Tsumeb, Otavi en Otjiwarongo beweeg en was tot naby Karibib gevolg waar hulle omgedraai het in die rigting van Omaruru. Kolonel M.J. van Taak van die S.A. Spoorwegpolisie in Windhoek het die plaas Ozombumapu besit wat ongeveer 30km suidoos van Omaruru geleë was.

Een Saterdagoggend, terwyl hy op sy plaas was, het die S.A. Polisie hom ingelig dat hulle besig was om die terroriste op sy plaas te agtervolg. Twee Boesman spoorsnyers het die spoor gevolg en die polisie het ʼn stoppergroep voor die terroriste uitgeplaas om hulle af te sny, maar die stoppergroep was te vlak uitgeplaas die terroriste het gevolglik die stoppergroep ontwyk. Kolonel van Taak kon die gebeure waarneem vanwaar hy op sy plaas gestaan het. Die opvolggroep het in die stoppergroep se doodsakker inbeweeg; die twee spoorsnyers van die opvolggroep was as terroriste aangesien en ʼn skietgeveg het uitgebreek. Een van die spoorsnyers was gedood en die ander een gewond. ʼn Hewige skietgeveg het tussen die twee groepe uitgebreek alvorens hulle besef het dat hulle as lede van die veiligheidsmagte eintlik op mekaar geskiet het. ʼn Week later was die groep van vyf terroriste deur ʼn helikopter naby Omaruru opgemerk waar hulle toe deur die veiligheidsmagte doodgeskiet is.

Sersant Weitsche Fourie, wat op daardie stadium die Posbevelvoerder op Otjiwarongo was, was toevallig by die lykshuis op Otjiwarongo toe die lyke daar afgelaai was. Intussen het die soektog na Simon Nangolo en Kanitius Henalesi in Windhoek voortgeduur. Dié twee het een aand na Seeis, naby die J.G.Strydom lughawe, gegaan en by ʼn algemene handelaar ingebreek. Hulle het ʼn aantal items gesteel waaronder drank. Hulle het dronk geraak en onderweg na Windhoek het hulle die voertuig waarmee hulle gery het, omgegooi. Kanitius het ʼn ernstige heupbesering opgedoen en het daarna mank geloop.

Die S.A. Polisie in Windhoek het inligting ontvang dat die twee in ʼn huis in Katutura geskuil het. Daar was toe besluit om die huis te omsingel, maar die groep wat die huis van die agterkant moes nader, was te stadig. Kanitius Henalesi het by die agterdeur uitgeglip en gevlug terwyl die voorste groep die voorkant van die huis bestorm het. Simon Nangolo het teruggeskiet en in die proses was adjudant offisier Bles Naragobe gedood. Simon was deur die rug geskiet en was gearresteer en hy was daarna permanent in sy onderlyf verlam. Kanitius het na Brakwater, sowat 20km noord van Windhoek, uitgewyk. Die feit dat hy mank geloop het, het teweeggebring dat hy maklik tussen lede van die plaaslike bevolking uitgeken kon word en gevolglik het die inligting rondom hom ingestroom en almal was op die uitkyk vir ʼn persoon wat mank geloop het.

ʼn Groep lede van die S.A. Polisie vanuit die Republiek het een aand langs ʼn swart man stilgehou en toe hy van hulle af wegstap, het hulle opgemerk dat hy mank geloop het. Nog voordat hulle hom kon nader, het hy dadelik op hulle begin skiet. Een van die lede, wat voor in die patrollie voertuig gesit het, het volgens hom vir Kanitius in die maag geskiet maar Kanitius het spoorloos verdwyn.

ʼn Paar maande later het ʼn boer naby Brakwater ʼn veldbrand op sy plaas waargeneem en met sy aankoms op die plek waar die brand was, het hy ʼn ontbinde lyk in die rivierbedding gevind. In die lyk se hand was ʼn Tokarev pistool en onder sy liggaam ʼn AK 47 aanvalsgeweer. Soos wat Kanitius geleef het, so het hy ook gesterf. (Wietsche Fourie)

• Die Vreemde Ploftoestelle

By ʼn geleentheid ontvang die S.A. Weermag in Windhoek ʼn berig dat kontak met ʼn groot groep terroriste in die noorde van Suidwes gemaak was. Daar was op ʼn groot hoeveelheid plofstof en

ander onbekende toestelle (myne) beslag gelê. Kaptein Beyl, wat op daardie stadium opleiding in Windhoek gegee het, asook kommandant Des Radmore van die Suidwes Weermag, was opdrag gegee om na die gebied te vlieg om ondersoek na die groot hoeveelheid plofstof te gaan instel. Hulle moes ook terselfdertyd die onbekende toestelle identifiseer. Uit die ondersoek het dit duidelik geblyk dat die terroriste kraglyne, elektriese substasies en spoorlyne as teikens in gedagte gehad het. Tussen die talle ploftoestelle was daar ook ʼn mini Limpet kleefmyn wat vir die eerste keer in die operasionele gebied gevind was. Daarbenewens was daar ook talle Russiese blokkies TNT, ontstekers, asook verskeie TG 50 demolisiemyne onder die vonds. Van die TG 50 myne, Limpet en mini Limpet kleefmyne was later onskadelik gestel wat weer vir opleiding en die identifisering van dié toestelle gebruik was.

(RB) REMINISCES OF A RAILWAY POLICEMAN

Keith Alfred Adolf Blake

• Police Story: The "Voorbarige" Suspect-Part (1)

To my very English-speaking friends the word "VOORBARIGE" does not mean the front of a barge it means an outspoken, loud, forward, proud, arrogant person. My story was here in 1979/80 over the start of a holiday season and in those years, I remember thousands of our African citizens used Johannesburg station to make use of the busses and trains to visit family in the old homelands such as Transkei and Ciskei etc. The one thing I picked up if the bus or train stopped the passengers would rush, push and shove almost all at once to get on board and it was during this pushing and shoving that the undercover, the un-feathered vultures the pick pockets plucked from passengers their wallets and other valuables. These unsuspecting passengers make the pick pockets job so easy that when they later checked on their wallets they realise with horror and shock they have been fleeced, I was in full uniform of the S.A. Railways Police and posted on a mainline platform I think was 11/12. As I was patrolling I saw all the passengers with their baggage just waiting for the trains to arrive. A train pulled in slowly and the train hardly stopped when the dash began. People were pushing and shoving and jumping through windows but in they wanted to execute. Now I was told by an expert that they pick pockets always carried a jacket or a coat over their arm and as I was watching this chaotic exit into the train I saw this African mam with a black pants, black jacket and a jersey hanging over his arm and he had no baggage and I went on full alert, this man then move towards a shoving passenger and I saw he put his hand into the passenger's back pocket and took out a wad of notes. The passenger must have noticed something was wrong because he grabbed his back pocket and turned and looked into the face of the pick pocket and that's when the pawpaw hit the fan, the start of everything in this story

• Police Story: The "Voorbarige" Suspect-Part (2)

We all know the story of the rabbit and the tortoise running a race and who won the tortoise because the rabbit was "voorbarig" and too confident and the tortoise took his time, he was not in a hurry. Well, the pick pocket suspect saw that his victim knew what he had done and then he saw me running towards him so he ran like a scared rabbit with the victim’s money still in his hand. I ran and grabbed his jacket and he then try to get the jacket off and I lunged forward and grab him and in this process we both fell to the ground. The money fell out of the suspect's hand and laid on the platform and the next moment another male grabbed from the money but was grabbed by my colleagues doing undercover duties. I was helped by these undercover colleagues and I arrested the suspect I then quickly opened a docket as I did not want the complainant to miss his mainline train and

detained the suspect. A few weeks later I was summoned to appear with my complainant in the Johannesburg Magistrate's Court in regard to this case. As I came to the court where the case was to appear I saw my suspect, he was out on bail, standing against the wall with his one foot against the wall and he without looking in my direction and blowing out a puff of smoke from a cigarette said the following: "BLAKIE SÊ VIR JOU KLAER HY MOET MY GELD MOOI OPPAS, MY LAWYER GAAN JULLE TWEE OPKOU IN DIE HOF". I said nothing just gave him a look and went into the court and told the prosecutor that the complainant and I were present and we will be waiting OUTSIDE. Not long after this the suspect name was called and with a smirk, he entered the court while the complainant and I waited OUTSIDE. A few minutes later the complainant’s name was called and he went into the court room to give evidence while I stood outside and lighted another Chesterfield. As I was puffing away the magistrate came out of his door entrance saw me, we greeted with nods of our heads and he also lighted up a cigarette, A few minutes later he re entered his court while I still waited OUTSIDE.

• Police Story: The "Voorbarige" Suspect-Part (3)

Those of you following my story will notice I wrote the word OUTSIDE in capital letters and there is a reason for this as all will be revealed.

After a while the court was adjourned for tea and the complainant who was still testifying come to me and stated he cannot find his umbrella and I took him into the courtroom and asked the prosecutor if he had seen an umbrella and he said yes it was in the witness box. I never spoke anything further to the complainant but I saw the suspect lawyer watching us during this umbrella saga After tea the case resumed while I stood OUTSIDE and then I was called IN to give my evidence. As I entered the suspect looked me full in the face and smiled. I gave my evidence as to what happened on the day of the pick pocketing of the passenger the complainant. After my evidence the suspect's lawyer started to question me on my evidence I had just presented and I answered all his questions. Suddenly he told me that during the complainant's evidence I was IN the court which is not allowed but before I could answer the magistrate stated that I was not IN court as he had seen me OUTSIDE when he had that smoke break. Then the lawyer stated that I and the complainant in the break had discussed the case which is also not allowed and before I could answer the prosecutor told the magistrate it was not the case but the complainant was looking for his umbrella. The magistrate then told the lawyer to stop those tactics and stick to the case at hand. The lawyer then responded "No further questions for this witness your worship. "The case was postponed for three days for the court’s decision. As we left the court the suspect said to me, “BLAKEY MY LAWYER IS GOED NE, EK SOEK DAAI GELD VAN JOU COMPLAINANT DIS MYNE." I did not respond to this too confident too "VOORBARIGE" suspect. Three days later a Friday morning I received a phone call from the female sergeant who deals with the court on behalf of the S.A. Railways Police and she stated that the suspects lawyer was telling her how stupid a cop I am and I gave the worst evidence ever and because of me his client will be found not guilty. I then rushed to the court and was just in time as the magistrate was giving his verdict. The suspect turned to me with a big smile as I sat on the side bench. The magistrate stated that the complainant and I had given truthful, clear, factful evidence and he finds the accused GUITLY. The look of utter horror on the suspect face was to me like a priceless masterpiece painting by Van Gogh. The suspect had previous records for theft and the magistrate sentenced him to SEVEN years imprisonment. I looked full into the face of the suspect and I SMILED.

• Double Trouble

In today's life just trouble on it's own is bad enough and when trouble comes it's best to cut it off by the root or as we say in Afrikaans "by die wortel". Why all this talk of trouble because I want to tell a story of what I encountered as a young S.A. Railways (Police) constable on Johannesburg Station. This one night we, the Mobile unit, were performing undercover duties when we suddenly heard this loud swearing (and) cursing coming from the Paul Kruger Building side. Here was these two young men doing all this riotous behaviour. We were about four of us, approached the two and the one

listened and behaved but his friend raised his hand made the following statement: "HEY MOENIE MET MY MORS NIE, EK IS DOUBLE TROUBLE”. We were confused until our eyes fell on his raised thumbs yes let me phrase that again he had one hand up and loo and behold on the hand there was TWO THUMBS. Realising this was the root of his evil ways we decided to do some spiritual removal of that extra "wortel”. We grabbed him and place him in a dark cell. We then rushed into the darkness all the time looking and touching and shouting that we wanted to cut the thumb off with a blunt Okapi knife. We after this left the cell and heard a little squeak asking us to let him out. When we opened the door, his eyes fell on his hands and yes both thumbs were still there. He profusely apologised for his rude behaviour and left the station a trouble-less commuter.

• Police Story: Perfumed Platform. Part (1)

There is nothing sweeter more fragrant that the smell of flowers in a garden. My next story happened here in 1979 the year of my marriage to my rose Tina and also the year of the birth of my eldest son Jack. I was stationed that time at Johannesburg station as a member of the S.A. Railways Police Mobile Unit. Constable Floors and myself with about 10 African and coloured colleagues were given instruction to assist the Railways VLUGSPAN. This Vlugspan was a special group of Railways conductors who went to stations were tickets sales dropped due to non paying passengers and in conjunction with us did these operations. If persons were found without tickets they had to pay extra and if they had no money, we were to arrest them on these Vlugspan statements. On that particular morning of my story, we all met at Jeppe Station at about 05h00 and we did the operation to arrest and protect the Vlugspan. It was still dark and we waited for a train to pull in when an African lady approached us nervously, keep in mind we the Mobile Unit were in civilian clothing, and she spoke to sergeant Mahlangu in Zulu. Sgt. Mahlangu then told me what the lady had told him in Zulu.

She said that last Wednesday she had caught a train here at Jeppe Station after working night shift to go to her home, in I think, it was Naledi in Soweto. As the train journey passengers got off and when the train pulled out of Langlaagte Station she found herself sitting alone with a fellow African passenger. This passenger looked around and then stood up and approached her and to her horror she saw he had a long knife and the knife had no wooden or plastic handle it was all metal. He grabbed her and took off her gold plated watch which has an elastic metal strap. He then took the knife and cut her arm and told her she had to come with him to the toilet at the end of the coach. Fearing for her life she went into the toilet where he attempted to rape her and robbed her of her gold plated watch with an elastic metal strap, at the next station the suspect jumped off, I told her via Sgt.Malanghu to walk in front of us and when she sees him, she must just bump into him, so beplan so gedaan, but she when she stopped at the suspect, she turned to him and starting shouting and pointing at him. One could see on the suspect face, he recognized her and then he started to run and jumped into the railway lines

• Police Story: Perfumed Platform Part (2)

Whoever is following this story, stay focused on the title there is no spelling mistake.

As soon as the suspect ran and jumped into the railway lines the chase was on to arrest him. Constable Floors and myself then also jumped into the railway lines and started running after the suspect. We both shouted," Police, Police, Stand or We Will Shoot”. This we repeated a few times and then we started shooting at the suspect with our official 38 Special Smith Wesson revolvers. Now the other passengers started to panic not knowing what is going on, but our other colleagues were shouting in different African languages that we were police trying to arrest a rape suspect. I ran past Constable Floors and again fired off shots at the suspect but kept on missing. The next minute the suspect started to ran/crawl up a steep embankment which led to a vehicle road bridge running over the railway lines and I took a last aim at his legs but the hammer fell on a fired cartridge in other words I had ran out of ammunition. The suspect reached a metal railing and started to climb over it when I grabbed him and we both went over the railing onto a road surface. That’s when the fight started, he was trying to get something out of the left side of his waist. Not knowing what it was

I started to hit him with my revolver, but I was tired, very tired and the fight went on. During the fight I smelt that one of us had made a nr 1 in our pants. As we fought constable Floors came to my rescue and we got the suspect handcuffed but that nr1 smell was overwhelming. On investigation I found a long knife with no handle grips and a lady's watch. The suspect had messed in his pants and some of it got onto my jeans. We went to the platform and there the complainant ‘id’ the man as her rapist, she id. the knife and she id. the watch as her stolen property, I went to a tap and tried to get the mess and smell off my jeans. I then shouted and this was repeated in Zulu by Sgt Mahlungu that I need some perfume. Well, being the hero every single woman on the platform opened their bags and carrier bags and took their perfume bottles/cans and all of them sprayed my jeans and it was so overwhelming I almost could not breathe. Yes, the suspect got a prison sentence.

The End.

ALBERT LUTHULI EN DIE SA SPOORWEGPOLISIE: DURBAN

in Wikipedia, die vrye ensiklopedie

Albert Luthuli

President van die African National Congress

Ampstermyn

1952 1967

Voorafgegaan deur James Moroka

Opgevolg deur Oliver Tambo

Persoonlike besonderhede

Gebore ca. 1898 Bulawayo, Suid Rhodesië

Sterf 21 Julie 1967

Stanger, KwaZulu Natal, Suid Afrika

Politieke party African National Congress

Eggenoot/ note Nokukhanya Bhengu

Toekennings Nobelprys vir Vrede (1960)

Inkosi Albert Luthuli was 'n Zoeloehoofman, onderwyser, en president van die African National Congress en wenner van die Nobelprys vir Vrede in 1960.

Albert Luthuli, omtrent 1960

Luthuli is omstreeks 1898 in Bulawayo, Suid-Rhodesië, gebore. Hy ontvang opleiding as onderwyser aan die Adamskollege. Hy dien in die Naturelleverteenwoordigersraad totdat dit in 1946 afgeskaf word. Hy word president van die ANC in 1952, waarna sy verset teen die regering en sy aandeel in die openbare vernietiging van passe na die oproerigheid by Sharpeville daartoe lei dat hy in sy huis op Stanger ingeperk word.

Belangrikste prestasies

Albert Luthuli was die eerste Afrikaan wat die Nobelprys vir Vrede ontvang het. Luthuli het internasionale erkenning gekry vir sy pogings om nie gewelddadige metodes te gebruik om die rassediskriminasie in Suid-Afrika te beëindig.

Luthuli se leierskap het vroeg in sy lewe reedsbegin. In 1936 is hy verkies tot hoofman van Groutville se Umvoti Mission Reserve. Hier het hy al die gebruike en tradisies van die Zoeloes aangeleer. In 1945 het hy hom by die African National Congress (ANC) aangesluit en is in 1952 verkies tot president generaal van die ANC. In dieselfde jaar het Luthuli 'n nie gewelddadige optog teen die onregverdige wette van die land gelei. Die eerste van 'n aantal beperkings op Luthuli se bewegings is daarna ingestel, maar hy het voortgegaan om byeenkomste by te woon, dorpe te besoek en deur die land te toer om groot byeenkomste toe te spreek.

In Desember 1956 is Luthuli en 155 ander politieke aktiviste aangekla van hoogverraad. Ná 'n uitgerekte verhoor kon daar nog geen bewyse vir die aanklag gevind word nie en in 1957 is hulle vrygespreek. In Desember 1961 is Luthuli die eerste keer toegelaat om Groutville te verlaat vir sy vlug na Oslo om die Nobel prys vir Vrede te ontvang. 'n Kort lewensgeskiedenis

Albert John Mvumbi Luthuli is 1898 (die presiese datum is onbekend) in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, gebore. Hy was die derde seun van John Bunyan Luthuli, wat 'n Christelike sendeling en evangelis

Albert Luthuli omtrent 1920. Albert Luthuli 1961 in Oslo Albert Luthuli 1967.

Standbeeld van AlbertLuthuli by die Victoria & Alfred Waterfront in Kaapstad. Standbeeld van Albert Luthuli in die KwaDukuza, KwaZulu Natal

by die Sewedaagse Adventistekerk was, en Mtonya Gumede. Ná sy pa se dood het die tienjarige Albert na Suid Afrika verhuis om onderrig te ontvang. Hy het by sy oom, wat die hoofman in Groutville was, gebly. Hier het hy ook die Zoeloe tradisies en pligte in die huishouding van sy oom aangeleer.

Hy het sy eerste skooljare by die American Board Mission School deurgebring. Daarna het hy twee termyne lank by die Ohlanga kollege gestudeer voordat hy oorgegaan het na 'n Metodiste institusie in Edendale. In 1917 het hy sy onderwyskursus by dié institusie voltooi. Hy is toe aangestel as hoof by 'n oorgangskool (Engels: "intermediate school"), waar hy twee jaar lank gewerk het.

In 1920 het Luthuli 'n beurs by die Adams kollege naby Durban gekry. Hy het sy opleidingskursus in hoër onderwys in 1922 voltooi en is daarop as 'n lektor aangestel. In 1928 is hy tot sekretaris van die African Teacher Association verkies en het hy ook die Zulu Language and Culture Society gestig. Luthuli is in 1927 met 'n mede-opvoedkundige, Nokukhanya Bhengu, getroud. Hulle het hulle in Groutville gevestig, waar hul eerste seun in 1929 gebore is.

In 1933 het van die lede van die stam Luthuli genader om sy oom as hoofman op te volg. Op 1 Januarie 1936 is hy dan ook ingehuldig as hoofman van Groutville. Om dié gemeenskap van 5 000 te lei het baie inspanning geverg en Luthuli is verplig om sy onderwysloopbaan te laat vaar. Vir die volgende sewentien jaar het hy hom toegewy aan die lede van hierdie stam. Van sy vele pligte was om die funksie van 'n magistraat te vervul, as 'n verteenwoordiger van sy mense en terselfdertyd as 'n verteenwoordiger van die plaaslike regering op te tree, asook om die stamfunksies en tradisionele feeste te lei.

In 'n poging om die ekonomie van Groutville te verbeter het hy gehelp om die Groutville Cane Growers Association te laat herlewe. Aan die begin van die Tweede Wêreldoorlog het die regering die regte van swart mense nog meer beperk. Hierdie stelsel het later bekend geword as apartheid. Onder die apartheidsbestel het die Regering beleide ingestel wat letterlik elke aspek van die lewens van die swart mense geraak het. Luthuli het hom in 1945 by die ANC, die land se grootste opposisiegroep aangesluit om te protesteer teen die Regering se onderdrukking van swart mense. In 1951 is hy aangestel as leier van die ANC groep in KwaZulu Natal. Op 16 Desember 1952 is hy verkies tot president-generaal van die ANC - 'n posisie wat hy behou het tot en met die verbanning van dié organisasie in Maart 1960. In 1952 was hy leier van die Defiance Campaign 'n veldtog van nie gewelddadige optogte wat die begin van massa weerstand teen die apartheidstelsel gekenmerk het.

As gevolg van Luthuli se prominente posisie in die optog het die regering hom gedwing om te bedank in sy pos as president generaal van die ANC of sy posisie as hoofman van Groutville op te gee. Luthuli het hom nie daaraan gesteur nie en nog steeds met albei voortgegaan. In reaksie het die Regering in 1952 die eerste van 'n aantal beperkings uitgereik wat Luthuli verbied het om vir die volgende vyftien jaar te toer of lesings te gee.

Albert Luthuli het egter nog steeds voortgegaan met sy politieke werk en in Oktober 1961 is die Nobel prys vir Vrede aan hom toegeken. Twee jaar later het hy sy outobiografie, Let my People Go, wat deur die Suid Afrikaanse regering verban is, uitgegee. Op 21 Julie 1967 het hy gesterf toe hy op 'n treinbrug naby sy huis onder 'n trein beland het.

In 1960 nomineer die Sweedse regering hom vir die Nobel vredesprys, wat hy dan ook in dieselfde jaar ontvang vir sy niegeweldadige stryd teen apartheid. Hy is twee jaar later verkies tot die rektor van die Universiteit van Glasgow.

Luthuli het sy lewensverhaal opgeteken in sy aangrypende outobiografie, "Let my people go". Hy sterf in 1967 toe hy onder verdagte omstandighede deur 'n trein omgery is.

• Oudhoofman Luthuli en die Polisie

Oor die algemeen was die verhouding tussen (oud)hoofman Luthuli en die polisie baie goed. Daar was aanvanklik geen kwade gevoelens tussen die twee party nie. Hy was immers hoofman!

Om my punt te bewys: Baie van die ou polisiemanne in Durban het destyds ook bv vir die kommunis, Rowley Arenstein, goed op persoonlike vlak geken. Twee polisiemanne het op verskillende tye in my teenwoordigheid mnr Arenstein in die straat raakgeloop en vriendelik met hom gesels ek is selfs aan hom voorgestel.

Verhoudings is later eers geradikaliseer veral na die stigting van die SAKP/ANC se gewapende vleuel MK op 16 Desember 1961. Lees gerus sy boek en sy uitsprake oor die polisie veral tov diegene wat die 11 SAP lede te Cato Manor vermoor het.

Daar was ‘n Magsorder met die opskrif: Versekering van Landsveiligheid en elke stasiebevelvoerder het opdrag ontvang om bewus te wees wat in sy wyk gebeur. Eweneens het die veiligheidstak goeie skakeling met stasiebevelvoerders en takbevelvoerders van die speurtak in elke stasiewyk gehad.

Die polisie het nie in ‘n vakuum opereer nie en verhouding tussen die bevolking en die polisie was oor die algemeen goed. Om die punt te bewys raadpleeg al die jare se Kommissaris Jaarverslae, en u sal sien dat die telkaart, veral met de oplossing van kriminele sake, goed was!

• Luthuli en die SAP Veiligheidstak

Die verhouding tussen die veiligheidstak en “bekende mense” was baie goed en na mate radikalisering toegeneem het en die rewolusionêre klimaat verhoog het, het beide kante verder van mekaar in twee kampe beweeg. Baie ouer lede van die veiligheidstak in Port Natal het mense soos hoofman Luthuli op ‘n persoonlike vlak goed geken en daar het amptelike skakeling plaas gevind. Daar was wedersydse respek en begrip.

Oom PC ‘Pieter’ Swanepoel (Oudlid van Durban Veiligheidstak en afgetree as hoof van NI se Navorsingafdeling) het my vertel dat mnr Albert Luthuli ‘n goeie behoudende mens was en hy sou Luthuli as ‘n leier aanvaar het. Die veiligheidstak het gebiedslêers gehad en veldwerkers het alle mense van belang tydens patrollies besoek. Deur welwillendheidsbesoeke is bande gebou en vertroue tussen die staat en die mense uitgebou. Die polisie het nie in ‘n vakuum geopereer nie.

• Luthuli en die Spoorwegpolisie

Uit persoonlike kennis weet ek dat die SA Spoorwegpolisie die dood van oudhoofman Luthuli baie goed en deeglik ondersoek het. Daar is beslis geen verdagte omstandighede nie dit was ‘n blote treinongeluk waar ‘n bejaarde man deur ‘n trein dood getrap is. (Ek dink dit was op ‘n brug as ek reg onthou.) Dit is algemeen bekend dat as mens bejaard raak is jou sintuie nie meer so goed nie. Die spoorwegpolisie het sy dood gedurende 1967 baie goed ondersoek omdat hy internasionaal goed bekend was.

GENERALS OF THE ANGLO BOER WAR

Jennifer Bosch

(19 November 1846 8 August 1902)

A Boer general, member of the Transvaal government and president of the Nieuwe Republiek. He was the eldest son of Izaak Johannes Meijer and Martha Maria Elizabeth Landman and the grandson of Lucas Johannes Meyer, a Voortrekker leader and member of the Volksraad of the Natalia Republic.

He strongly opposed the British annexation of the Transvaal. At the battle of Ingogo, (First Anglo Boer War) he was badly wounded. After the war, he served as magistrate of Utrecht from 1882 to 1884. In 1884 he became the district commandant and the leader of a group of Boers who assisted Prince Dinuzulu during the power struggle against his brother Zibhebhu. At the Battle of Tshaneni on 5 June 1884 Dinuzulu and his warriors, with the help of some 100 Boers, defeated Zibhebhu.

