The ongoing revelations of white supremacist, ultra-right-wing paramilitary training camps operating across our country are deeply disturbing. The latest unsettling news comes from the Hawks, who announced that they raided such a camp outside Modimolle, in Limpopo Province.
According to the media statement released by the Hawks, twelve rifles and twelve pistols were confiscated during the raid at the notorious base of white right-winger Laurens Steytler and his so-called ‘Phoenix Project,’ an operation linked to the right-wing ‘Suidlander’ defence organisation.
The Suidlanders are led by another infamous white supremacist, the so-called ‘Colonel’ Wynand Du Toit, who continues to illegally use the military rank of ‘colonel,’ which he held during the apartheid regime when he served as a senior Special Forces officer, known as the ‘Recces’. During apartheid, Du Toit was captured in Angola, where he, alongside Jonas Savimbi’s CIA and SADF-sponsored UNITA, engaged in terrorist activities against the MPLA government of Angola. His extradition to South Africa was contentious, and upon his return, he was celebrated as a hero by Afrikaner racists. Clearly, Du Toit has not changed his ways.
Reportedly, the Hawks found Steytler with two other training instructors, one of whom is also a former ‘Recce’ officer, at the Phoenix Project training camp. Under apartheid, the ‘Recces’ were among the most vicious operatives of the South African Defence Force (SADF), responsible for the brutal torture, maiming, and killing of black South Africans. They were also deployed in Namibia by the apartheid regime, with devastating consequences, to fight against SWAPO liberation forces. In northern Namibia’s Ovamboland region, the ‘Recces’ implemented a scorched-earth strategy, killing thousands of civilians and wiping out entire villages.
It is horrifying that such racist figures are still operational in South Africa and that they continue to provide military training at white supremacist camps. There can be no doubt that the purpose of this training is to incite violent white supremacist terror and spark a race war against black South Africans.
The ‘Recces’ were a racist killing machine under apartheid, and many were sent to apartheid Israel under a special cooperation programme to be trained in the brutal interrogation and torture techniques used by the Israel Defence Force (IDF) and MOSSAD.
Many of these monstrous individuals were granted amnesty by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), a bitter compromise reached during the CODESA negotiations. As a result, they now live freely among us, facing no consequences for their war crimes. This is one of the unfortunate outcomes of the sell-out TRC agreement that the ANC negotiators, led by Cyril Ramaphosa, concluded with the apartheid regime.
However, the amnesty provisions granted by the TRC do not extend to the continuation of activities for which they were originally pardoned. Their amnesty becomes null and void if they persist in such actions, and these individuals must not only be apprehended for their current illegal training camps but also charged for the war crimes they committed during apartheid. Their continued activities, driven by the same white supremacist ideologies, prove that they remain unrepentant and unrehabilitated.
It is unacceptable to learn from the Hawks’ statement that, despite raiding the Phoenix camp and finding Steytler and his fellow instructors fully armed and dressed in military fatigues, no arrests were made. Even more troubling is the fact that the weapons used in this training camp, although licensed by a firearms dealer in New Germany, KwaZulu-Natal, were transported to Modimolle illegally without a permit. This alone rendered the presence of these arms at the Phoenix camp unlawful.
Despite these clear violations, the Hawks made no arrests, stating weakly that the owner was “addressed” regarding the breach of the Firearms Control Act. This reinforces the perception that white racists are allowed to flout the law without consequence.
The EFF raised concerns weeks ago about the open operation of white supremacist groups like the ‘Boeremag’ and the ‘Suidlanders,’ who run illegal paramilitary training camps in provinces such as Mpumalanga, the Free State, Gauteng, Limpopo, and North West. Videos of such training camps have even surfaced on social media, where trainees chant racist slogans and wave symbols like the apartheid-era national flag and the ‘Vierkleur’ (Four Colours) flag of the old Transvaal colonial republic. One such video, which went viral, showed training at the Phoenix camp, with participants shouting, “Die Boere kom!” (“The Boers are coming”) and hurling racial slurs.
Decisive action must be taken against all illegal paramilitary camps without fear or favour. The notion that white racists can act with impunity must be eradicated. The weak response by the authorities during the Phoenix camp raid only reinforces this unfortunate belief.
Those involved in the Phoenix training camp, including Steytler, the illegitimate ‘Colonel’ Du Toit, and the New Germany arms dealer, must be arrested and charged. They are violent, racist criminals and must be treated as such. Any other similar training camps must be dismantled, and their operators held accountable.
Our Constitution outlaws racism, and current laws give law enforcement agencies sufficient tools to take decisive action. However, if legal loopholes exist that allow white racists to continue their activities, laws must be amended, and new legislation introduced to ensure that these racist actions are stopped in every form.
Furthermore, exclusivist white enclaves like Orania, Eureka, and all-white security estates serve as breeding grounds for such racism. They provide ideological and geographical bases that justify white supremacist activities, leading to the proliferation of training camps. These enclaves must be shut down to combat racism effectively in South Africa.
Too many brave South Africans sacrificed their lives to free our country from the chains of racism and create a just society. Failing to act decisively against these white supremacists dishonours their legacy. We must not allow this to continue.
Written By : Carl Niehaus is an EFF Member of the National Assembly.
The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of The Southern African Times.
