Staff Writer
What was this? An insurrection? (Or ‘a failed insurrection’ according to the President using western talk of “a deliberate, coordinated and well-planned attack on our young democracy, on our economy and our people’s livelihoods.”) Up until now, he has done nothing much to assist ‘our people’s livelihoods.’.
But the Defense minister Mapisa-Nqakula said it was her view that the military was not seeing signs of a coup or insurgency, but rather a ‘counter-revolution creeping in, in the form of criminality and thuggery.
As you can see, things do not add up although now they’re talking about being coherent in the future. We will have to break out the small violins here for each instance of ‘coherence’
At the moment on the ground, we see some tenuous calm with sporadic reports of attacks across the KZN province still happening. Farm attacks are continuing at the usual pace.
Apparently, some six key instigators have been taken into custody, and in some cases, immediately released on bail.
The question of what this is is not so simple as we have to look at internal issues, external issues, political issues, cultural issues, racial issues, tribal issues, economic issues, major corruption, as well as a failed state. It is a complex picture needing a view of the interrelationship of many of these issues. But if you want a more simplistic view, here is one: https://www.politicsweb.co.za/opinion/the-zuma-insurrection-a-quick-and-dirty-analysis
First, the external forces:
To even begin to understand the external forces here, we have to first take a look at BRICS.
In Brazil, BRICS was emasculated, and which resulted in _ RICS
In India, BRICS was broken, and then we had _ R _ CS
And now in South Africa it looks like BRICS is of no account, and now we have _ R _ C _
Zuma (despite his crimes) was a BRICS supporter and he is now in jail (Guilty as hell, but others are equally guilty of Capturing the State Coffers).
Ramaphosa (despite his crimes) is a western supporter who took an IMF loan, and the west immediately bought his loyalty and incentivized him with an invite to the recent G7
The internal forces – The Tribal balance of power, Zulus vs the Rest of the ANC
So Ramaphosa did what he was required to do, and announced on the very first day of the riots, another round of brutal lockdowns as we now know IMF Loans require.
Soon after returning from the G7, Zuma went to jail and all hell broke loose and one province and part of another is laid lame with countless businesses, major infrastructure and farms destroyed up to the point of threatening famine.
The visible objective was a quick coup to make part of the country ungovernable, call ‘no confidence’ against the sitting president, a quick election, and hopefully retain the country for the Zulu powerbase.
Ramaphosa did not act. For three days, the current government did not act. On the first view, it looked clearly like tribal violence with police completely outnumbered and outmaneuvered and local crime watch and neighborhood watches taking their security into their own hands and protecting themselves and in certain instances, their own businesses. The following is an early assessment of the extent of the damage and does not include countless small businesses and damage to people and their lives:
Only on the 4th day, the military was deployed visibly.
Now the reminder is that with the previous Covid lockdown, the military was front and center from inception, ready and working. One cannot help but wonder why this roll-out of defense of infrastructure and citizens was so very slow. Was the mayhem allowed to take a certain course? Were the internal security forces caught on the wrong foot? Somehow this is beyond the words ‘extreme incompetence’ and implies planning on both sides. Internally educated people say that the looting happened with military precision. The looting has been said to be sufficient to outfit an army if we take the looted ammunition into account and the stolen atm boxes. And then, once the defense forces deployed, you could see the precision again, but now on the side of the state.
The local crime watches and neighborhood watches – the stars of the show.
Ilana Mercer wrote a piece on this for Unz. https://www.unz.com/imercer/south-africa-shames-u-s-democrats-by-uniting-against-criminality/
While the local police forces worked with the local private security and with the local neighborhood watches hand in hand, those areas that locked themselves down and did not allow a stranger in, were safe. When the Police Minister, General Bheki Cele surfaced on day three or four, first he babbled a bit about vigilantes but had to swallow his own words in one mighty hurry as the community growled and said: ‘You Just Try Anything! We’ve found our strength.’ He is nevertheless trying to investigate the neighborhood watches.
Now, it is agreed in a Presidential speech that neighborhood watches can continue with their actions and efforts at protecting neighborhoods. These people were protecting themselves, their own, and their own food stocks and stores. The damage to normal people and their livelihoods takes one’s breath away with some of the smaller towns in complete rack and ruin.
Yet, there is still no major government attempt to help with food, and the community is again coming together with various food parcel initiatives and an airbridge from the other provinces.
And now, let’s look again at the Why.
Of course, these are scenarios at this stage only.