After the victory, Dinizulu handed land to the Boers as compensation for their assistance and Meyer played a leading role in the establishment of the Nieuwe Republiek on the land. In August 1884, he was appointed Commandant General and Acting President and when his friend and confidant, Commandant-General Piet Joubert who had been elected president refused the appointment, Meyer became president. Meyer fought for the recognition of the Nieuwe Republiek, as the Republic was recognized only by the German Empire and the South African Republic. He then took a leading role in obtaining British permission for the incorporation of the Nieuwe Republiek into the South African Republic as the Vryheid district, which permission was granted in 1888.

In 1890, Commandant-General Joubert appointed Meyer as frontier commissioner of the Transvaal's southern border and he held office until he was elected the first member of the Volksraad for Utrecht in 1893 and in 1899, he became chairman of the Volksraad.

Meyer played an important role in Natal during the Second Anglo Boer War as General of the southern commandos in the Transvaal and the various advances into Natal. He commanded the Boer forces attacking Dundee at the Battle of Talana Hill on 20 October 1899. However, due to illness, he was forced to leave the scene of fighting during the battle at Modderspruit on 30 October 1899 and command was taken over by General Louis Botha. Meyer returned to the battlefield and took part in the Battle of Vaal Krantz during February 1900 and also assisted with the occupation of Biggarsberg in May 1900.

Because of ill health, he was unable to take an active part during the latter part of the war and at the conclusion of the war, he became a member of the Executive Council, taking part in the peace conference and was one of the signatories of the Treaty of Vereeniging.

Pieter

Kritzinger

(20 April 1870, 'Wildemanskraal', Alexandria, Port Elizabeth District 2 October 1930, Cradock, Eastern Cape).

Kritzinger was a Boer general and Assistant Commandant of the Forces of the Orange Free State and Commander in Chief of the Boer Rebel Forces in the Cape Colony and noted guerrilla commander during the Second Boer War. He led the Boer invasions of the Cape Colony during the Guerrilla Phase of the Second Boer War

As a burgher in the Rouxville Commando under General J.H. Olivier, he took part in the invasion of the Cape Colony and and also the Battle of Stormberg on 10 December 1899. At the time, Kritzinger was engaged to a daughter of General J.H. Olivier. The Boer victory at the Battle of Stormberg was part of the British Black Week.

In December 1900, Kritzinger's commando formed part of the force with which General Christiaan de Wet attempted to invade the Cape Colony. The plan was foiled and Kritzinger was instructed to try again with his own commando as soon as the Orange River was fordable. On 16 December 1900 he succeeded in entering the Cape Colony at Odendaalstroom. Pursued by British columns, Kritzinger at the end of December 1900 crossed the railway between Noupoort and Middelburg, where they derailed a train. The commando then moved southwards through the Graaff Reinet and Murraysburg districts, past Prince Albert to Oudtshoorn in the Little Karoo.

He succeeded in fording the Orange River near Bethulie on 29 April 1901. In April 1901 he was promoted by General Christiaan de Wet to the rank of General at the age of 31 years.

On 12 June 1901, Kritzinger issued the Stormberg Declaration, confirming that the North Eastern districts of the Cape Colony (Aliwal North, Burghersdorp, Dordrecht, Jamestown, Ladygrey, Molteno, Rhodes, etc.) was still annexed as part of the Republic of the Orange Free State

Kritzinger invaded the Cape Colony once again at Norvalspont on 19 May 1901 and again for a third time at Sanddrif on 15 December 1901. He was driven westwards in the direction of the railway line to the north. As he crossed the line on 16 December 1901 he was gravely wounded and taken prisoner while attempting to rescue a comrade, Lieutenant Gerrit Boldingh.

After some weeks in hospital at Noupoort he was imprisoned as prisoner of war (POW) in the military prison at Graaff-Reinet and tried by the Graaff-Reinet Military Tribunal in March 1902 on the charge of rebellion but was acquitted by the Graaff Reinet Military Tribunal after influential newspapers in England and the United States of America took up the cudgels on his behalf after the huge furore that Scheepers's death caused in the international news.

Kritzinger was released after the British General Officer Commanding the 1st Division in the Second Boer War, Lord Paul Methuen, was released by General JH de la Rey, after he was captured by De La Rey at the Battle of Tweebosch on 7 March 1902.

Initially, after the Treaty of Vereeniging was signed on 31 May 1902, he went in exile to Mexico and the United States of America in an attempt to prevent the undertaking of the oath of allegiance to the British throne.

• James Barry Munnik Hertzog

(Born April 3, 1866, near Wellington, Cape Colony died Nov. 21, 1942, Pretoria, South Africa.)

Hertzog was a soldier and statesman who held the post of prime minister of the Union of South Africa from 1924 to 1939.

He first studied law at Victoria College in Stellenbosch, Cape Colony. In 1889, he went to the Netherlands to the University of Amsterdam, where he prepared a dissertation, on the strength of which he received his doctorate in law on 12 November 1892.

Hertzog had a law practice in Pretoria from 1892 until 1895, when he was appointed to the Orange Free State High Court. During the Boer War of 1899 1902, he rose to the rank of general, becoming the assistant chief commandant of the military forces (Commando units) of the Orange Free State. Despite some military reverses, he gained renown as a resourceful leader of the Boer commandos who chose to continue fighting, the so-called "bitter-enders". Eventually, convinced of the futility of further bloodshed, he signed the Treaty of Vereeniging in May 1902.

• Louis Botha (27 September 1862 27 August 1919)

He was a South African politician who was the first prime minister of the Union of South Africa the forerunner of the modern South African state. A Second Boer War hero, he eventually fought to have South Africa become a British Dominion.

Louis Botha was born in Greytown, Natal, one of 13 children born to Louis Botha Senior and Salomina Adriana van Rooyen. He briefly attended the school at Hermannsburg before his family relocated to the Orange Free State.

He led "Dinuzulu's Volunteers", a group of Boers that had supported Dinuzulu against Zibhebhu in 1884.

Botha later became a member of the parliament of Transvaal in 1897, representing the district of Vryheid

In 1899, Louis Botha fought in the Second Boer War, initially joining the Krugersdorp Commando, continuing to fight under Lucas Meyer in Northern Natal, and later as a general commanding and leading Boer forces impressively at Colenso and Spioen Kop. On the death of P. J. Joubert, he was made commander in chief of the Transvaal Boers, where he demonstrated his abilities again at Belfast Dalmanutha. After the battle at the Tugela, Botha granted a twenty four hour armistice to General Buller to enable him to bury his dead.

After the fall of Pretoria in June 1900, Louis Botha led a concentrated guerrilla campaign against the British together with Koos de la Rey and Christiaan de Wet. The success of his measures was seen in the steady resistance offered by the Boers to the very close of the three year war.

De Wet was a Boer general, rebel leader and politician. Born on the Leeuwkop farm, in the district of Smithfield in the Boer Republic of the Orange Free State,he later resided at Dewetsdorp, named after his father, Jacobus Ignatius de Wet.

De Wet served in the first Anglo Boer War of 1880 81 as a field cornet, taking part in the Battle of Majuba Hill, in which the Boers achieved a victory over the British forces under Major General Sir George Pomeroy Colley. This eventually led to the end of the war and the reinstatement of the independence of the Zuid Afrikaansche Republiek, more commonly known as the Transvaal Republic.

He lived on his farm from 1881 to 1896, becoming a member of the Volksraad in 1897.

In September 1899, de Wet and his three sons were ‘called up’ as ordinary private burghers without any rank. He was a member of the Heilbron commando. On 11 October 1899, he was elected vice commandant of Heilbron. He participated at Nicholson's Nek on 30 October, when 954 British officers and men surrendered. Thereafter, he took part in the Siege of Ladysmith.

On 9 December 1899, he received a telegram from the State President, M.T. Steyn, informing him that he had been appointed a fighting general and was to proceed to the Western frontier. He found General Piet Cronjé in command of the Boer forces ensconced at Magersfontein, south of Kimberley, while the English were at the Modder River. De Wet was to be Cronje's second in command. The British advance commenced on 11 February 1900, with General French outflanking Cronje at Magersfontein and riding towards Kimberley. De Wet's raid on the ox wagon convoy at Watervals Drift, capturing 1600 oxen, did not stem the tide. The Siege of Kimberley was relieved on 15 February, and Cronje surrendered with 4000 men at Paardeberg on 27 February. Shortly thereafter, de Wet was appointed Commander in Chief of the Free State forces.

His next successful action was the surprise attack on Sanna's Post near Bloemfontein on 31 March 1900. That was followed on 4 April by the victory of Reddersburg. De Wet came to be regarded as the most formidable leader of the Boers in their guerrilla warfare. He sometimes escaped only by the narrowest of margins from the columns which attempted to surround him, De Wet continued his successful career to the end of the war, striking heavily where he could, and evading every attempt to bring him to bay. His brother, Piet Daniel De Wet, another successful Boer general, was captured by the British in July 1901 and subsequently served against Christiaan as a member of the National Scouts, who were Boers serving with the British forces.

De Wet took an active part in the peace negotiations of 1902 and was one of the signatories of the Treaty of Vereeniging.

• Christiaan Rudolf de Wet

Jacobus Herculaas de la Rey

(22 October 1847 15 September 1914)

Fondly known as Koos de la Rey, he was a South African military officer who served as a Boer general during the Second Boer War. De la Rey also had a political career and was one of the leading advocates of Boer independence.

Born on Doornfontein Farm in the Winburg District of the Orange Free State, Koos was the son of Adrianus Johannes Gijsbertus de la Rey and Adriana Wilhelmina van Rooyen. De la Rey was of French Huguenot, Spanish and Dutch descent. His grandfather, a school teacher came to South Africa from Utrecht, Netherlands. After the Battle of Boomplaats, the family farm was confiscated by the British and the family trekked into the Transvaal and settled in Lichtenburg. As a child De la Rey received very little formal education. Again, the De la Rey family moved, this time to Kimberley after the discovery of diamonds. As a young man, Koos worked as a transport rider on the routes serving the diamond diggings at Kimberley.

He fought in the Basotho War of 1865 and Sekhukhune's War of 1876. He did not take a very active part in the First Boer War, but as field cornet in the western Transvaal, he took over Piet Cronjé's Potchefstroom siege (1880 1881) when Cronjé fell ill. He was elected commandant of the Lichtenburg district and became a member of the Transvaal Volksraad in 1883.

On the outbreak of war, De la Rey was appointed one of Piet Cronjé's field generals. De la Rey led an attack that resulted in the first shots of the war being fired at Kraaipan. The train was derailed and after a five hour fight, the British surrendered. This incident made De la Rey famous but exacerbated his conflicts with the cautious and unimaginative Cronjé, who sent him to block the advance of the British forces moving to relieve the Siege of Kimberley

The Western Transvaal fell to De la Rey, and for the next two years he led a mobile campaign, winning battles at Moedwil, Nooitgedacht, Driefontein, Donkerhoek and other places, and inflicting large losses of men and material on the British at Ysterspruit on 25 February 1902, where enough ammunition and supplies were captured to reinvigorate the Boer forces. At Tweebosch on 7 March 1902, a large part of Methuen's rear guard was captured, including Methuen himself. Albeit ragged and often hungry, De la Rey's men roamed at will over vast areas and tied down tens of thousands of British troops. Despite some reverses, such as the Battle of Rooiwal in April 1902, his commandos, numbering up to 3,000 men, remained in the field until the end of the war.

De la Rey was noted for chivalrous behaviour towards his enemies. For example, at Tweebosch on 7 March 1902 he captured Lieutenant General Methuen along with several hundred of his troops. The troops were sent back to their lines because De la Rey had no means to support them, and Methuen was also released since he had broken his leg when his own horse had fallen on him.

After the war De la Rey travelled to Europe with Louis Botha and Christiaan de Wet to raise funds for the impoverished Boers whose families and farms had been devastated.

Better known as Piet Joubert, he was Commandant General of the South African Republic from 1880 to He also served as Vice President to Paul Kruger from 1881 1883. He served in First Boer Second Boer War, and the Malaboch War.

Joubert was born in the district of Prince Albert, British Cape Colony, a descendant of a French Huguenot who fled to South Africa. Left an orphan at an early age, Joubert migrated to the Transvaal, where he settled in Wakkerstroom district near Laing's Nek and the east corner of the Colony of Natal. There he not only farmed and also studied law.

During the first British annexation of the Transvaal, Joubert earned for himself the reputation of a consistent irreconcilable by refusing to hold office under the government, as Paul Kruger and other prominent Boers were doing. Instead of accepting the lucrative post offered him, he took a leading part in creating and directing the agitation which led to the First Boer 1881), eventually becoming, as commandant general of the Boer forces, a member of al Boer government set up in December 1880

He was in command of the Boer forces at Laings Nek, Ingogo, and Majuba Hill, subsequently conducting the earlier peace negotiations that led to the conclusion of the Pretoria Convention

He took little part in the negotiations that culminated in the ultimatum sent to Great Britain by Kruger in 1899, and though he immediately assumed nominal command of the operations on the outbreak of hostilities, he gave up to others the chief share in the direction of the war, through his inability or neglect to impose upon them his own will. His cautious nature, which had in early life gained him the sobriquet of Slim Piet (Clever Piet), joined to a lack of determination and assertiveness that characterized his whole career, led him to act mainly on the defensive; and the strategically offensive movements of the Boer forces, such as Elandslaagte and Willow Grange, appear to have been neither planned nor executed by him.

On 28 November 1899, during a raid south of the Tugela River in Natal, Joubert was thrown from his horse and suffered internal injuries. As the war went on, physical weakness led to Joubert's virtual retirement, and, though two days earlier he was still reported as being in supreme command, he died at Pretoria from peritonitis on 28 March 1900.

Sir George White, the defender of Ladysmith, summed up Joubert’s character when he called him "a soldier and a gentleman, and a brave and honourable opponent"

de

(22 March 1847, Montaigu, Brittany, France 6 April 1900, in Boshoff, Orange Free State, South Africa)

He was a former colonel in the French infantry who fought and died on the side of the Boers during the Second Anglo Boer War. He was the first of only two foreign volunteers to be given the rank of Major General in the armed forces of the Boer Republics. The other being his second in command Yevgeny Maximov (1849 1904) after the death of Villebois Mareuil.

Earlier in his career Georges de Villebois Mareuil took part in the Franco Prussian War in 1871 and drove the Prussians back from Blois. Georges de Villebois Mareuil saw in the Anglo Boer War the chance to avenge the French humiliation at Fashoda in the Sudan in 1898. He arrived in Lourenço Marques on the 22 November 1899. That December he was appointed to the rank of Major in the Boer forces by General Joubert, and fought in the Battle of Colenso. Due to his leadership capabilities, he was given the rank of Major General and became commander of all Foreign Volunteers on 17 March 1900.

Georges de Villebois Mareuil was betrayed by his native assistant who fled to inform the British troops of their position. He died leading a small detachment against 750 Yeomanry under Baron Methuen on a hill on the farm of Kareepan near Boshoff. At the time of his death, he was left with 30 men from an original number of 300 at the beginning of his campaign. Despite being massively outnumbered and enduring 3 hours of Maxim gun fire, Georges de Villebois-Mareuil was quoted as saying that he would never surrender and would wait for the cover of darkness to escape. During his last minutes he shot two or three British soldiers with his pistol, stood up during the battle to encourage his men, and was shot in the back. He fell near a wild olive tree on the hill that still carries the bullet holes from the battle.

Georges de Villebois-Mareuil's body was taken to Boshoff, and given a full military burial by the British, which was paid for by Methuen out of his own pocket. His body was exhumed and reburied in the Heroes Acre in Magersfontein in 1971.

(4 October 1836 4 February 1911)

Cronje was a South African Boer general during both Anglo Boer Wars.

Born in the Cape Colony but raised in the South African Republic, Cronjé had a distinctive appearance, being short with a black beard and was reputed to have considerable personal courage. He made his reputation in the First Boer War, besieging the British garrison at Potchefstroom.

Cronjé was in command of the force that rounded up Leander Jameson at Doornkop at the conclusion of the Jameson Raid on 2 January 1896. During the Second Boer War, Cronjé was general commanding in the western theatre of war. He began the sieges of Kimberley and Mafeking At Mafeking, with a force between 2,000 and 6,000 he laid siege against 1,200 regular troops and militia under the command of Colonel Robert Baden Powell.

After Lord Methuen attempted to relieve the siege of Kimberley, Cronjé fought the Battle of Modder River on 28 November 1899, where the British won a Pyrrhic victory over the Boers. Cronjé's novel tactics at the Modder River, where his infantry was positioned at the base of the hills instead of at the tops to increase the effectiveness of their rifles' flat trajectories earned him a place in military history. However, the tactics ascribed to him were not his own; he was convinced by General Koos de la Rey and President Martinus Theunis Steyn. After Modder River, Cronjé repulsed Methuen's forces at the Battle of Magersfontein on 11 December. This was actually due to De la Rey's tactics and planning; Cronjé sat idle in camp.

Cronjé was an attritionist and did not see the value in manoeuvre battles. He was defeated at the Battle of Paardeberg where he surrendered with 4,150 of his commandos on 27 February 1900, after being enveloped by Lord Roberts' forces. The commanding officer of the 3rd Battalion, the Grenadier Guards, Lieutenant Colonel Eyre Crabbe, was surprised to find that Cronjé had been accompanied on the campaign by his wife.

After his surrender he and his wife, Hester, were sent to a prison of war camp on Saint Helena, where he remained until the conclusion of peace negotiations in 1902.

Cronjé was humiliated and shunned by the other Boer generals, ridiculed in the press, and was not asked to the peace talks at Vereeniging. He took part in the World Fair re enactments of the Anglo Boer war at St. Louis in 1904. He eventually returned to South Africa and died at Klerksdorp

Born the son of Hall Plumer and Louisa Alice Plumer (née Turnley) and educated at Eton College and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, Plumer was commissioned as a lieutenant into the 65th Regiment of Foot on 11 September 1876.

He joined his regiment in India and became adjutant of his battalion on 29 April 1879.

Promoted to captain on 29 May 1882, he accompanied his battalion to the Sudan in 1884 as part of the Nile Expedition.

Plumer was present at the battle of El Teb in February 1884 and the battle of Tamai in March 1884, and was mentioned in Despatches. He spent from 1886 to 1887 attending the Staff College, Camberley, before being appointed Deputy Assistant Adjutant-General in Jersey on 7 May 1890.

He was promoted to major on 22 January 1893 and posted to the 2nd Battalion the York and Lancaster Regiment before being appointed assistant military secretary to the General Officer Commanding Cape Colony in December 1895.

He went to Southern Rhodesia in 1896 to disarm the local police force following the Jameson Raid and then later that year returned there to command the Matabele Relief Force during the Second Matabele War. He became deputy assistant adjutant-general at Aldershot with promotion to brevet lieutenant colonel on 8 May 1897.

In 1899 Plumer returned to Southern Rhodesia where he raised a force of mounted infantry and, having been promoted to the substantive rank of lieutenant colonel on 17 October 1900, he led them at the Relief of Mafeking during the Second Boer War.

He was promoted to colonel on 29 November 1900 and was then given command of a mixed force which captured General Christiaan de Wet's wagon train at Hamelfontein in February 1901. Plumer arrived back in the United Kingdom in April 1902, and two months later was received in audience by King Edward VII on his return. In a despatch dated 23 June 1902, Lord Kitchener, Commander in Chief in South Africa during the latter part of the war, wrote how Plumer had "invariable displayed military qualifications of a very high order. Few officers have rendered better service."

• Herbert Charles Onslow Plumer, 1st Viscount Plumer, GCB, GCMG, GCVO, GBE, KStJ (13 March 1857 16 July 1932)

(22 February 1857 8 January 1941)

BP was a British Army officer, writer, founder and first Chief Scout of the world wide Scout Movement, and founder, with his sister Agnes, of the world-wide Girl Guide / Girl Scout Movement. Baden-Powell authored the first editions of the seminal work Scouting for Boys, which was an inspiration for the Scout Movement.

Educated at Charterhouse School, Baden Powell served in the British Army from 1876 until 1910 in India and Africa. In 1899, during the Second Boer War in South Africa, Baden Powell successfully defended the town in the Siege of Mafeking Several of his books, written for military reconnaissance and scout training in his African years, were also read by boys.

Baden Powell returned to Africa in 1896, and served in the Second Matabele War, in the expedition to relieve British South Africa Company personnel under siege in Bulawayo. This was a formative experience for him not only because he commanded reconnaissance missions into enemy territory in the Matopos Hills, but because many of his later Boy Scout ideas took hold here. It was during this campaign that he first met and befriended the American scout Frederick Russell Burnham, who introduced Baden Powell to stories of the American Old West and woodcraft (i.e., Scoutcraft), and here that he was introduced for the first time to the Montana Peaked version of a western cowboy hat, of which Stetson was a prolific manufacturer, and which also came to be known as a campaign hat and the many versatile and practical uses of a neckerchief

Although instructed to maintain a mobile mounted force on the frontier with the Boer Republics, Baden Powell amassed stores and established a garrison at Mafeking. The subsequent Siege of Mafeking lasted 217 days. Although Baden-Powell could have destroyed his stores and had sufficient forces to break out throughout much of the siege, especially since the Boers lacked adequate artillery to shell the town or its forces, he remained in the town to the point of his intended mounted soldiers eating their horses. The town had been surrounded by a Boer army, at times more than 8,000 men.

The siege of the small town received much attention from both the Boers and international media because Lord Edward Cecil, the son of the British Prime Minister, was besieged in the town. The garrison held out until relieved, in part thanks to cunning deceptions, many devised by Baden Powell. Fake minefields were planted and his soldiers pretended to avoid non existent barbed wire while moving between trenches. Baden Powell did much reconnaissance work himself. In one instance, noting that the Boers had not removed the rail line, Baden Powell loaded an armoured locomotive with sharpshooters and sent it down the rails into the heart of the Boer encampment and back again in a successful attack.

During the siege, the Mafeking Cadet Corps of white boys below fighting age stood guard, carried messages, assisted in hospitals and so on, freeing grown men to fight. Baden Powell did not form the Cadet Corps himself, and there is no evidence that he took much notice of them during the Siege. However, he was sufficiently impressed with both their courage and the equanimity with

• Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, 1st Baron BadenPowell, OM, GCMG, GCVO, KCB, KStJ, DL

which they performed their tasks to use them later as an object lesson in the first chapter of Scouting for Boys

The siege was lifted on 17 May 1900. Baden Powell was promoted to major general and became a national hero.

Baden Powell was given the role of organising the South African Constabulary, a colonial police force, but during this phase, Baden Powell was sent to Britain on sick leave, so he was only in command for seven months.

(1 September 1845 30 October 1932)

Methuen was a British Army officer who served in the Third Anglo Ashanti War in 1873 and then in the expedition of Sir Charles Warren to Bechuanaland in the mid 1880s. He took a prominent role as General Officer Commanding the 1st Division in the Second Boer War. After the war he became General Officer Commanding in Chief in South Africa in 1908, Governor and Commander in Chief of Natal in 1910 and then Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Malta in 1915.

Methuen reached South Africa in November 1899 with orders to relieve Kimberley but initially just expelled the Boers from Belmont and Graspan. He was slightly wounded at the Battle of Modder River. He suffered both defeats and successes during the war. His greatest defeat was at the Battle of Magersfontein, during which he failed to carry out adequate reconnaissance and accordingly his artillery bombarded the wrong place leading to the Highland Brigade taking heavy casualties. The battle was regarded as one of the three British disasters in "Black Week" that led to the despatch of Lord Roberts to South Africa.

After Magersfontein, Methuen remained in the Kimberley Boshof area trying to capture Boer General Christiaan de Wet. Methuen was himself captured by the Boers at Tweebosch on 7 March 1902. He had been wounded in the battle when he broke his leg after his horse fell on him. Boer General Koos de la Rey released him due to the severity of his injuries, providing his personal cart to take Methuen to hospital in Klerksdorp. The two allegedly became lifelong friends as a result of this action. Following the end of hostilities in early June 1902, he left Cape Town with other invalids and convalescents on board the SS Assaye, arriving in Southampton the following month, still walking with crutches.

In his final despatch from South Africa in June 1902, Lord Kitchener described the effort of his brother officer the following way:

Lieutenant General Lord Methuen has done more than most Officers towards maintaining throughout this campaign the high standard for personal courage, modesty and humanity which characterize the British Army. I share his own deep regret that his wounds have prevented him from remaining in the field until the conclusion of peace.

• Paul Sanford Methuen, 3rd Baron Methuen, GCB, GCMG, GCVO, DL

(28 September 1852 22 May 1925)

Born in Kent to an Anglo Irish family, he saw brief service as a midshipman in the Royal Navy, before becoming a cavalry officer. He achieved rapid promotion and distinguished himself on the Gordon Relief Expedition. French had a considerable reputation as a womaniser throughout his life.

French became a national hero during the Second Boer War. He won the Battle of Elandslaagte near Ladysmith, escaping under fire on the last train as the siege began. He then commanded the Cavalry Division, winning the Battle of Klip Drift during a march to relieve Kimberley. He later conducted counter insurgency operations in Cape Colony.

French arrived at Cape Town on 11 October1899. After steaming to Durban French and Haig arrived in Ladysmith at 5:40am on 20 October, just as hostilities were beginning.

On the morning of his arrival, French was ordered to investigate reports that the Boers had taken Elandslaagte, north east of Ladysmith, cutting communications with Major General Symon's force at Dundee.

Taking with him the 5th Lancers, six squadrons of Natal Carbineers and Natal Mounted Rifles, a battery of field artillery and a brigade of infantry under Colonel Ian Hamilton, he contacted the Boers at 13:00 that day. White was initially cautious but on 21 October, having learned of Symons' victory at Talana the previous day, he permitted French to attack.

Concerned at French's lack of experience at commanding infantry, White initially proposed that his chief of staff Maj-Gen Hunter take command, but Hunter advised that French should be left in command. White himself came merely to observe, satisfied that the infantry was in Hamilton's capable hands. French enjoyed numerical superiority of around 3:1. Elandslaagte saw British cavalry charge with the lance, cutting down fleeing Boers.

• John Denton Pinkstone French, 1st Earl of Ypres, KP, GCB, OM, GCVO, KCMG, ADC, PC

1908)

Buller was a British Army officer and a VC recipient. He served as Commander in Chief of British Forces in South Africa during the early months of the Second Boer War and subsequently commanded the army in Natal until his return to England in November 1900.

He served in South Africa during the 9th Cape Frontier War in 1878 and the Anglo Zulu War of 1879. In the Zulu War he commanded the mounted infantry of the northern British column under Sir Evelyn Wood. He fought at the British defeat at the Battle of Hlobane, where he was awarded the Victoria Cross for bravery under fire. The following day he fought in the British victory at the Battle of Kambula. After the Zulu attacks on the British position were beaten off, he led a ruthless pursuit by the mounted troops of the fleeing Zulus. In June 1879, he again commanded mounted troops at the Battle of Ulundi, a decisive British victory which effectively ended the war.

In the First Boer War of 1881 he was Sir Evelyn Wood's chief of staff, and the following year was again head of intelligence, this time in the Egypt campaign, and was knighted.

