South Africa again made the headlines these past few days. Once again, a spate of brutal murders plagued the country. Areas that were previously considered to be "safer-spots" in South Africa suffered the most horrendous acts of vile barbarism.
Once again, people had to identify the mutilated bodies of friends and family. Again, people had to stand beside an open grave. Again, they had to return home to the photo's, smells and memories of a murdered loved one... crying themselves to sleep and waking up to the recurring nightmare that is called "the New South Africa".
White South Africans are especially despondent about the situation. Unfortunately, there is little or no evidence to support any hope that the violence might subside.
The ANC, that controls the country with an almighty two-thirds majority vote, is either too incompetent to deal with the problem or they are intentionally ignoring it, thus allowing it to continue.
One third of the South African voters-roll did not vote for the ANC and another portion did not bother to cast their vote (mostly because they believed that it would prove to be futile). The Afrikaners, a minority group who falls mostly under the latter category, are claiming a nation state where they can enjoy the freedom of an autonomous government and their own judicial system.
Why is it that the ANC ignores these people's claims, despite the fact that they are legitimate under both UN regulations and the South African constitution? Why is the ANC forcing these people to live under their rule, under such horrific conditions?
By doing this, they are undeniably oppressing the Afrikaners. Furthermore, they are effectively executing a gradual and systematic genocide by forcing Afrikaners to immigrate or to accept the ANC's rule and stay in South Africa, in which case they stand a good chance of being murdered.
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Friday, April 21, 2006
'Does any grievance now justify any violence?'
Cape Town, South Africa
21 April 2006 01:30
Democratic Alliance leader Tony Leon has castigated the government for refusing to acknowledge the reality of crime and not doing enough to address the issue.
President Thabo Mbeki and senior leaders of the African National Congress do not understand because they are almost completely insulated from crime, he said in his weekly newsletter on the DA website on Friday.
Leon cited a litany of recent murders, including that of actor Brett Goldin and his friend Richard Bloom in Cape Town last weekend. "This terrible crime has sent a shudder throughout South Africa and around the world.
"The awful reality is that Brett and Richard are not alone among the recent victims of South Africa's crime wave," he said.
Other incidents include several people murdered in recent days in a gang war in Cape Town, last month's murder of the four-year-old granddaughter of Transvaal Judge President Bernard Ngoepe, the murder of renowned South African Broadcasting Corporation producer Ken Kirsten, and three workers at a laundry in Vereeniging who were murdered in January and their bodies stuffed into a washing machine.
"Last week in KwaZulu-Natal, an elderly couple was attacked on their farm by a group of armed thugs who burnt the 82-year-old farmer's feet so badly with scalding water that his soles came off.
"What kind of society has ours become? Does any grievance now justify any violence?
"And where is the outrage and the concern of the government at this moment of crisis for our communities and our people?" Leon asked.
He accused Mbeki of attacking those who speak openly about crime.
Instead of railing against racists -- real and imagined -- Mbeki and the rest of Cabinet should spend less time roaming the world and a little more time tending the fences at home, which have been breached by the army of violent criminals performing acts of gratuitous violence almost at will.
"There is no doubt that global issues such as peace in Israel/Palestine and the reform of the United Nations are important.
"But ask the average South African whether he would prefer the president to concentrate his time on those issues, or to secure his neighbourhood or township from the scourge of criminality, and for his wife and daughter to be free from the fear of rape -- and the answer is, as they say, a no-brainer.
"But the president and the senior leaders of the ANC do not understand, because they are almost completely insulated from crime. They surround themselves with bodyguards and VIP protection officers.
"President Mbeki himself has more protection officers, and travels with more security vehicles, than any president in our country's history.
"The big men and women of government live in a safe and luxurious bubble and have no idea what ordinary South Africans go through every day," Leon said.
Minister in the Presidency Essop Pahad even dismissed crime as nothing more than "an ever-handy swart gevaar tactic".
"Perhaps he should visit victims of crime -- white and black -- and repeat that comment to them."
The reality is that crime haunts black communities just as much as, if not more than, other communities.
The ANC boasts of statistics that indicate a steady decline in murder and some other categories of crimes.
"But government refuses to acknowledge the reality beyond the numbers, the fear that stalks our streets and homes, the danger that those of us who must live without VIP protection must face."
Leon said even reinstating the death penalty for particularly heinous crimes would not be enough. "It is almost useless to talk about sentencing when less than 10% of violent crimes result in a conviction.
"More than the death penalty, what South Africa desperately needs is bold leadership in the fight against crime.
"But the president and the ANC have responded with evasion and indifference. How many more must die before they take notice, and act?" he said. -- Sapa
21 April 2006 01:30
Democratic Alliance leader Tony Leon has castigated the government for refusing to acknowledge the reality of crime and not doing enough to address the issue.
