-Caveat Lector- Electronic Telegraph http://www.telegraph.co.uk/ Black lieutenant kills seven whites at army base By Anton La Guardia in Bloemfontein A BLACK South African army officer was shot dead yesterday after he went on the rampage against white colleagues killing seven, including several officers. Five white soldiers were also wounded, two of them critically. The black lieutenant, who was not named, fired his automatic rifle as he went from office to office in the headquarters of the First South African Infantry Battalion at the Tempe base in Bloemfontein. The army tried to play down the prospect of a racially-motivated murder within its ranks, but the killings will raise many uncomfortable questions about the "integration" of the armed forces after the end of apartheid. Relatives of the victims said that the black lieutenant - reportedly a former member of the Azanian People's Liberation Army, the armed wing of the Pan-Africanist Congress, the radical black party - was angry at the loss of pay after being absent without leave. He had gone to speak to the base commander but when he did not find him, he shot the deputy, a major. He then shot other people in the headquarters building before continuing his shooting spree outside. The mother of a wounded major said: "My son tried to take his gun away but he was shot in the chest. He continued to grapple with him on the ground and was shot again in the shoulder." The dead included a white civilian woman working in one of the offices. An army spokesman said: "The people who were killed were white. The officer who shot them was black, but it's very dangerous to look at a matter of this nature along colour lines. It's a person against a person." The First South African Infantry Battalion is regarded as an elite unit. Its soldiers were among the first to be deployed in Lesotho last year in an operation which, despite poor planning, was hailed as proof of the success of South Africa's new armed forces. With the end of apartheid, former enemies were merged into a new force. The old white-dominated South African army was integrated with anti-apartheid armed guerrillas and the militias of the former black homelands. It was a delicate process which, until yesterday's shooting, was thought to be going well despite the ubiquitous racial tensions which still dominate South African society. At the same time, the force is being cut down from about 100,000 to 70,000, and is being re-trained for roles including regional peace-keeping. The army and police have launched an investigation, and said they will look into a possible racial motive. They will want to know how the soldier got hold of live ammunition. The Tempe base, on the outskirts of Bloemfontein, houses several other units - including paratroopers, special forces and armour. Journalists were kept out of the site of the shooting and many soldiers were reluctant to speak. One black soldier said: "The integration is going well, but there are still many problems between blacks and whites in the army." Another black soldier said: "Of course it's about race." A white officer, however, thought the incident was "personal". He said: "There is a lot of shock and sadness. But it could have been anybody taking a gun to his superiors. It might have been a white lieutenant." The defence minister, Patrick Lekota, and the chief-of-staff Siphiwe Nyanda, visited the base and appealed for calm. Mr Nyanda said he was still trying to establish the motive for the killings. Mbeki calls for calm after army massacre THE South African government and army yesterday moved to dampen racial tensions after a black officer, Lt Sibusiso Madubela, 28, killed six white soldiers and a civilian at Tempe base in Bloemfontein, before being shot dead by a fellow soldier. President Thabo Mbeki, appealing for calm, said: "It seems that . . . something went wrong in his head. He just lost control." Brig-Gen Hans Heinze, the base commander, urged journalists not to "pour oil on the flames" by concentrating on the likelihood of a racial motive for the murders. Madubela was said to have been angry at having his pay docked for being absent without leave after attending his father's funeral. Anton La Guardia, Bloemfontein ISSUE 1576 Saturday 18 September 1999 -------------------------------------------------------------------- It was interesting to note the different press reactions to the events. Primedia owned by Mr Kirsch sppressed it almost immediately. The independent group, owned by Mr O' Reilly has publicised it and but gives the line it was not racist. Ironically the best overall fact orientated reporting has been by the ANC controlled media (the TV and Sunday Times(Ramaphosa. (Mr Nyanda, head of the army is by the way radically anti white in sentiment) John PS One of the soldiers murdered at the base had his first child born yesterday. DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. 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