TRC Final Report

Volume 6

Section 3

Chapter 6

Subsection 1

Volume SIX Section THREE ChapterS I X

Right-Wing Groups

■ INTRODUCTION

8. For the purposes of this chapter, the definition of the ‘white right wing’ refers to all white groups and individuals who organised themselves to campaign for self-determination and who mobilised against the democratic changes sweeping South Africa in the early 1990s. Most of these groups and individuals emerged from conservative Afrikaner circles in the country.

9. During the early 1990s, the movement away from apartheid by the National Party government was regarded by some as a treasonous capitulation to black political demands, which would result in the country being handed over to ‘communists’. In response to this perceived threat, the ‘white right wing’ began organising itself with a view to creating structures that would ensure the safety of its members and the protection of their property. Neighbourhood watches and surveillance groups (verkenningsgroepe) were formed in various areas. As the political situation progressively deteriorated from the right-wing perspective, radical talk and an inclination towards violence increased exponentially in its ranks. Right-wing groups showed phenomenal growth and came to accommodate a wide range of right-wing views and sentiments. Elements from the military joined in, bringing with them their own professional skills, such as the manufacture of explosives.

10. It was against the background of this volatile situation in right-wing circles that matters came to a head when the National Party government lifted the ban on the liberation movements in February 1990. For the right wing, this must have seemed like the beginning of the end. The next step would be the enfranchisement of the black majority leading to black majority rule in South Africa. This would inevitably lead to the total destruction of their values and way of life.

11. During the period under review, the ranks of conservative Afrikanerdom were characterised by a great diversity of political, cultural and paramilitary formations. Many of these groupings emerged as a result of their disaffection with the ruling National Party, which had, since the 1940s, been seen as the sole custodian of Afrikaner identity. What they shared was a desire to conserve traditional Afrikaner values by reaching back to the original principles of Afrikaner politics, rather than endorsing the adaptations of policy advanced by the Afrikaner government of the day. Even in their disaffection, however, they continued to be fragmented.

PART ONE: PROFILE OF RIGHT-WING GROUPS

12. At the start of the 1990s, the so-called ‘right wing’ embodied a large number of g roups, some operating underground to avoid detection and infiltration by the security forces. Many of the groups were characterised by splintering and leadership struggles. However, once the negotiating parties had agreed on a formula and date for democratic elections, right-wing forces began uniting to mobilise for their struggle for self-determination.

13. The following is a summary of the main features of the organisations making up the ‘right wing’ as it evolved from the time of the first right-wing breakaway from the National Party in 1969. Those described represent only a few of the numerous right-wing organisations that were operating at the time of the first democratic election in April 1994. Many amnesty applicants claimed membership of one or more of these organisations simultaneously, with the Afrikaner Volksfront (AVF) providing an umbrella for the smaller groups .

HERSTIGTE NASIONALE PA RTY

14. The Herstigte Nasionale Party (HNP),²¹⁵ which broke away from the ruling National Party (NP) in 1969, was the first right-wing group to do so. Its reasons , as with all the breakaway parliamentary groups that followed, centred on dissatisfaction with NP reforms at the time. The HNP clung to its belief in the grand apartheid of the Verwoerd years, believing that a white government should dominate the entire territory of South Africa, with clear partition between the races.

BLANKE BEVRYDINGSBEWEGING

15. The Blanke Bevrydingsbeweging (BBB)²¹⁶ was founded in 1987 and advocated an extreme version of fascist apartheid based on ‘refined Nazism’. Its aim was to ‘ repatriate’ all blacks, Jews and Indians and nationalise the assets of ‘nonwhites’. The BBB had links with the British National Front (BNF) and similar g roups in Australia, New Zealand and America. It is also believed to have had links with the Ku Klux Klan. The BBB was banned under the state of emergency in 1988 and unbanned with other political organisations on 2 February 1990.

AFRIKANER VRYHEIDSTIGTING

16. The Afrikaner Vryheidstigting (Avstig )²¹⁷ was established by theologian Carel Boshoff in 1988 for the purpose of campaigning for a white homeland. Avstig was instrumental in establishing the town of Orania in 1991.²¹⁸ It was granted observer status at the multi-party negotiations.