In 1882 he was sent to the Sudan in command of an infantry brigade and fought at the battles of El Teb and Tamai, and the expedition to relieve General Gordon in 1885. He was promoted to major general. He was sent to Ireland in 1886, to head an inquiry into moonlighting by police personnel. He returned to the Army as Quartermaster-General to the Forces the following year and in 1890 promoted to Adjutant General to the Forces, becoming a Lieutenant general on 1 April 1891. He was appointed Honorary Colonel of the 1st (Exeter and South Devon) Volunteer Battalion, Devonshire Regiment, on 4 May 1892. Although expected to be made Commander in Chief of the British Army by Lord Rosebery's government on the retirement of the Duke of Cambridge in 1895, this did not happen because the government was replaced and Lord Wolseley was appointed Commander in Chief of the Army instead. On 24 June 1896 Buller was promoted to full General.

Buller became head of the troops stationed at Aldershot in 1898. He was sent as commander of the Natal Field Force in 1899 on the outbreak of the Second Boer War. On seeing the list of troops which would make up his Corps Buller is said to have remarked "well, if I can't win with these, I ought to be kicked." By early September 1899 he had serious thoughts that the Boers could not easily be browbeaten, and that White's forces in Natal might receive some punishment if they deployed too far forward. He arrived at the end of October. He was defeated at the Battle of Colenso, during what was later to become known as Black Week. Defeats at the Battle of Magersfontein and Battle of Stormberg also involved forces under his command. Because of concerns about his performance and negative reports from the field he was replaced in January 1900 as overall commander in South Africa by Lord Roberts. Defeats and questionable ability as commander soon earned him the nickname "Reverse Buller" among troops. He remained as second-in-command and suffered two more setbacks in his attempts to relieve Ladysmith at the battles of Spioen Kop and Vaal Krantz. On his fourth attempt, Buller was victorious in the Battle of the Tugela Heights, lifting the siege on 28 February 1900, the day after Piet Cronje at last surrendered to Roberts at Paardeberg.[11] After Roberts took Bloemfontein (13 March 1900), Buller correctly predicted that the Boers would take to guerrilla warfare. Later he was successful in flanking Boer armies out of positions at Biggarsberg, Laing's Nek and Lydenburg. It was Buller's veterans who won the Battle of Bergendal in the war's last set piece action.

Buller was also popular as a military leader amongst the public in England, and he had a triumphal return from South Africa with many public celebrations, including those on 10 November 1900 when he went to Aldershot to resume his role as General Officer Commanding Aldershot District, later to be remembered as "a Buller day". His reputation had been damaged by his early reverses in South Africa, especially within the Unionist government. When public disquiet emerged over the continuing guerrilla activities by the defeated Boers, the Minister for War, St. John Brodrick and Lord Roberts sought a scapegoat. The opportunity was provided by the numerous attacks in the newspapers on the performance of the British Army. The matter came to a head when a virulent piece written by The Times journalist Leo Amery was publicly answered by Buller in a speech on 10 October 1901. Brodrick and Roberts saw their opportunity to pounce and, summoning Buller to an interview on 17 October, Brodrick, with Roberts in support, demanded his resignation on the grounds of breaching military discipline. Buller refused and was summarily dismissed on half pay on 22 October. His request for a court martial was refused, as was his request to appeal to the King.

Buller died on 2 June 1908, at the family seat, Downes House, Crediton, Devon, and is buried in the churchyard of Holy Cross Church in Crediton. The entire western side of the chancel arch inside the church forms an elaborate monument to Sir Redvers.

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• (5 July 1846 11 December 1899)

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Wauchope was a British Army officer, killed commanding a brigade at the Battle of Magersfontein in the South African War.

He served on the staff in the Transvaal War in 1881, and with his regiment in the 1882 Anglo Egyptian War. That year, he married his first wife, Elythea Ruth Erskine; she would die in childbirth in 1884, leaving him twin sons. He fought in the Mahdist War in 1884, where he was severely wounded at the Battle of El Teb on 29 February, and mentioned in despatches. He was promoted to major in March, and given a brevet lieutenant colonelcy in May, before serving on the Nile Expedition, where he was again severely wounded at the Battle of Kirbekan in February 1885.

He was promoted to colonel in 1888, being made CB in 1889 and given command of the 2nd Battalion of the Black Watch in 1894. In 1898, he commanded a brigade in the reconquest of the Sudan. He saw action at Atbara and Omdurman and was promoted to major general that year. He was appointed to command the 3rd (Highland) Brigade in the South African War, which saw action at Belmont and Modder River as part of the force sent to relieve Kimberley. Pushing further, they again encountered Boer forces at Magersfontein. In the resulting Battle of Magersfontein, the Highland Brigade was ordered to make a dawn attack on the Boer defences. However, the force was spotted before it was prepared to attack, and faulty reconnaissance meant that the enemy positions were not properly located; the column came under heavy fire as it struggled to deploy for action. Wauchope was killed by rifle fire in the opening minutes of combat; the brigade was pinned down and went to ground. After Wauchope's death, the brigade was leaderless. No one would take command until late in the afternoon and despite the Guards Brigade being in support, in the early afternoon it was routed.

Initially he was buried with his men there, but he was shortly afterwards exhumed and reinterred at Matjiesfontein.

• Major-General Andrew Gilbert Wauchope CB CMG

(6 January 1856 19 November 1934)

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Rundle was a British Army general during the Second Boer War and the First World War.

He fought in the Zulu War in 1879, the First Boer War of 1881 and the Anglo-Egyptian War of 1882. He was involved in the Nile expedition between 1884 and 1885 and served in the Sudan Frontier Field Force from 1885 to 1887. For service in the Khartoum expedition of 1898, he was promoted to Major General for distinguished conduct in the field. He led a column up the Blue Nile to relieve Gedaref the same year.

Rundle became General Officer Commanding South Eastern District on 29 December 1898. He was appointed Honorary Colonel of the 3rd (East Kent Militia) Battalion, Buffs (East Kent Regiment) on 21 June 1899.

After the escalation of the Second Boer War in late 1899, Rundle was in January 1900 appointed to the command of the 8th Division of the South African Field Force, with the temporary and local rank of lieutenant general. The appointment was described as "the most remarkable instance of advancement to high military office which has occurred in the recent history of [the] Army" by a contemporary issue of The Times. He left Southampton in the SS Moor in March 1900 with the staff of the 8th division and 600 men of militia regiments and arrived in Cape Town the following month. He served as commander until early March 1902, when he returned to the United Kingdom on board the SS Carisbrook Castle. For his service in the war, he was mentioned in despatches (including by Lord Kitchener on 23 June 1902) and appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) (the award was dated 29 November 1900 in the gazette, but he was only invested by King Edward VII after his return, at St James's Palace on 2 June 1902).

He retired from the army in 1907. From 1909 to 1915 Sir Leslie Rundle was Governor of Malta. General Sir Leslie Rundle died on 20 November 1934, in a nursing home at the age of 78. His funeral service was held at St. George’s, Hannover Square, and he was buried at Brookwood Military Cemetery.

•

Sir Henry Macleod Leslie Rundle, GCB, GCMG, GCVO, DSO

HMAT

Paxton

His Majesties Armoured Train: Semper Fidelis

I attach one of his recent finds, the armoured train ‘Semper Fidelis’.

I searched your article in ‘Nongqai’ where he has another image of it with Canadian troops at Water Boven.

Can I assume that it was a Cape/British Boer war armoured train and having reached the Northerly point of the Transvaal that (peace had been declared) and all the railways had been repaired.

Can you maybe guess a location of attached photo?

SPIES

Jennifer Bosch

During World War I, pigeons were outfitted with tiny cameras and released over enemy territory. As the birds flew, the cameras clicked away, snapping photos. Since the earliest days of espionage, pigeons have been a spy's best friend.

A

This article has been a long time in coming because it’s really a simple soldier’s story … it’s mine … and I’m a real son of a bitch to consolidate myself with and as such this has been very hard to put together. However, I hope it gives some insight into what it was like to serve in the South African Defence Force (SADF) from the unbanning of the ANC and release of Nelson Mandela on 11 February 1990 to the landmark year for the transformation of South Africa’s democracy in April 1994.

It’s also a testament and a cathartic exercise, as … ta da! No surprise to anyone who knows me personally and what I went through with Covid 19, but I was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). So, no surprise on the Covid front, but it’s the root of the PTSD that’s the real problem, and it boils down to my time in the SADF from 1990 to 1994, it settled on ‘Trust’ or lack thereof really.

“Ag Fok man! No more PTSD G3/K3 Fucked Up Kak” some of my fellow veteran buddies may jump to, heck at one stage I felt the same. But bear with me ‘manne’, this is not a ‘outreach’ or a ‘call for help’ .. I’m solid, in good spirits and very stable (more on this later). What my therapy disclosed is in fact a very interesting bit of history not often held up in the narrative of 1994 and it possesses a load of inconvenient truths, that’s what this story is really all about. So, here goes;

Wit en Swart Gevaar (White and Black Danger)

In 1990 Whilst the now ‘unbanned’ African National Congress (ANC) was finding its political feet and locating itself to ‘Shell House’ near Bree Street in Johannesburg, I was located at Witwatersrand Command’s new HQ Building also in Bree Street a block away the nearby old HQ at the bottom of Twist Street called the ‘Drill Hall’ had been all but abandoned after it was bombed by a ‘lone’ ANC cadre who oddly was a ‘white Afrikaner’ from a top Upper Middle Class Afrikaans school, Linden High School, and who had some serious ‘Daddy issues’ with his Conservative father and upbringing. With the building now declared ‘unsafe’ the HQ had moved next door. Here begins my problem in trying to define the enemy as we had been conditioned by the old Afrikaner Nationalists and in the SADF that the ‘enemy’ was a ‘Swart Gevaar’ (Black Danger) and a ‘Rooi Gevaar’ (Communist Red Danger) not a ‘Wit Gevaar’ (White Danger) with a Upper Middle Class sense of Liberalism as the bomber in question, Hein Grosskopf, was.

Hein Grosskopf

The Drill Hall

So, here I am, a freshy minted National Serviceman ‘one-pip’ Loot (2nd Lieutenant or Subaltern) seconded to Wit (Witwatersrand) Command Operations (Ops) from my initial placement at D Ops (Directive Operations) located in a underground circular shafted ‘nuclear proof’ building in Pretoria called Blenny, the building whose Top Secret Ops room looked like a scene out of Dr Strangelove had its entry bunker located near the Pretoria Prison. This underground building is now falling derelict as a SAAF HQ, in my time the personnel stationed there were known as the ‘Blenny rats’ for obvious reasons, and funnily I can count myself as one.

My job at Wit Command (not ‘Wits’ Command mind – that designation was for the nearby University) was to provide Operation Support and send Top Secret daily SITREP (situation reports) from Wit Command to D Ops at Blenny, or just been a ‘Bicycle’ as my fellow senior officers called ‘one pip’ 2nd Lieutenants (you can ‘trap’ i.e. peddle/stamp on a bicycle), the lowest rung on the officer rank profile.

Whilst parking in my cushy post in the Ops room in September 1990 processing a whack of casualties reported on Johannesburg’s railway lines as the ANC dealt with ‘sell outs’ by throwing them off the commuter trains, the Railways Police and Army Group 18 collecting the corpses and sending reports to me for the daily SITREP and suddenly ‘bang’ another bomb blast, this one a couple of city blocks away in nearby Doornfontein and the target is the old Beeld Newspaper Offices, the bomb later turned out to be placed by the Orde Boerevolk one of the spin off militant White Supremacist Groups. Swart Gevaar suddenly turned Wit Gevaar again. Luckily nobody killed.

This ‘White’ Danger did not end there for me that month. Being a ‘bicycle’, 2nd Lieutenant I was given the shift nobody wanted, the weekend shift in the Ops room, the ‘Commandants’ (Lt. Colonels and there were loads of them in Army Ops), were all at home enjoying their braai’s and brander’s. It was a 24 hour on 48 hour off gig with no brass around so I enjoyed it. Late on a Saturday night, its all quite and I’m stretched out on a cot behind the signaller’s station watching TV and enjoying my lekker time in the ‘Mag’ when a white Ford Cortina pulled up in Bree Street, four white men in the car, out step two, one of them wearing a AWB arm band hangs back standing watch and the other walks up to the entrance of Wit Command and calmy shoots a 21 Battalion sentry on duty in the reception in the head.

21 (Two One) Battalion was a ethnic Black Battalion the SADF was ethnically funny that way, so this was basically a white extremist shooting a black SADF troop as a terror attack. I hear the gunshot, then get a frantic call from the guard room. There is no medic support and only one other officer on the base, so I grab a hand held radio and the emergency medic bag and give instructions to the signaller to stay on the radio and relay messages. The troopie is fortunately alive, the bullet having passed through his jaw as he flinched away from his attacker’s gun. I patch him up with bandages from the medical kit bag and radio the signaller to call an emergency medical evacuation. I then issue an order to the 21 Battalion Guard Commander to double the guard, take note from witnesses as to what happened and then back to my post to disturb my senior officer’s weekend. ‘Wit Gevaar’ had struck Wit Command again.

Given the general carnage in the country created by the AWB, the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) and African National Congress (ANC) at this time it did not take long for the ANC version of ‘Swart Gevaar’ and it would hit me directly again about two weeks later in October 1990 when I received a desperate call over the Ops room phone from an ANC informant, his cover blown and an angry ANC mob had turned up outside his house in Soweto. I was unable to get an extraction to him in the time that it took for the mob to break down the door and the line go dead after I had to listen to his desperate pleading to me for help, the Police picked up his body later. The dismissive and rather racist attitude of one of the other officers present to the whole incident .. “just another k…..”

Shortly after that in October ANC ‘danger’ turned to IFP ‘danger,’ same scenario I’m sat on the weekend in the Ops room enjoying my cushy 24 hours on 48 hours off. This incident strangely happened on a Sunday afternoon, so again the Command is relatively silent manned only by a skeleton staff. Odd for a Sunday, but a small group of IFP supporters banishing traditional weapons (deadly spears and pangas in reality) had made its way down Twist Street from Hillbrow and was making its way past the old Drill Hall to Bree Street, which, as it was still a SADF installation had a group of 21 Battalion guards staying in it. One troop was casually standing outside having a smoke, and I don’t know if it was a ethnic retaliation of Zulu sentiment for a Black SADF troop, but in any event, he got attacked hit by a panga as he lifted his arms to prevent a killing blow.

Same drill as previous no medics around and only 2 officers on the base, grab radio to relay instructions, grab bomb bandages, immediately double the guard, relay instructions to my signaller. I get to the troop and start bandaging him up, however as the panga had severed veins and done other general carnage in both his arms it took some bomb bandages and applied pressure to get it the bleeding under control before an ambulance arrived.

Image: AWB Clandestine paramilitary Getty Image copyright

Image: Inkata Freedom Party member taunts a black SADF soldier: Getty Images

He lived, but the strange bit for me, next morning Monday early, I had been up all night and my uniform was covered in blood. The Commandant, whose lekker branders and braai weekend I had once again disturbed, came in earlier than expected at 06:30am, called me in ‘on orders’, and whilst ‘kakking me out’ from high told me I was derelict in my duty for not wearing barrier gloves when treating a casualty, who, as he was a black man (and to his racially ‘verkrampt’ mind) he would likely have AIDS, thus I was endangering myself as government property. That there were no barrier gloves around was not an excuse and as some sort of punitive measure, he then instructed me to attend the morning parade on the open ground on the Command’s car park (as Ops Officers we had usually been excluded from it). I objected on the basis that I could not change my uniform in time, but he would have none of it.

So, there I stood, an officer on parade covered in blood from saving yet another lowly regarded ‘black’ troopie, watching the sun come up over a Johannesburg skyline on a crisp clear day (if you’ve lived in Johannesburg, you’ll know what this is like, it’s the town’s only redeeming factor it’s stunning) all the time thinking to my myself “this is one fucked up institution.”

There were more instances of the random nature of violence at the time, I was called to and attended to the stabbing of a woman (later criticised by a Commandant for calling a emergency ambulance for a mere ‘civilian’) she had a very deep stab wound about two inches above her mons pubis into her lower intestines which looked pretty bad to me, so I called it and I have no regrets. I was also called to help with a off duty white troop who staggered into the Command late Saturday night with a blunt trauma to the back of the skull and subsequently pissed himself and went into shock.

Oh, and if the general populace wasn’t bad enough, then there were the ‘own team’ military ‘idiots’ which posed a danger all of their own, my first ‘Padre’ call out as an Ops officer was for a troop shot dead by his buddy playing around with his 9mm side arm, and some months later on after a morning parade walking back to the Bree Street building I had to deal with an accidental discharge gunshot in the guardroom of the old Drill Hall which saw two troops with severe gunshot wounds (a conscript Corporal in counter-intelligence decided to check R4 assault rifles standing on their bi-pods on the ground, one discharged taking off a big chunk of his calf muscle which was in front of the muzzle, the bullet then entering both legs of a 21 Battalion guard standing opposite him).

One thing was very certain to me … everyone, black and white from white right wing Afrikaners to left wing English and Afrikaner whites ... to militant and angry Zulus, Tswanas and Xhosas and just about everyone in between was a threat to my life whilst in uniform. These instances whilst serving as an Ops officer would later serve as the basis of stressor trigger during my Covid experience. To me in 1990 there was no such thing as a ‘friendly’, extreme racism, danger and hate coursed in all directions and the old Nationalist idea of the ‘Gevaar’ was a crock of shit.

Wit Command Citizen Force

On finishing my National Service (NS) stint, I immediately landed up in my designated Citizen Force Unit, 15 Reception Depot (15 OVD/RCD) which was part of Wit Command and basically handled the bi annual National Service intakes and call ups (reserve forces included). It also provided surplus personnel to assist in Wit Command’s administration, and that included Operations and Intelligence work. By 1991, I was back doing ‘camps’ and had impressed my new Commanding Officer (CO) enough to earn my second ‘pip’ and now I was a substantiated Full Lieutenant, an officer good and proper. I had previously keenly jumped at a role as a Convoy Commander escorting raw SADF recruits to their allocated training bases.

These were ‘fully armed’ operations as NSM intakes were regarded as a ‘soft’ and very ‘public’ target, of much value for an act of terrorism. As such each convoy needed an armed escort with a lot of Intelligence and logistics support. If you need to know how dangerous consider how many times a recruitment station has been bombed in the Iraq and/or Afghanistan conflicts. I volunteered for the furthest and most difficult escort as the Convoy Commander the bi annual call up to 8 South

Images of Nasrec NSM intakes circa 1990-1993. Photo or Colonel Mannie Alho (then a Captain) and Miss South Africa, Michelle Bruce at an intake courtesy Mannie Alho.

African Infantry Battalion in Upington (8 SAI). My ‘escort’ troops were made up of Wit Command reservists, some from Personal Services but most of them with Infantry Battalion backgrounds, Border War veterans in the main and highly experienced.

1994

By 1994 I had really earned my spurs doing ‘long distance’ Convoy Command. In early 1993 my CO Lt. Col Mannie Alho had seen enough potential in me to kick me off to do a ‘Captain’s Course’ at Personal Services School at Voortrekkerhoogte in Pretoria. At the beginning of 1994 Colonel Alho called me in, handed me a promotion to Captain and gave me his old Captain’s ‘bush pips’ epaulettes he had in his drawer a gesture and epaulettes I treasure to this day.

At this time around Wit Command, a number of significant things happened involving all of us in 15 RCD to some degree or other some less so, others more so. It was a BIG year. In all, these instances would really question who the enemy was in any soldier’s mind serving in the ‘old’ SADF at that time.

The Reserve Call-Up 1994

Firstly, the call up of the SADF Reserve in the Witwatersrand area to secure the country for its democratic transformation. Generally, in 1994 the SADF was running out of National Servicemen the ‘backbone’ of the SADF, the annual January and July intake of ‘white’ conscripts had dwindled alarmingly. Generally, the white public saw the writing on the wall as to the end of Apartheid and the end of whites only conscription program and simply refused to abide their national service call ups.

As to the ‘Permanent Force’ (PF), the professional career element of the SADF, many senior officers (and a great many Commandants) along with warrant officers and some senior NCO’s took an early retirement package. They had seen the writing on the wall as to their role in the Apartheid security machine and felt they had been ‘sold out’ by the very apparatus they had sworn their allegiance to. Some would head into politics in the Conservative Party, others would join the AWB structure and other ‘Boerevolk’ resistance movements and some took their Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) amnesty’s and quietly retired. Others would just bow out honourably, their time done. Nearly all of them totally fed up with FW De Klerk and his cabal and feeling utterly betrayed by them even to this day, and I meet many in military veteran circles.

As to the other part of the SADF ‘backbone’ of which I was one the Citizen Force, then made up almost exclusively of ‘white’ ex National Service members now undertaking their ten odd years of ‘camp’ commitments. In 1994, it was on the cards that a future ‘whites only’ conscription would be stopped, but the problem was a great many soldiers would be needed to stop the country falling into a violent abyss and continuing its journey to a free fully democratic election. To keep up with resourcing requirements, the government contested that ‘whites only’ conscripts who had completed their National Service and were now serving in citizen force Regiments and Commandos must continue to do so and attend their call ups (or risk being fined).

Images: erm, me in case anyone is wondering why the ‘Bokkop’ (Infantry beret), I started off at 5 SAI, then PSC, then back in an infantry role in Ops.

Many were simply sick and tired of the situation; they had done their ‘Border Duty’ and ‘Townships’ and had seen the writing on the wall. They knew the Citizen Force structures would be toothless trying to enforce the camp call ups and ‘fines’. Many just didn’t bother with a camp call up and just wanted to get on with their professional and family lives. A small few however split their loyalty on political grounds and made their way into the AWB and other Boerevolk Armed Resistance movements instead.

Copyright Ian Berry

However, and this is a truism, a great many of these active reservists (the vast majority) stayed on out of sheer loyalty to serve their country no matter what, and to serve their comrades (a powerful bond of brotherhood develops when you serve) and to execute their mandates as well trained and professional military personnel. It was to this element of the Citizen Force that the government would ultimately turn to for help and implore them to volunteer to steer the country to democracy. Even the old ‘End Conscription Campaign’ anti apartheid movement moved to support the ‘camper call up’ for the 1994 general elections.

Personally, I found the SADF military personnel moving to join the AWB and other White Supremist groupings very disappointing as I honestly believe they were hoodwinked and misled. Whilst serving in the SADF, the AWB presented itself as a very distinct enemy and they had no problems targeting the SADF of that I had first hand experience, so very little doubt. I find myself often in military veteran circles in contact with some of these veterans and must say I still find it difficult to reconcile with them.

Images: AWB Training UCT Digital Collection (note the use of parts of SADF ‘Browns’ uniform)

The country’s military also can’t just ‘sommer’ fall apart when a new political party is elected, the loyalty and oath on my officer’s commission is not party political it’s to the State. As a soldier, acting against the State is an act of sedition and all it did was show up these SADF soldiers as loyal to political causes, in this case the National Party’s Apartheid policy and not to the country per se, the military, or their fellow comrades in arms still in the military. Having any of them on the ‘inside’ at this time simply qualified them in my eyes as yet another form of ‘Wit Gevaar’.

To secure the transition of the country to its new democratic epoch, CODESA (the Committee overseeing the establishment of a new constitution and transition of power) proposed the National Peacekeeping Force (NPK), a hastily assembled force consisting of SADF soldiers, some ‘Bantustan’ Defence Force soldiers and ANC MK cadres, to conduct peace keeping security operations and secure the 1994 election. The NPK was a disaster, SADF officers complained of the very poor battle form and discipline, especially of the ANC ‘cadres’ and pointed to basic cowardice. All this materialised in the accidental shooting and killing of the world renown press photographer, Ken Oosterbroek by a NPK member nervously taking cover behind journalists advancing on a IFP stronghold. The NPK was finally confined to barracks in disgrace and quietly forgotten about (even to this day).

Images: National Peacekeeping Force in Johannesburg and surrounds Getty Images copyright

So, it was the old SADF that would have to do the job of taking the country into democracy. I was at the Command when this news came in on the NPK, and I must say I was very relieved, I felt we had been held back ‘chomping at the bit’ literally, and this was our opportunity to shine. It was the opportunity for all involved in the SADF at the time to redeem its image so badly battered by its association to Apartheid and the controversial decision in the mid 80’s to deploy the SADF in the Townships against an ‘internal enemy’ (protesting South African citizens in reality) as opposed to the ‘Rooi Gevaar’ enemy on the Namibia/Angola border (MPLA, SWAPO and Cuban Troops). Added to this were the emerging confessions of political assassinations by Civil Co Operation Bureau (CCB) members, a SADF clandestine ‘black-ops’ group off the hinge and operating outside the law.

The decreasing pools of experienced SADF soldiers, the increasing violence between ANC and IFP supporters, the substantial increase in attacks and bombings by armed ‘Boerevolk’ white supremacist movements like the AWB and others, and the disaster that was the ‘National Peacekeeping Force’ and its disbandment; all forced CODESA and the FW de Klerk government to call up the SADF’s National Reservists. This was done to boost troop numbers and inject experience into the ranks, take over where the NPK left off, and secure the country’s democratic transition and elections.

A Reception Depots primary role is ‘mustering’ and this does not matter if it’s a citizen recruit for Military Service conscript or volunteer or the mustering of the country’s National Citizen Force Reserve. The mustering of the SADF Reserve in Johannesburg took place at Group 18 (Doornkop) Army Base near Soweto and as 15 Reception Depot I was there with our officer group to process the call-ups, see to their uniform and kit needs and forward these Reservists to their designated units to make them ‘Operational’.

Swaggering around the hanger rammed full of reservists, as a newly minted Captain and trying to look important, I was tasked with dealing with a handful of reservists who had abided the call up but turned up wearing civilian clothes and no ‘balsak’ kitbag and uniforms in sight. The Army regulations at time allowed National Servicemen to demobilise but they had to keep their uniforms in case they are called back. I was to send them to the Quarter Master Hanger to get them kitted out again but had to ask what they did with their uniforms. Expecting a “I got fat and grew out of it” or “the gardener needed it more” I got a response I did not expect. They all destroyed or disposed of their SADF uniforms three said they had even ceremonially burned their uniforms when they left the SADF they hated serving in it so much. All of them said; despite this, for this occasion, the securing of a new dawn democracy, for this they would gladly return and serve again, they just needed new browns. It got me thinking, and I felt we were really standing on the precipice of history and as ‘men of the hour’ we were going a great thing. We were the men who, at an hour of great need, had heeded the call to serve the country, and we were to advance human kind and deliver full political emancipation to all South Africans, regardless of race, sex or culture…. heady stuff indeed!

Operational Citizen Force members in Johannesburg and surrounds during 1994: Getty Image copyright

A very ‘Noble Call’ and I felt very privileged and excited at the time that I was involved in such an undertaking, I felt like my old ‘Pops’ (Grandfather) did when the country called for volunteers to fight Nazism in World War 2. We were most certainly on a great precipice.

I don’t want to get into the “look at it now” as I type this in 2022 during Stage 5 loadshedding. That was not the issue in 1994, the ANC miss management and plundering of the country of its finances decades later was not on the cards then, what was on the cards was the disbandment of an oppressive political regime looking after a tiny sect of Afrikaner Nationalists and in the interests of a minority of white people only, and one which was trampling on the rights of just about everyone else. The idea of a country, a ‘rainbow nation’ with one of the most liberated constitutions in the world was paramount at the time, and I’m very proud of my role in this (albeit small), my UNITAS medal for my role in all this still sits proudly on my medal rack.

