21 Feb 01

Africa, 2001:

I just returned from a nearly three-week stay with my friends in South Africa. I conducted three training programs, got to meet an ex-president, and did some great hunting. My friends and instructors make it all possible, and I am very fortunate to be able to know them.

Politics:

Politically and economically South Africa continues on a frightening, downward spiral. When I entered the country at the beginning of this month, the exchange rate from Rand to US dollars was 7.9:1. When I left three weeks later, it was 8.2:1. The ANC, which dominates politics, owes much to the Communists for their support over the years, and the Communists thus have a great deal of influence. Local labor unions are all run by Communists.

The ANC has shown no interest in sharing power with anyone, particularly the white population. Raciest policies at the national level are rampant and expanding, with white business owners finding it impossible to continue doing business without their companies being owned or taken over by blacks. The South African equivalent of the IRS works on a COMMISSION BASIS! Thus "tax collection" has become little more than uncontrolled extortion. Incompetent and utterly unqualified people are routinely appointed to top bureaucratic positions simply because of their skin color. Whites and have been systematically excluded.

In short, the white population (including Portuguese, Indians, and Asians) has become marginalized. They are much like Jews in Nazi Germany in 1935, openly hated and unrepentantly persecuted, clinging to the desperate and improbable hope that the situation will improve or that someone will help them. The predictable result is that South Africa is now in the middle of a large-scale, white-flight crisis. Doctors, in droves, are fleeing to Canada (which is actively recruiting them). Engineers and teachers are fleeing to the UK. Australia and New Zealand are actively and unapologetically encouraging emigration of skilled people from South Africa, running large ads in local newspapers. The ads, in an anything-but-subtle manner, convey the idea that in Australia and New Zealand whites are welcome and safe from persecution. In short, South Africa is rapidly losing all the people it can't afford to lose. Many of my friends believe anarchy and armed dissonance, as is occurring right now in neighboring Zimbabwe, are inevitable and impending.

Violent crime against whites, particularly farm owners, is rampant and all but encouraged by the government. Farm owners have been told that they will receive no protection. "Investigations" of farm attacks are a joke, and few arrests are ever made.

Private security forces have completely displaced public police in all upscale, residential and business areas. Public police are universally regarded as incompetent and clueless. In fact, crime statistics are so alarming that the government has decided to make them all secret! All crime statistics and police records are now classified. Newspapers and broadcast media are prohibited from reporting them. Bad news is not cool.

Any form of self defense is now a crime, particularly if the attacked is white and the attacker(s) is black. Anyone who uses a gun to defend themselves can plan on going to jail, which is a death sentence in itself. All I talked with indicated that, if they ever shot someone, they would simply walk away. If it occurs in their home, they dispose of the body and say nothing.

The new gun law limits everyone to three guns, a pistol, a shotgun, and a rifle. If a gun breaks, tough luck! All guns are registered at the national level, and permission to own a gun can be arbitrarily withdrawn at any time. Buying one usually takes ninety days or more. Fortunately, the law in largely unenforceable, and a substantial number of citizens are ignoring it. Shooting ranges are being shut down, and ammunition manufacture is being regulated out of business. High performance, defensive ammunition is nearly impossible to find and is prohibitively expensive. Most of my students came to me with homemade, lead reloads which were underpowered, inaccurate, and filthy, and they even had precious little of that. I had to curtail the number of rounds consumed to half of what I would specify over here.

On top of all that, the AIDS crisis is still out of control, killing people as rapidly as in any of the plagues of the second millennium. Regrettably, government at all levels is in unequivocal denial, insisting that there is no epidemic and that no one needs to worry. There is also a deadly cholera epidemic going on right now, particularly in townships (slums) around Durban. Thousands have died. Yet, there is an absolute news blackout. I didn't find out about it until I returned home. There was not a word about it on the local news while I was there. News manipulation is surely not beneath the ANC.

Speaking of which, you'll never hear any of the forgoing reported in the American news media. So afraid (and cowardly) are they of any subject which could have racial overtones, the crisis in South Africa is being ignored. Locals are amazed that Americans know so little of the situation.

Training:

Most of my police students came to me with CZs. Old and worn out, they still functioned for the most part. There are many accidents when people try to manually decock the weapon. I thus encourage students to carry it cocked and locked. The new version of the CZ, which has a manual decocking lever, has yet to make its appearance.

One group of private security people had H&K USP Compacts in 45ACP. Excellent pistol, however students with big hands kept inadvertently pushing out the slide stop pin, which immediately caused the pistol to stop functioning. We sometimes see the same thing with 1911s. In any event, we had to coach them not to put pressure on the right extension of the slide stop pin as their trigger finger went into register.