A theory that is making the rounds is that South Africa is the laboratory of the principles of new statism or the project where globalism is tested, one’s identity or roots are destroyed on the altar to globalism through so-called progressive policies for example critical race theory. Ernst Roets of Afriforum spoke about this to Tucker Carlson.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtMbUO4E-eQ&t=1s
This is an excerpt and I believe the full hour-long interview is on Fox Nation.
On the other hand, in the riots of the last number of days, we see disaster capitalism in the making running ‘hot’. Who is going to buy up the smaller businesses in distress?
What has changed?
Yet, there are changes. From India: Anti-White and anti-Indian bigotry in South Africa: The racism that does not attract the world’s condemnation. At the heart of the raging unrest in South Africa lies the widespread anti-white racism and violence against minorities.
China immediately told the Government that they have to take responsibility for the many Chinese in South Africa.
Russians in South Africa were told to lay in food and stay at home.
Externally many are now saying .. ‘Wow, we never believed those racist South African white pigs. But look at what we see now, perhaps they had a point.’
Internally there are calls to coordinate the neighborhood watches, truly a strong force, on a national basis, and this will most certainly put a 3rd level of defense into the country. Police, Defense, and neighborhood watches. This would make any state tremble in their boots to see their own power so usurped. To me, this is the most interesting development.
The current proposed law to disarm South Africans is of course now just moot, but they will try again.
The land appropriation without compensation has had a lethal strike. People do not defend what is not theirs.
So, now that we have an external view, and an internal view, let’s step back and see what it may look like in terms of Who dun’it.
This does not have the normal signs of a color revolution, but neither did Brazil when the evangelical Christians were exploited and used for a Bolsonaro election win.
– Did the Zulu power bloc take the opportunity of a first strike against the current western-influenced ANC to save their lands and get their power back (also to hide their part of the capture of the state coffers)?. Can we then call this a first strike with tribal characteristics on the current government?
– Did the current government pretend not to notice and deliberately allowed this to continue until they could no longer ignore it, as a form of power politics and resistance, and until the Chinese and Indians were shouting just too loudly?
Or is it both of the above and — the following:
China’s BRI vs G7’s B3W: The stage is set for an epic showdown in Africa
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XncNWRXZhnI
To make complete sense of this, we will have to wait and see who benefits.
My own prediction is that at last the ANC will split but it is not sure into what. Any change though will be a welcome relief for the citizens of South Africa. Moodies have just downgraded five South African metropolitan municipalities to junk status.
What is clear is that we have a failed state with the Rainbow Nation Dream or the South African Project lying in rack and ruin. (this is nothing to do with LGBT+++ and is a word that Mandela or his speechwriters came up with about 30 years ago).
South Africa will have to start over. This would entail: Safeguard property rights, remove all race-based laws and policies, the disadvantaged and poor must have a working system of economic empowerment.
But a question is begged: Why is South Africa still important? (This is besides minerals and diamonds and gold and land and farming and food production smarts having been the previous breadbasket and the developed sea route and harbors around the Cape)
This is why! :
“From an Old Soldier
There can be no greater proof of the solid training we received as National Servicemen, than what we have seen in neighborhoods all over KZN in the past week.
The Ou Manne (Old Men in this instance indicating experienced Soldiers) provided calm and stability under, at times, very hectic situations. Some youngsters were taken aside and spoken to in calm low voices. It made a huge difference.
Systems were put in place which tightened up security and provided peace of mind for the families waiting in their homes afraid and nervous.
Salute my friends. Salute.”
Another veteran wrote this:
“We survived an event that will go down in history and be spoken about around the world for decades to come. They will make movies and write books about this.
But that’s irrelevant.
But here’s what is relevant to my mind.
Thank you to Zuma’s sons and Malema and all the other role players for this unplanned most powerful gift.
Through your planned actions and failure of actions, as things spiraled out of control, you have achieved something that even Nelson Mandela couldn’t get right.
Out of the fires of the lawless chaos has been born a whole new caliber of law-abiding citizen.
For the first time that I have ever seen, we stood shoulder to shoulder with our fellow neighbor’s prepared to have each other’s backs to the end. Blacks, whites, colored, and Indian together, without rich or poor or any other divisions. We fought side by side to protect our neighborhoods where all our family’s lives were depending on us, and so we counted on each other in a way we never EVER have before.
I look at the taxi association with new respect as well. Nothing was more important than saving what shop’s and infrastructure was still possible to be saved so we may eat tomorrow. And when there seemed no hope by our exhausted and overburdened police force and no army around, it was the taxi association that stepped up and fought them back with us.
And yesterday where were they? Helping to clean up the Durban CBD.
You have my respect for these acts gentlemen, will try and be a bit more patient with taxis going forward.
