Renamo, UNITA, Inter alia

[Hartwin Alfred Gebhardt]

Steely writes:

>  Yes, I know about James Blanchard's despicable plans for Mozambique.
> Indeed, Alex Cockburn and I just wrote a column on them--one of the more
> grimly amusing is the plan to import tribes of Kalahari Bushmen to the
> theme park. "I say bring the little people in and let them hunt," exclaimed

This is already a reality at the Kwagga Kamma resort - bushmen in 
their traditinal (un)dress put on daily shows (dancing, etc.) for tourists 
in return for food and such. 
The bushmen, now - there's a truly heart-breaking story to 
make the most fearless editor cringe. Hunted to near extinction over 
the last five centuries by whites and blacks alike, they still aren't 
represented in the "New South Africa", especially since many of them 
used to be employed as trackers in the border wars, and their erstwhile 
enemies (like Nelson Mandela) are now in power. How about it - wanna 
write a story about that?

> Blanchard's game park manager. (He's from Louisiana, actually, part of  the
> New Orleans mafia.) I'll send you a copy of the story as an 
> attachment.

Got it, thanks (btw, 'Pilanesberg' is spelt 'Pilandsberg', as far as I 
know - but I'm ususally wrong). Mozambique seems to have only 
two alternatives at the moments, and they have opted for Blanchard 
III - of course, the other option would have meant cutting down acres 
and acres of natural vegetation to plant a forest for SAPPI (local paper 
manufacturer) - so I guess you're right. It's about picking the 
lesser evil, and nature conservation will have to accomodate trophy 
hunters and their ilk if it wishes to survive.

> Specifically, on the slaughter of
> elephants and rhinos by UNITA forces to pay for arms from the South
> Africa Defense forces, which then traded the elephant/rhino parts to
> Chinese Triad gangs for heroin and cash.

I didn't know about the Triad connection (the rest is common 
knowledge, but strangely, nobody here seems to give a shit). The 
triads seem to have moved in here (in South Africa) big-time; would 
appreciate more info.
 
> "We paid for our war with elephants, timber and diamonds," said UNITA's
> Jonas Savimbi. One morning in 1992, when some of this began to percolate
> into the press, George Bush turned to his National Security Advisor Brent
> Scowcroft and said; "Gee, Brent, we are our freedom fighters killing all
> the elephants?" (Bush, of course, could give a damn about
> all the people being slaughtered.) Some interesting stuff on this came
> out in the Kumberlyn Commission, and with the Truth Commissions. Anymore
> you know on this would be appreciated. 

I suppose you know that the MPLA financed some of their war effort against 
UNITA by selling oil to US companies (thus both sides of the Angola war, 
which included the biggest battles since Vietnam, were essentially fighting
with US money). Also, that ex-South African mercenaries now fight 
against their old UNITA allies, employed to protect oil refineries 
(and officially working for a company called Executive Outcomes, no less). 

Apart from that I don't know much, despite having spent two 
years in the South African Defence Force (including six months on the 
Angolan border). It often seems to me that the closer you are to the 
action, the less you know about it. 
Gee, how profound that sounds....

hg
hag at iafrica.com