July 2011 Edition.

SPRINGBOK CYBER NEWSLETTER

July 2011 edition

The recent successes of Ulster golfers in the World's major tournaments (Graeme McDowell in the 2010 US Open, Rory McIlroy in the 2011 US Open, and now Darren Clarke in the 2011 Open) has brought fantastic joy to all British and Commonwealth patriots. Northern Ireland has of course endured - and overcome - a vicious terrorist onslaught from Irish republican murderers over the past few decades, yet in spite of this has still managed to produce a greater proportion of world-class sportsmen per head of population than probably anywhere else on earth.

During the 1970s and 1980s, however, Ulster wasn't the only area of the world facing a sustained terrorist onslaught. South Africa was also confronted with an ongoing campaign of terrorism, and in this regard it seems quite ironic that South Africans have also featured prominently among recent winners of Golf majors (Louis Oosthuizen in the 2010 Open and Charl Schwartzel in the 2011 Masters). Unlike Northern Ireland, however, South Africa succumbed to the terrorist onslaught, so that today that sorry land is smitten by rampant crime and anarchy. It has been accurately observed that the rapid decline in South African sporting prowess in all sports apart from Golf has been due to the fact that even to attend an evening's training session means placing one's life in jeopardy by travelling through lawless streets at night - so how therefore is South Africa still seemingly able to produce so many world-class golfers? The answer is straight-forward; most allegedly South African golfers obtained golf scholarships at various US colleges, and as a result now have their main residences overseas as they complete in the US and/or European tours. Ernie Els (who has bravely spoken out about the breakdown in law and order in his South African homeland) now lives in Wentworth, Rory Sabbatini is now a resident of Fort Worth, Texas, and Louis Oosthuizen himself has moved to Manchester. It is also rumoured that Charl Schwartzel is about to take up residence in Guildford.

In view of this fact it is truly disappointing that these top golfers play as if they are still South African residents, as this only gives aid and comfort to the ANC terrorists who now sadly rule their beleaguered country. Furthermore it gives an opportunity to certain pea-brains who know nothing about the true situation prevailing in South Africa today to make some most ridiculous and offensive statements. On page 17 of the Official Programme for the 2011 Open, for instance, it was stated in relation to Louis Oosthuizen's triumph in the 2010 Tournament "and all on Nelson Mandela's 92nd birthday too. Quite a week, right enough". Now for those too ignorant to know, Nelson Mandela was an ANC terrorist leader who was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1961 after being found guilty of organising and initiating acts of Sabotage (a euphemistic term for terrorism), [see www.netcomuk.co.uk/~springbk/enemy.html]. After being handed power in 1994, furthermore, the ANC administration which he led presided over a campaign of de facto genocide against White farmers and urban-dwellers, in which to date over 3800 people (of all races) have been killed on farms alone (figures for urban areas are undoubtedly far greater, but alas haven't been quantified), [see http://censorbugbear-reports.blogspot.com/]. Mandela has therefore been directly implicated in the brutal murders of many of Louis Oosthuizen's Afrikaner kith and kin. To state that the fact that Louis Oosthuizen's triumph came at the same time as Mandela's birthday was somehow "Quite a week" is therefore not only offensive and insulting, but it also displays an incredible degree of pig-ignorance.

But back to Darren Clarke's marvellous triumph in this year's Open. Few doubt that he is one of the most noble and likeable players on the current world golfing circuit, and all decent people must share in the pleasure of his long overdue victory in one of the Majors. It was also of course most inspiring to see so many Northern Ireland flags being proudly waved at Sandwich - images which were pleasingly picked-up and transmitted by BBC cameras. Let us just hope that next year no pea-brain states that it his triumph occurred at the same time as some anniversary relating to the terrorist Gerry Adams!

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SPRINGBOK CLUB'S LONDON BRANCH EVENT

The London Branch of the Springbok Club staged a visit to the Imperial War Museum last month. This proved to be a most enjoyable and informative event - though alas the Imperial War Museum turned out to be far too massive to cover during a single afternoon's visit, so a return trip has therefore been tentatively planned for sometime during the future. After the visit itself several members of the party adjourned to a hostelry just across the Thames for a convivial and friendly finale to a most pleasant and memorable day.