There were a few Browning Hi-Powers and some locally made Vectors and RAPs (Republic Arms), but serious students all had Glocks. I makes me cringe to see lead reloads shot through them, but that is all that is available. They become a gummy mess is short order.

Norinco makes a copy of the old Ithaca pump shotgun (bottom ejecting). We had several in classes. They work well! I've never seen one in the States.

There is a fledgling kydec holster industry in South Africa. Crude by our standards, they are still functional. I saw a number of Fobus holsters. They are popular. I brought some Elderton Ky-Tac holsters for my friends. Everyone wants them!

Hunting:

Again this year, I had the opportunity to hunt on the sprawling Nellskrall Game Ranch in the Karoo desert, about one-third of the way from Capetown to Johannesburg near the town of Beaufort.

This time, we went after red hartebeest and blue wildebeest. As was the case last year, I used a borrowed Bruno bolt gun in 270 Win. I was fortunate to have an excellent guide and tracker, without whom I would have never seen an animal. I got a shot at the hartebeest first. Range was 175 meters, and it was an uphill shot. African plains game never stop running, and, when they finally pause, its rarely for more than two seconds. When the hartebeest bull finally paused for two seconds, it turned out to be one too many! I started my compression sequence as soon as he slowed down, holding on the point of the shoulder. There was a gusty wind, and, when the shot broke, the bullet was blown forward, toward the neck, by three inches. In any event, the bullet hit him in the neck, and he went down with one shot, never to get up again (unlike the orex last year!). He weighed 350 pounds.

I was using hand loads featuring Barnes X bullets. It was a 130 grain monolithic bullet which contains no lead. I've never used them before, but I was surely impressed with their performance! The front opens up, but the entire rear of the bullet stays intact. I believe virtually no weight was lost. We didn't recover the one from the hartebeest, as it went through and through. We did recover the one from the wildebeest, which I shot the following day.

Like hartebeest, blue wildebeest never stop running! When I finally got a shot the range was 225 meters. Again, I held on the point of the shoulder, but the bullet was again blown a few inches forward into the neck. Again, he went down with one shot. I was thrilled and relieved that I didn't disgrace the regiment! His weight was 500 pounds. Wildebeest are big animals, and tough!

I delivered two finishing shots into the wildebeest with a G19. The first was a Gold-Dot 125gr. The second was a Cor-Bon 115gr. Both made splendid, ten-inch wound channels, tearing up lung and heart tissue impressively. However, the Gold-Dot bullet ejected its core. We recovered only the expanded jacket. The Cor-Bon bullet stayed together. Jacket and bullet, perfectly expanded, were intact and bonded together.

VIPs:

Through one of my politically connected friends I had the opportunity to meet ex-president, PW Botha, in person. Now in his eighties, he is a controversial figure, but he received me graciously, and we had a wonderful conversation about the history of the African Continent. He gave me an autographed book, and I gave him a copy of my latest handgun volume

Travel Tips:

When in South Africa, I was advised not to smoke Camel cigarettes and not to use Zippo lighters! Camel cigarettes and several other American brands are expensive, and people smoking them are identified as well off and thus suitable candidates for mugging. Zippo lighters are likewise associated with "rich" people. I don't smoke anyway, but its good advice for people who do.

That is the latest. I hope to return next year, if the situation over there still permits it.

/John

21 Feb 01

This from a friend I just saw last week in Africa:

"Here is a reason to be always armed that you may not have thought of. It never crossed my mind until it happened:

Last winter (May-Aug) I was hiking with some friends on a mountain trail near my home (the Cape area). There were six of us. We were suddenly accosted by a troupe of baboons who had been waiting for us at a blind spot on the trail. There were several dozen adults, along with many juveniles.

Baboons here have lost all fear of humans. They are aggressive, vicious, and extremely dangerous, even the small ones. They have long incisors and are much stronger than any human. They routinely kill guard dogs with little effort. Their mouths are extremely septic, so any bite invariably brings on a nasty infection.

They break into homes and cars looking for food. It has become a real problem here. They know how to operate door knobs and handles as well as window sashes. They also know how to break window and car glass without hurting themselves. They will aggressively approach humans and take briefcases, lunch boxes, etc.

Concerned for our safety, we all picked up rocks in an effort to drive them away. It was touch and go for nearly an hour. We were finally able to back down the trail and get to our cars. None of us were armed. Baboons are extremely fearful of ARMED humans. They know what guns look like, and the scatter immediately if anyone produces one.

I firmly resolved that day that I would never again go anywhere without a gun, particularly around here!"

Lesson: It is the UNEXPECTED that we need to prepare for most earnestly. The expected isn't nearly so scary!

/John