South Africa Living in Cuckoo Land - THE END

This post will be the last in the series South Africa Living in Cuckoo Land. We will continue with our truthful findings and begin a new powerful series South Africa Sins of the Fathers.

South Africa Living in Cuckoo Land - The End

Erasmus has been involved in various issues. During the late 1990's, he was the deponent in court cases against the Municipalities in Johannesburg, Pretoria and Ekurhuleni. All these matters dealt with tender irregularities. Despite the process of delaying from the Municipalities’ sides, Erasmus was always on the side that was vindicated. At that stage already, he was starting to become worried as to the preference afforded to the Municipalities, as organs of state, by the courts.

Unnecessary delays with the resultant cost implications. Erasmus made it abundantly clear that in the court case by ABSA’s Cash Paymaster Services (CPS) (Pty)Ltd for the tender to administer the payment of grants of behalf of SASSA (SA Social Security Agency) that the tender was from the beginning highly circumspect. It took the Constitutional Court to clarify the situation, namely that there were serious irregularities involved in the awarding of this tender to Net1, the winning bidder. Why did it have to take so long? Do the aggrieved directors and shareholders of ABSA’s CPS have a claim against the directors and shareholders of Net1 for damages? In all probability, yes. Net1 is a listed company in New York.

Erasmus was involved in the Madhlopa commission of Inquiry into irregularities at the

Highveld District Municipality in Middelburg, Mpumalanga in 1999/2000 after he was one of the vociferous complainants to then Pres Thabo Mbeki in respect of the tender irregularities. In the final report of the Madhlopa Commission, he is referred to as the man for democracy who is not afraid to go the extra mile or two. Erasmus was also the last investigator and author of the report into the irregularities pertaining to the Mbombela Soccer Stadium prior to the 2010 Soccer World Cup in South Africa. He was scathing as to the role played by the National Treasury. This report is the story, which supposedly led to the murder of Jimmy Mohlala, the Speaker at the Mbombela Municipality in Nelspruit. The investigation by the Hawks – the dodgy special investigation unit under control of the SAPS and the DPSA (Directorate Public Prosecutions, Division of the NPA – National Prosecuting Authority) has come to naught. Various actions were brought to derail these investigations, as to the legality thereof, the authorities do not seem to interested in finalizing this issues, such as many other matters!

During the early 1990’s Iran and Iraq was embroiled in a war in which the USA was providing the Iraqis with satellite info to counter the Iranian aggression. In this war, the Iranians had pushed and became entangled in the marshes at Basra. In this battle, the Iraqis killed 10 000 Iranians with the help of South African manufactured G5 cannons and their 155mm ammunition.

South Africa had supplied the G5 guns and ammunition to Saddam Husain as part of a deal brokered by the CIA from the USA and the Mossad from Israel. This agreement was made in order to provide South Africa oil in exchange for these artillery pieces that proved to be so effective. In the whole transaction, there was one key player, ARMSCOR – the State owned procurement entity that has been involved in may a shady dealing.
Armscor as the state’s procurement agency pertaining to defense has always relied on the secrecy provisions in the legislation in order to hide their nefarious activities. In this respect the infamous incident of Jorge Pinol, who secured helicopters for the RSA and who was screwed out of his commission? Any and every court action has been sabotaged to such an extent that Pinol will have extreme difficulty in obtaining his dues.

During October 1987 through to June 1988, the South Africans were busy fighting in Angola in order to take Quito Cuanavale. The South Africans had some 9000 troops deployed in the theatre of war. This case was allegedly in support of Jonas Savimbi, the leader of the opposition, UNITA. At this stage, there was already a atmosphere of unease amongst white South Africa as to the duration, and the cost of this excursion, linked to the local unrest with the ANC supporters trying to make the country ungovernable. The South Africans had lost air superiority due to the Cubans deploying in their MiG fighters. There was an increasing sensitivity to the death of soldiers’ lives that were forced ‘by law’ to partake in a stint of national service.
The allegations were that the black troops under the South Africans’ control were also becoming restless, as the South Africans did not seem to assured of a definitive victory. This whilst the Angolans were receiving massive sources of support from the Cubans and the Russians.