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SPRINGBOK CLUB'S JULY MEETING

Details of the Springbok Club' July meeting, which will be held to coincide with Rhodes & Founders Day, are as follows :-

Date :  Wednesday 27th July 2011

Time :  assemble from 18.00 hrs onwards, meeting to start at 19.00 hrs.

Venue: HENNESSY'S (the upstairs function room) 36 Jewry Street, London EC3N 2ET  (nearest tube station: Aldgate [on the Circle Line]. Cross over Aldgate High Street in front of Aldgate Station main exit, turn right and then take the second major turning on the left into Jewry Street. Hennessy's is then on the left).

Guest Speaker :   Lt. Col. KEITH KIDDIE

Keith Kiddie was educated at St. Catharine's College, Cambridge and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, he has recently retired from a full time military career, having completed 35 years Regular Commissioned service.

He began his military service at Sandhurst in 1975 and immediately joined the 3rd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers as a 2nd Lieutenant on the first of many tours of Northern Ireland. The next 8 years saw him returning no less than 5 times to various areas of Northern Ireland with his Battalion, including a Residential Tour of 2 years, which included the period of the Hunger Strike. In 1983 he was awarded a Mention in Despatches for his contribution to the battalion's work in Belfast.

He attended the Army Staff College before moving in 1986 to command A Company of the 2nd Battalion with the UN in Cyprus. Initially this involved close interaction with the Turkish Army on the "Green Line" and the situation was further heightened when President Reagan bombed Libya: a very long, hot summer. This was contrasted when the Battalion later re-rolled as the UK arctic warfare battalion, where he and A company spent the next two winters in North Norway, on the very Northern Flank of NATO.

After a period working in UK Land Forces Headquarters, in 1989 he returned to the 3rd Battalion as the Second in Command. The Battalion was newly equipped with the Warrior Infantry fighting vehicle, and in this role it deployed to take part in the First Gulf War and the liberation of Kuwait. The battalion was unfortunately involved in the "A10 Blue on Blue Fratricide Incident". For his role in the campaign he was awarded a Joint Theatre Commander's Commendation.

On promotion to Lt Colonel in 1994, he was appointed commander of the 5th (Warwickshire) Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, a Territorial battalion based in the West Midlands.  In 1996 he was posted to become the Chief of Staff of the Joint Arms Control Implementation Group, charged with overseeing international compliance with all major Arms Control treaties on behalf of the UK Government. Four years in this role saw him representing the UK in almost every NATO and Eastern Bloc state. In 2001, he was deployed to East Timor in the Far East as the senior UK military officer within the UN mission.

In 2002, he was appointed the Commander of the Army Training Estates (East). The main training area which he managed was the Stamford Battle Area near Thetford, Norfolk. In this capacity he was responsible for nearly 3% of Norfolk and developed a close affinity with the local area and its unique landscape. He also had to deal with various local agencies and numerous statutory bodies.

His final posting in 2005, he was the Senior UK Liaison officer with the Canadian Army based in Kingston, Ontario. He worked within the Canadian Department of Army Doctrine and was deployed with the Canadians to Afghanistan. In this post he worked very closely with the other English speaking armies, namely the USA, Australia and New Zealand. He was fortunate that this post required him to take extensive travels in North America, and beyond. Finally he returned to the UK in late 2009 to go through the resettlement process.

He is now living permanently in Diss, Norfolk, with his wife, Sue, and family. Having spent most of his working life either moving around the country or living abroad as a result of his military service, it was wonderful to finally settle in such a pleasant area. Now fully retired from military service, he has developed his interest in local issues and was privileged to be recently elected as a Diss Town and South Norfolk District Councillor. His three children attended local schools in Diss and he still has a keen interest in local educational matters. Last year he became a Governor of Diss High School and currently sits on the school's finance committee.

He enjoys gardening, albeit with rather mixed results, and carpentry. He is a qualified Battlefield Tour Guide, and has a great interest in Military History. Finally he spends much of his time walking his dog, Rodney.

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FUTURE SPRINGBOK CLUB EVENTS

The Springbok Club anticipates welcoming a special guest speaker in September. Full details will of course be given in future editions of the SCN.

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SPRINGBOK CLUB BRANCH NEWS

The Northern Ireland Branch of the Springbok Club will be holding an informal get-together in Belfast during late August.

The Kent Branch of the Springbok Club is planning to hold a braai in mid-Kent during October, whereat it is hoped that there will be special musical and other entertainment.