Ian Berry Copyright Images: SADF Citizen Force members guarding polling stations and securing ballots during the 1994 election, Getty Images.

These ‘white’ ex conscript reservists guarded election booths, gave armed escort to ballot boxes, patrolled the ‘townships’ keeping APLA, ANC, IFP and AWB insurgents away from killing people black and white in the hopes of disrupting the election. If you think this was a rather ‘safe’ walk in the park gig, the ‘war’ or ‘struggle’ was over, think again. I accompanied Group 42 soldiers later in an armoured convoy into Soweto and it was hair raising to say the least. Which brings me to the next incident in 1994.

The Shell House Massacre 1994

As noted, earlier Shell House was located a block away from Wit Command and was the ANC’s Head Office in the early 90’s (Letuli House came later). On the 28 March 1994, IFP supporters 20,000 in number marched on the ANC Head Office in protest against the 1994 elections scheduled for the next month. A dozen ANC members opened fire on the IFP crowd killing 19 people, ostensibly on the orders of Nelson Mandela. SADF soldiers from Wit Command mainly reservists and national servicemen were called to the scene, on arrival, to save lives they put themselves between the ANC shooters and the IFP supporters and along with the South African Police brought about calm and an end to the massacre.

I was not there that day, but some of my colleagues at Wit Command were and all of them would experience ‘elevated’ stress and take a hard line, fully armed response when it came to dealing with protests, especially on how quickly they could go pear shaped. This would permeate to all of us in our dealings with this kind of protesting (more on this later). If you think this incident was yet another in many at this time, note the photo of the dead IFP Zulu man, shot by an ANC gunman, his shoes taken off for his journey to the after life, and then note the three very nervous but determined SADF servicemen from Wit Command putting themselves in harm’s way to prevent more death.

Newspaper at the time capturing the mutual confidence in the future of a ‘new South Africa’ and avoiding ‘the abyss.’

The Bree Street bombing and 1994 Johannesburg terrorist spree Not even a few weeks after the Shell House Massacre, the ANC HQ on the same little patch on Bree Street as Wit Command was to be hit again, and this time it was as destruction outside Shell House was on an epic level.

The bomb went off on 24th April 1994 near Shell house on Bree Street and was (and still is) regarded as the largest act of bombing terrorism in Johannesburg’s history’. It was part of a bombing spree focussed mainly around Johannesburg which left 21 people dead and over 100 people with injuries between April 24 and April 27, 1994. The worst and most deadly campaign of terrorist bombings in the history of the city.

And … it was not the ANC, nope, my old enemy in 1990 had reappeared with vengeance, it was ‘Wit Gevaar,’ it was the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging (AWB) again. Luckily, I was not at our HQ at Wit Command when the bomb went off, however I was there afterward to see the carnage the whole city block was sheer destruction everywhere.

The thunderous blast of a 150 pounds of explosives set off at 09:50 am left a waist-deep crater in the street about midway between the national and regional headquarters of the African National Congress, shattered glass and building structures for blocks and lacerated scores of passers by on

Images: Shell House Massacre Getty Images copyright

the quiet Sunday streets and residents in the surrounding high-rise buildings. It was the deadliest blast of its kind in South Africa since 1983.

A total of 7 people were dead in Bree Street, mostly by standers and civilians from all racial and ethnic groups and 92 people in total were injured. The only reason behind the low death toll is that the bomb went off (and was planned) for a Sunday when the streets were relatively empty. Even though it was a Sunday, members of the Army from Wit Command, SAP and especially SADF Medics quickly moved in to secure the bomb blast area and treat the wounded.

The AWB bombing campaign did not stop there, it continued at pace, the very next day on April 25 a bomb was placed in a trailer allegedly belonging to the AWB leader, Eugene Terre ’Blanche (the AWB later claimed it had lost the trailer during its disastrous Bophuthatswana campaign). The Trailer was towed to Germiston where it was left and then detonated in Odendaal Street near the taxi rank at about 8.45am. Again, civilian by standers took the toll, 10 people were killed and over 100 injured. Later in the day on April 25 at 11.45am, a pipe bomb detonated at a taxi rank on the Westonaria Carletonville road, injuring 5 people. Earlier, at about 7.45am, a pipe bomb went off at a taxi rank on the corner of Third and Park streets in Randfontein, injuring 6 people. At 8.30pm on the same day, a pipe bomb attack at a restaurant on the corner of Bloed Street and 7th Avenue in Pretoria killed 3 and injured 4.

To prevent more bomb-blasts in Johannesburg’s city centre on the election day and the lead up to it, Johannesburg’s city centre was locked down by the SADF using reams of razor wire and armed guards. The election booths themselves in the high-density parts of the city became small fortresses with a heavy armed SADF presence, all done so people in the city centre could vote in the full knowledge they were safe to do so.

Then, just two short days later, on the Election Day itself, 27th April 1994 the final AWB election bombing campaign attack came in the form of a car bomb at the then Jan Smuts International Airport (now OR Tambo International). The bomb was placed at this high profile target so as to create fear on the Election Day itself. The blast left the concourse outside the airport’s International Departures terminal damaged along with a number of parked vehicles on the concourse. Ten people were

Images: AWB Bree Street Bombing Getty Image copyright

injured in this blast. If the AWB was going to make an international statement on their objection to the 1994 Election Day itself, this was it.

Images: AWB Jan Smuts Airport Bombing Getty Image copyright To try and understand my context, this was violence in the ‘white danger’ context of the ‘Struggle’ it was on top of such a general surge of violence at the time I was serving that was the ‘black danger’, the townships of Johannesburg burned as the IFP and ANC went at one another hammer and tongs leaving thousands dead and wounded. The Human Rights Committee (HRC) estimated that between July 1990 and June 1993, some 4 756 people were killed in politically in mainly IFP and

ANC related violence in Gauteng alone. In the period immediately following the announcement of an election date, the death toll in Gauteng rose to four times its previous levels.

Armed ANC, APLA and IFP driven unrest in Johannesburg Townships 1994: Getty Images copyright I often look at the SADF conscripts from this period – the post 1989 intakes, as having more violent exposure than the majority of SADF veterans called up for the Border War which ended in 1989. Our experience ‘the post 1989 intakes’ was fundamentally different to that experienced by the Border War veterans who stopped doing camps after 1989, and I stand by that. I see this difference in old SADF social media groups especially, if a Border War vet posts a picture showing the war against the MPLA and PLAN prior to 1989 that’s fine, post a picture of the elections showing the AWB mobilising or the MK amalgamation in 1994 and its too ‘political’ for them our war doesn’t count, it’s all a little too ‘blurred’ for them no clear cut Rooi Gevaar and Swart Gevaar see no clear cut ‘enemy’, it just doesn’t make sense to them.

The elections, as we all know went ahead, history marched on, but I must smile at the inconvenient truth of it all, it was the SADF, and more specifically the white conscripts serving their camp commitments, who brought the final vehicle of full democracy to South Africa – the vote itself. There was not an ANC MK cadre in sight at the election doing any sort of security, they played no role whatsoever, in fact at the time they were part of the problem and not part of the solution, and their efforts in the NPK deemed too inexperienced, so they were sidelined. The ANC and PAC military wings fell at the last hurdle, they didn’t make it over the finish line of Apartheid bathed in glory, in fact they came over the line a bloody disgrace. To watch them in their misguided sense of heroism today just brings up a wry smile from me.

Integrated Military Intakes

Later in 1994, as a Mustering Depot, we naturally became involved in implementing the newly developed ‘Voluntary Military Service’ program. This was the first multi-racial intake of male and female SANDF recruits. The Voluntary Military System (VMS) was originally established as a substitute for the defunct ‘whites only’ involuntary national service system (NS) and the ‘Indian’ and ‘coloured’ voluntary national service. Also, out the window where the ethnic intakes into ‘Black’ battalions.

In terms of the VMS, volunteers had to undergo ten months basic military training, followed by a further obligation of eight annual commitments of 30 days in the Regiments and Commandos (the Reservist Conventional Forces). The objective was to create a feeder system for the Reservist Conventional forces and eventually balance the ethnic make up of Reservist Regiments (up to this point they were a near ‘all-white’ affair with black troops and officers gradually joining them).

Our first VMS intake at Nasrec in early January 1995 was historic and very telling. In 15 RCD, some of our battle hardened and experienced escorts had to re programmed a little. We introduced a policy of minimal force, we were no longer at war and we had to change mindset. We replaced our pre intake shooting range manoeuvres with ‘hand to hand’ self defence training instead. The photo on this article shows our escorts getting this training it was very necessary and vital, times had changed.

Our intelligence had picked up chatter that the local ANC structures planned to disrupt the intake by spreading the word that the army was now employing ‘Jobs’, ‘Jobs’, Jobs’ after all was an ANC election promise in 1994 and this a first opportunity for delivery on their promise, you merely had to turn up at Nasrec and a ‘job in the defence’ was yours.

Image: 15 RCD Hand to Hand Training NASREC My photo.

And so it happened, two sets of people turned up, one set with ‘call-up’ papers, vetted by the military before mustering and one set, just turning up. The job seekers naturally started to get very upset, angry and uneasy with being turned away and a potentially violent situation began to brew with a large and growingly angry crowd. A couple of other officers and I were called to the situation, and it suddenly occurred to me, as comic as it is serious, that the 9mm Star pistol issued to me was a piece of shit and one of the two issued magazines had a faulty spring so pretty useless if things go south and angry crowds for whatever reason in South Africa, even lack of electricity ora delayed train, can get very violent. So much for Denel’s (Armscor) best, but the SADF was like that when it came to issuing weapons and ammo – uber self-confident, during my basic training at 5 SAI and Junior Leaders (JL’s) training at Voortrekkerhoogte, the standard operation procedure (SOP) was only 5 rounds (bullets) per guard I often wonder how MK would have reacted if their Intel knew just how underprepared and over confident the SADF was sometimes.

We got to the ‘flashpoint’, and to this day I can kiss Staff Sergeant Diesel, who jumped up onto a Mamba Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC), two of which had been brought up, grabbed a loud hailer an told them calmly to go to Wit Command and then he quickly handed out a stack of

Images: NASREC response, 1995 VMS Intake: My photos

application forms. His mannerism as a larger-than-life guy and likeability as a person immediately diffusing the situation as they all set off either home or to Wit Command armed with the correct information.

The intake went on without any further incidence and I have the privilege of having the only photographs of this historic day. I asked VMS recruits what their expectations where, for many ‘white’ VMS recruits their parents (and fathers specifically) wanted them to have the military discipline and camaraderie they had experienced in the old SADF as a life purpose, the ‘black’ VMS recruits were different, they immediately wanted to sign up as permanent force members and make the military a full time career they saw the VMS system as a ‘In’.

The First Multiracial Intake: My Photos Peter Dickens copyright

The VMS system of mustering also went ahead for the first multi racial female intake, so as to address the balance of female personnel and officers, black and white in the Reserve forces, again I was proud to be involved in that ‘call up’ and again hold the only historic pictures of it. However, again, the general sense that I picked up was these women were holding out for full time military careers, but nevertheless it was critical that militarily trained females were sorely in need to modernise the South African military.

For the latter reason, the objective of the VMS was not initially met, many VMS service personnel, after doing their basic training, were in fact able to secure these permanent force contracts as the force experienced a contraction of trained personnel after 1994 and the VMS personnel proved an easy and trained recruiting pool. By 2006 the VMS system had all but served its role and was disbanded, the Reserve Force Regiments would recruit directly under a newly constructed training programme, and with that came the bigger changes that integration required.

Also, I don’t really want to hear the ‘it was the beginning of the end’ bit so many vets now feel, the SADF had to change, ‘whites only’ conscription had to change and Apartheid as an ideology was simply unsustainable and had to go. The SADF had to change dividing units on colour and ethnicity was not practical, segregation had fallen on evil days to quote Field Marshal Jan Smuts. The Defence Force had to become reflective of the country at large the extreme lack of Black African commissioned officers in 1994, in an African Defence Force nogal, was alone reflective of a system of extreme racial bias.

First Integrated Female Intake circa 1998: My Photos Peter Dickens copyright

SANDF VMS Intake circa 1997, my photos

Remember, in 1994 nobody could predict the future, many held a belief that structured and balanced politics would happen, the Mandela Magic was everywhere, from 1990 to 1994 the violence was extreme and as a nation we had narrowly skirted ‘the abyss’ with a miracle settlement. In 1994, nobody foresaw Jacob Zuma and the ANC’s pilfering of the state from 2009, nor did they see the ANC’s extreme restructuring of the SANDF in their likeness, the ‘rot’ starting as early as 1999 when General Georg Meiring, a SADF stalwart and now the Chief of the SANDF, was dismissed on trumpeted up allegations of presenting a false coupe, making way for General Siphiwe Nyanda, a ANC MK cadre whose subsequent career as Jacob Zuma’s Communications Minister is a corruption riddled disgrace.

The MK Intake 1994 to 1996

Finally on the 1994 line up, the amalgamation of the Defence Structures with non statute forces, the ‘Swart Gevaar’ terrorists. From 1994, 15 Reception Depot became involved to a degree with the mustering of ANC and PAC political armies into the newly SANDF. At this stage I was a SSO3 (Senior Staff Officer 3IC) at 15 Reception Depot and had the privilege to work closely with Sergeant Major Cyril Lane Blake, the unit’s Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM) who had been involved with the non statutory force intake from an Intelligence standpoint. Mustering of MK and APLA took place at Personnel Services School, a military base in Voortrekkerhoogte and at Wallmannstal military base, many of these MK members were then destined to go to De Brug army base for training and integration.

Of interest was the intake itself, of the ANC Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) veterans, only half of them really qualified as trained soldiers, these were the MK members trained overseas mainly in Angola, they were made up mainly of the old cadres (old guard) of Mandela’s period, trained by the ex WW2 veterans like Joe Slovo, and they were recruited to MK after the Sharpeville Massacre (a very small contingent) and then the Seventy Sixes (the big contingent), those who were recruited after the 1976 Riots, added to this was a trickle from the 1980’s riots who made it to their Angolan training camps. Out of 32,000 odd MK veterans, there were only about 12,000 MK veterans who were accepted as proper military veterans (about half of them), the rest were ‘stone throwers’ (as some sarcastically called them) recruited rapidly into the ANC MK ranks in 1990 the very minute they were ‘unbanned’ and they just constituted political dissidents with little military experience if any and no formalised military training whatsoever.

Images: MK Intake into the SANDF issued with old SADF ‘Browns’ Copyright Reuters, RSM Cyril Lane Blake, my photo and finally ANC supporters appearing in ‘uniform’ as MK at Mandela’s inauguration in 1994 Alamy copyright.

Of the ‘Untrained’ MK veterans, many of these were the ‘MK’ cadres from the so called ‘self-defence units’ in the townships who had regularly gone about holding ‘peoples courts’ and sentencing people to death with ‘necklaces’ (placing a car tyre around the persons neck, dousing it in petrol and setting it alight).

Also, but not unsurprisingly there were MK ‘chances’ people joining the intake pretending to be MK so they could get a ‘job in the defence’, BMATT (British Military Advisory Training Team), the British Military task force assigned to the integration, and even the ‘proper’ MK cadres themselves, had a heck of a job trying to identify these chance takers, and a great many ‘slipped’ through with falsified CV’s.

This would later result in what BMATT politely called a ‘hardening of attitudes’ in their report to Parliament, when it come to the way statutory force members viewed these ‘non statutory’ force members and MK generally, an attitude which in my opinion is getting ‘even harder’ as the years go on as some of these MK vets really show their colours to all of South Africa involved in corrupt and outright criminal behaviour, degenerating and demeaning themselves, their organisation and their ‘victory’ now well tarnished.

What amazed me was just how structured the MK was when it came to the their proper military veterans, I had been conditioned by the SADF that they were a rag tag outfit and incompetent at best, but that wasn’t completely true, they had a highly structured command and very defined specialised units ranging from a Chief of Staff, Operations, Ordnance, Intelligence, Engineering, Anti Aircraft, Artillery to Counter Intelligence/Communications (propaganda), and attached to nearly to all of it was a very detailed Soviet styled military Political Commissar structure. They even had unit designations, and many out of the half of them that had been trained, had decent military training.

I don’t want to get to the Pan African Congress’ APLA veterans, I was told they generally treated their SADF escorts with utter disdain.

Their problem (MK and APLA) is that they were asked to identify and verify all their members for their military credentials, and they quickly pointed out who was and who was not a trained military veteran, and this caused the huge division in the MK veteran structures we see today. The split of the Umkhonto weSizwe Military Veterans Association (MKMVA) and the MK Council recently is a case in point the MK Council are the ones with the military ‘struggle’ credentials and the MKMVA have all the members who do not have any meaningful military ‘struggle’ credentials at all, they’ve all joined Jacob Zuma’s RET hence the reason the current ANC no longer wants to recognise them. This makes me laugh uncontrollably when the MKMVA used to wheel out Carl Niehaus in his purchased PEP store MK camouflage fatigues pretending to be a military veteran, when in truth he is anything but one, and it makes me cry when the Department of Military Veterans squander all their time and money on the 12,000 odd MK ‘non veterans’ trying to give them and their families un earned veteran benefits and bring harmony to the ANC and they almost completely ignore their primary mandate the 500,000 odd statutory force veterans, proper military veterans solely because many of them (the majority mind) served in the old SADF and of that a great majority where conscripts.

In 1999, I was assigned to escort Joe Modise, the ex-MK Commander in Chief, and Paratus (the SADF/SANDF) mouthpiece published it, yes, I admit it I even shook his hand (we’ll there is a published photo to prove it so no point hiding the fact), but again, at this stage in the SANDF we were still confident in the country, little did I know he would be dead two years later and embroiled in yet another ANC corruption and arms buying controversy. I did some more VMS work after that, but that signalled the beginning of the end of my service, reception depots had outgrown their use after 2002 and mothballed in fact they are still mothballed, waiting for the day to muster the general populace in the event the country goes to war again.

Oh, and if this sounds a bit personal, it is, here’s a big “Fuck You”

middle finger to the politically motivated pressure groups in ANC led government departments currently trying to delist the old SADF ‘conscripts’ as military veterans on the basis that they ‘served Apartheid’ and not recognising their role in bringing democracy to South Africa, whereas their ‘heroes’ in MK did. The historic record stands, there’s no changing it and as things go even this missive is now primary documentation for future generations of South Africans to read and assimilate from someone ‘who was there’ and is a genuine ‘military veteran’ true reconciliation comes with facing the truth comrades, just saying.

Back to PTSD

So, enough to do with the ANC and their Parliament of Clowns, the old ‘Swart Gevaar’ fast becoming a newly reinvigorated ‘Swart Gevaar’ of their own making and back to the serious stuff and all the ‘Wit Gevaar and Swart Gevaar’ from 1990 to 1994 forming my general mental mistrust of just about everything.

Whilst in hospital with Covid I had a psychological mistrust of efforts been made by Doctors, Nurses and Aids, I was convinced they were out to kill me and efforts to pump lifesaving high pressure oxygen into me were met with an unnatural resistance and a self induced gag reflex. So, in desperation .. enter stage right … the hospital Psychologist … and stage left my lifelong confidant, a solid Free State ‘Bittereinder Boertjie’ with the mental tenacity of a Ratel (an African Honey Badger) … my wife.

To define and understand PTSD, as it’s a much brandished word nowadays with anyone having experienced a high stress incident claiming it, many using it as an excuse. PTSD is best explained a stressor bucket in your head, you’re born with it and its empty. In life stressful events are sometimes internalised and start to fill your bucket, your bucket usually makes it underfilled to the end of your life and you don’t have a mental meltdown and things make sense and you’re stable, the bucket is very resilient. What happens to military personnel especially is that the stressors they

Image: Joe Modise and myself Peter Dickens copyright

experience are often far beyond normal and it fills the bucket up at an early stage, right up to the ‘nearly full’ mark in some extreme cases, after some significant stressors are added to it later in life, anything really but usually the D’s Disease, Debt, Divorce and Death. For Military veterans these ‘D’s’ can then ‘tip’ the bucket over and you start to psychologically have a meltdown. This is the reason why PTSD is gradually becoming more and more apparent in ex SADF conscripts and PF members as they get older.

In extreme cases in the military, you can have that meltdown whilst serving, the old battle fatigue syndrome, repeated life and death experiences unrelentingly occurring end on end filling up the stressor bucket and finally your last one tips the bucket, produces meltdown and you’re withdrawn from the line. Refer to Spike Milligan’s autobiography ‘Mussolini, his part in my downfall’ of his time as a gunner in WW2 and you’ll see how this plays out in a serving combatant.

In therapy trying to get to the bottom on what initially filled my bucket up, and on this the Psychologist and my wife and I settled on ‘mistrust’ initially rooted deep in in my psyche whilst I was in the Army. Mistrust as I could not distinguish foe from friend, ‘swart gevaar from wit gevaar’, and to me everyone was a ‘enemy’ that enemy or ‘gevaar’ now included most hospital staff black and white, and I was the only one who could fight my way out no help required thanks.

To say my Covid condition was bad and a PTSD issue on its own would be an understatement, I had even died to be brought back with CPR on one occasion and knocked on the Pearly Gates a great deal more with more near death experiences than I can shake a stick at. I was intubated on a ventilator and placed in an induced coma for a full month. This was followed up with two collapsed lungs and a battery of deadly infections, two serious bouts of bronchitis and then bronchial pneumonia. To my knowledge, I walked into history as one of a mere handful of Covid patients to survive the disease with the number of infections and complications I had 4 months in ICU, 2 months in High Care and another 2 months of Step Down therapy as I even had to learn to simply take a shit in a toilet and even walk again a total of 8 months spent in hospital and a further 4 months as a oxygen supplement dependent outpatient, before been given an ‘all clear’ a full year later and taken off all drugs and supplemental oxygen.

This is pretty big story for another day, and a lot of people are very intrigued by it, so I am writing a book on it called ‘I’m not dead yet’ my dark sense of humour aside, do look out for it.

Images: Me recovering from a coma, giving my best army ‘salute’ just before both lungs collapsed and me sitting up for the first time once lungs drains were removed copyright Peter Dickens

It took all that to ‘tip my stressor bucket’ and no doubt I had a massive life and death fight on my hands, but I would have to say this in all honesty, I was substantially compromised by a latent mistrust I picked up as a young man in the Army, especially in 1990. Unlocking that, helped unlock the gag reflexes, which unlocked the fear and ultimately set me on a journey to a healthy recovery physically and mentally.

Dragon Slaying

Many years after my service, a fellow military veteran, Norman Sander (and ex Sergeant Major in the Natal Carabineers) and I had lunch in London with an ex-BMATT officer, Colonel Paul Davis who had been involved in the South African Forces integration and at one stage headed up the BMATT delegation. He said something interesting, according to the Colonel, the South African Defence Force training modules where draconian at best and styled on the old Nazi Waffen SS model, which demanded absolute iron cast discipline, absolute obedience and absolute goal driven determination to function across multiple voluntary and conscripted outfits often ethnically separated. Notwithstanding his view, I’ve attested to this before, had I not undergone this “draconian” training as an SADF officer I would not have survived my Covid experience, no matter how bad it got I knew I had more in the tank, I’d pushed these limits whilst ‘pissing blood for my pips’ in the SADF as a young man and understood my breaking point from a early age, without this intrinsic knowledge and iron cast focus I would be dead, of that there is absolutely no doubt.

In Conclusion

Now, I’m no ‘Grensvegter’ (Border Warrior), I’m a simple pen pusher, my service pales into insignificance compared to a great many veterans, many I’ve had the privilege to serve with, true

My Commission signed by President F.W. de Klerk, one of his last acts of office

soldiers fighting a brutal war in a brutal manner. Nope, I’m not one of those, and nor can I ever be, and nor do I pretend to be, to them the kudos of valour and I mean it.

Here’s a simple thought on my time as a Military Conscript and then a Volunteer, this quote from Czech author Milan Kundera and it resonates with me the most; “The struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting.”

What this means to us SADF conscripts turned volunteers in 1994, we were on a journey, a ‘struggle’ if you will, to take our fellow citizens out of political oppression into political emancipation and liberty. If we forget our stories in this great struggle, discard them as irrelevant because we are no longer politically convenient, vanquished as ‘SADF’ baby killing monsters, and passed over as fighting for some sort of WOKE idea of ‘white privilege’ if we don’t resist this and choose ‘forgetting’ instead, then we ultimately betray ourselves, we’ve lost.

On PTSD, it’s manageable for most, but you must get to those internalised ‘stressors’ and truly understand what they are and what caused them. Un internalising the stressors is a first big step to ridding yourself of PTSD, and that’s why I can say in all honesty I’m happy and stable. So, I thank all you who have made it to this last part of my ‘story,’ it really is a simple soldier’s small tale with a great deal of political ‘struggle’, and I really hope you’ve picked up some interesting historical snippets on the way, especially the ones which are not really in the broad ANC narrative today of ‘the struggle’ leading to 1994. The ‘truth’ will eventually ‘out’ and I sincerely believe that, and I believe its cathartic and from a cognitive therapy perspective a very necessary ‘out’.

Goeie naand Hennie,

Peter se weergawe van hoe hy sy Diensplig ondervind het is baie goed opgesom.

Gedurende my termyn as bevelvoerder van Kommandement Witwatersrand vanaf 1984 tot aan die begin van 1987 en voorsitter van WITGBS was die GBS in werking en die Veiligheids en SEM aangeleenthede was op Streeks , Substreeks en Plaaslike Owerheidsvlak baie goed gekoördineer en groot suksesse was behaal.

Gedurende Peter se termyn as 'n jong tweede luitenant en sy slegte ondervindings wat hy ondervind het was die GBS alreeds deur FW de Klerk afgeskaf. Hier is 'n goeie bewys dat Veiligheids en SEM aangeleenthede nie net alleen op die hoogste vlak, die kabinet, gekoördineer kan word nie. Die Regering van die dag het sy vermoë op grondvlak verloor en die Rewo het hand uitgeruk en 'n verdere bewys was dat die Kodesa samesprekings nie na wense verloop het nie en nie deurdagte beslissings gemaak was. Ek verwys ook na my dokument "Die Geskiedenis van WITGBS vanaf 1984 tot 1986". In genoemde dokument is daar genoegsame riglyne hoe 'n Stedelike Rewo hanteer behoort te word. Generaal Magnus Malan, destydse Minister van Verdediging, se opmerking oor die dokument was dat die dokument tov die werking van 'n GBS die beste was wat hy nog gesien het.

Dit is my kommentaar tov van Peter se weergawe van Swart Gevaar Wit Gevaar. My verwysings raamwerk is omdat ek vanaf 1984 tot 1986 intens met 'n Stedelike Rewo in die Witwatersrand met

A memoir: By Capt. Peter Albert Dickens (Happily Retired)

• Kommentaar deur genl-maj Gerrit Murphy (Oud-Kommandementsbevelvoerder: Witwatersrand)

sy destydse 26 Swartwoongebiede in die Oos-Rand, Wesrand, Johannesburg, Soweto en Vaaldriehoek betrokke was.

