563 The contra-mobilisation methods applied to Etango and eZuva were seen to be successful. It was felt that this was owing to the absence of public involvement of the SADF, which would have damaged the credibility of these organisations. The aim of the Etango project was “to motivate the Owambo people to resist SWAPO and any form of communist infiltration”. It was run largely by the Directorate of Communication Operations (‘COMOPS’) and was intended to establish a traditionalist tribally oriented Owambo movement. Similarly, the eZuva project targeted the Kavango population.
564 Colonel HC ‘Chris’ Nel suggests that some support for the Etango project came from former SWAPO-supporting members of the local population:
We had a high turnover of suspects, members of the local population, so-called SWAPO chairmen, people who were part of the internal support structure, that were brought in for questioning and we had to release them within thirty days. We had a very high turnover of that. They were all administered by the military police who kept records of everybody who came in there and then were released according to the law. Those who offered to become askaris [i.e collaborate], they were passed on to a structure called Etango, called Komops. There were people under the leadership of Dr Pasques who established a political organisation called Etango and this is the Ovambo word for rising sun.
They had a facility not very far from the POW camp and with the advantage of hindsight, today I can say that they were brainwashed, conditioned … They were put through an extensive programme to clean their minds of all communist influences and they were recruited to become organisers and members of the DTA. That was where a large percentage of the prisoners went.”
565 Guidelines for contra-mobilisation were issued from command HQ level and were given to the territorial commands. These instructions took the form of memoranda discussed in various conferences. The regional COMOPS divisions met from time to time to exchange notes. Over and above contra-mobilisation projects undertaken by the territorial commands, COMOPS ran national contra-mobilisation projects under Brigadier FJ ‘Ferdi’ van Wyk.
Project Capital
566 The Federal Independent Democratic Alliance (FIDA) constitutes one example of a national project. The 1991 Kahn Committee described the project, code-named Capital, as a “moderate alliance of black organisations to combat violence and
advance stability”, further stating that “we were told it was a very valuable source of information to the Defence Force on violence in black townships”. FIDA had a head office in Johannesburg and was active in thirteen regions with at least sixty-eight employees by 1991. SADF links were terminated in September 1991 with a once-off payment of R1.47 million. Its annual budget by 1991 was at least R3 million per year.
567 Project Ancor, which fell under the umbrella of Project Orange, was identified as the national contra-mobilisation project. Other projects included Metros: Mobilisering van tradisionele genesers (Mobilisation of traditional healers); Natal Vakbond; KwaNdebele project; Venda project; QwaQwa project; Eagle Jeugklubs (Youth clubs) (OVS); Vaaldriehoekse Swartjeug projek (Vaal Triangle black youth project); Oriënteering Swart onderwysers; Globale Kleurling projek; Kleurling Parlementariërs (Coloured parliamentarians); Mobilisering van gematigde Swart leiers in RSA (Mobilisation of moderate black leaders in RSA); Navorsingsprojek Stellenbosch Universiteit (Stellenbosch University research project); Capriviprojek; Kaokoland-projek; Namaland-projek; Mike Wildtuin; Rigters; Kerkgroep SWA; Spesialisgroep Kommunikators SWA; SWA Swart Leiers; and SWA Bybelskool. It was anticipated that the annual amounts required to cover these groupings would be in excess of R15 million.
568 ANCOR also involved the creation of a front company called Adult Education Consultants or AdEd CC in Pretoria. Its members included Dr LJ Pasques and Dr JL van der Westhuizen. The mission of the organisation was “die effektiewe mobilisering en kontramobilisering van die verskillende groepe in Suidelike Afrika, ter beveiliging van die RSA se Nasionale Veiligheidsdoelwitte” (the effective mobilisation and contra-mobilisation of different groups in Southern Africa, to protect the National Security goals of South Africa).
569 Project Kampong, under which regional projects fell, was a sub-project of ANCOR. In the Eastern Cape, an extensive network of MI-funded front companies were established from 1985 onwards with the aim of building an anti-revolutionary base of support. The Eastern Cape COMOPS unit was awarded the ‘Vrede Sabel/Peace Sword’ for four years in the late 1980s as the most successful region in this field, an honour previously awarded to the South West African component. Projects included Pullin (East Cape Sports Foundation), Lactone (Lion Life Resource Corporation), and Vallex, and they received funding through the SADF or the STRATCOM branch of the SSC.32 The above projects did not
32 The (empty) files of the SSC STRATCOM branch list the following project in operation during 1985. Projek 71: Ooskaap - betrek van Gematigde swartmense (HTSK).
VOLUME 2 CHAPTER 3 The State inside South Africa between 1960 and 1990 PAGE 301