It is also hoped that a get-together to re-establish the Hampshire Branch of the Springbok Club will be staged shortly.

Full details about all these events will be appearing in future editions of the SCN.

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SWINTON CIRCLE NEWS

The Swinton Circle held a most interesting and informative meeting last month which was addressed by Mr. Peter Whittle, the founder and director of the New Culture Forum, who outlined something about the origins and aims and objectives of the organisation. The original speaker was anticipated to be Mr. Valentine Rossetti of the NCF, but alas he was unable to attend because of a family bereavement, so the Swinton Circle was therefore especially grateful to Mr. Whittle for stepping in at such short notice. It is hoped that Mr. Rossetti will still address the Swinton Circle sometime in the near future however, and that as a result strong links will be established between the two organisations.

In July the Swinton Circle will be joining forces with the Springbok Club to stage the meeting to be addressed by Lt.Col. Keith Kiddie as detailed above, and in August will be holding its annual summer buffet at which a leading patriotic activist will be outlining his plans to create a stronger alliance of patriotic conservative organisations.

Donations to the Swinton Circle can now be made via PayPal by accessing the organisation's main web-site at: www.swintoncircle.co.uk. The Swinton Circle also now has a presence on Twitter, on which news about the organisation and policy statements are periodically posted. This can be found on Twitter@SwintonCircle.

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MESSAGE FROM THE INTERNATIONAL FUND FOR ANIMAL WELFARE

We've recently received the following message from Robbie Marsland of the IFAW, and hope that some of our supporters may be able to help :-

"I’m very sad to tell you the ivory trade continues to flourish. Globally there are about three seizures of illegal ivory every day and thousands of elephants are being cruelly butchered every year to fuel this trade.

"But today I am hopeful we can put a stop to this, because Twiggy and Julie Walters have joined our efforts to get the word out that ivory trinkets are costing elephants their lives.

"You can help: Give up your ivory to save elephants.

"Twiggy, Julie Walters and the Metropolitan Police are working with IFAW to raise awareness of the crisis faced by elephants from the illegal international wildlife trade. Estimated to be worth a staggering £12 billion annually, it is second only to the illicit trade in drugs and arms.

"Unbelievably, illegal ivory items are readily found on the internet.

"IFAW is launching an Ivory Surrender today to help raise awareness of this cruel trade. By donating unwanted ivory items you will be taking ivory from the market and removing its commercial value, making a positive contribution to help protect elephants.

"Ian Knox, of the Met police said, 'The Metropolitan Police Force welcomes IFAW’s Ivory Surrender as it highlights the existence of a damaging and illegal trade. There is still a huge demand for ivory that the illegal trade seeks to satisfy, a significant amount is generated in London and the UK. It must be stopped.'

"Ivory donated to IFAW will be used to educate the public about the danger facing elephants today.

"If you do not own any ivory, please tell a friend about our campaign. They may legally have ivory at home but wish to donate it or know someone else who does.

"If you would like to donate your ivory to the surrender please email ivory@ifaw.org. For more information about IFAW’s work please visit www.ifaw.org/ivory."

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COMMENT TO PONDER

The following most succinct quotation was recently forwarded to us by an ex-South African supporter from Canada. The comment evidently originated from a writer from the Czech Republic, but alas we haven't so far been able to discover precise details about the source :-

"The danger to South Africa is not Jacob Zuma but a citizenry capable of entrusting a man like him with the Presidency. It will be far easier to limit and undo the follies of a Zuma presidency than to restore the necessary common sense and good judgment to a depraved electorate willing to have such a man for their president. The problem is much deeper and far more serious than Mr. Zuma, who is a mere symptom of what ails South Africa. Blaming the prince of the fools should not blind anyone to the vast confederacy of fools that made him their prince.

The Republic can survive a Jacob Zuma, who is, after all, merely a fool. It is less likely to survive a multitude of fools such as those who made him their President."