We all went through this together, we shared the same fears for our families, we shared coffee and what food we had while we stood protecting our families at our blockades in the thick of the chaos. We even shared our ammo. And in these last days, I think our eyes have opened to many things.
But for me the main thing I saw that gives me hope was this.
Not everybody is a born soldier, but the majority of South African men who were out there due to necessity drew strength from the confidence and determination of those of us who have served. They found their “inner Boer” and if this happens again, there will be less fear and hesitation to take their place alongside their neighbors again because they know how strong and sure we are together.
The bonds forged out of this have changed the dynamics of the law-abiding neighborhoods and communities permanently for the better.
When you stand shoulder to shoulder in the dark against a real threat, you see the metal of a man. Not his cars, jewelry or status, or color, just the stripped-down bare heart, guts, and metal of one another — And these new bonds forged now are on THAT level!
And yes we’ve lost a lot, mostly material stuff that can be replaced or rebuilt. And the coming days are going to be hard too, we know this as well, but we will be OK because we have our communities and NOW we know them and know we can trust them. We have a base to start from.
We will be ok!
Thank you, everybody who stood together, you all have my complete respect and appreciation for your part.
RESILIENT, ACCOUNTABLE & UNITED
THE LAW ABIDING KZN COMMUNITY
I’m very proud to be counted among you.
May God Bless you all
An old soldier”
Thanks for the informative update. Indeed some of us have long been interested in the developments in S.A post apartheid with increasing alarm and concern. Ian Smith and the plucky Rodesians it seems were honourably correct and astute in their understanding of who they were really fighting after all 😕. South Africans regardless of creed were occupied by the same communist agenda many of us understand. I salute you as a ‘community soldier of the people’ and may the angels help guide you and your homeland to a lasting peace. Amen 🙏
Is it conceivable that the west is imploding South Africa in order to benefit from the mass exodus. A eugenic migration of educated refugees instead of the other cognitively challenged rapist sort.
White liberals seem very positive, positive people usually have foreign passports.
Imagine having an IQ of around 60 and going hungry for days. Your decision making is going to be even worse as time goes on.
This upheaval signals that the Mandela Revolution has Not been hijacked by the Elitists as it appears and that the struggle goes on. This present ANC stand Guilty of not implementing the Mandela Manifiesto. Instead, the Capitalist Class has asserted Austerity Economics. This upheaval is a purview of what’s to come when the US Dollar collapse followed by Inflation leading into a global economic depression.
Poverty has nothing to loose. Those who will loose are those who can afford to. Not many fully understand many elements of the Russian Revolution where an Aristocracy rules.
Who send it the Police to murder 16 Marikana miners as story that seems buried but remains in memory. There is more.
Somehow I sense that all these serial riots all around the world are leading to the grand finale – the mother of all riots blowing back to the original source.
The Zionist regime (the Anglo part is redundant) is trying to destroy BRICS one brick at a time, Brazil, now South Africa, … India too for favoring Russian weapons over US crap.
RC has openly officially ditch BIS months years ago…
and has opened up the letters for new candidates
B – Balarus or Bhutan or Bangladesh or even Belgium?!
I – Iran or Ireland
S – SK or Singapore or even Switzerland???
since the old BIS is being messed up, as compo, we want A – Argentina but sam prob will jump again in another circus show…. how high? xD
Q: why A? Argentina claims sovereignty over a part of Antarctica, the Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.
bwbs
Thanks Amarynth, a much appreciated deconstruction of the many “moving parts” in South Africa.
If this is a NED/US State Dept/Soros color revolution, they have changed some elements of the standard playbook.
I have not seen a chorus of “calls” for someone to “stand down”.
Compare the coordinated narrative around the Cuban unrest happening at the same time as South Africa.
With Cuba the standard color rev script was running almost on autopilot.
South Africa did not seem to have the usual parties making the same old “calls” and claims.
Once again, huge appreciation to Saker blog. When events were underway, and I wanted to understand what was happening … what was *really* happening … I knew there was nowhere else other than here to look for narrative free, agenda free insight.
Thanks Saker. And Amarynth for the time and background to write this for us.
You know in all honesty I think what’s happening in our country,the looting and all has its roots in the fact that you have a large part of the population living in poverty,waking up everyday thinking about where am I gonna get food today.I hear people speculating about this conspiracy or that conspiracy,sometimes the answer is very simple. I think yes,there was some people who started trouble because their leader Zuma went to jail,but I I think the vast majority of people took part in the looting were just opportunists who wanted to grab whatever they can so they sell it and buy food. And if you look closer you see that it was mostly grocery stores that were looted.In other words,people stole food,that’s what they were after,food.