President Thabo Mbeki and senior leaders of the African National Congress do not understand because they are almost completely insulated from crime, he said in his weekly newsletter on the DA website on Friday.
Leon cited a litany of recent murders, including that of actor Brett Goldin and his friend Richard Bloom in Cape Town last weekend. "This terrible crime has sent a shudder throughout South Africa and around the world.
"The awful reality is that Brett and Richard are not alone among the recent victims of South Africa's crime wave," he said.
Other incidents include several people murdered in recent days in a gang war in Cape Town, last month's murder of the four-year-old granddaughter of Transvaal Judge President Bernard Ngoepe, the murder of renowned South African Broadcasting Corporation producer Ken Kirsten, and three workers at a laundry in Vereeniging who were murdered in January and their bodies stuffed into a washing machine.
"Last week in KwaZulu-Natal, an elderly couple was attacked on their farm by a group of armed thugs who burnt the 82-year-old farmer's feet so badly with scalding water that his soles came off.
"What kind of society has ours become? Does any grievance now justify any violence?
"And where is the outrage and the concern of the government at this moment of crisis for our communities and our people?" Leon asked.
He accused Mbeki of attacking those who speak openly about crime.
Instead of railing against racists -- real and imagined -- Mbeki and the rest of Cabinet should spend less time roaming the world and a little more time tending the fences at home, which have been breached by the army of violent criminals performing acts of gratuitous violence almost at will.
"There is no doubt that global issues such as peace in Israel/Palestine and the reform of the United Nations are important.
"But ask the average South African whether he would prefer the president to concentrate his time on those issues, or to secure his neighbourhood or township from the scourge of criminality, and for his wife and daughter to be free from the fear of rape -- and the answer is, as they say, a no-brainer.
"But the president and the senior leaders of the ANC do not understand, because they are almost completely insulated from crime. They surround themselves with bodyguards and VIP protection officers.
"President Mbeki himself has more protection officers, and travels with more security vehicles, than any president in our country's history.
"The big men and women of government live in a safe and luxurious bubble and have no idea what ordinary South Africans go through every day," Leon said.
Minister in the Presidency Essop Pahad even dismissed crime as nothing more than "an ever-handy swart gevaar tactic".
"Perhaps he should visit victims of crime -- white and black -- and repeat that comment to them."
The reality is that crime haunts black communities just as much as, if not more than, other communities.
The ANC boasts of statistics that indicate a steady decline in murder and some other categories of crimes.
"But government refuses to acknowledge the reality beyond the numbers, the fear that stalks our streets and homes, the danger that those of us who must live without VIP protection must face."
Leon said even reinstating the death penalty for particularly heinous crimes would not be enough. "It is almost useless to talk about sentencing when less than 10% of violent crimes result in a conviction.
"More than the death penalty, what South Africa desperately needs is bold leadership in the fight against crime.
"But the president and the ANC have responded with evasion and indifference. How many more must die before they take notice, and act?" he said. -- Sapa
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
New discussion forum
We have once again created a discussion forum. Air your views here! Feel free to e-mail us with your comments or criticism.
Saturday, April 08, 2006
Zimbabweans have 'shortest lives'
Life in Zimbabwe is shorter than anywhere else in the world, with neither men nor women expected to live until 40, a new UN report says.
Zimbabwe's women have an average life expectancy of 34 years and men on average do not live past 37, it said.
The World Health Organisation report said women's life expectancy had fallen by two years in the last 12 months.
Correspondents say poverty because of the crumbling economy and deaths from Aids are responsible for the decline.
Zimbabwean women have the lowest life expectancy of women anywhere in the world, according to the report.
Women in the country are also more likely than men to be infected by the HIV virus.
'Economic meltdown'
According to the report, all 10 countries with the world's lowest life expectancy were in Africa.
People in Swaziland and Sierra Leone are also expected to die before they reach the age of 40, the report said.
Japan was said to have the highest life expectancy in the world, with people there living on average until 82.
According to the BBC's Africa editor, David Bamford, the latest figures are extraordinary for a country like Zimbabwe, which until 20 years ago, had a relatively high standard of living for Africa.
The HIV/Aids epidemic sweeping across southern Africa cannot alone be blamed for this - especially as recent figures show a slight drop in HIV infection rates in Zimbabwe.
Our correspondent says the key reason behind the drop in Zimbabwe's average life expectancy is the fall in the standard of living, triggered by an economic crisis.