Hennie, dit is my kommentaar en laat weet as iets nie duidelik is nie. Groete en 'n rustige nagrus vir julle.

Gerrit Murphy.

NATAL MIDLANDS, SADF WINTER, 1993... JacqueWepener

Hennie

I wrote this one night while on deployment enjoy ...

Natal Midlands, SADF Winter, 1993...

A cold wind rolls over the valley of a thousand hills. Platoons, patrolling yet another deadly Township - trying to stop the kills. Rocks; wrecks; steel barbed wire came across a roadblock burning truck tyre Only one desire, I see through the thick fire...

Gunshots ring out, right through the night who is right...? My Country is burning, within my heart a yearning... The hunger for blood hangs thick in the air as the SADF killing machine draws near. Adrenaline rush - sounds in the nearby bush - lights flickering from afar - whistling and a passing car...

Comrades plotting in a shack, black on black no that we will be back...

One Settler - One bullet - shit - there is a bad ring to it; As I know, I won't think twice, to kill a Terrorist nice... Suddenly, contact, hell ambush, take cover, return fire, it's over...

Bodies lie on the cold earth, rebirth. Elections only a few months away, how long do we still have to stay? Talks of a Civil war this Province is rotten to the core...

What will become, Of our White nation, under the Southern African sun??

BOMBER HARRIS’ BUGLE

Peter Dickens

Some hidden history ‘Did you know?’- back of the Chappie gum wrapper facts. Did you know Sir Arthur ‘Bomber’ Harris the famous Commander of RAF Bomber Command during WW2 was in fact a Rhodesian and he also had a very strong South African connection, here’s an interesting story and it involves a bugle, a bombing and a baronet.

At the commencement of World War 1, a unit called the 1st Rhodesia Regiment was formed in August 1914. In October it consisted of 500 volunteers. In November the Unit went to Bloemfontein and on to Cape Town by train. On Christmas Day 1914 the Regiment landed in Walvis Bay to join the 4th South African Brigade. After that there were marches and skirmishes against the German troops. One young man in this Regiment was the bugler.

After one skirmish, he got fed up and buried his bugle. They had marched and marched in blazing desert sun in German South West Africa (modern day Namibia), from January to June 1915, when the campaign finally ended. He swore he would never march another step into battle. The young man was Arthur Travers (Bomber) Harris and with this act he gave up foot soldiering into battle and took up flying into battle instead.

We have all heard about his exploits and management of RAF Bomber Command during World War 2, but few know of his lifelong connection with South Africa. In fact, he was even a founder member and General Manager of SAFMARINE.

First World War

1st Rhodesia Regiment in Cape Town on their way to German South West Africa (Namibia)

1914

Born in the Gloucestershire, England, Harris emigrated to Southern Rhodesia (modern day Zimbabwe) in 1910 when he was 17. When the First World War broke out in August 1914, Harris did not learn of it fornearly a month, being out in the bush at the time. Despite his previous reluctance to follow the path his father had in mind for him in the army, and his desire to set up his own ranch in Rhodesia, Harris felt patriotically compelled to join the war effort. He quickly attempted to join the 1st Rhodesia Regiment, which had been raised by the British South Africa Company administration to help put down the Maritz Rebellion in South Africa, but he found that only two places were available; that of a machine-gunner or that of a bugler. Having learnt to bugle at Allhallows School in Devon, he successfully applied for the bugler slot and was sworn in on the 20th October 1914.

The 1st Rhodesia Regiment briefly garrisoned Bloemfontein, then served alongside the South African forces in South-West Africa under South African command during the first half of 1915. The campaign made a strong impression on Harris, particularly the long desert marches some three decades later, he wrote that “to this day I never walk a step if I can get any sort of vehicle to carry me”. South West Africa also provided Harris with his first experience of aerial bombing: the sole German aircraft in South West Africa attempted to drop artillery shells on his unit, but failed to do any damage. How prophetic that his next idea of a “vehicle” to carry him into battle would be an aeroplane.

When the South West African Campaign ended in July 1915, the 1st Rhodesia Regiment was withdrawn to Cape Town, where it was disbanded; Harris was formally discharged on 31 July.

He felt initially that he had done his part for the Empire, and went back to Rhodesia to resume work at Lowdale, but he and many of his former comrades soon reconsidered when it became clear that the war in Europe was going to last much longer than they had expected. They were reluctant to join the 2nd Rhodesia Regiment, which was being raised to serve in East Africa, perceiving the “bush whacking” of the war’s African theatre as inferior to the “real war” in Europe. Harris sailed for England from Beira at the Company administration’s expense in August, a member of a 300 man party of white Southern Rhodesian war volunteers.

He arrived in October 1915, moved in with his parents in London and, after unsuccessfully attempting to find spaces in first the cavalry, then the Royal Artillery, he finally joined the Royal Flying Corps as a Second Lieutenant in November 1915.

He served with distinction on the home front and in France during 1917 as a Flight Commander and ultimately CO of No. 45 Squadron, before he returned to Britain to command No. 44 Squadron on Home Defence duties, Harris claimed five enemy aircraft destroyed and was awarded the Air Force Cross (AFC) on 2 November 1918.

He finished the 1st World War a Major and remained in the RAF as a career choice. Although born British, he identified himself as a Rhodesian Intending to return to Rhodesia one day, to this sentiment Harris wore a “Rhodesia” shoulder flash on his RAF uniform.

Second World War

Much is written about ‘Bomber’ Harris in the Second World War and a lot of it very controversial. At the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, Harris took command of No. 5 Group RAF in England, and in February 1942 was appointed head of Bomber Command. He retained that position for the rest of the war.

In 1942, a seminal paper was put to the British Cabinet advocating the idea of area bombing of German cities in a strategic bombing campaign. It was accepted by Cabinet and Harris was directed

to carry out the task. It became an important part of the ‘Total War’ strategy waged against Nazi Germany.

At the start of the bombing campaign, ‘Bomber’ Harris famously justified the idea of area bombing by quoting the Old Testament:

“The Nazis entered this war under the rather childish delusion that they were going to bomb everyone else, and nobody was going to bomb them. At Rotterdam, London, Warsaw and half a hundred other places, they put their rather naive theory into operation. They sowed the wind, and now they are going to reap the whirlwind.”

Winston Churchill regarded the idea of area bombing strategy with distaste, official public statements maintained that Bomber Command was attacking only specific industrial targets, any civilian casualties were unavoidable and were unintentional. By 1943, Harris urged the government to be honest with the public regarding the purpose of area bombing and said:

“The aim of the Combined Bomber Offensive … should be unambiguously stated [as] the destruction of German cities, the killing of German workers, and the disruption of civilised life throughout Germany the destruction of houses, public utilities, transport and lives, the creation of a refugee problem on an unprecedented scale, and the breakdown of morale both at home and at the battle fronts by fear of extended and intensified bombing, are accepted and intended aims of our bombing policy. They are not by products of attempts to hit factories.”

Harris pressed for raids on a much larger scale and launched the first RAF “thousand bomber raid” against Cologne in May 1942, his successes using this method of aerial warfare saw him promoted to Air Marshal and even acting Air Chief Marshal by March 1943.

The Butcher’s Bill

Leading up to and afterD Day, 6 June 1944, the bombing campaign continued to attract controversy, but the most controversial was the bombing of Dresden on the night of 13 February 1945. More than 1,200 heavy bombers dropped nearly 4,000 tons of high explosive and incendiary bombs on the city in four successive raids. An estimated 25,000 people were killed in the bombings and the firestorm that raged afterward. More than 75,000 dwellings were destroyed, along with unique monuments of Baroque architecture in the historic city centre. The scale of the death and destruction, coming so late in the war, along with significant questions about the legitimacy of the targets destroyed have led to years of debate about whether the attack was justified.

Images: Colourised images by DB Colour and RJM of Bomber Command Lancaster and crew.

This issue on whether Dresden qualified a military target or not and in fact may have been an unnecessary bombing continues to this day, with evidence even pointing to targeting the ‘old city’ for a firestorm rather than the industrial sector as was the officially stated objective. In either event, what is known is that area bombing by nature was very inaccurate and indiscriminate and the death toll extreme, and the RAF and Bomber Command would admit that the entire area bombing campaign including Dresden was ‘somewhat overdone,’ but this sentiment was wrapped in secrecy for many years after the war.

To see this Butcher’s bill in total, consider these estimates. Civilian deaths in Germany from Allied bombing were more recently estimated at 380,000. Bomber Command dropped 53 per cent of all the ordnance sent to Germany. Firestorms caused by Bomber Command’s incendiaries killed over 34,000 civilians in Hamburg in July 1943, 5,600 in Kassel in October 1943, at least 7,500 in Darmstadt in September 1944, 25,000 in Dresden and 17,600 in Pforzheim in February 1945 and 4,000 5,000 in Würzburg in March 1945: nearly 100,000 dead for the half dozen deadliest raids.

The attitudes to this style bombing of Nazi Germany populace at the time were becoming very ‘hard’, an attitude exhibited by nearly all the Allied combatants involved in it, as the war had rung out an alarming butcher’s bill on civilians in all the countries of Western and Eastern Europe. Notwithstanding the Nazi Blitz campaign of British cities at the start of the war and Nazi ‘wonder weapons’ indiscriminately bombing London’s civilians towards the end of the war. This hard attitude was best surmised by a British Bomber Command air crewman when he said this during a World at War interview:

Image: Colourised Royston Colour image of Dresden post bombing.

“If you couldn’t get the Kraut in his factory, it was just as easy to knock him off in his bed, and (if) Granny Schicklgruber in the seat next door got the chop that’s hard luck!” (The sarcastic reference to Schicklgruber was Maria Schicklgruber, Adolph Hitler’s paternal Grandmother).

The culmination of Bomber Command’s offensive occurred in March 1945 when the RAF dropped the highest monthly weight of ordnance in the entire war, mainly on Berlin to support the Russian offensive to take the city. In all Harris was asked if strategic area bombing would work in winning the war at the beginning of the campaign and his reaction was “we shall see”. In hindsight, the campaign went a very long to way to ultimately break resolve and bring Germany to its knees economically, but it happened at a tremendous cost in human lives, not only civilian, lets examine the butcher’s bill on Bomber Command:

Of every 100 airmen who joined Bomber Command, 45 were killed, 6 were seriously wounded, 8 became Prisoners of War, and only 41 escaped unscathed (at least physically). Of the 120,000 who served, 55,573 were killed. Of those who were flying at the beginning of the war, only ten percent survived. It is a loss rate comparable only to the worst slaughter of the First World War trenches. Only the Nazi U Boat force suffered a higher casualty rate. On a single night, Bomber Command suffered more losses than did Fighter Command during the entire Battle of Britain.

One must also caution here, whilst the figures on both sides of the Butcher’s Bill are high for British and American combined Bomber Command Ops, Germany by no means comes through smelling

Image: Avro Lancaster Bomber ‘B’ MkI ‘Victorious Virgin’ crew showing the attitude of the day, this 4000 pound ‘cookie’ bomb was dropped on an Oil Refinery in Hemmingstedt in March 1945, near Heide in Germany. Colourised by Tom Thounaojam.

of roses their campaigns and targeting of civilians is staggering in all about 90,500 British civilians were killed and that’s nothing compared to the estimated civilian deaths in Yugoslavia of 1.2 million, Poland 5.7 million and USSR 7.0 million. To say that attitudes had hardened when it came to the combatants would be an understatement.

In Conclusion

It would be unfair with a modern day sense of sensibility to look at Bomber Harris and the men of Bomber Command as a war criminal, one has to look them him in the context of their time and the great struggle surrounding them, especially the extreme choices taken to bring about an end to a war of this nature.

However, in his ‘Butcher’s Bill,’ one cannot help but note there is a ‘World War 1’ mind in Bomber Harris, but it’s not an uncommon one for a Commander in his time, Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery can also be accused of the same. It is one whereby ‘attrition’ is used to gradually overwhelm using overwhelming odds, it rings true to the WW1 Battle of Verdun, a meat grinding approach to who runs out of resources, especially human resources first. It eventually wins wars, no doubt, but at a tremendous cost in human lives.

After the war Harris moved to South Africa where he founded and managed SAFMARINE, short for the South African Marine Corporation. Safmarine, is a South African business success story involved in international container shipping and break bulk shipping services worldwide. It is now owned by its parent company, the Maersk Line.

In 1953 he returned to the United Kingdom to accept a Baronetcy, which strangely,Winston Churchill insisted he receive, and here he lived out the rest of his long life in Goring on Thames passing away at 91 years old in 1984. He even managed to see the creation of his much loved Rhodesia into Zimbabwe as a nation state.

In all, it’s a fact that Southern Africa in its harshest form would fashion the man into what Arthur Harris was to become, it’s also clear that the German South West African Campaign in World War 1 would fashion a steel willed and uncompromising attitude of endurance and perseverance in a world of hardships, and one in which he would look to aviation instead of marching into battle to ultimately win wars. With all the modern day accusations of Harris been a ‘war criminal’ for his actions against civilians I wonder sometimes if someone may eventually dig up his buried bugle in Namibia and what that would come to symbolise.

To the opening statement, I hear some colleagues say “everyone knows he was a Rhodesian”, well nope- the reason I say his South African and Rhodesian (Zimbabwean) heritage and history is relatively unknown, and for that matter this includes a great many other Rhodesians and South Africans (including two Victoria Cross recipients Wing Commander John Nettleton VC and Captain Edwin Swales VC) who were sacrificed whilst taking part in Bomber Command operations, is that when the Bomber Command War Memorial was finally unveiled in Green Park in London in 2012, not one South African or Rhodesian military veteran association member and not one dignitary from South Africa or Zimbabwe took part in it. From the Commonwealth, Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders, even West Indians all got a nod, I watched the entire unveiling ceremony on BBC and not even a mention of a South African, not even the Victoria Crosses and numerous other decorations for valour won by them whist in Bomber Command.

Some may even say, given all the controversy, better not to have been there anyway. But that would be to dishonour a generation that sacrificed so much, physically and mentally, for our modern freedoms. Especially our countrymen in Bomber Command who found themselves in this most extraordinary and very tragic period of our wartime history, these are men who had to face hard and very fateful decisions, the world at times has forgotten our WW2 contributions, lest we forget them too.

Researched by Peter Dickens. Large content and additional research with much thanks to Buskruit Burger Large extracts from wikipedia and Bomber Command Museum on line. Statistics referenced from Andrew Knapp: The Horror and the Glory: Bomber Command in British Memories since 1945 and the Encyclopaedia Brittanica.

Images: Sir Arthur Harris GCB, OBE, AFC and the Green Park Bomber Command Memorial

The

MEDALS

Peter Dickens

A friend asked the Observation Post a question, what were Sailor Malan's medals? So down the rabbit hole and here we are … Sailor's medals. I'm no medal specialist but this is what I've managed to find so far. If I'm wrong please feel free to correct me and add to this.

Image: Sailor Malan's medals on display at the Johannesburg War Museum in Saxonwald

Left to Right - from the highest value (the decoration/medal closest to the heart when the medal rack is worn on the left breast), to the lowest value decoration/medal (the one furtherest from the 'heart'), and in the case of foreign decorations (other countries) in order of importance after the lowest 'own' country medal - Sailor has a few of foreign awards these too, and they are all 'decorations' so very important.

Distinguished Service Order & Bar (DSO) OK, let's start with Sailor's DSO, the '& Bar' bit means he won this decoration not once, but twice. In Sailor's case the DSO is awarded for bravery. Here are the citations for his Distinguished Service Orders:

Acting Squadron Leader Adolph Gysbert Malan, DFC (37604), Royal Air Force, No.74 Squadron. December 24th, 1940.

“This officer has commanded his squadron with outstanding success over an intensive period of air operations and, by his brilliant leadership, skill and determination has contributed to the success obtained. Since early in August 1940, the squadron has destroyed at least 84 enemy aircraft and damaged many more. Squadron Leader Malan has himself destroyed at least eighteen hostile aircraft and possibly another six.”

And on 22nd July, 1941: Bar to the DSO

Acting Wing Commander Adolph Gysbert Malan, DSO, DFC (37604) Royal Air Force.

“This officer has displayed the greatest courage and disdain of the enemy whilst leading his Wing on numerous recent operations over Northern France. His cool judgement, exceptional determination and ability have enabled him to increase his confirmed victories over enemy aircraft from 19 to 28, in addition to a further 20 damaged and probably destroyed. His record and behaviour have earned for him the greatest admiration and devotion of his comrades in the Wing

During the past fortnight the Wing has scored heavily against the enemy with 42 hostile aircraft destroyed, a further 15 probably destroyed and 11 damaged.”

Distinguished Flying Cross & Bar

Again, the '& Bar' bit means he won this decoration twice, this is still a 'decoration' and not a 'medal' so it's very high on the senior level, and in Sailor's case both times it is awarded to exceptional flying and bravery. Here are the citations for his Distinguished Flying Crosses;

Flight Lieutenant Adolph Gysbert Malan. (37604), Royal Air Force. June 11th, 1940.

“During May 1940, this officer has led his flight, and on certain occasions his squadron, on ten offensive patrols in Northern France. He has personally shot down two enemy aircraft and, probably, three others. Flight Lieutenant Malan has displayed great skill, courage and relentless determination in his attacks upon the enemy.”

And on August 13th, 1940:

Bar to the DFC

Flight Lieutenant Adolph Gysbert Malan. (37604), Royal Air Force.

"Since the end of May, 1940, this officer has continued to lead his flight and, on many occasions the squadron, in numerous successful engagements against the enemy. During the Dunkirk operations he shot down three enemy aircraft and assisted in destroying a further three. In June, 1940, during a night attack by enemy aircraft, he shot down two Heinkel 111's. His magnificent leadership, skill and courage have been largely responsible for the many successes obtained by his squadron."

British and Commonwealth Medals

What follows after the decorations on Sailor's medal rack are medals for World War 2 in order of seniority and these are:

1939-45 Star with Battle of Britain clasp

Campaign medal awarded to all British and Commonwealth personnel who fought in any theatre of operations during WW2. The ribbon shows arms of service Navy (dark blue), Army (red) and Air Force (light blue).

The 'Battle of Britain Clasp' on Sailor's 1939-45 Star was awarded to those who were engaged in action in the Battle̴ of Britain between 10th July 31st July 1940

The Air Crew Europe Star with France and Germany clasp

This medal was awarded for operational flying from the UK over Europe, between the period 3rd September 1939 to 5th June 1944 (outbreak of war until the start of the D-Day Normandy landings), the ribbon is light blue with black edges and yellow stripes, representing continuous service by day and night.

The France and Germany clasp was awarded to those who qualified for the France and Germany Star by having participated in land, sea or air operations in, or over, France, Holland, Belgium or Germany between 6 June 1944 and 8 May 1945.

The Defence Medal

Campaign medal awarded for both Operational and non Operational service during WW2 to British and Commonwealth service personnel (and civilians involved in Service to armed forces). The ribbon is symbolic of the air attacks on green land of UK and the ‘Black outs’ during the bombings are shown by the two thin black lines.

The War Medal (1939-1945) - with a mid-Oak Leaf.

Campaign medal for British and Commonwealth personnel who had served full time in the Armed Forces or the Merchant Navy for at least 28 days between 3 September 1939 and 2 September 1945. The medal ribbon is distinguished by the colours of the British Union Flag/Jack.

The Oak Leaf on Sailor's ribbon of this medal indicates the award of the King's Commendation for Brave Conduct.

Foreign Decorations

There are decorations issued by 'foreign' countries to Sailor Malan and they are worn in the more junior position of the medal rack regardless of the seniority of the decoration. Here Sailor Malan received the following:

Legion of Honour (France) Officer Grade

The 'Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur' or LdH is France's highest distinction and is awarded in recognition of both military and civilian merit. There are three ranks; Chevalier (Knight), Officier (Officer) and Commandeur (Commander). Sailor has the Officer rank.

Croix de Guerre (France)

The French 'War Cross' is awarded either as an individual award or a unit award to those combatants who distinguish themselves by acts of heroism involving combat with the enemy.

Croix de guerre (Belgium) with bronze palm

This is the World War 2 variant of the Belgium 'War Cross', awarded for bravery or other military virtue on the battlefield. It was re established on 20 July 1940 by the Belgian government in exile for recognition of bravery and military virtue during World War 2.

The Bronze Palm means Sailor Malan was 'Mentioned in Dispatches' by the War Office specifically for a performing heroic or significant deed.

Czecho-Slovakian Military Cross

Ceskoslovenský válecný kríž 1939 is a military decoration of the former state of Czechoslovakia which was issued for those who had provided great service to the Czechoslovak state (in exile) during World War 2.

Awarded to Group Captain Adolph Gysbert Malan on March 5th, 1946 "In recognition of valuable services rendered in connection with the war."

In Conclusion

Now, that's a lot of 'Bravery' and Sailor Malan counts as one of South Africa's bravest, he's got the decorations and medals to show for it. I'm no pro when it comes to medals, its a very complex field, so here's waiting for the medal pros for more information ... and go!

Image is from a Johannesburg War Museum PDF. Researched and written by Peter Dickens

INTERNATIONAL LAW

SOUTH AFRICAN PROPERTY ON WARTIME SHIP SUNK IN WAR

• Mailonline British champion racing driver who salvaged silver bars worth £32m from torpedoed WW2 cargo ship off the Maldives wins court fight with South African government which will now have to pay to get treasure back

• Ross Hyett, 67, brought the long lost silver bars back to Southampton in 2017

• He had spent two years planning and carrying out the treasure hunting mission

• The £32 million of silver was recovered from the SS Tilawa, off Maldives coast

• Mr Hyett won a legal battle waged by South African government over the find

By Stewart Carr for Mailonline

Published: 16:52 BST, 11 October 2022 | Updated: 19:39 BST, 11 October 2022

A British champion racing driver who salvaged £32m worth of silver from a Second World War wreck off the Maldives has won a court fight waged by the South African government.

Motorsports champ and financier Ross Hyett, 67, successfully spearheaded a complex and risky treasure hunting mission to recover 2,364 bars of silver from the wreck of the SS Tilawa. The 10,000 ton steamer, built in Tyneside, was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine off the coast of the Maldives in November 1942.

Mr Hyett, from Derby, a former executive director of the British Racing Drivers’ Club, having spent over two years planning and carrying out the salvage operation, successfully got his treasure hoard back to Southampton in 2017 and declared it to the Receiver of Wreck, which oversees salvage law.

The SS Tilawa, a merchant steamer sunk in 1942 by Japanese torpedoes while carrying a £32m cargo of silver bars

Ross Hyett, 67, successfully led a treasure hunting mission to recover 2,364 bars of silver from the wreck of the SS Tilawa

The sinking of the SS Tilawa by Japanese torpedoes during the Second World War

The SS Tilawa was a merchant ship owned by the British India Steam Navigation Company, having been built on the Tyne in 1924.

It was 125m in length and at the time she was sunk carried a crew of 222, as well as 732 passengers and 6,472 tons of cargo.

The ship was transporting mostly Indian nationals to Mombasa, Maputo and Durban. But en route from Bombay to Durban, the ship was sunk by two Japanese torpedoes on November 27, 1942.

The ship was attacked 930 miles northeast of the Seychelles. Reports say that the first torpedo created panic among the 732 passengers, with many of the deaths coming in the rush to lifeboats.

The ship remained afloat despite the attack but, as the survivors attempted to reboard, the second torpedo struck.

Nearby British ship HMS Birmingham swiftly mounted a rescue operation and a total of 673 of the 954 people on board were brought back to Bombay.

Another 281 lost their lives in the attack.

But the South African government, the owner of the long lost silver bars, sued Mr Hyett’s company Argentum Exploration Ltd over the hoard, claiming it was state property and must be handed over. Lawyers for the Republic of South Africa (RSA) claimed that state immunity meant they were under no obligation to pay Argentum Exploration a massive “salvage reward” under the 1995 Merchant Shipping Act to get them to release the silver.

In December 2020, Judge Sir Nigel Teare in the Admiralty Court in London found that RSA was obliged to pay up, after comparing the dispute to the board game Buccaneer, in which rivals race to claim pirate treasure.

Then last year RSA won permission to take their fight to the Court of Appeal.

Today the Appeal Court dismissed the RSA’s appeal, handing victory to Mr Hyett and meaning the RSA has to pay to get the silver back.

The case had turned on delicate legal arguments over whether the silver was in commercial or sovereign use as it lay at the bottom of the sea 75 years after the ship carrying it was sunk.

If it was deemed to be in use for a sovereign purpose it would grant the RSA state immunity from paying a reward to the treasure hunters.

Appeal judge Lord Justice Popplewell ruled that whilst the silver on board had been largely destined for the sovereign purpose of being turned into coins in the South African national mint, it was legally in “commercial use” as it had been bought and sold and was being carried on a merchant ship when it was lost.

That purpose had not changed during the decades it had lain at the bottom of the sea the judge found.

The SS Tilawa was a merchant ship owned by the British India Steam Navigation Company, having been built on the Tyne in 1924.

She was 125m in length and at the time she was sunk carried a crew of 222, as well as 732 passengers and 6,472 tons of cargo.

That cargo included 2,391 bars of silver, purchased by the South African government and destined to be turned into

But en route from Bombay to Durban, the ship was sunk by two Japanese torpedoes.

Nearby British ship HMS Birmingham swiftly mounted a rescue operation and a total of 673 of the 954 people on board were brought back to Bombay on 27 November 1942, with 281 losing their lives.

HMS Birmingham the warship that came to the rescue of the SS Tilawa after it was hit by torpedoes

Salvage laws in the UK

If you recover wreck material within UK territorial waters, or bring wreck material into UK territorial waters, you must report it to the Receiver of Wreck, under the Merchant Shipping Act 1995. The Receiver of Wreck is responsible for processing incoming reports of wreck and ensures that the interests of both salvor and owner are taken into consideration. This is done by researching and establishing who owns the wreck and liaising with the finder and owner, and other interested parties such as archaeologists and museums.

The Receiver aims to give owners the opportunity of having their property returned and to make sure a fair salvage award payment is made where necessary.

If you recover wreck material, you must declare it to the Receiver within 28 days. You should give a full description of the wreck and will usually be asked to hold recovered material.

If you own a wreck, you must prove ownership to the satisfaction of the Receiver. You must provide proof of ownership within one year of the material being reported. You will be entitled to have your property back as soon as you have paid any due expenses and an appropriate salvage award.

A salvor, acting properly under the law, is likely to be entitled to a salvage award. This salvage award cannot exceed the salved value of the recovered material.

The Receiver can arrange for independent valuations to help owners and finders agree on a fair salvage award.

Source: gov.uk

Of the 2,391 silver bars on board, 2,364 were salvaged and brought back to Southampton over 70 years later by Mr Hyett’s treasure hunting company, Argentum Exploration Ltd.

The secret operation took six months and the bars shipped to Southampton. It has since been held under lock and key in a secure warehouse whilst Mr Hyett’s company and the South African government fought in court over the rights to the treasure.