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CANADIAN ON-LINE INTERVIEW

The Organiser/Secretary of the Springbok Club and Chairman of the Swinton Circle recently took part in an on-line interview conducted by Mr. John Beattie of the Canadian-based British People's League, in which he explained something about the history, ideology and achievements of the Patriotic Forum (the umbrella title which is used for joint events staged by the Springbok Club and Swinton Circle). This interview can still be listened to on-line at :-

http://www.britishpeoplesleague.com/?e=126

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ENQUIRY ABOUT THE ZAMBEZI CLUB

We've recently been contacted and asked if anyone knows what happened to the Zambezi Club, an expatriate hostelry which existed in Barkston Gardens, Earl's Court, London, during the 1970s. It attracted patrons not only from southern Africa but from throughout the English-speaking world, and became a very popular venue for social rendezvous’s. Does anyone know why it closed down, and whether there is any chance that it might be re-established one day? If anyone can shed any further information about this establishment please e-mail: springbk@netcomuk.co.uk

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SEARCH SERVICE FOR THOSE SEEKING LOST CONTACTS

Find any South African, even those who have emigrated. We also search Botswana, Namibia and ex-Rhodesia/Zimbabwe.

http://www.bellemodel.biz/emails/emails.html

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MAKE YOUR OWN BILTONG AT THE FRACTION OF THE COST ....

Biltongmakers.Com has, for over 10 years, put a smile on many a South African face. No longer do they have to pay exorbitant prices for biltong that in most cases is not even to their liking!

Now you can make your own Biltong at a fraction of the price you pay right now and .... you can make it the way YOU like it!

Please visit www.biltongmakers.com and see all they have available.

You will never be without some REAL South African Biltong again!

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FLAGS etc.

The Springbok Club/ELC now retails Union Flag lapel badges and key-rings, price £2.00 each (plus 20% p&p).

Payments should be made to "The Springbok Club" and sent to: BCM SAPAT, London WC1N 3XX, UK.

Copies of S.A.Patriot-in-Exile (editions 30 to 36) are still available price R5.00 or 50p each, as well as batches of 50 copies (including copies of the original S.A.Patriot) price R80.00 or £8.00 (plus 20% for p&p.)

Payments should be made to "Patriotic Press" and sent to: BCM SAPAT, London WC1N 3XX, UK.

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BOOK OFFERS

"REDNECK P.I." a romantic suspense novel by Trish Jackson.

"Twila's a redneck and proud of it. Harland's a P.I. with a target on his back and a twin brother. An explosive situation!"

Available at www.uncialpress.com in electronic format and will soon be available on Amazon in print form.

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"GOVERNMENT BY DECEPTION" by Jan Lamprecht

Details the disasters of Mugabe's Zimbabwe, and illustrates the similarities between Mugabe's rule and that of Mandela/Mbeki in South Africa. It can be ordered on-line at: www.AfricanCrisis.org

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"P.K. VAN DER BYL - AFRICAN STATESMAN" by Hannes Wessels

ISBN: 978-1-920143-49-7 / paperback / illustrated

Retail price: R250.00, Web-site price: R200.00 + postage

The narrative gives the reader an overview of the history of the White man in southern Africa with detailed emphasis on the Rhodesian story through the life and times of PK van der Byl, one of the major players in a political drama that ended in the accession to power of Robert Mugabe under the auspices of the British government. By his very nature PK was controversial and confrontational. This account is likely to give offence to some because it portrays him as bluntly as he was in real life. Much can be contested about PK van der Byl but few will dispute he was an extremely colourful character with a devilish sense of humour. This memoir covers his life with a full flourish while doing nothing to detract from the seriousness of the international political and military conflict in which he was engaged. The reader will glean new information on a highly controversial subject and emerge with a more sympathetic understanding of what PK van der Byl and his colleagues did and strove for. The human tragedy that has followed the removal from power of Ian Smith and his Rhodesian Front party will almost certainly force the reader to deal with some uncomfortable conclusions, of value to anyone sincere about grappling with the volatile and deeply troubling challenges that confront all Africans today.

This book and others of interest can be purchased from 30 Degrees South via their web-site: www.30degreessouth.co.za

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"BLUE WATCH" by Gwyn Fford-Osborne

Rhodesia, in 1975 and a bloody vicious civil war is at its height. A war between the White minority supported by the Black majority and the ZAPU and ZANU terrorist groups, supported by Zambia and Mozambique. Kensington, a small town in the farming belt has been the subject of several terrorist attacks but with only a small police force for defence, the local T.A. unit having been called up for service on the Zambia border the situation appears grim. Until Iffor Meredith turns up on a pilgrimage to meet up with his wife and son of his old army buddy, recently murdered by terrorists. A deadly ambush on the "Dix" family and his escape from a land mine attack makes Iffor determined to offer resistance of some form or other to the terrorists. His application to join the Rhodesian Army has been accepted and he sets about forming a small militia. With all the fit men already on call up, who can he recruit from. Then he's invited to a darts match at the Moth Club and meets up with the remnants of the town's Fire Brigade, the men considered too old for call up. Blue Watch.