Zimbabwe's economy has shrunk by an estimated 40% in the last seven years under President Robert Mugabe. Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/4890508.stm Published: 2006/04/08 10:35:56 GMT © BBC MMVI
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Africa's Killing Fields
The British magazine, "The Sunday Times", shocked the British public this Sunday when it published an excellent article entitled "Farms of Fear". The magazine's frontpage featured a full-sized photo of an Afrikaner family of farmers, along with their personal security guard. The photo is accompanied by a big, bold heading which reads: "AFRICA'S KILLING FIELDS".
The article will significantly contribute towards raising awareness among the British population of the Farm-murder dilemma. The author, Brian Moynahan, definately did an outstanding job. We look forward to any follow-up articles that his pen might produce, since there is a lot more that needs to be told.
Read the article here
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2099-2100080,00.html
The article will significantly contribute towards raising awareness among the British population of the Farm-murder dilemma. The author, Brian Moynahan, definately did an outstanding job. We look forward to any follow-up articles that his pen might produce, since there is a lot more that needs to be told.
Read the article here
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2099-2100080,00.html
Monday, April 03, 2006
SA bars Aids group from UN talks
South African HIV campaign group Treatment Action Campaign says the health minister has excluded it from a United Nations discussion on HIV/Aids.
The UN's envoy on Aids in Africa has expressed support for the TAC.
South Africa is thought to have between 5m and 6m of people living with HIV - the highest in the world - representing over 12% of the population.
The TAC has often clashed with Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang over her approach to Aids.
Health ministry spokesmen were not immediately available for comment.
"TAC and the Aids Law Project [at the University of the Witwatersrand] have learnt that we have been excluded from accreditation by the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Aids (UNGASS)," a TAC statement said.
TAC enjoys credibility with everyone - apart from the South African government
Stephen Lewis, UN special envoy
"We suspect that this occurred because the South African government objected to our participation."
The statement said TAC and ALP had been on a list of organisations submitted by UNAids - the UN agency dealing with HIV/Aids - for participation in the general assembly session.
National governments have a right of veto over this list.
"We suspect that TAC and the ALP were excluded by the South African government," the TAC said.
TAC spokesman Mark Heywood later told the South African Press Association the minister herself was responsible for the ban, since other senior officials he had spoken to had no knowledge of the decision.
'Outrageous'
UN special envoy on HIV/Aids in Africa Stephen Lewis said it was "absolutely outrageous" that the TAC had been excluded from the global gathering.
"The TAC is the single most credible non-governmental Aids organisation in the world," he said.
"It carries enormous credibility with NGOs and governments and enjoys credibility with everyone - apart from the South African government."
The TAC has led the campaign for South African government clinics to provide free anti-retroviral drugs, which help people with HIV to live healthy lives.
Under such pressure, the government began supplying ARV drugs at some clinics in 2004, but deep differences remain between the TAC and the government, principally over the health ministry's support for vitamin supplements as a means of treating HIV.
Mrs Tshabalala-Msimang has suggested that those with HIV should eat more beetroot and garlic.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/4872296.stm
Published: 2006/04/03 11:35:49 GMT
© BBC MMVI
The UN's envoy on Aids in Africa has expressed support for the TAC.
South Africa is thought to have between 5m and 6m of people living with HIV - the highest in the world - representing over 12% of the population.
The TAC has often clashed with Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang over her approach to Aids.
Health ministry spokesmen were not immediately available for comment.
"TAC and the Aids Law Project [at the University of the Witwatersrand] have learnt that we have been excluded from accreditation by the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Aids (UNGASS)," a TAC statement said.
TAC enjoys credibility with everyone - apart from the South African government
Stephen Lewis, UN special envoy
"We suspect that this occurred because the South African government objected to our participation."
The statement said TAC and ALP had been on a list of organisations submitted by UNAids - the UN agency dealing with HIV/Aids - for participation in the general assembly session.
National governments have a right of veto over this list.
"We suspect that TAC and the ALP were excluded by the South African government," the TAC said.
TAC spokesman Mark Heywood later told the South African Press Association the minister herself was responsible for the ban, since other senior officials he had spoken to had no knowledge of the decision.
'Outrageous'
UN special envoy on HIV/Aids in Africa Stephen Lewis said it was "absolutely outrageous" that the TAC had been excluded from the global gathering.
"The TAC is the single most credible non-governmental Aids organisation in the world," he said.
"It carries enormous credibility with NGOs and governments and enjoys credibility with everyone - apart from the South African government."
The TAC has led the campaign for South African government clinics to provide free anti-retroviral drugs, which help people with HIV to live healthy lives.
Under such pressure, the government began supplying ARV drugs at some clinics in 2004, but deep differences remain between the TAC and the government, principally over the health ministry's support for vitamin supplements as a means of treating HIV.
Mrs Tshabalala-Msimang has suggested that those with HIV should eat more beetroot and garlic.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/4872296.stm
Published: 2006/04/03 11:35:49 GMT
© BBC MMVI
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