Passengers and crew attempting to flee the SS Tilawa, a merchant steamer sunk in 1942 by Japanese torpedoes

The South African government (RSA) is the legal owner of the hoard, but Argentum Exploration is not obliged to release the silver until South Africa has agreed to pay him a massive “salvage reward” under the 1995 Merchant Shipping Act.

The South African government had insisted that it could legally avoid paying the reward for the silver under the State Immunity Act 1978.

The Act frees other sovereign states from being subject to UK laws, except in certain very limited circumstances.

Sir Nigel ruled in December that the bars were being used for commercial purposes when the ship was sunk in 1942, and handed victory to Mr Hyett’s company.

Agreeing with that ruling, Lord Justice Popplewell said today that the commercial purpose and use of the ship and the treasure could not be said to have changed during the 70 plus years it had lain on the sea bed.

“What exposes a state cargo owner to salvage in such cases...is the commercial use of a vessel to carry the cargo, which exposes it to the risk of having to pay salvage if it is saved from danger to the cargo owner’s advantage,” he said.

“The silver had in all probability been forgotten about by RSA, which did not actively consider what to do with it until after 13 October 2017.

“That activity is non sovereign and does not attract immunity under customary international law.

“The maritime circumstances which comprise that ingredient were no different when the salvage commenced in 2017 from those which existed at the moment in 1942 when the vessel and silver went to the seabed.

“No distinction is to be made between the moment when the vessel suffered the casualty and the moment when the silver became derelict by abandonment of hope of recovery by RSA, which it is to be inferred took place shortly after the sinking in 1942.

“Wreck as a recognised subject matter of a claim for salvage depends upon the maritime circumstances which preceded it becoming derelict.

“Moreover, the mere passage of time between cargo becoming derelict and the commencement of salvage services does not affect whether it is a recognised subject of salvage. It makes no difference whether it was salved within hours of becoming wreck or after 75 years.

“Accordingly, the use and intended use of the vessel and silver which it is necessary to examine are those at the time the vessel sank in 1942, when the silver was a cargo. “The silver was a cargo in maritime circumstances then because it was being carried on the vessel. That is what makes the silver a recognised subject of salvage for the purposes of the maritime law claim.

“I agree with the judge that the silver was in use by RSA for commercial purposes when it was on board the vessel.

“Both aspects were non-sovereign activity under customary international law, and both were activity for commercial purposes.

“For these reasons I would dismiss the appeal,” he concluded. Lady Justice Andrews agreed with Lord Justice Popplewell’s conclusion. However, Lady Justice Elisabeth Laing disagreed and delivered a dissenting judgement, leaving the door open for a potential challenge being taken to the Supreme Court.

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• Kommentaar: SS Tilawa Silwer: Dr WP Steenkamp

Die hofsaak in Londen waarin by meerderheidsbeslissing teen die Suid-Afrikaanse regering bevind is, is nogal heel tipies van meeste moderne gevalle van die vind en berging van skatte wat in die oseane verlore gegaan het. Maatskappye wat in hierdie soort van soek en berging spesialiseer, is nou nie eintlik bekend daarvoor dat hulle graag met die owerhede saamwerk nie. Eerstens wil hulle natuurlik die lokaliteit geheim hou, om te verhoed dat hulle kompetisie hulle mag voorspring in die

herwin van die skat. Dikwels is die bergers ook geneig om nie die gevonde skat te verklaar nie, ten einde dit vir eie wins te probeer verkoop wat egter nie hier die geval was nie (die silwer is in veilige bewaring geplaas, met die bergingsmaatskappy wat kragtens die Britse admiraliteitsreg hulle bergingsfooi van die RSA regering eis). So ‘n fooi, wat deur die hof bepaal word aan die hand van faktore soos kostes aangegaan, moeilikheidsgraad ensomeer, kan aansienlik wees dit mag net nie die gehele waarde van die gebergde skat oorskry nie (die waarde van die silwer is na raming sowat 660 miljoen Rand).

Die Internasionale Konvensie oor see-berging van 1989 (wat by die Britse wetgewing ingelyf is) maak egter voorsiening daarvoor dat regerings as “soewereine”, nie hoef kompensasie te betaal vir gebergde skatte wat aan hulle behoort nie, en voorts dat bergers nie ‘n retensie reg mag beweer en op grond daarvan weier om so ‘n skat onverwyld te oorhandig nie, selfs al is daar hofsake hangend. Die betrokke artikel lees soos volg:

ARTICLE 25

State-owned cargoes …no provision of this Convention shall be used as a basis for the seizure, arrest or detention by any legal process of, nor for any proceedings in rem against, non commercial cargoes owned by a State and entitled, at the time of the salvage operations, to sovereign immunity under generally recognised principles of international law.

Hierdie artikel lyk redelik selfverduidelikend en op die oog af heel toepaslik op die onderhawige geval, sodat mens kan verstaan waarom die RSA regering die saak hof toe gevat het en hoekom een van die appèl-regters hulle gelyk gegee het, in die twee-teen-een beslissing. Die Spaanse regering het byvoorbeeld in 2012 sy saak gewen vir die hele skat van die Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes (‘n Spaanse fregat wat deur die Britte gesink is teenoor die Portugese kus in 1804, met ongeveer 594,000 goue en silwer munte aan boord). Die fregat was egter ‘n oorlogskip, terwyl die SS Tilawa ‘n handelsvaartuig was.

Die omstandighede rondom die Suid-Afrikaanse silwer is darem ook nie so kompleks nie as die regstryd wat tans woed oor die wêreld se rykste skat skip, die Spaanse galjoen San José, wat in 1708 in die Karibiese See deur die Britte gesink is met nagenoeg 360 miljard Rand (20 billion US dollars) se skatte aan boord. Die Colombiaanse regering het die Amerikaanse Woods Hole oseanografiese navorsingsinstituut gekontrakteer om die wrak op te spoor; dis gevind op ‘n plek wat streng geheim gehou word en tans deur die Colombiaanse vloot bewaak word.

Die Spaanse regering eis nou die skat op grond van sy regte as soewerein (synde dat die fregat ‘n Spaanse oorlogskip was); die Colombiaanse regering eis dit as deel van sy kultuur erfenis (omdat die wrak in sy waters gevind is, onder kontrak met die Colombiaanse regering); die inheemse bevolkings van die Andes gebied eis die skat op grond daarvan dat die Spaanse veroweraars dit destyds van hulle afgeneem het; en dan is daar nog ‘n Amerikaanse bergingsmaatskappy wat nou beweer dat hulle die San José reeds jare gelede opgespoor het en nou 50% eis (maar die Colombiaanse regerings sê dat die wrak wat die Amerikaanse skattejagters destyds gevind het nie die San José was nie, met die ligging van die twee wrakke wat volgens hulle verskil). Al is die RSA silwer se R660 miljoen waarde nou nie naastenby in die klas van die San José se R360 miljard nie, is dit nie te versmaai nie, sodat ‘n verdere appèl in die RSA saak dus bes moontlik sal volg tensy dat die partye onderling tot ‘n billike skikking kan kom.

SOUTH AFRICAN COMMONWEALTH WAR CASUALTIES BURIED ACROSS THE WORLD – PART FIFTY-SEVEN Captain (SAN) Charles Ross (SA Navy Retired)

South Africans took part in almost every theatre of war during both the First and Second World Wars. According to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Casualty Data Base 7 290 (includes 607 unknown) First World War casualties and 9 986 (includes 84 unknown) Second World War casualties are buried in 1 207 cemeteries while 2 959 First World War and 2 005 Second World War casualties are commemorated on 48 memorials. This does not include the 1 750 members of the South African Native Labour Corps and the 306 from the South African Book of Remembrance, whose names are in the process of being added to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s Casualty Data Base.

• Combles Communal Cemetery Extension - France

The village was entered in the early morning of the 26th August 1916, by units of the 56th (London) Division and of the French Army; and it remained in Allied occupation until the 24th March 1918, when the place was captured after a stubborn stand by the South African Brigade at Marrieres Wood. It was retaken on the 29th of August, 1918, by the 18th Division. The village was later "adopted", with Flers, by the County Borough of Portsmouth.

The cemetery was begun in October 1916 by French troops, but the 94 French graves made in 1916 have been removed to another cemetery. The first British burials took place in December 1916. From March 1917 to the end of May 1918, the Extension was not used. In June, July and August, 194 German soldiers were buried in what was afterwards called Plot I, but these graves, too, have been removed; and in August and September, further burials were made by the 18th Division. Plots II, V, VI and VII and most of Plot IV were added after the Armistice by the concentration of 944 graves from the battlefields in the neighbourhood and smaller cemeteries in the area.

Maurepas was taken by the French I Corps in August 1916. There are now over 1,500, 1914-18 war casualties commemorated on this site. Of these, over half are unidentified and special memorials are erected to nine soldiers from the United Kingdom and one from South Africa, known or believed to be buried among them. Other special memorials record the names of three soldiers from the United Kingdom, buried in Maurepas and Longtree Dump Military Cemeteries, whose graves were

destroyed by shell fire. The Extension covers an area of 5,356 square metres. It is enclosed by brick walls on the North East and South West

18 (seven known and 11 unknown) South African casualties from World War Two are buried in the cemetery.

• Cologne Southern Cemetery - Germany

More than 1,000 Allied prisoners and dozens of German servicemen were buried in Cologne Southern Cemetery during the First World War. Commonwealth forces entered Cologne on 6 December 1918, less than a month after the Armistice, and the city was occupied under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles until January 1926. During this period the cemetery was used by the occupying garrison. In 1922 it was decided that the graves of Commonwealth servicemen who had died all over Germany should be brought together into four permanent cemeteries at Kassel, Berlin, Hamburg and Cologne. Over the following year, graves were transferred to Cologne Southern Cemetery from over 180 different burial grounds in Hanover, Hessen, the Rhine and Westphalia. There are now almost 2,500 First World War servicemen buried or commemorated in the Commonwealth plots at Cologne.

14 South African casualties from World War One are buried in the cemetery.

• Arcona War Cemetery

On 3 September 1943, the Allies invaded the Italian mainland, the invasion coinciding with an armistice made with the Italians who then re entered the war on the Allied side. Following the fall of Rome to the Allies in June 1944, the German retreat became ordered and successive stands were made on a series of defensive positions known as the Trasimene, Arezzo, Arno and Gothic Lines.

The cemetery at Ancona reflects the Allied progress up the Adriatic coast in August and September 1944. The cemetery site was chosen in September and graves were brought in from a wide area roundabout, extending from Pescara, 80 kilometres farther south, to Pesaro, over 48 kilometres north of Ancona. They include those of casualties from the first attacks on the eastern sector of the German defensive Gothic Line, near Fano and Pesaro, at the end of August and early in September.

Ancona itself had been taken by the Poles on 18 July 1944 and, being little touched by the war, served as the main port for supplies for the attack on the Gothic Line and the final breakthrough the following spring at Argenta.

Ancona War Cemetery contains 1,019 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War. 79 (77 identified and two unknown) South African casualties from World War Two are buried in the cemetery.

WARLENCOURT BRITISH CEMETERY - FRANCE

Warlencourt, the Butte de Warlencourt and EaucourtL'Abbaye were the scene of very fierce fighting in 1916. Eaucourt was taken by the 47th (London) Division early in October. The Butte (a Roman mound of excavated chalk, about 17 metres high, once covered with pines) was attacked by that and other divisions, but it was not relinquished by the Germans until the following 26 February, when they withdrew to the Hindenburg Line. The 51st (Highland) Division fought a delaying action here on 25 March 1918 during the great German advance, and the 42nd (East Lancashire) Division recaptured the ground on 25 August 1918.

The cemetery was made late in 1919 when graves were brought in from small cemeteries and the battlefields of Warlencourt and Le Sars. The largest burial ground moved into this cemetery was:HEXHAM ROAD CEMETERY, LE SARS, on the West side of the Abbey grounds. (Hexham Road was the name given to the road leading from Warlencourt to Eaucourt. Le Sars was captured by the 23rd Division on 7 October 1916, and again by the Third Army on 25 August 1918.) This cemetery was used from November 1916 to October 1917 and held the graves of 17 soldiers from the United Kingdom and 13 from Australia.

The cemetery now holds 3,505 Commonwealth burials and commemorations of the First World War. 1,823 of the burials are unidentified but there are special memorials to 55 casualties known or believed to be buried among them. Other special memorials commemorate 15 casualties buried in Hexham Road Cemetery, whose graves were destroyed by shell fire.

The cemetery was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens.

125 (108 identified and 17 unknown) South African casualties from World War One are buried in the cemetery.

• Florence War Cemetery - Italy

On 3 September 1943, the Allies invaded the Italian mainland, the invasion coinciding with an armistice made with the Italians who then re entered the war on the Allied side. Following the fall of Rome to the Allies in June 1944, the German retreat became ordered and successive stands were made on a series of defensive positions known as the Trasimene, Arezzo, Arno and Gothic Lines. Florence, which was taken by the Allied forces on 13 August 1944, was the centre of the Arno line and the point from which the attack on the German Gothic Line defences in the Apennines was launched.

The site for the war cemetery was selected in November 1944 for burials from the hospitals established in and around Florence but the greater part of those buried here lost their lives in the fighting in this area from July to September 1944. After the war, 83 graves were moved into the cemetery from nearby Arrow Route Cemetery, when it proved impossible to acquire the site in perpetuity. Most of these burials were from the fighting in the Apennines during the winter of 1944 1945.

Florence War Cemetery now has 1,632 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War.

213 South African casualties from World War Two are buried in the cemetery.

TUK-TUKS FOR POLICE

Mailonline

Perfect for a low-speed chase! Police take delivery of four tuk-tuks to patrol parks and public spaces but not above 25mph

• A police force has unveiled a fleet of tuk-tuks to help patrol parks in Wales

• It is not known how fast they go, but often tuk-tuks don't travel above 25mph

• The announcement has sparked mixed reviews within the local community

By Brittany Chain for Mailonline

Published: 17:50 BST, 15 October 2022 | Updated: 18:26 BST, 15 October 2022

A police force has unveiled a fleet of tuk tuks to help patrol parks, walkways and public spaces. Gwent Police in Wales revealed the four tiny vehicles will be used by officers 'day and night' in Newport and Abergavenny. The vehicles are funded by the Safer Streets programme, a Home Office grant fund which supports forces in tackling neighbourhood crime, anti social behaviour and violence against women and girls. Most motorised rickshaws have a top speed of about 55km/h (34 mph).

A police force has unveiled a fleet of tuk tuks to help patrol parks, walkways and public spaces

Chief inspector Damian Sowrey said: 'They were on show at our Behind the Badge day, giving local residents the opportunity to see them up close and to hear more about how they will be used. 'The feedback was overwhelmingly positive. 'Parents told officers that they would feel safer knowing that there was support for young people out at night, and from women who could think of an occasion when the tuk tuk would have been a welcome sight.'

The decision has sparked controversy online with locals questioning how effective tuk-tuks will be in crime fighting.

'If this isn't a joke, it's an absolute embarrassment,' one critic said online. Others questioned how much the fleet cost. While the force has not openly shared how much each cost, one unrelated tuk tuk seller is currently advertising them online from £10,995.

In a report commissioned by the Newport Council in partnership with Gwent Police, the tuk tuks were described as a 'novelty' which will be used to deliver 'high visibility reassurance patrols to make residents and visitors feel safer walking around the city'.

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VSA: DEPUTY SHERRIF: JACQUES KRUGER

Dana Kruger

Trots op daai ‘deputy sheriff’-seun van my.

Hy kontak my nou en sê dat hy sopas ingeroep was na sy kantoor en 'n toekenning van hoogere mense ontvang vir 'n onlangse voorval waar hy 'n persoon se lewe gered het wat geskiet was.

Hy het 'n tjek van 'n 1000 dollar ontvang en medalje en balkie met 'n sertifikaat.

Kon nie al die inligting kry nie die selfoon sein was baie swak.

Maar daar word jy nog beloon vir jou harde werk.

Pa se trots.

Saluut UK: SUPER COP

Meet Britain's 'super sleuth': The Met officer who uses his photographic memory to snare criminals and even caught an offender in sunglasses and a cap among two MILLION revellers at the Notting Hill Carnival

• PC Arron Lewars has snared 112 criminals this year using photographic memory

• Met Police officer spotted offender wearing sunglasses at Notting Hill Carnival

• He also caught burglar wearing a facemask by recognising his eyes

By Jack Wright for Mailonline

Published: 13:02 BST, 20 October 2022 | Updated: 16:35 BST, 20 October 2022

Meet Britain's 'super sleuth' a police officer who has caught more than 100 burglars, drug dealers, gunmen and mobsters this year so far by using his photographic memory to recall the faces of dangerous criminals roaming the streets of London.

PC Arron Lewars, 37, has snared nearly 200 offenders in the past two years through his astonishing ability to remember how they look often just by a glimpse of their eyes or jawline.

In one instance, the 'super recogniser' spotted a 30 year old offender wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap at the Notting Hill Carnival among 2million faces being monitored from a control room in Lambeth.

Speaking at last night's Metropolitan Police excellence awards, he told the Evening Standard: 'All I could see was his jawline on the screen. I'd spent 18 months looking for him. He's dancing and having a lovely time, but you can't even see his full face. 'My colleagues were questioning me, ''Are you sure?'' before arresting him. I said, ''100 per cent sure''.

More recently, PC Lewars's photographic memory helped detectives snare a serial burglar in the street by recognising his eyes above the Covid facemask and hood he was wearing.

PC Arron Lewars, 37, has snared nearly 200 offenders in the past two years through his astonishing ability to remember how they look often just by a glimpse of their eyes or jawline

Performers at the Notting Hill Carnival in London, which returned to the streets for the first time in two years after it was thwarted by the pandemic. In one instance, the 'super recogniser' spotted a 30-year-old offender wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap at the Notting Hill Carnival among 2million faces being monitored from a control room in Lambeth

What is photographic memory? What is photographic memory?

Photographic memory is the ability to recall a past scene in detail with great accuracy. Is it a condition?

Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory (HSAM) is a condition that has been identified in fewer than 100 people worldwide, and those with it can recall past events in great detail. What causes it?

Doctors have yet to understand what exactly is happening in the brains of individuals with HSAM, and tests reveal there is no particular ability that appears to underpin the condition.

Source: New Scientist

The officer, who has spent 13 years working for an anti-violence unit covering Kensington and Chelsea and Hammersmith and Fulham, studies mugshots, CCTV from raids and body worn video, looking at how suspects walk, dress and for any scars and tattoos before going out on patrol.

He added: 'Our team have a very good success rate for identifying people. Last year I identified 80. Since January, I'm at 112 - so I'm getting better.'

Photographic memory is the ability to recall a past scene in detail with great accuracy.

Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory (HSAM) is a condition that has been identified in fewer than 100 people worldwide, and those with it can recall past events in great detail.

Doctors have yet to understand what exactly is happening in the brains of individuals with HSAM, and tests reveal there is no particular ability that appears to underpin the condition.

Previously MailOnline reported how one police officer dubbed the 'Memory Cop' helped catch nearly 1,000 suspects thanks to his incredible 'photographic' memory.

PCSO Andy Pope has brought hundreds of criminals to justice by using his facial recognition skills. His 'gift' even enabled him to catch one robber having seen his face one year earlier, and another after recognising the mole on his face.

PC Lewars made his revelation at last night's Metropolitan Police excellence awards, where Sergeant Michael McGuirk and PC Nikki Smith, both 30, were honoured for rescuing a Barnet man from a burning building in 2020.

PC Darren Shan won Police Officer of the Year for helping young people at Dwaynamics, a Brixton boxing gym set up by Pastor Lorraine Jones whose son Dwayne was stabbed to death in 2014, while PC Sobia Seher won a special recognition award for raising awareness of faith diversity.

And Detective Chief Superintendent Tara McGovern's team behind Signa, an internal project tackling misogyny set up after Sarah Everard's murder, won The Building a Better Met award.

Speaking after receiving the award, PC Smith, said: 'The fire was one of those times where you go into fight or flight mode and luckily we went into fight mode. There is no other job like policing.'

Police Sergeant Michael McGuirk and PC Nikki Smith accepting their award from Scotland Yard's new Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley

Sergeant McGuirk, said: 'I feel really proud and surprised to win this award when considering the other nominations. I didn't join the police to win a bravery award but I did join to save lives. That's the job.'

Scotland Yard's new Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley presented his Commissioner's Award to two officers who were stabbed during an incident in Leicester Square last month, whose names are not being released at this time.

Speaking at the Excellence Awards, Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, said: 'These awards celebrate the best of the Met and are one way we recognise the incredible contributions individuals and teams made protecting and serving the people of London.

'Against this success, in stark contrast, there are some very real challenges. This week is a tough one for the Met. There is no denying that and there will be some difficult challenges as we fix the things we need to.

'But I remain optimistic for one reason. I know we will succeed in making the necessary changes, because of you and those like you, the fantastic, dedicated, honest and often heroic officers and staff who make up the vast majority of our people. The very best of those we heard about today. 'Every finalist embodies the best of us and the values we hold dear they are an inspiration to the rest of us. I am proud of you you should be proud too.'

Read more: Met super sleuth who can pick out most wanted just by their jawlines | Evening Standard Photographic memory | New Scientist Share or comment on this article: Met officer, 37, uses his photographic memory to snare more than 100 criminals this year https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article 11335987/Met officer 37 uses photographic memory snare 100 criminals year.html

AGM-88 HARM Missiel

https://theaviationist.com/2022/08/21/ukrainian mig 29s are hunting russian radars-with-agm-88-harm-missiles/

Die NAVO lande gelei deur die VSA het hierdie jaar begin om die Oekraïne te voorsien van wapens, na Rusland se inval. Swaar lang afstand artillerie was aan die bopunt van Oekraine se inkopie lys.

Die nuutste toevoeging tot Oekraïne se wapenarsenaal is die AGM-88 HARM (High-speed AntiRadiation Missile), dit is ‘n taktiese, grond tot lug teen straling missiel. Dit teiken hoë frekwensie radars. Die HARM bereken die ligging van die teiken en is in staat om dit te tref, al is die radar afgeskakel.

Oekraïne het aanpassings gemaak wat dit moontlik maak om die missiel vanaf ʼn aangepaste MiG29 Fulcrum (enigste MiG model in Oekraïne ) af te vuur. Dan het hulle ʼn verdere aanpassing gemaak om die HIMAR missiele vanaf is ʼn vuurpyl lanseerder te kan vuur, wat agter op ʼn aangepaste vragmotor se bak gemonteer is, met ʼn houer bevattende ses presisie geleide missiele wat teikens tot 80 kilometer ver kan tref.

Die totale gewig is 18 ton (16,329,3 kilogram); die missiel is 14 meters lank met ʼn omtrek van 25,4 sentimeter; en ʼn gewig van 360kg; met ʼn gefragmenteerde plofkop wat via radar tegnologie. Die hoofdoel van hierdie missiele is om Russiese radar stasie op te spoor en te vernietig.

Die HIMAR missiel afgevuur vanaf lanseerder op vragmotor gemonteer.

Die missiel word gelei deur seine wat vrygestel word deur grond radar verdedigings stasies. Die afgevuurde missiel is in staat om ʼn enkele teiken uit te kies vanaf ʼn aantal uitstralings in die omgewing.

Die oppad na hul teiken, volg die afgevuurde missiel die radar antennas se seine. Solank as die antennas nie afgeskakel is nie is die missiele akkuraat. In eenvoudige terme kan dit as volg vanaf hul antennas verduidelik word, sê byvoorbeeld jy het jou selfoon misplaas en ʼn vriend skakel jou selfoon en dit lui, werk jou ore en brein oortyd om die selfoon wat lui op te spoor. Sodra die gelui beëindig word voordat jy die selfoon opspoor, begin jou probleem om die vermiste foon op te spoor. Dit kom daarop neer dat die missiel se opsporings sein “in skakel” op die teiken wat seine uitstuur. Alhoewel die missiel passief is, omdat dit op die teiken se sein (radar) inskakel is dit nie nodig het om sy eie sein (radar) uit te stuur om die teiken op te spoor nie.

Verkeerde stellings dat die missiele “kernkrag” bestraling vrystel is dus onsin. Dit verwys na elektromagnetiese bestraling, wat insluit radio seine vanaf ʼn radar eenheid. Daar is basies 3 basiese wyses hoe die missiel gebruik kan maak van radar om “gelei” kan word tot by die teiken:

• semi aktiewe radar inskakeling

• aktiewe radar inskakeling

• passiewe radar inskakeling

Teen bestraling missiele behoort dus aan die passiewe radar inskakeling.

Semi aktiewe radar inskakeling beteken dat die missiel ʼn Vuur Kontrole Direkteur benodig, wat die teiken “verlig” met ʼn radar straal. Die missiel het ʼn radar ontvangs toestel in die neus en skakel in op die geflekteerde sein wat afbons vanaf die teiken. Die missiele is nie net ʼn geval van “ Vuur en Vergeet” nie, aangesien hul ‘n begeleiding in die vorm van ʼn vuur kontrole radar eenheid benodig. Die vuur meganisme moet die hele tyd op die teiken (radar sein van die vyand) inskakel tot en met die inpak van die missiel.

Die missiel word voortgedryf deur ʼn rooklose soliede aanjaer vuurpyl wat met ʼn spoed van meer as Mach 2.0 (2,280 kpu = 1.8 die spoed van klank) voortsnel om die vyand se Radar sisteem op te spoor en te vernietig wat meebring dat die opposisie nie meer hul radar kan aanwend nie om enige missiele te vuur nie.

Onlangs is Russiese ammunisie en brandstof opslagplekke, met S 300 grond tot lug verdedigings missiel sisteme vernietig en verskeie Russiese bevelvoerders het omgekom. Oekraïne se veiligheidsmagte het ook Russiese agente gearresteer en dokumente in hul besit gevind wat HIMAR posisies aangedui het, hulle het ook beslag gelê op rekenaar en selfoon inligting.

Die HIMAR aanvalle op Russiese troepe is ʼn nuwe strategie om Russiese troepe in militêre omgangstaal in “diep oorlog-spasie” aan te val, maw die agterhoede van die soldate word wat diep in Oekraïne se grense aangeval. Juis omdat dit hulle so kwesbaar maak, nieteenstaande die feit dat Oekraïne se magte hoë risiko’s aangaan. Hulle is dus besig met ʼn offensiewe aanslag op ammunisie opslagplekke, brandstof pakhuise en Russiese bevel sentrums.

Met die gevolg dat paniek heers met die lang-afstand presiese wapens wat hul posisies aanval. Dit het weer die gevolg dat van die Russiese troepe begin om te dros. Dit is duidelik dat die dood gewaarborg is teen sulke verwoestende vuurpyle, wat eenvoudig alles in stukke ruk. Wat uiteraard nie goed vir die Russiese soldate se moraal is nie.

Die groot voordeel van die HIMAR missiele bo die Javelin teen-tenk missiel, is dat laasgenoemde ʼn baie korter reikafstand het en op die skouers van soldate gedra moet word in gevegte. Verder is die Javelin net effektief indien die skut kan oorleef deur naby genoeg aan die teiken te kan kom vir die afvuur van die missiel. Artillerie is ʼn groot bedreiging vir soldate wat per voet of selfs per voertuig beweeg.