Available from: www.diadembooks.com

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"THE SEVEN WATCHMEN" by David Ruppert

A new fascinating novel titled "The Seven Watchmen" by David Ruppert should appeal to South Africans and ex-Rhodesians. It can be ordered from Crest Publishing in South Africa at www.crestpublishing.co.za - or those abroad can buy it directly from David at rupedf72@comcast.net. It's also available on www.Amazon.com

Glenn MacAskill and Michael Bowery of Crest Publishing have also written three books each. Glenn MacAskill is ex-BSAP Special Branch and still working (as Mugabe has denied him any pension) and Michael Bowery is ex-South African Special Forces. Due to the difficulties confronting White writers in the "new" South Africa they launched Crest Publishing to self-publish their own books, and have been doing this since October 2006. Michael Bowery is author of: "Canham's Run", "The Sligo Piper" and "Kill the President", whilst Glenn MacAskill is author of: "King's Gold", "Crime Lords" and "Of Royal Blood". Special discounts to ex-servicemen, Rhodies and Springboks!

For more information, or to make an order, please contact Crest Publishing at: P.O.Box, 97910, Petervale, Transvaal, 2151, South Africa, e-mail: crestbooks@mweb.co.za, or visit the Crest Publishing web-site at: www.crestpublishing.co.za

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"THE SAINTS" - DVD versions of the book about the history of the RLI

Now available from Msasa Enterprises. Contact: msasasa@iafrica.com or UK tel.: 07732 685400.

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WHERE ARE THEY NOW ?

No.152 :  Mr. DAVID NORTHMORE of Rochester.

David Northmore, who came from the Medway Towns, was a young patriotic activist during the mid-1970s. He took a great interest in the struggle of his kith and kin in southern Africa, but alas all contact with him ceased in the late 1970s. It would however be very interesting to learn what became of him, and whether he is still active in any way.

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RECOMMENDED WEB-SITE OF THE MONTH

As reported above, the Swinton Circle welcomed Mr. Peter Whittle, the founder and director of the New Culture Forum, as guest speaker last month. The New Culture Forum is a very interesting organisation which is providing an important platform for fighting the "Cultural Wars" against the prevailing dogmas of the establishment. Its excellent web-site can be accessed at :-

http://www.newcultureforum.org.uk/home/

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

CHINESE WHISPERS

Sir,

The report in the "Rogues Gallery" section of June's SCN was most absorbing. I'm afraid I know nothing about the Tim Vaux or Bill Ablett who were mentioned (though they both sound really nasty pieces of work!), but I do know quite a bit about the other person briefly mentioned in connection with them, Mark Cotterill.

Cotterill came from Worcester in the Midlands, his mother being of part-Chinese origin (I'm not certain whether she was half or a quarter Chinese) and he thus obtained the nickname of Chi-Chi. He became an active member of the National Front, and like many of their members with mixed-race ancestry he gravitated towards the more extremist wing of the party (the old "more Papist than the Pope" syndrome!). By all accounts he upset a lot of other members and made many enemies as a result. There was also evidently an allegation of financial irregularity (I don't know the details, nor whether it was true or not) which caused him to flee to Torquay in Devon.

After he'd established himself in Torquay he became active in the National Front again, and almost immediately started to rub people up the wrong way and make another set of enemies. This time his knack of upsetting other people proved far more serious however, as his flat was broken into and trashed and he was then personally assaulted as a result. He tried to blame these attacks on "left-wingers", and a couple of local trade unionists were arrested on his say so, but before the case could come to court Cotterill fled once again, this time all the way to the United States, and all charges against the trade unionists were thus dropped. Most who knew the situation believed that it wasn't "left-wingers" who had staged the attacks, but rather right-wingers who he'd been conducting a vicious personal vendetta campaign against.

He managed to stay and work in the United States for several years, although he almost certainly never obtained a "green card". How he managed to remain below the radar of the usually efficient US officials is a complete mystery. He did however become politically active again, having fallen under the influence of some really extreme and way-out American outfits, and even founded an organisation called "The American Friends of the BNP" (apparently the National Front was no longer extreme enough for him!). Surprise, surprise, after a few years of living in the United States he'd managed to fall out with practically everyone who he'd made contact with there, and one person who he'd made enemies with evidently shopped him to the authorities and he was deported back to the UK.