The South Africans were growing more and more attentive at this point and surmised that if the situation was not brought under control, the Angolans with the Russian and Cuban help would invade Namibia and be in charge of such by Easter 1988.

At this stage, South Africa had already built six atom bombs, but they lacked the guidance devices for the delivery thereof. In this regard, this was done with Israeli assistance. The Israelis nevertheless, had developed guidance systems at their

facilities at Demona, in the Negev desert. They had agreed thereupon to ensure that the South Africans could procure two of these systems. In all these issues, Armscor was central. The President of the RSA at this stage, Mr. P W Botha via his Minister of Foreign Affairs, Pik Botha issued an ultimatum to the Angolans. If the Angolans were not free of the Cubans and Russians by 31 December 1987, Luanda would be a nuclear wasteland on 1 January 1988.

This was indeed now reaching levels of desperation. However, Israel could not be seen to be supplying these guidance systems directly to the RSA. If this had become public knowledge, it would have become politically disastrous for both the Israelis and the USA, who clearly supplied know how to the Israelis. In order to create a cut out the decision was apparently taken to ship these guidance systems via Taipei, Taiwan with whom the RSA had close relations. The guidance systems might have reached the RSA in a roundabout way. In this regard, Armscor was to handle all these arrangements. To this effect, they still have their own freight division until today, which is called AB Logistics. This is what in all probability led to the downing of the SAA Helderberg with all lives on board. The Helderberg, a 747-244 Combi ZS-SAS belonging to SA Airways crashed some 270 km off the Island of Mauritius with the loss of all souls on board.
Speculation has been rife as to what could have been the case hereof.

One rumor doing the rounds, was about the ammonium perchlorate on board, a devilishly unstable and dangerous propellant for use in rocket fuel. This seemed to have been a smoke screen set out by the RSA authorities. SOMCHEM, at that point an Armscor subsidiary, was already manufacturing this ammonium perchlorate since 1985 as a propellant for use in the rocket assisted 155 mm ammunition fired by the G5 guns. This would increase the range of these guns to 83 kilometers, an absolute advantage. Always the name of Armscor pops up. However, the most likely scenario would have been that it was the two guidance systems that have been on board of the Helderberg that brought it down.

When the news of the Helderberg down reached the RSA authorities, a Navy strike craft was ordered at breakneck speed from Simonstown naval base to Mauritius whence the XO (Executive Officer) on board was one Johnny Kamerman. The same Kamerman was to play a future role in the notorious Arms Scandal, which is today the subject of a Commission of Enquiry into the said scandal. Kamerman eventually ended up leaving the SA Navy and working for the German consortium, which supplied the extremely expensive submarines to the RSA.

Armscor at this time was tasked with obtaining and supplying to the military whatever they required in the war with the Angolans. In this regard, the employees at Armscor grasped the lesson exceptionally fast and also came to realize that there were opportunities for themselves in order to secure a future for themselves and their families. It must be clearly understood that not all employees at Armscor were imbued with such unethical and criminal intent. Armscor was using SAA aircraft to transport dangerous munitions in this sanctions busting era. Should this had become widely known, no country would allow SAA landing rights or even over flights rights at the time.
What is most compelling is that immediately after the crash of the Helderberg, the Mount Plaisance Airport in Mauritius was closed, and an American C141 landed with the latest submersible. Simultaneously also the German Oceanographic vessel chartered by SAA and Boeing was waved off and could only commence with their search some 12 hours later. It would appear that the Americans had found the Helderberg and its cargo and retrieved the guidance systems, which was never mentioned in any press reports until only years later.

The fact of the matter is that the Captain of the Helderberg seems to have been threatened at various stages. He could have landed anywhere along the route, i.e. Diego Garcia, an island used by the USA for surveillance operations. He did not, and it would appear as the RSA authorities were reluctant to have this knowledge become public, as the

international repercussions would have been severe! They would most likely have had civilians die and cover it up.

Although the ANC government wished to re-open the matter, it was shut down. The only logical explanation thereto can be, is because the Government would be liable for damages running into their billions.

Yet it is Armscor, which is central to all these issues!

The killing of a country’s own people?

A cesspool? Living in Cuckoo Land!

By Laura Oneale and collaboration with other people.