Waar artillerie voertuie getou word en opgerig word, gevuur word en dan weg van die gevaarpunt beweeg, is die self aangedrewe vragmotors met HIMAR lanseerders in staat om onmiddellik na

afvuring van die missiele weg te ry. Sodoende gebruik hulle die volle voordeel van afstand en mobiliteit benutting deur die vyand aan te val en vergelding te ontsnap voordat kan vasstel vanwaar die missiele gevuur is.

Elke vuurpyl dra ʼn 90,7 kilogram plofkop, wat in staat is om ʼn groep soldate in die ope, artillerie en enige nabye voertuig te tref en te dood en te vernietig. Met ses opeenvolgende vuurpyle is dit in staat om ʼn gepantserde kolom of nabye kamp of voorraad bergplekke vol gate en ontsettende skade te veroorsaak in die voorste geveg frontlinie. Om dit in perspektief te plaas die Kerkstraatbom in Pretoria, het ongeveer 25u kg plofstof bevat.

Aangesien die HIMAR lanseerder op die bak van ʼn vragmotor gemonteer is, is dit steeds ʼn mens gedrewe sisteem, met ʼn bemanning van drie (bestuurder van die voertuig, die kanonnier en seksie bevelvoerder) wat intensiewe opleiding van ʼn paar weke moet ondergaan. Dit sluit in ʼn rekenaar gebaseerde vuur kontrole sisteem. Bykomstig tot die vuur kontrole sisteem is ʼn video, sleutelbord kontrole, ʼn gigagreep van programme wat gestoor is en globale posisionering sisteem (GPS). Die vuur kontrole rekenaar laat outomatiese vuur toe en beskik ook oor handkontrole. Die tydsduur nadat daar in “gezoem” word op die teiken tot dat daar gevuur word, duur dit net 16 sekondes. Bykomend sal meer personeel benodig word om die HIMAR span te voorsien van voorrade en ammunisie.

Die grootste voordeel van die HIMAR missiele is dat dit tydens alle weersomstandighede, dodelike, naby en langafstand gevuur kan word.

Die GPS-geleide, lang-afstand missiele, het ʼn sukses syfer van 90%. Die HIMAR lanseerder kan 6 missiele vuur op teikens 80 km ver. Aanvanklik is die HIMAR aangewend teen ammunisie depots, dit is egter uitgebrei na troep kasernes, bevelsposte en voorraad verskaffers. Die nadeel is dat dit moeilik aangewend word teen bewegende troepe.

Beide Oekraïne en die Russe het arsenale militêre ammunisie van die Sowjet Unie geërf wat massas ammunisie opgepot het. Altwee rolspelers deel ook die 122mm en 152mm artillerie wapens en ammunisie. Rusland het dus hieruit voordeel getrek deur Oekraine se wapen opslag plekke te stroop en aankope by goedgesinde lande te doen.

Oekraine aan die anderkant het omgeskakel deur vernuwe VSA en NATO artillerie aan te skaf, en ʼn oorgang bewerkstellig na ander teiken logika. Juis omdat die VSA nie net staat maak op salvo’s op teikens nie maar dit aanvul met geleide bomme en “Excaliber” rondtes, wat inskakel op “GPS” en binne 2,1 meter van die koördinate verskaf grondvat.

Teenstanders in die wêreld begin al hoe meer gesofistikeerd raak om soldate, burgerlikes en strukture met gevorderde missiele te beskerm. Met die byvoeging van die HIMAR missiele beweeg Oekraïne op hierdie stadium na die mees tegniese gevorderde en volhoubare artillerie oplossing, om baanbreker tegnologie vanaf ʼn veeldoelige platform te benut.

Met hul primêre wapen wat agterop ʼn vragmotor aangebring is, stel dit hulle in staat om op ʼn grondpad te ry wat op geen kaart verskyn, langs ʼn sonneblomland en tussen bome te parkeer, waarvan die takke hul teenwoordigheid verberg teen die Russe se hommeltuie. Dié mees gevorderde sisteem het die langste afstand van hul grond wapens, wat meehelp om hul burgerlikes te beskerm. Hulle moes die versekering aan die VSA verskaf dat hulle dit nie tydens oorkruis grens aanvalle sal aanwend diep binne in Rusland nie die versoeking moet egter sterk wees. Die HIMAR bring ook gemoedsrus aan die Oekraïne se soldate, wat moes voortploeter met ou uitgediende toerusting. Hulle was aanvanklik geforseer om net deur beboste en woude hul missiele vanaf skouer lanseerders af te vuur, op sigbare teikens om te verhoed dat burgerlikes aangeval en gedood word.

Die navigasie gerigte satelliet missiel sal nou hul teiken tref. Die bemanning moet egter voortdurend aan die beweeg bly om die risiko te verhoed dat die HIMAR waargeneem en opgespoor sal word. Die Oekraïne soldate het hul verbasing uitgespreek dat ʼn hoë presiese wapen so min geraas maak. Nadat Oekraïne aanvanklik baie grondgebied verloor het, is hulle nou besig om besette gebiede te ontset en terug te verower in ʼn teenoffensief teenoor die afgelope tyd se uitputtende slakkegang van vordering. Hul opponente Rusland is naarstiglik opsoek na ʼn teenvoeter.

Die VSA, Duitsland en Brittanje wat Oekraïne monitor, is beïndruk met laasgenoemde se sistematiese seleksie van teikens, wat die aanvul van voorrade aan die Russiese soldate verhoed en aanvalle op bevelsposte wat die Russe geskud het.

Die Oekraïne se agente is egter realisties en besef dat dit net ʼn tydelike terugslag is weens die feit dat hul nog nie oor genoeg slaankrag beskik nie. Hul versoek van langafstand HIMAR missiel (tot 321,8 kilometer) val egter op dowe ore gesien in die lig dat die Weste bang is vir aanval op teikens diep in Rusland, weens eskalerende konflik van Rusland. Oekraïne voer aan dat hulle besette gebiede deur Rusland verower, moet bevry voordat die Winter rondom November die skaal in Rusland se guns sal laat swaai.

Iran het sopas aangebied om hul hoogs suksesvolle hommeltuie aan Rusland te verkoop, wat hul in staat sal stel om die teenmaatreëls teen die HIMAR missiele uit te voer. Rusland is deeglik bewus watter rol hommeltuie kan speel, soos bewys deur Israel en nou Iran.

Oekraïne weet deur bevel, beheer poste en ammunisie opslagplekke te vernietig, hulle die Russiese offensief sal vertraag, en besette gedeeltes te herwin. Hulle sal dus voortgaan met hierdie dodelike ‘skaakspel”.

Bronne: https://www.google.co.za/search?q=HIMARS+missiles&hl=af&tbm=M https://www.popsci.com/technology/us sends himars artillery ukraine/#:~:text=What%20is%20a%20HIMARS%3F,of%20more%20than%2043%20miles. https://www.popsci.com/technology/us sends himars artillery ukraine/#:~:texs https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en us/products/high mobility artillery rocket system.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/07/01/ukraine-himars-rocket-launch-system/ Https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/07/13/ukraine himars ammunition russia us/ https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained sci tech/explained what is agm 88 harm the new anti radar missile supplied ukraine us 8080573/ https://militaryanalizer.com/agm 88 harm anti radiation guided missile/ https://www.defenceview.in/for-the-first-time-ukraine-struck-russian-radar-with-american-agm-88anti radar missiles/ https://theaviationist.com/2022/08/21/ukrainian mig 29s are hunting russian radars with agm 88 harm missiles/ https://www.newsweek.com/ukraine destroys russian battery s 300 air defense systems military 1727462

https://news.yahoo.com/ukraine atacms himars missiles 161843626.html?guccounter=1&guce https://www.newsweek.com/russian spies captured ukraine stealing himars plans water management infrastructure 1735791

https://www.newsweek.com/russian spies captured ukraine stealing himars plans water management-infrastructure-1735791

COLD WAR INVENTION

Wolfgang Witschas

Introduction

There are many weapon systems and military equipment that were used in various conflicts towards the end of the 20th century which are not commonly known but were part of various countries' military. One relatively unknown example is the Soviet minelaying trailer.

Have you ever wondered why Angola is one of the most heavily mined countries in the world, well the captured Soviet hardware goes some way to explain how mining landmines on an industrial level can be done.

Background

Originally designated the PMR 3 "Princeponi, Minnyi, Raskladchik" meaning towed minelayer (surface)" this apparatus was the first Soviet minelayer capable of burying mines, as well as laying then on top of the ground. It consists of a chute and a plough attachment. The attachment provides the option of burying the mines or laying then on the surface of the ground. The PMR -3 equipment designation was later changed to PMZ- 4"Princeponi, Minnyi, Zagraditel" "towed minelayer (buried)" as the designation was more accurate in describing the task carried out by this piece of equipment.

The type of mines laid by this apparatus were the Soviet TM 44, TM 46, TM 57 or TM 64 anti tank mines. The mines could be spaced 4 to 5,5 meters apart depending on the control setting. If buried the mines are placed at a depth of 6 to 12 cm while the vehicle travelled along at a speed of 5,5 km/h. The trailer on its own weighted 1,8 metric tons. The towing vehicle carried between 120 to 300 mines depending on the capacity and type of vehicle. The SADF captured one of these trailers in Southern Angola during Operation Protea in 1981. The captured PMZ 4 minelayer trailer is displayed to the public in Oshakati, Namibia.

Prime equipment mover: 6x6 Zil truck with 200 mines or 4x4 Ural 75 D with 350 mines or BTR 152 with 120 mines. The maximum burial depth 20 cm PRM 3 and the same with the PMZ 4 consists of a single chute and plough attachment. Differences: The PMZ 4 has a cable layer used for laying controlled minefields and does not have a conveyor belt chain drive on the wheels. The PMZ 4 is hand loaded only. Towed minelayers are used in sections of three or four and operate 20 to 40 m meters apart with each minelayer laying a straight line row. Mines in different rows are staggered with the distance between mines are pressure initiated or full width attack (influenced or tilt rod fuzzed).

Epilogue

New Russian made UMZ K new multipurpose mine laying vehicle is based on a 8x8 military truck chassis KamAZ-63501.

During the International Military Technical Forum ARMY 2015, which took place near Moscow from 16 to 19 June 2015, Russian defence industry has unveiled new multipurpose mine laying vehicle, the UMZ K. The vehicle is designed to remotely scatter anti personnel, anti paratrooper and anti tank clustered mines over terrain.

Sources: Google: https://www.salegion.org.uk:captu

Google: https://odin.tradoc.army.mil>PMZ

Google: https://www.armyrecognition.com

CHINA AND FORMER RAF PILOTS

Mailonline

Thirty former RAF pilots are paid £250,000 each to train Chinese to shoot down Western aircraft in possible threat to national security

• British fighter pilots are training the Chinese to shoot down Western aircraft

• Officials warned up to 30 pilots have moved to China after securing contracts

• The former British pilots will be paid £250,000 to teach Western procedures

By Mark Nicol Defence Editor for the Daily Mail

Published: 00:00 BST, 18 October 2022 | Updated: 00:15 BST, 18 October 2022

Former British fighter pilots are training the Chinese to shoot down Western aircraft, officials warned last night.

Up to 30 pilots have recently moved to China after securing £250,000 a year contracts to teach Western flying procedures, it was revealed.

Due to legal loopholes, there is nothing the Armed Forces can do to prevent the Beijing brain drain a potential threat to national security in which Chinese pilots could be given a lethal advantage in any future conflict.

Many more top Royal Air Force pilots have been approached by intermediaries acting on behalf of the People’s Liberation Army but declined the offers, sources said.

Western officials said last night Britain was discussing with allies how to respond to the issue as they are similarly affected.

The Daily Mail has been told fast jet pilots from Australia and Canada have also been lured to China on huge contracts.

Former British fighter pilots are training the Chinese to shoot down Western aircraft, officials warned last night (Pictured: Chinese female J 10 fighter pilot Yu Xu leaving the plane after performing at the Airshow China in Zhuhai)

(Pictured: J 15 fighter jets on China's operational aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, during a drill at sea)

China wants to be the world’s most dominant military power by 2049. Its armed forces are expanding rapidly due to huge investment in aircraft carriers, stealth jets and weaponry.

The shocking recruitment programme will be confirmed today in a rare Ministry of Defence ‘threat alert’. It comes as the UK redesignates China from ‘systemic competitor’ status to a ‘threat’ to British interests.

An official said last night: ‘Serving and former advanced jet pilots are being openly head hunted to train People’s Liberation Army (PLA) pilots in China.

Growing might of the Dragon China’s armed forces include 915,000 active troops, a third of whom are conscripts Its rapidly developing air force includes latest generation fighter jets among its 2,000 warplanes China’s air force is the third largest in the world, including 400,000 personnel Its J 20 stealth jet from 2017 has impressed Western experts Chinese defence spending is growing by nearly 7 per cent a year, approaching £200billion China already has the world’s largest navy, with at least 360 vessels and three aircraft carriers The RAF has 479 aircraft and 38,000 personnel. The Navy boasts two aircraft carriers

‘The recruitment schemes pose a threat to UK and Western interests. They are being conducted by third parties and the remunerative packages are very generous.

‘These personnel are almost certainly enhancing China’s knowledge and capabilities. Without us taking action, this activity would almost certainly cause harm to the UK and our allies’ defence advantage.’

The official added: ‘We are issuing threat guidance to personnel at risk of being head-hunted. We are also reminding personnel of their obligation to protect sensitive information acquired during their employment.

‘While we have no legal levers to compel people to return [from China], we need to take preventative steps.’

The practice began in 2019, slowed during the pandemic, then was ramped up once Covid restrictions were lifted in China, according to Western officials. The Chinese use a private flying academy in South Africa to act as an intermediary as any direct approaches to RAF fast jet pilots by Beijing would be intercepted by the security services.

Last night, the Test Flying Academy of South Africa (TFASA), based at Oudtshoorn airfield in the Western Cape province, declined to comment on its alleged role.

The TFASA has made offers to RAF Typhoon, Jaguar and Tornado pilots to relocate to China and become PLA instructors, according to Western officials. UK military helicopter pilots have also been approached.

The Ministry of Defence is seeking to tighten legal obligations around former pilots passing on their knowledge and experience.

A forthcoming National Security Bill is expected to include beefed-up rules including legally binding non disclosure agreements.

Former UK defence intelligence officer Philip Ingram said last night: ‘This is a potentially massive counter intelligence issue.

‘I think the pilots are… misguided, greedy and naive and now a threat to national security.’ The Ministry of Defence said: ‘We are taking decisive steps to stop Chinese recruitment schemes attempting to head hunt serving and former UK Amed Forces pilots, who are already subject to the Official Secrets Act.

‘We are reviewing the use of confidentiality contracts and non disclosure agreements, while the new National Security Bill will create additional tools to tackle security challenges, including this one.’ Share or comment on this article: Thirty former RAF pilots are paid £250,000 each to train Chinese to shoot down Western aircraft https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article 11325717/Thirty former RAF pilots paid 250 000 train Chinese shoot Western aircraft.html

(Pictured: Pilots line up in front of fighter jets of the Bayi Aerobatics Team of the Chinese People's Liberation Army) ‘The Chinese will try every technique possible to get detailed understandings of what the pilots know about British tactics and allied tactics, and the technologies around our military aircraft.

GREAT POWER CONFLICT OVER UKRAINE: ESCALATING FAST, WITH A GROWING IMPACT AROUND THE WORLD

As we had predicted when Russia invaded Ukraine, the conflict has evolved into a drawn out struggle, impacting the entire world. There’s no end in sight. Every indication is that it will continue escalating. Diplomacy and negotiation don’t even feature at this stage (after the Anglosphere had convinced Kief in early April not to continue with the 15 point peace plan facilitated by Pres. Erdogan of Turkey just as Washington and London had sunk the earlier Minsk Agreements and the 2020 Paris talks between Putin and Zelensky; which is no excuse for Russia’s decision to invade without international authorization).

The propaganda war has also been rapidly escalating. Ukraine has made mediatic territorial gains by re-occupying some of the least-populated parts of the country, without thereby having changed the strategic balance of power. Russia has seized on this to escalate from their side, mobilizing 300,000 of their 22 million strong reserve force, and formally annexing the parts of Eastern and Southern Ukraine they had occupied. After a Ukrainian attack on the Kerch Straight Bridge (which failed to destroy it), Moscow counter escalated by beginning to systematically destroy Ukraine’s power network. Following a drone attack on the Sevastopol naval base (another mediatic exercise that caused little damage of consequence) Russia withdrew from the UN brokered grain deal, i.a. because contrary to that agreement Russia wasn’t permitted to export its grain. It also became evident that the Ukrainian grain in fact exported didn’t go to the poor nations as promised, but ended up in large part in the West. And so, the tit for tat spiral of escalation continues…

The military conflict is, however, mostly incidental to the main trial of strength between the principal protagonists (Moscow and Washington). This is taking place in the economic/financial sphere and will also take a drastic turn for the worse in the coming Northern winter. The UK has already come perilously close to a financial melt down that would have wiped out its pensions sector. The West and Europe in particular with its huge debt burdens, balance of payments deficits, inverted demographic pyramid and services based economies now practically bereft of manufacturing industry, are set to suffer this winter, with the concomitant risk of social and political upheavals. What is most unjust and perturbing though, is to see so many millions of people around the world, with no part nor interest in the conflict, experiencing steadily worsening living conditions through inflation, interest rate hikes, exchange rate tanking and food shortages all realities born from this conflict, that will hammer the poor all around the world. Begging the question: How does this end?

The detailed, in-depth month-end analysis is available on the NONGQAI YouTube channel, which you can watch by clicking on the link below: https://youtu.be/NWnJkGGgpGE

MI6: KRYSTYNA KARBEK, BRAWE, VINDINGRYKE EN UITDAGENDE SPIOEN Philip Malherbe

Krystyna Skarbek, alias Christine Granville

https://www.historic uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/The Female Spies Of SOE/# Krystyna Skarbek, alias Christine Granville, was die eerste en langs dienende vroue spioen om vir Brittanje, as ʼn spesiale agent (“SOE Special Operations Executive”) gedurende die Tweede Wêreld oorlog te dien.Sy het bekendheid verwerf vir haar uitdagende risiko’s en intelligensie missies in veral Nazi-besette Pole en Frankryk. Agente van die “SOE” is hoofsaaklik getaak om sabotasie en subversiewe take agter vyandelike linies uit te voer.

Agtergrond van SOE

Vroulike spioene in Brittanje het bekend gestaan as die “Baker Street Ireggulators”, hulle is opgelei as saboteurs, radio en telegraaf kommunikasie operateurs en ongewapende vegters. Nog ʼn vereiste was dat hulle die taal van die land waarin hul moes werk vlot kon besig, om soomloos by die plaaslike gemeenskap te kon inskakel. Nadat Frankryk ʼn wapenstilstand met Duitsland in 1940

onderteken het, was Brittanje besorg dat Nazisme oor die hele Europa sou versprei. Getrou aan hul ondersteuning met Frankryk se weerstand beweging, het Brittanje se Uitvoerende Spesiale Operasionele (“SO”) magte tot stand gekom. Met die hooftaak om onderdrukte lande se weerstand bewegings behulpsaam te wees deur hulle op te lei, koördineer, aan te moedig, en te inspireer. Die ongewone taktiek wat die Ierse Republieke Weermag twee dekades teen Brittanje aan gewend het, het nou handig te pas gekom.

Uitgebreide opleiding om ondervraging die hoof te bied en gevangeneming te ontduik het baie aandag geverg. Die vrees wat Gestapo ingeboesem het was wel bekend. Daarom het party agente selfmoord pille in hul baadjieknope versteek indien hul gevange geneem sou word en nie daarin kon slaag om te ontsnap nie. Die kanse dat hul weer hul vaderland sou kon bereik, was skraal maar hul het egter die risiko aan gegaan.

Ongewone missies benodig ongewone toerusting. Die “SOE” Operasionele en Navorsing seksie het unieke toestelle ontwikkel om aan te wend in sabotasie en naby geveg situasies. Uitvindings het ingesluit penne wat ontplof en die versteking van wapens in elke dag se voorwerpe soos sambrele en pype. Daar is self opvoubare fietse vir ruwe terreine ontwikkel. Dan was die waterdigte houers prakties om die agente se voorrade te beskerm gedurende valskermspronge.

Vervoerbare toestelle soos radio en telegraaf toestelle was baie belangrik om kommunikasie tussen die weerstand groepe en die buitewêreld te verseker. Dit was partykeer nodig om die toestelle op hulle rûe te vervoer van veilige huis na veilige huis. Hul oorlewing het afgehang van die moontlikheid om boodskappe vinnig te versend en dan blitsvinnig te bly beweeg.

Met ongewone taktiek en toestelle, was die Britse regering bewus daarvan dat dié oorlog, ongewone vegters benodig het. Vroue het bewys dat hulle van onskatbare waarde was as koeriers, spioene, saboteurs en radio operateurs in die veld. Nieteenstaande die feit dat hulle dieselfde opleiding as mans deurloop het, was daar baie teenstand om vroue agter die vyandelike linies te gebruik. Teensinnig moes hulle toegee dat vroue spioene sekere voordele bo mans op grondvlak gehad het. Vroue kon vrylik reis, aangesien daar nie van hulle verwag is om gedurende die dag te werk nie. Geslag stereotipes het ook gehelp om suspisie rakende vroue te verlig. Per slot van sake, wie sou kon dink dat ʼn vrou lewensvatbaar sou wees as ʼn vegter in die oorlog?

Die teendeel is egter bewys, dat vroue van kritieke belang was vir die “SOE” se missie suksesse. Alhoewel hulle later vereer sou word vir hulle “opvallende braafheid,” was hulle suksesvol omdat hulle die vermoë aangeleer het om onopvallend te wees. Hulle het geheime identiteite aangeneem, op geheime missies vertrek het en kon vertrou word met die nasie se grootste geheime. Nege en dertig van die 470 agente in Frankryk was vroue, met ʼn addisionele sestien wat in ander areas ontplooi is.

Agtergrond van Krystyna Skarbek

Krystyna Skarbek, later beter bekend as Christine Granville in Engeland, is in Pole gebore, met ʼn aristokratiese pa en Joodse ma met bankwese agtergrond.

Krystyna het opgegroei in ʼn gegoede huis met ʼn groot landgoed waar sy geleer het om te ski, perd te ry en vuurwapens te hanteer. Sy het ʼn natuurlike aanvoeling vir tale gehad en Engels, Frans en Latyn aangeleer. Sy het ook ʼn rebelse streek gehad en teen haar ouers se wil by ʼn motorfabriek gaan werk om waar te neem hoe die gemiddelde persone leef.

Die jong Krystyna was aantreklik en is later getroud met Jerzy Gizcki, ʼn diplomaat, waarna hulle na Addis Ababa verhuis het met Gizcki as Poland se diplomaat.

Die oorlog het gedreig en Duitsland het Pole binnegeval, waarna die diplomaat en sy vrou na Londen verhuis. Sy het haar dienste as ʼn spioen aangebied dit was egter nie normale prosedure nie

aangesien spioene in Engeland gewerf is. Krystyna kon daarin slaag om ʼn onderhoud met George Taylor (M16) reël en hom oortuig van haar nuttigheid, waarna sy hom meegedeel het dat sy van plan was om na die neutrale Boedapest te reis om propaganda te versprei, daarna sou sy via ʼn geheime roete oor die Tatra-berge na Poland ski om lyne van kommunikasie te open. As ʼn goeie skier, het sy beplan om gebruik te maak van haar vriende om haar by te staan om bystand aan die Poolse weerstand vegters te verleen.

Die goed uitgewerkte plan is met skeptisisme, sowel as intrige ontvang, Taylor was egter beïndruk deur haar patriotisme en avontuurlike gees en het haar dus as eerste vroue spioen gewerf.

Operasionele loopbaan van Krystyna as Spioen Teen Desember 1939 het Skarbek op haar missie na Boedapest vertrek, waar sy saam met agent Andrzej Kowerski, ʼn Poolse oorlogsheld, wat ʼn been in die oorlog verloor het gewerk het hy was in bevel van die Weerstand magte. Die twee het onmiddellik gekliek en het ʼn verhouding begin wat vir jare sou aanhou, wat gelei het tot die egskeiding met Gizycki.

Alhoewel die verhouding sou aanhou met Andrzei, sou hulle nooit trou nie, en haar toewyding tot haar ondergrondse werk is nooit afgeskeep nie.

Sy het wel daarin geslaag om in Pole te werk en haar ma opgespoor. Laasgenoemde se weiering om skool te gee in die geheim, het tot haar arrestasie deur die Nazi’s gelei, waarna daar nooit weer van haar gehoor is nie.

Gedurende 1939 het Krystyna verskeie belangrike ritte in en uit Pole en die Hongaarse grens afgelê om belangrike inligting, geld, wapens, plofstowwe, mikrofilm (versteek in haar ski handskoene) en persone wat ontsnap het saam te bring.

Op ʼn stadium het sy en Weerstand lede per voertuig gereis toe hul voertuig net voor die grens tussen Hongarye en Joegoslawië gebreek het, ʼn Duitse patrollie het op hulle afgekom met die moontlike gevolge van arrestasie en aanhouding, Krystna se opleiding het ingeskop en sy het vals dokumentasie getoon. Haar aantrekkingskrag en sjarme was genoeg om die Duitsers om die bos te lei sodanig dat hulle behulpsaam was om die voertuig oor die grens te stoot. Haar vroulikheid en intelligensie het dwarsdeur die oorlog gesorg dat sy die mans van vyandelike magte kon “ontwapen”.

In Januarie 1941 is beide Kryatyna en Andrzej deur Gestapo in Hongarye gearresteer. Terwyl hulle ʼn onsekere lot tegemoet gegaan het, het sy besluit om haar tong stukkend te byt waarna sy begin bloei het, sy het aangevoer dat sy aan tering ly. Sy is daarna deur ʼn geneesheer ondersoek en X strale is geneem wat donker kolle op haar longe getoon het Kryatna het dit voorsien, aangesien sy skade aan longe opgedoen het weens uitlaatgasse terwyl sy werksaam was by ‘n motorfabriek. Beide is vrygelaat aangesien tering op daardie tydstip ʼn hoogs aansteeklike siekte was.

Na hul vrylating is hulle voorsien van Britse paspoorte en nuwe identiteite: sy het nou bekend gestaan as Christine Granville terwyl Andrzej die naam Andrew Kennedy “ burger geword.

Altwee is uitgesmokkel uit Hongarye na Joegoslawië waarna hulle versteek in ʼn voertuig se kattebak gevlug het na die “SOE” hoofkantoor in Egipte.

Die Britte was aanvanklik agterdogtig totdat ʼn ondersoek hulle van dubbel spioene gevrywaar het. Na haar opleiding in radio kommunikasie, is sy op ʼn missie in 1944 na Frankryk gestuur. Sy het per valskerm die besette Frankryk binne gekom, met haar rol om die weerstand vegters by te staan voor die Amerikaanse kon begin met hul inval.

Sy is as tweede in bevel onder Francis Cammaerts wie al die klandestiene sake behartig het. Gesamentlik het hulle deur Nazi besette streke gereis, en die weerstand vegters se kommunikasielyne oopgehou.