On his return to the UK he mysteriously settled in Blackburn in Lancashire, but rather than becoming active with the BNP (who he had been plugging whilst in the US) he started up his own party called the England First Party, as he'd evidently fallen out with the BNP leadership by this time. Unbelievably his EFP managed to win two seats in the 2006 municipal elections for Blackburn & Darwen Borough Council (ironically their other successful candidate was also of mixed-race, he being part West Indian). Problems then soon engulfed this party, yes you've guessed it, Cotterill fell out with practically all their other members! Cotterill himself resigned his council seat after only one year, with his part-West Indian colleague changing his allegiance to a local resident's pressure group. Cotterill then moved to Preston where he tried to re-establish his EFP, though he had practically no takers. Evidently he'd run out of people to make enemies with!

If you've also been subjected to this man's vindictive hate campaigns in the past then you haven't been alone, not by a long, long way!   

Yours etc.,

O.V., London, U.K.

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J'ACCUSE

Sir,

You always rightly protest that the Afrikaner (Boers) are being persecuted and oppressed by the ANC in South Africa, neglecting to say that

conservative English-speaking South Africans are in the same boat. In fact any person who is White and has a South African accent is considered a racist! The ignorant Blacks don't discriminate between English-speaking or Afrikaans-speakers. THEY HATE US ALL.

I truly believe that if you are able to accept this fact, your membership would increase as would your support, internationally and domestically.

Yours etc.,

Ralph Labuschagne, Alberta, Canada.

[We dispute that we have only ever been concerned with the plight of the Afrikaners in South Africa. We have constantly emphasised that all suffer under ANC mis-rule. Ed.]

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LESSON FROM HISTORY

Sir,

It seems to me that South Africans who want to escape the savagery in South Africa have underestimated their opportunity to claim refugee status in Canada. They certainly have good reason to do so, as long as they can back their claims up with documented reports to the S.A.Police when they have been attacked, mugged, threatened, violated, and discriminated against by the savages. They should perhaps investigate this opportunity to escape before it is too late.

Porter Stansbury wrote, "By the end of 1935, 100,000 Jews had left Germany, but 450,000 still [remained]. Wealthy Jewish families… kept thinking and hoping that the worst was over… Many of the German Jews, brilliant, cultured, and cosmopolitan as they were, were too complacent. They had been in Germany so long and were so well established, they simply couldn’t believe there was going to be a crisis that would endanger them. They were too comfortable. They believed the Nazi’s anti-Semitism was an episodic event and that Hitler’s bark was worse than his bite. [They] reacted sluggishly to the rise of Hitler for completely understandable but tragically erroneous reasons. Events moved much faster than they could imagine.’ This is one of the most tragic examples of the devastating effects of the ‘normalcy bias’ the world has ever seen."

Anyone who thinks they have seen the worst of the ANC should think again - the worst, unfortunately, is yet to come.

Yours etc.,

Robin J. Elliott, Vancouver, Canada (www.JointVenturesforLife.com)

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OBITUARY

MIKE CAMPBELL

We have recently been sent the following obituary to Mike Campbell by a supporter, which originally appeared in the Daily Telegraph :-

Michael Campbell was born on a farm at Klerksdorp, South Africa, in 1932 into a family which had farmed in Africa since 1713. After leaving school he served in the South African Army and was involved in the early 1970s in the bush war.

He decided to move to Rhodesia in 1974. He bought Mount Carmel farm in the Chegutu district and, after the country became Zimbabwe in 1980, purchased a neighbouring farm.

Together with his son-in-law, Ben Freeth, he worked hard to make it profitable, planting mangoes, citrus trees, maize, tobacco and sunflowers, establishing a herd of Mashona/Sussex cattle and dedicating a large area to a wildlife reserve, complete with herds of giraffe, impala and other animals. Their Biri River Safari Lodge became a popular tourist destination.

Campbell was described as a model employer, and by the end of the 1990s Mount Carmel farm was the largest mango producer in Zimbabwe, helping to generate much-needed export earnings. The farm sustained the livelihoods of more than 500 people, and in 1999 it was legally transferred into a family company by a "certificate of no interest" from the Mugabe government.

