SOUTH AFRICA-POLITICS: BEGINNING OF WHITE-BACKLASH FEARED

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

JOHANITA LOUW

PRETORIA, Nov 8 1994 (IPS) - AN INFLUENTIAL SOUTH AFRICAN RIGHTWINGER WARNED TUESDAY THAT THE WEEKEND ASSASINATION OF A LEADING WHITE THEOLOGIAN, PROF JOHAN HEYNS, COULD MARK THE BEGINNING OF A “NEW STRUGGLE”.

GEN CONSTAND VILJOEN, LEADER OF THE AFRIKANER FREEDOM FRONT (AVF), SAID THE MURDER OF HEYNS IS A “DANGEROUS DEVELOPMENT”, AND COULD HAVE BEEN DONE TO SEND A MESSAGE TO THE NEW GOVERNMENT THAT WHITE FRUSTRATIONS ARE INCREASING.

“IN A REVOLUTIONARY WAR THE TARGET IS LESS IMPORTANT,” VILJOEN SAID. “WHAT IS IMPORTANT, IS THE MESSAGE THAT IS CONVEYED.”

VILJOEN, WHO HEADED THE SOUTH AFRICAN DEFENCE FORCE DURING ITS CAMPAIGNS IN SOUTHERN ANGOLA IN THE LATE EIGHTIES, SAID SOUTH AFRICANS WERE LIVING IN A FOOL’S PARADISE IF THEY THOUGHT THAT ALL WAS PEACEFUL AND UNDER CONTROL AFTER APRIL’S DEMOCRATIC ELECTIONS.

THE SILENCE FROM THE WHITE-RIGHT IS MISLEADING. “EMOTIONS ARE RUNNING HIGH OVER THE TRUTH COMMSSION, THE THREAT AGAINST (WHITE) EDUCATION, AND OVER AFFIRMATIVE ACTION,” HE SAID.

HEYNS, A LEADING ‘VERLIGTE’ (ENLIGHTENED) MEMBER IN THE WHITE DUTCH REFORMED CHURCH, WAS SHOT THROUGH THE BACK OF THE HEAD BY A HIGH CALIBRE RIFLE SATURDAY EVENING, WHILE IN HIS HOUSE PLAYING CARDS WITH HIS WIFE AND THREE GRAND-CHILDREN.

THE STRONG POSSIBILITY THAT WHITE EXTREMISTS WERE INVOLVED IS BEING INVESTIGATED BY THE POLICE.

CONFIRMING THAT THAT THE ASSASINATION COULD BE THE WORK OF RIGHTWINGERS, VILJOEN SAID THE “ANARCHY LEVEL” WAS VERY HIGH AMONG WHITES.

HE SAID WHITE RESISTANCE WAS AGGRAVATED BECAUSE THE NEW GOVERNMENT WAS BELIEVED TO BE DOING LITTLE POSITIVE FOR THEM.

“THE ECONOMY HAS NOT RECOVERED AND THE POSITION OF A VOLKSTAAT (PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC) IS NOT CLEAR. IT SEEMS AS IF THE GOVERNMENT’S PROGRAMME OF RECONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT (RDP) IS ONLY AIMED AT THE POOR, AND WILL NOT HELP AT ALL TO GET THE ECONOMY GROWING.”