Granville het ʼn reputasie opgebou van kalmte en koel kop optrede, veral wanneer die bedreiging op sy ergste was. Met een van die sendings terwyl sy die kodenaam Pauline Armand gebruik het, is sy op die Italiaanse grens deur Duitse soldate voorgekeer en beveel om haar arms bokant haar kop te lig, waarna twee handgranate sigbaar geword het, sy het die handgranate gegryp en die veiligheidspennetjies verwyder - die soldate het besluit om te laat spaander om aan die lewe te bly. Sy het onmiddellik die bosse in gevlug, en die handgranate beveilig deur die veiligheidspennetjies terug te plaas.

Haar vindingrykheid het bygedra tot haar groot reputasie nadat sy Cammaerts en twee ander agente na hul arrestasie en aanhouding deur Gestapo ontset het. Met senuwees van staal het sy die Duitse polisie genader as ʼn Britse agent en “neef” van generaal Montgomery, en hulle meegedeel dat sy oor magtiging beskik om hul vrylating te eis, indien hulle nie gehoor sou gee nie, sou hulle die gevolge moes dra aangesien die Britse soldate op die punt was om enige oomblik op te daag. Heel moontlik het die omkoopgeld van twee miljoen frank ook ʼn groot rol gespeel.

Haar aktiwiteite het egter aandag getrek en ʼn beloning is uitgereik vir haar inhegtenisneming. Haar grootste prestasie was heel moontlik die informasie en foto’s van Duitse troepe op die Sowjet Unie se grens, wat sy kon bekom het, terwyl die twee magte veronderstel was om ʼn nie aggressie ooreenkoms te handhaaf. Dit het aanleiding gegee dat Brittanje Rusland betyds kon waarsku en dit het Duitsland beïnvloed om hul Operasie Barbarossa inval te vertraag heel moontlik die begin van die einde van die Tweede Wêreld Oorlog. Geen wonder dat Winston Churchill, wie die “SOE” van stapel gestuur het, Krystyna sy gewildste agent genoem het nie.

Haar uitdagende optredes en braafheid was instrumenteel om baie lewens te spaar en die Weerstand bewegings in Europa aan die gang te hou gedurende die mees moeilike tye gedurende die oorlog. As huldeblyk het sy dan ook die volgende verwerf: die George Medalje (vir helde dade en mees brawe optrede gedurende lewensgevaarlike omstandighede), OBE medalje (indiwidue wat groot bydraes gelewer het en ʼn nasionale profiel verwerf het) en Croix de Guerre medalje (alliansie militêre persone wat uitstaande prestasies verwerf het).

Bronne:

https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/The-Female-Spies-Of-SOE/# https://www.google.co.za/search?q=Krystyna+Karbek&hl=en&tbm=-M

https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/Krystyna-Skarbek-ChristineGranville/

https://christinegranville.com/krystyna-skarbek-the-woman-who-changed-the-course-ofhistory/

HUMOR

Brig Theo Kleynhans

MET DIE LOSIESHUIS

Oorlede Kolonel Gert Strauss was ‘n plaatjie sonder weerga. Sy sin vir humor het menige dag by die destydse Handelstak sommer vinnig opgevrolik. ( Lees ook: klein seuntjie op die stasie.)

So het hy eendag in die vroeë jare sewentig in die Transvaler van ouds gelees, van die tannie met die losieshuis naby die nuwe Kampus van RAU, wat ‘n kamer as te huur geadverteer het.

Die advertensie het nie gemeld of sy ‘n man of ‘n vrou as loseerder wou gehad het nie. Ook nie hoeveel persone in die kamer kon woon nie. Slegs die prys van R70 per maand etes ingesluit.

Ook nie lank nie of Oubaas Gert gryp die telefoon en bel die nommer wat verstrek is.

“Hallo auntie” sê hy.

“Ek sien auntie adverteer ‘n kamer vir R70 per maand.

“Ja” sê sy.

“Is die kamer nog beskikbaar auntie?” vra hy.

“Ja” kom die antwoord.

“Hoe groot is die kamer auntie?” vra hy.

“Vyf meter by vyf meter. Lekker groot.” sê sy.

“Wat is auntie se adres?” vra hy.

Die tannie gee die adres en hy skryf dit neer.

“Ek sal die kamer vat, dankie auntie” sê hy.

“Dis goed so ou seun. Wanneer kom jy intrek?” vra sy.

“Sommer nou nou auntie” sê hy en trek toe los, want sien die transaksie was beklink.

“Ai, auntie weet jy hoe bly is ek om weer ‘n kamer vir my en my broer te hê.”

“Auntie weet ons het juis gesukkel om blyplek te kry nadat ons by ons vorige blyplek uitgegooi is. Auntie sien my broer het sy motorbike in die bad ge overhaul. Ek het vir hom gesê hy moet dit nie doen nie, maar hy wou nie hoor nie.

“Auntie my broer sal bly wees om te hoor sy vleuel klavier sal ook in die kamer pas. Auntie sien by moet oefen, want hy speel in Rock and Roll band.”

“Auntie hy sal nog blyer wees as hy hoor hoe groot die kamer is dan kan sy pregnant girl friend ook daar saam met ons bly, tot sy aflaai. As auntie weet wat ek bedoel.” gaan hy sonder ophou voort.

Die tannie probeer baie dapper vertel dat die kamer slegs vir een persoon is, dat sy nie ‘n motorfiets op haar werf sal toelaat nie, nog minder ‘n vleuelklavier in die kamer en die minste van alles ‘n ongetroude swanger meisie.

Ons hoor hoe sy skree: “Die kamer is nie meer te huur nie.”

Met ‘n : “Ons is nou daar auntie, dan trek ons in” sluit hy die gesprek af. Ek sien nog hoe bars hy uit van die lag. Dan lag hy dat dit skoon aansteeklik is.

OM TE KAN BEGIN MET GEAFFILIEERDE BEMARKING, WATTER INFRASTRUKTUUR / TOERUSTING BENODIG MENS?

Dr Willem Steenkamp (gesertifiseerde professionele lewensberader)

In die vorige artikel (#4) in hierdie reeks, het ons u bekend gestel aan opleiding opsies beskikbaar, om internet bemarking te bemeester.

Om te bepaal hoeveel aanvangskapitaal dit by uitset gaan verg om te kan begin met internet bemarking, moet mens egter nie net vir die nodige opleiding begroot nie, maar ook vir die infrastruktuur (hardeware, sagteware en noodsaaklike dienste).

Ons sal nou in hierdie 5e aflewering in die reeks die belangrikste infrastruktuur items aanstip. Dis als gelukkig baie bekostigbaar.

Wat baie belangrik is om hier uit te wys, is dat (net soos met die opleiding) ons oorskou van die infrastruktuur opsies mark ge rig is, ten einde die beginner te help om so koste-effektief as moontlik aan die gang te kom. Gevolglik sal prakties alles wat ons hieronder gaan noem, aanvanklik GRATIS bekom kan word; soos wat mens se onderneming groei en verkoopsvolumes (en dus inkomste gegenereer) toeneem, só skop subskripsies dan stelselmatig dienooreenkomstig in.

Wat u gou sal sien, is dat veel meer bekostigbaar is om ‘n internet gebaseerde eie onderneming te begin, as wat dit sou wees om ‘n eie besigheid in die “tradisionele” ekonomie te begin.

Wat die hardeware betref, is die basiese behoefte om ‘n skoot-rekenaar te hê, plus ‘n slim-foon (as kamera vir YouTube video’s maak) en ‘n goeie mikrofoon (want klank gehalte is van deurslaggewende belang in die maak van goeie video’s selfs meer so as beeld gehalte). Meeste mense het waarskynlik reeds minstens ‘n skoot-rekenaar en ‘n slim-foon, plus ‘n dienlike internet konneksie. Ons sal daarom nie veel verder daarop uitbrei nie. Vervolgens kyk ons dus na die sagteware en dienste wat benodig word.

1. ‘n Eie webblad / blog Webblaaie kan met heelwat verskillende sagteware-pakkette gebou word. Party daarvan is geïntegreer met ‘n gebondelde “hosting” plan, soos bv. GoDaddy se aanbieding. Die mees algemene sagteware waarmee 43% van alle inhoud op die wêreldwye web opgestel is is egter die gratis weergawe van WordPress, aflaaibaar van wordpress.org (daar is ook die wordpress.com weergawe, wat betaald is en met hosting saamgaan, maar wat minder aanwendings omvat). WordPress (in sy .org persona), is ‘n sg. “open-source” samewerking oor die internet heen van vrywilligers wat tot die programmering en uitbou daarvan bydra, en is gratis. Die opleidingspakkette hierbo bespreek, gebruik almal WordPress as basis vir die bou van ‘n eie webblad, en daar is goeie rede daarvoor as mens dus van nul af begin as AM bemarker, is dit aangewese om ook van WordPress gebruik te maak. In sy standaard-vorm, is WordPpress nie te moeilik om te bemeester nie. Dit is egter nie ‘n visuele “drop & drag” tipe uitleg bouer nie. Wat dit beteken, is dat mens (in die standaard formaat) nie op jou skerm, terwyl jy bou, kan sien hou jou webblad gaan lyk nie, alvorens jy dit nie proef publiseer nie. Die rede daarvoor is dat jou komponente wat jy wil gebruik (soos blokke teks en fotos of grafika), met rekenaarmatige instruksies aangesê word waar hulle eventueel op die bladsy moet gaan staan, en word die visuele effek dus eers sigbaar wanneer mens dit proefpubliseer.

1.1 WordPress “themes” en grafika: Daar is puik sagteware wat die standaard WordPress opgradeer ten einde die inhoud-komponente wat mens in die uitleg wil gebruik, vanuit die staanspoor visueel te maak op die skerm (sodat mens dit maklik kan in die regte posisie plaas, rondskuif en aanpas, bv. t.o.v. kleur, grootte en posisie). Dus is alles vanuit die staanspoor sigbaar op die skerm voor jou, sodat jy dit esteties kan verfyn na jou smaak. Mens sien dus deurentyd hoe dit gaan lyk en hoef nie te wag tot proef publikasie nie. Hierdie kort 1 minuut video demonstreer wat hiermee bedoel word: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9XI0Lo-SWE .

Hierdie tipe sagteware wat in WordPress terminologie “themes” genoem word spaar gevolglik baie tyd gedurende die blad bou proses, en stel selfs die leek in staat om ‘n webblad te skep wat uiters professioneel en gesaghebbend vertoon, as ‘n sg. “outoriteit” blad. Dit is dus waarskynlik dat u as AM bemarker, sulke blad bou sagteware sal wil bekom: in ons e Boek gee ons meer detail hieroor, sowel as die skakel na die gewildste van hierdie pakkette, wat ons self ook gebruik.

Benewens die “themes” wat ‘n matriks bied vir die bou van ‘n webblad, is daar nog ‘n noodsaaklikheid. Die sg. inhoud of “content” wat mens wil skep (synde die webblad self, die blog en enige promosie materiaal, in die vorm van hetsy teks of video), benodig bykans altyd grafiese illustrasies en fotos. Daar is twee opsies vir die bekom van sulke illustrasie-materiaal: die een is om grafiese ontwerp-sagteware aan te skaf en self daarmee illustrasies ens. te skep (produkte soos Snappa of Canva). Dis werklik nie baie moeilik nie. Die ander manier is om dié take as stuk werk uit te kontrakteer soos benodig, met die hulp van dienste soos Fiverr.com platforms waarop mens jou taak plaas en vryskut eksperts van oor die wêreld dan bie om dit te kan doen (die werk gaan dan na die laagste bod die revues van elke aanbodmaker se vorige werkverrigting is darem daar, sodat mens kan sien hoe tevrede hulle vorige klante met hulle was). Werk soos om ‘n webblad uit te lê en te illustreer, word vinnig en verbasend goedkoop deur veral vryskut spesialiste vanuit Suid Oos Asië onderneem 1.2 WordPress “plug ins”: Samelopend met die “themes” (wat u WordPress blad se voorkoms help bepaal) sal u ook sekere “plug-ins” wil installeer, wat u webblad se funksionaliteit verhoog. Baie hiervan is gratis, vir alledaagse funksionaliteite soos om bv. jou besoeker toe te laat om jou blad se inhoud uit te druk (of nie te mag druk nie, as dit bv. ‘n e Boek is wat jy verkoop). Ander,

meer omvattende “plug-ins” dien bv. om te help met SEO (die optimalisering van jou webblad vir die soek enjins, sodat hulle jou hoog kan rangeer), integrasie met ‘n e pos outo respondeerder, sleutel woord opsoek, of om jou in staat te stel om jou webblad te gebruik vir aanlyn verkope van jou eie produkte / dienste, en om e-handel te bedryf (bv., gekoppel aan ‘n betaal-stelsel soos Paypal). In ons gratis e Boek sal ons meer detail gee oor ons eie keuses in dié verband. Hierdie tipe sagteware en dienste is bykans altyd aanvanklik gratis vir beginners, en skaal op soos wat mens se onderneming groei. Deesdae bied baie van hulle ook die opsie van eenmalige betaling vir lewenslange gebruik, volledig met alle toekomstige opgraderings ingesluit.

1.3 Webblad “hosting”: ‘n Noodsaaklike uitgawe rondom mens se webblad / blog, veral as mens van die gratis WordPress gebruik gemaak het om dit te bou, is die “hosting” daarvan op die internet. U sal naamlik met ‘n gasheer instansie moet kontrakteer, teen ‘n maandelikse subskripsie, om vir u webblad ‘n staanplek op die wêreldwye web te gee en dit vir die soek publiek toeganklik te maak. Dis die digitale ekwivalent van winkel ruimte huur in ‘n inkoopsentrum. Die koste hiervan gaan afhang van die lyn-spoed wat die gasheer aanbied (hoe vinnig u webblad sal kan aflaai, na u leser se rekenaar / foon / tablet) en die aantal webblaaie wat mens het. Selfs met ’n onbeperkte aantal webblaaie en top spoed, is hierdie nie ‘n groot koste nie, aangesien die mark hiervoor baie, baie kompeterend is.

2. Noodsaaklike sagteware vir die daarstel en effektiewe bedryf van u bemarking-tregter Ons het reeds aangeraak aan die tema van bedryfsoptimalisering, verwysend hierbo na dié tipe dienste wat in die vorm van “plug ins” integreer met u WordPress webblad. Die belangrikste hiervan is u e pos outo respondeer sagteware. Daar’s heelparty goeies op die mark, wat telkens baie goedkoop of selfs gratis begin, vir hanteer van aanvanklike lae volumes. Mens se keuse sal uiteindelik gelei word deur die aard van jou internet besigheid (Convertkit is bv. ‘n outo respondeerder spesifiek gemaak om aan die behoeftes te voldoen van diegene wie se besigheid dit is om eie produkte te verkoop soos bv. opleidingskursusse, e Boeke ens.; terwyl Aweber weer baie dienlik is vir AM bemarkers wat met behulp van betaalde advertensies hulle promosies doen). Sou mens een van die gebondelde opleidingspakkette wat ons vroeër bepreek het gebruik om van nul af te begin, sal u ingeslote e pos outo respondeerder een wees wat met daardie spesifieke opleidingspakket integreer, en daarby ingesluit of aanbeveel sal wees. Die ander noodsaaklike sagteware is gemik op sukses met hoog rangeer in die soek enjins. Dit help mens met SEO, die sg. soek enjin optimalisering, en met dinge soos sleutelwoord identifikasie. Vir diegene wat kies om van nul te begin met ‘n gebondelde opleidingspakket, sal spesifieke sagteware opsies wat hierdie funksies verrig en wat met die u opleier se program integreer, ook ingesluit of aanbeveel wees. Sou mens jou eie opset wou konfigureer, dan sal mens kyk na watter spesifieke sagteware bv. die beste integreer met die WordPress “theme” wat mens gekies het die Rank Math SEO sagteware werk bv. baie goed wanneer mens DIVI themes gebruik. Andersins sal mens natuurlik ook prys in gedagte hou – Ubersuggest as sleutelwoord opsoeker, het bv. ‘n baie aantreklike eenmalige prys met lewenslange gebruiksreg en toekomstige opgraderings ingesluit. In ons gratis e Boek gee ons meer inligting hieromtrent, met die nodige skakels.

3. Infrastruktuur vir die maak van video’s Soos reeds aangedui, is dit heeltemal moontlik om af te skop en baie goeie video’s te maak, net met jou slim foon (as kamera), en gratis redaksie sagteware op mens se skoot rekenaar. Omrede klank kwaliteit so belangrik is, is dit egter aan te beveel om ‘n goeie mikrofoon te bekom om eksterne geluide te beperk, kan dit van die lapel aanknip (“lavalier” tipe) wees, of die rigting sensitiewe soort (“shotgun microphone”) of net ‘n goeie staan mikrofoon met die regte sagteware vir geraas-demping. Hierdie toerusting kan heel duur wees, maar daar is ook heeltemal dienlike modelle wat baie goedkoop te kry is. Dis ook nie moeilik of duur om vir mens se mikrofoon, self ‘n kassie te bou om bv eggo uit te skakel nie. Daar’s heelparty video’s op YouTube oor hoe mens die ruimte waarbinne mens wil verfilm, kan klank demp. Die ander koste vir die maak van goeie video opnames, is aan beligting. Dit kan weer eens self gedoen word. Tipies is net drie lig kaste nodig, wat uit karton gemaak kan word met aluminium foelie vir refleksie. Die staanders kan van pvc pyp aanmekaar gesit word.

Twee ligte word dan opgestel om van voor op die onderwerp te skyn, gewoonlik so van 45 grade af aan weerskante en ‘n klein bietjie hoër as die gesig. Die sleutel lig (“key light”) is die sterkste of naaste, en die invul lig (“fill in”) bietjie swakker of verder, sodat dit wel die skadu’s invul, maar nog definisie toelaat. Die derde, swakker lig, die kop-lig (“hair light”) word agter die onderwerp opgestel en verlig die agterkop, om die nodige definisie/onderskeid met die agtergrond te bewerkstellig. Mens kan dan ook nog bykomende ligte gebruik om die agtergrond self te verlig. Daar is goeie sketsplanne en handleidings op YouTube beskikbaar, vir hoe om self sulke ligte vir ‘n appel en ‘n ei aanmekaar te slaan. Hier is hoe my tuisgemaakte beligting opset lyk, in my studeerkamer/ateljee => Verdere sagteware wat mens met vrug later kan bytrek, is post produksie redaksie van mens se video’s (wat ge woonlik ook klank redaksie sagteware sal insluit). Dis nie vrek duur nie, en sorg vir ‘n professionele voorkoms en goeie kwaliteit van klank en beeld, terwyl dit die redaksie proses bespoedig (as mens eers bietjie in-geoefen is daarmee!). Soos voorheen genoem: as mens nie self op beeld wil wees nie, dan kan dit maklik gedoen word met tekenprent sagteware soos Doodly. As mens nie self wil praat nie en eerder ‘n professionele stem (in vreemde tale ook) wil gebruik, is AI stem sagteware soos Speechelo beskikbaar (lg. kos bv. eenmalig, met lewenslange gebruiksreg vir ‘n onbeperkte aantal video’s, minder as US$30).

4. Hoe om jou eie opleidingsplan en infrastruktuur saam te stel 4.1 Leer ken en verstaan ten eerste wat geaffilieerde bemarking is GRATIS! Ek glo dat die eerste doelwit vir nuwelinge, logies behoort te wees om heel eerste ‘n goeie begrip te vorm van wat internet bemarking is, sodat u dan ingelig kan besluit of dié nuwe nering wel vir u is. Die goeie nuus is dat hierdie basiese oriëntasie gratis vermag kan word, of teen lae koste. Die hoof-rede hoekom daar soveel inligting oor bykans enige onderwerp op aarde gratis beskikbaar is op die internet, is omdat jou internet prominensie (maw, hoe hoog of laag ‘n persoon of instansie se webblad op die internet soek enjins soos Google rangeer), afhang van gesaghebbendheid (“authority”) en ook hoeveel besoekers jou webblad of video-kanaal trek. Dit het aanleiding gegee tot wat genoem word “content marketing”, wat bedoel dat bemarkers doelbewus baie waardevolle inhoud skep en gratis op hulle blog of video kanaal laai, om só hulle ekspertise te demonstreer, gesaghebbendheid te bekom en veral om besoekers na hulle webblaaie aan te lok. ‘n Voorbeeld hiervan is ons eie blog vir ons aanlyn taal skool: https://delehelp.org waarin ons inligting gratis verskaf oor hoe die moderne taal-eksamens werk, hoe punte toegeken word, hoe om ten beste daarvoor voor te berei, en so meer. Daar is dus ook ‘n magdom waardevolle inligting spesifiek oor geaffilieerde bemarking op die internet beskikbaar, wat deur van die wêreld se top deskundiges gratis gelaai is as deel van hulle eie “content marketing”.

‘n Deskundige soos Neil Patel, een van die top-kenners oor internet bemarking, se blog (en YouTube kanaal) is dus in eie reg ‘n mini akademie wat gratis inligting van hoogstaande gehalte deel. Instansies soos Udemy, die “aanlyn unversiteit” het bv. heeltemal gratis kursusse oor geaffilieerde bemarking, soos dié van Tyler Stokes, wat lg. uiteraard geplaas het om sy studente talle en bekendheid as aanlyn dosent te verhoog. Hier is ‘n paar skakels na sulke gratis materiaal, wat vir u ‘n goeie aanvanklike idee sal gee van wat internet bemarking en spesifiek dan “affiliate marketing” nou eintlik is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0 Bof0SU7ZI (Santrel Media, 42 min video)

https://neilpatel.com/what-is-affiliate-marketing/ (Neil Patel blog)

https://www.udemy.com/course/free affiliate marketing course for beginners/ (Tyler Stokes)

4.2 Maak gebruik van gratis aanvanklike inskryf-opsies en “down-sell” aanbiedinge: Soos vroeër genoem, kan mens gratis inskryf vir die opleidingspakkette wat ons hierbo uitgelig gehad het as synde bes moontlik ideaal vir beginners wat van nul af begin. Dis ‘n goeie idee om elk van hulle om die beurt te beproef, en dan te besluit watter een pas die beste by u sak, visie en behoeftes siende dat hulle nogal wyd uiteenlopende inslag en koste profiele het.

Wat ek ook sou aanraai (as u kan, en ook geneë voel om ongeveer R600 te spandeer) is om LY se spotgoedkoop nuwe mini-kursus van sewe modules met hulle 180-bladsy e-Boek aan te koop selfs al is dit nie u gedagte om voort te gaan met hulle luukse program wat fokus op betaalde advertensies nie. Die mini kursus dek alles omtrent internet bemarking (AM + eie produkte bemark + e commerce) en gee ‘n werklik uitstekende oorskou, op ‘n behoorlik geïntegreerde, goed gestruktureerde en mens georiënteerde manier. Ons eie komende gratis e-Boek sal u die skakels gee na hierdie aanbevole opleidingspakkette.

4.3 Indien u reeds self die basiese kennis en infrastruktuur het, stel dan u eie opset saam: Daar is heelparty voordele verbonde aan mens se eie internet bemarking opset saamstel. Eerstens raak mens nie vasgevang in ‘n bepaalde gebondelde pakket nie, en kan mens dus vorentoe aanpassings maak, soos en wanneer nodig. Tweedens kan mens waarskynlik meer doelmatig die beste produkte vir jou spesifieke behoeftes byeen trek. Derdens is daar waarskynlik koste besparings ook, as mens self die mees koste effektiewe opsies kies. In ons komende gratis e Boek (wat teen die jaar einde beskikbaar sal wees) sal ek detail gee, met die nodige internet-skakels, van hoe ek my eie opset saamgestel het. Ek sal dit só gee, in daardie formaat met kliekbare skakels na die verskillende opsies, om dit prakties aanwendbare te maak as ‘n tipe handleiding vir aan die gang kom met u eie internet tuis onderneming (dit sal uiteraard nie sin hê om sulke inligting met u te deel, sonder om die handelsmerke te identifiseer en vir u die werklike name en skakels te gee nie iets wat ek nie graag in NONGQAI self wil doen nie, omdat ek die tydskrif as sodanig nie as ‘n kommersiële verkoop-voertuig wil misbruik nie).

Ons e Boek sal heeltemal gratis en sonder enige verpligting aflaaibaar wees. Ons probeer niks daarin aan u verkoop nie, en sal ook nie daarna vir u onder e posse toegooi nie.

Laastens: Ons as redaksie vertrou dat, in die kommervolle tye waarin ons lewe, hierdie tipe artikel wel vir u, ons getroue lesers, waarde het. Ons hoor nietemin graag van u oor hoe u oor die insluit van sulke tipe artikels voel, of u nou vir of teen dit is. Dankie by voorbaat vir u terugvoer!

How much can you make from affiliate marketing?

Now we’ll go into some hard facts how much, on average, does an affiliate earn during a year? PayScale estimates that the average income for an affiliate marketer is around $51,700 per year. Low tier marketers earn about $38k on average, while the top affiliates make roughly $71k a year. Glassdoor’s research into affiliate marketing income gives even higher numbers. The average base pay is $65,356 a year, with the lower end of the range being $42k and the upper $83k per year. And here we are only talking about average affiliate income. The earnings of top affiliates like Pat Flynn, Finch Sells, or Missy Wards are much higher than that: https://outgrow.co/blog/affiliate marketers (Krediet: Jeff Kirk, PostAffiliatePro, 8 Sep 2022)

Volgens Forbes Mangazine, was hierdie die 10 top-verdieners op YouTube in 2021:

LETTERS | BRIEWE

Jennifer Bosch

Baie dankie Hennie Heymans.

Koos de Wet

Lekker leesstof soos gewoonlik Hennie. Hou so aan.

Phill Struwig

Thank you for sharing this!

Francis Schoeman

Hennie, baie dankie vir nog 'n skitterende uitgawe van die Nongqai. Nieteenstaande beurtkrag het jy daarin geslaag om 'n omvattende en uitmuntende produk op die tafel te plaas. Ek het dit vreeslik geniet. WS.

Ida Steyn

Dankie Oom Hennie .. nog besig maar u harde werk hou my besig ...

CATO MANOR

Hélène Lewis. Goeie môre Hennie, Ek het met absolute fassinering jou stuk oor die tragedie van Cato Manor gelees. Ook omdat die herinnering aan die gebeure van Cato Manor ‘n verstaanbare onderliggende emosionele faktor (vrees vir herhaling) by die polisielede van Sharpeville moes wees.

Ek is ‘n Sielkundige en Psigo historikus wat belangstel oor hoe ons as mense nie leer uit die geskiedenis nie. Dit het my uiteindelik gedryf om ‘n boek te skryf - Apartheid - Britain’s Bastard Child. Die doel van die studie was nie net om die Engelse, naas Afrikaners, mede verantwoordelik te hou vir Apartheid nie, maar eerder te wys hoe onreg nuwe onreg skep en hoe universeel dit is. How yesterday’s humiliated, becomes tomorrow’s humiliator.

Baie dankie dat jy dit opgeskryf het. Dis goed om gebeure vanuit die individu (die menslike) te verstaan. Hoop dit word wyd gelees.

Groete en seënwense Hélène Lewis.