South Africa

Modified 12 Nov 2002

• PAGAD (People Against Gangsterism And Drugs) -- As per the U.S. Dept of State (April 2001), ``PAGAD was formed in 1996 as a community anticrime group fighting drugs and violence in the Cape Flats section of Cape Town but by early 1998 had also become antigovernment and anti-Western. PAGAD and its Islamic ally Qibla view the South African Government as a threat to Islamic values and consequently promote greater political voice for South African Muslims. The group is led by Abdus Salaam Ebrahim. PAGAD's G-Force (Gun Force) operates in small cells and is believed responsible for carrying out acts of terrorism. PAGAD uses several front names, including Muslims Against Global Oppression (MAGO) and Muslims Against Illegitimate Leaders (MAIL), when launching anti-Western protests and campaigns. PAGAD is suspected of conducting recurring bouts of urban terrorism--particularly bomb sprees--in Cape Town since 1998, including nine bombings in 2000. Bombing targets have included South African authorities, moderate Muslims, synagogues, gay nightclubs, tourist attractions, and Western-associated restaurants. PAGAD is believed to have masterminded the bombing on 25 August 1998 of the Cape Town Planet Hollywood. Said to have ties to Osama bin Laden. http://www.pagad.co.za/
• Azanian People's Organisation (AZAPO) -- ultra-left-wing socialist organization advocating total nationalization of all South Africa's (or "Azania" as they call it) resources and land to "the African masses". Had origins in the BCM (Black Consciousness Movement) started by Steve Biko in the 1970's, lost ground to ANC and PAC in 1980's and 1990's. http://www.azapo.org.za
• Pan Africanist Congress of Azania -- http://www.pac.org.za. Formed in 1960's as offshoot of ANC by Robert Sobukwe, similar to AZAPO. Violently anti-white until recently, advocated slogan "One settler one bullet". Armed wing, Azanian People's Liberation Army (ALPA) said resposible for farm murders, bank robberies, random attacks on whites and police and military, machine gunning and grenading of St James Church in Kenilworth (July 1993, 11 dead), attack on King Williams Town Golf Course (late 1992), several restaurant bombings in the Eastern Cape (end of 1992), RPG attack on Heidelberg Pub in Observatory, Cape Town (31 Dec 1993), attack on Highgate Hotel.
• Qibla -- Islamic fundamentalist group formed in late 1970's by Sheik Achmat Cassiem to oppose the then apartheid government. Still active and closely aligned to PAGAD. I don't have a working URL right now...
• People Against Drugs and Violence (PADAV) -- PAGAD clone operating mostly in Eastern Cape area, much smaller than PAGAD. I don't have a working URL right now...
• ``Resistance'' groups -- There are a number of these, generally extreme-right-wing groups with racially motivated agendas.
  • Die Afrikaner Weerstand Beweging (Afrikaner Resistance Movement) -- AWB -- http://www.lantic.co.za/~awb/
  • The International Freedom Forum -- Wants to establish Saxia, the Land of the Anglo-Afrikaner Saxons: http://www.tou.com/host/iff/
  • Others include:
    • Wit Wolwe (White Wolves) -- extremist Afrikaner group, violently racist, advocating formation of separate Afrikaner homeland. Most notorious member is Barend Strydom who gunned down a number of black pedestrians in Pretoria in November 1988. Sentenced to life imprisonment, released in late 1992 in swap with ANC and PAC.
    • Boere Liberation Army (BLA)
    • Blanke Weerstandsbeweging (White Resistance Movement)
    • Boeremag (Farmer Power or Farmer Strength) -- Leader Thomas Vogel Vorster is in custody, but six top Boeremag members are wanted after detonating 10-11 bombs in and around Soweto (Johannesburg) on October 29th 2002. Plan to overthrow SA government contained in "Document 12" which was emailed to most SA newspapers in Nov 2002 (although its authenticity has yet to be confirmed).
    • Israelse Visie (Israel Vision) -- extreme right-wing group advocating a separate Afrikaner homeland. Splinter group at most, with a limited following.
• There is an analysis, from an anti-anti-semitism point of view, at: http://www.axt.org.uk/antisem/archive/archive1/southafrica/safrica.htm
• BTW -- National Intelligence Agency -- http://www.nia.org.za/