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I nter nationalKluooii«•»! Uroup Organized in Soutli Africa»RieselNATAL (Union of South Africa) - An international KuKlux Klan, using the same grim name and initials, has springupI found it after weeks lt;ftracking down reports that a hooded b and was operatingm the bushc ou n t r v . Itwears the traditional white gown and peaked head covering, It practices cross burning though it does not yetride at night,It is anti-Catholic. It is racist. It is part of a network of other secretsocieties literally working underground to develop a master white race of Boer South Africans This Boer -or “Afrikaans” — secret society, known as “Ruiterwag,” also is dedicated to fighting Roman Catholicism.Membership in both groups is intermingled, though both societies of the night have notofficially joined forces.* * *FIRST NEWS of the Ku Klux Klan meeting in the Southern hush country came out of Capetown late last winter. There were reports of hooded mensitting around big burningcrosses They discussed thespreading of literature. Thesepieces have been read to me. They sound like anything out of a Klavern meeting in the Midwest back in the twenties. They’re brutal.After considerable inquiryin Johannesburg, I discovered that there had been a meeting of something called the South African Bureau of Racial Affairs — SABRA — some two months ago, during which some of the most importantgovernment braintrusters had warned non-Boer whites and a number of internationally known Africans of the coming of the Ku Klux Klan.This was not a friendlyBy Victor Rieselwarning. It was a threat. And a threat from SABRA is all-important in this tense complex land, with mammoth racial problems SABRA, though a private organization, is the institution on which the government depends for the development of philosophical concepts and plans for the absolutelycomplete segregation of some 9 million natives in special reserves. This would leave vast areas completely white. A warning from SABRA virtuallyhas the stamp of supreme authority.* * *PERSISTANT inquiries finally led this reporter to one of the great Zulu chiefs. He was educated in an American missionary college. He had been at the SABRA conference six weeks ago. I drove up the coast to a little village. Then I waited. Soon he came along I introduced myself and we talked of the SABRA session.He described is as a gathering of men of all groups, including those of the Zulu people. There were other Bantus. All were eager to avoid the rioting, burning, and wild destruction against which the South African police now are preparing to move w-ith big tanks borrowed from the Army. THE SABRA session was told by the moderate native leaders that the Bantu (Africans) would turn to the extremists if the moderatescould not deliver some rights to them. Discrediting of the moderates, like mv friend the7 mZulu chief, could mean new pressures, new tensions, newuncontrollable leaders eventually,SaBRA’s Intellectuals askedjust what solution the moderates sought. The austere Zulu said in his deep bass voice, in cultured English, that they wanted political rights such as voting. A SABRA spokesman replied with no personal animosity, but with the certainty of great strength:“We will never share power with you. And if you persist, a! Ku Klux Klan will spring up/* j* • *MANY at the SABRA session were shocked. The government's intellectuals shrugged their shoulders. Their task was not to find a middle way. TheirWassignment was to develop the philosophy for the government’s practical action in moving millions of Bantus out of the big cities, setting them up ! in self-sufficient reserves andsetting up new industries, factories ami commerce at the edge of the native regions so that there would be ample la- ' bor supplies.To many in the Union ofSouth Africa there was littlein the Ku Klux Klan whichcame as a surprise,. They werenot accustomed to the cross burning or the hoods. They knew the concept. There are influential secret societies. Typical is the Ruiterwag, now preparing for a guarded Sep tember convention, which operates through a series of se-crct cells. Each member has a code number. One of these in Johannesburg is the Krugercell This is named after thegreat Boer hero.Each cell is referred to as a“Wagposte” — English for this Is guard post They’re strung throughout the four South African provinces which make up the Union.THIS OUTFIT runs on military lines, Each guard post has a leader — a “Hofwag.” This means he is the chiefthe September convention is being referred to not as a congress or conference, but as a “wagraad.” This literally is a “guardcouncil,” Each guard-post is linked to a “wagpos-raad” — a council of guard posts. There is a council of chief guards which is super-ceded only by a supreme presidential council. These boys mean business.They’re guarding against more than the Zulu people. Today South Africa. Tomorrowthe world. Now where did I hear that before?
Newspaper Details
Elmira Sunday Telegram
Elmira, New York, US
Sun, Jul 26, 1959
Page 9
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
NY, USA 06 Mar 2021
Other Publications Near Elmira, New York
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