Its not the first time we’ve seen mass looting in this country in recent times. Every time you saw those xenophobic attacks,there was always looting involved,and mostly it was food that was being stolen. The conditions are rife for this sort of thing. I think this thing with Zuma was just the latest trigger/pretext.Xenophobic attacks,Zuma goes to jail,the common and recurring denominator is the looting of food. I think until we fix the problems of mass unemployment and endemic poverty in a very large part of the population(more than half by my estimate),we’ll just keep seeing more of these. Who knows what the trigger will be next time,it doesn’t even matter because it’s the underlying economic situation that is the cause of all this. If those people had jobs to go,do you think they’d be out here stealing food..?
The cause of mass unemployment and poverty is the neo-liberal economic policies that our government has been implementing since Mbeki’s tenure,this didn’t start with Zuma as the MS media in S A would have you believe.If you look around the world you will see that most of the countries who practiced these policies(neo~liberal economics) are in a similar situation,mostly the western world. We saw it with Greece few years back,France a couple of years ago with the yellow vest movement/riots, and we saw it in the USA last year. That B L M stuff is just a surface level issue,tip of the iceberg if you will.When you look deeper,it boils down to economics.Brexit is a direct result of Neo-liberal economics and is further proof it does NOT work.There are so many articles published on this blog that have proven this statement beyond a reasonable doubt,just look them up.
I’m glad that some communities found unity and common understanding through all this. But I wish that as a society,as a country,we would extend that common understanding and unity to the millions of fellow citizens who are much less fortunate than we are. If the past week proves anything is that we are NOT disconnected from each,other people’s struggles can and will touch our lives in the most uncomfortable of ways if left to simmer and boil over. Its good that some communities banded together and United for a common cause,but it would be much better if we all came together to solve the underlying core issues which are the cause of the symptoms/riots/looting that we saw the past week. What I like is that ordinary people came together to face a commonchallenge without looking to any politicians for solutions. That is the same attitude determination we need to solve the challenges that face the country as a whole.
Our opponents are not those poor bastards who were looting and carrying on this past week (not to excuse what they did because their actions destroyed alot of people’s livelyhoods and put others at risk of phisical harm).
The ones who caused all this wear tailored suites,they drive fancy cars,they write the rules which we must live by and yet live by different set of rules.They see themselves as above the rest of us and believe it’s their manifest destiny rule over us,the plenary.They have no mercy and believe the end justifies the means and I’m Not just talking about politicians here,I’m talking about the ones who control them..
/the-people-and-the-unpeople-at-home-and-abroad/
Indeed. That was an obvious and glaring difference to the U. S antifa/blm widespread looting in many cities and states almost exclusively designer goods, electrical products and highend fashion etc.. Which were often burnt in place and ignored in S.A ie trucks loaded with sports cars just burned is a message not looting The targeting of food distribution in S.A was next level and ominous sign… Thou the burning of crops was a standout oddity that can’t be explained by hunger and poverty..?..
Perhaps the burning of crops was a failure of these people to recognize the link between the crops and the end user goods which are produced from those crops.Poor and hungry people tend to focus on what they can use/consume now,not later. Also we can’t ignore the elements of the Zuma supporters who sparked the unrest in the first place,those people were definitely out to make political statements and create as much pressure as possible to get the government to release Zuma. The vast majority however were opportunistic looters,young people with no interest in politics.
A nation, union or federation can;t survive without solidarity and both the EU and USA should take note: you’re on a slippery slope…
I left South Africa at the age of 60 after a terrible dream of mass slaughter. I tried NZ for 3 Years, returned for 3 more (seeing it worse) and left permanently for Iran.
I must add that during my last 3 visits to SA to flip my passports and collect pension funds, I exclusively used African taxi buses to get around and was the only whitey to do so, often found myself the only whitey at a taxi terminus of 200 or more taxis. I supported the many street vendors, ate excellent street food like pap (grits) and chicken feet and never saw a single racist incident..
One day a mother and toddler daughter with tear streaks down her cheeks got in at the sliding door and helped the young girl onto my lap where she cuddled up and immediately fell asleep.18 passengers were astonished and chatter continued for some time.
the hardest workers in SA are the taxi drivers, 4-6 trips in the early morning, several during the day and double as much till late at night, working 16-18 hours. Waiting in line for the next load or for the taxi to fill up is a huge social event as drivers and passengers sit around and chat and joke like real comrades.
That’s all I miss about South Africa…
Respect!
i live in SA and im telling mate, the revolution is still coming and it will most likely turn into a civil war.