In 2000, however, after losing a referendum called to approve a new constitution that would entrench his power, Mugabe began encouraging the violent invasion of the country's White-owned commercial farms.

In reality the policy, spearheaded by a ragbag army of armed thugs - the so-called "war veterans" - was a ruse to cement Mugabe's hold on power through the distribution of patronage. It thus became a scramble for the plum, mainly (though not exclusively) White-owned, estates among the country's elite, most of whose members had little interest in farming. Beneficiaries have included Mugabe's relatives, along with generals, judges, provincial administrators, ministers and MPs - and even MPs' girlfriends.

The "war vets" arrived at Mount Carmel farm in 2000. "About 20 or 30 turned up and I gave them a shed to live in because I told them I don't want you chopping my trees to build your huts," Campbell recalled. After a year with Campbell refusing to leave, they moved off on to adjoining land owned by his son Bruce. From there they made regular forays to Mount Carmel. The safari lodge was burned down, wildlife was poached or slaughtered and cattle stolen.

After getting no redress from the Zimbabwean courts, Campbell made legal history in 2007 when he decided to challenge Mugabe's land seizures in the region's highest court, the inter-governmental Southern African Development Community (SADC) Tribunal which sits in Namibia. The following March an additional 77 White farmers joined the case.

In November 2008 the tribunal condemned the seizures as "racist" and theft on a grand scale. The farmers could keep their land, it ruled, because the redistribution programme was discriminatory and was not being implemented according to the rule of law.

But before the judgment, on June 29 2008, just two days after the Zimbabwean presidential run-off election, Campbell, his wife and his son-in-law were abducted and taken to a remote militia camp where they were tortured for nine hours. Campbell sustained severe head injuries, broken ribs and damage to his lower limbs caused by "falanga" (a method of torture which involves beating the soles of the feet).

His wife Angela was forced to sign a piece of paper promising the family would not continue their court battle. Then they were driven off again and dumped on the roadside, from where they were rushed to hospital.

Despite their injuries, the Campbells refused to throw in the towel - though Mike Campbell was so badly battered he could not attend the tribunal's final hearing. Ben Freeth, whose skull was fractured, attended in a wheelchair, his head swathed in bandages.

The ruling, when it came, was a Pyrrhic victory. Constant attacks on their farm workers, theft of farm equipment and the destruction of crops drove Campbell and Freeth to return to the tribunal in 2009 to obtain a contempt order against the government. Although President Mugabe had signed the treaty establishing the tribunal, he has dismissed its findings in the White farmers' case as "nonsense". A government document distributed soon after the ruling promised that the evictions would continue.

Campbell, a gruff, dignified man who described himself as a White African, remained phlegmatic in the face of danger. In one memorable scene in Mugabe and the White African, the Campbells are seen enjoying a sundowner in their farmhouse when news comes through that an armed militia gang has been spotted by farm staff. As he lifts his whisky glass to his lips, Mike tells his wife there is no point getting excited. "I'll go out there when I have finished my drink."

In April 2009 the Campbells and Freeths were driven from Mount Carmel Farm by a rampaging mob led by Nathan Shamuyarira, an octogenarian member of Mugabe's politburo. The farmhouse was subsequently burned to the ground, along with the homes of 60 workers and a small linen factory set up by Mrs Freeth to provide employment for the farmers' wives. The Campbells, aged 76 and 68, decamped, penniless, to what they hoped would be temporary accommodation in Harare [Salisbury].

In the documentary, Peter Chamada, the son of Nathan Shamuyarira, is seen arriving on Campbell's farm in his shiny new luxury Toyota Prado, taking photographs on an expensive mobile phone. "This land is now my home," he declares into the camera. "The government has taken it from you people to redistribute to the poor Black majority. This land belongs to the Black peasants."

Campbell clung to the hope that he might recover his land, and last month - with an elderly Black farmer Luke Tembani, who had also been dispossessed - he lodged an application with the SADC Tribunal for an order that would ensure the Tribunal would continue to function, after the SADC heads of state decided last year to suspend its operations pending a review of its role. This move was widely seen as a response to the tribunal's ruling in Campbell's case and thus a show of support for Mugabe by governments in the region.

Mike Campbell is survived by his wife, Angela, and by their son and two daughters. His farm, meanwhile, is derelict, the land reverting to African bush.

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