ABSTRACT: Introducing Nongqai magazine’s new series of eyewitness recollections and insights titled: “The Men Speak” about the security and intelligence sphere during the last decades of white rule in South Africa.

KEYWORDS: South Africa; Apartheid; national security; intelligence; strategy; South African Communist Party; SACP; African National Congress; ANC; South African Police; SAP; South African Defence Force; SADF; National Intelligence Service; NIS.

AUTHORS: Brig. Hennie Heymans / Dr. Willem Steenkamp

READ TIME: 2 minutes

(ENGLISH TEXT FOLLOWS AFRIKAANS VERSION)

NONGQAI begin vandag met ‘n insiggewende nuwe reeks. Die titel: “Die manne vertel”. (Die eerste aflewering sal wees brig Hennie Heymans se herinneringe en insigte oor sy jare in die Veiligheidstak en die Nasionale Veiligheidsbestuurstelsel).

Die jaar 2024 gaan ‘n belangrike een wees op die pad van Suid-Afrika. Al die lesse uit die  verlede sal in herinnering geroep moet word. Veral dié geleer op die terrein van veiligheidsinligting en strategie.

Soos die reeks se titel aandui, sal dit bestaan uit die ooggetuie herinneringe en insigte. Veral oor die laaste dekades van die “ou bedeling”, soos beleef binne die veiligheids- en intelligensie-gemeenskap.

Eerstehands, uit die pen van mense wat dáár was. Nie net maar chronologies-biografiese lewens-sketse nie. Nie net die “wie, wat, wanneer en waar” van dit wat ons bydraers elk sien gebeur het nie.

Bowe-al, sal dit fokus op die “WAAROM”.

Veral dus ons bydraers se INSIGTE, soos wat hulle nou elk persoonlik (met die wysheid  van die grysheid en die voordeel van tyd-afstand en terug-kyk) daardie era self verstaan. Om ons ander daarmee te help om dit beter verstaan (in werklikheid was mnr Johan Mostert se hoogs insiggewende onlangse ooggetuie-artikel oor die laat-tagtigs en wat werklik op veiligheidsgebied aan die gang was – realiteite wat die uiteindelike kies van onderhandel onafwendbaar gemaak het – die inspirasie vir hierdie nuwe reeks; ons het sy bydrae as spesiale uitgawe gedra, wat u hier kan lees: KLIEK HIER).

Hierdie nuwe reeks is nie droë, formeel-akademiese geskiedskrywing nie. Geen voetnotas en elle-lange verwysings nie. Geen politieke “spin” nie, geen smart-vratery of “jammer-dat-ek-leef boetedoening” nie.

Bo alles, eerlik.

Krities ook, waar nodig, want dis veral uit die foute van die verlede dat mens leer. Maar met trots ook, oor die dikwels unieke wat vermag is.

Lekker-lees, geskryf in gesels-trant. Soos om die kampvuur, tussen vriende en familie, waar die groot waarhede openhartig en in-diepte uitgepluis word. In KONTEKS, met verrekening van die eiesoortige realiteite en uitkyke van daardie era. Vir die VERSTAAN daarvan. En die LEER. Soos wanneer mens aan ‘n skerpsinnige, geliefde kleindogter uit die hart uit verduidelik hoekom sekere dinge gedoen is. Nie verstrengel in te veel detail nie, sodat mens nie vashaak by elke individuele boom nie, maar vir eens die bos kan sien vir wat dit was. Want dikwels is dít waar individuele artikels oor spesifieke gebeure te kort skiet – dit ontbreek aan ‘n geheel-prent. Omdat individuele artikels nie die hele verhaal kan vertel van A tot Z nie. Met die gevolg dat die samehang en oorsaak / gevolg dan nie duidelik blyk nie.

Ons glo dat hierdie nuwe reeks van groot waarde sal wees vir toekomstige navorsers en die nageslag, omdat dit lig werp op die instinkte, vrese en ambisies wat as motivering gedien het vir die deelnemers wat daardie era help vorm het. So-by-so het ons nou gekom by die laaste van daardie geslag wat dit nog só, eerstehands as ooggetuies, te boek kans stel. ‘n Projek van ere-plig, sodat al die kante van die komplekse drama van ons geskiedenis, ewewigtig op rekord kan wees. ‘n Projek waartoe ons vir u as NONGQAI-lesers wat ook daar was, nooi om by te dra – hetsy met u eie herinneringe en terugblik-insigte, of bloot net u kommentaar. Ons hoor graag van u!

Today, NONGQAI kicks off an informative new series. The title: “The men speak“. (The first contribution will be from Brig Hennie Heymans, about his recollections and insights relating to his years in the Security Branch and the National Security Management System).

The year 2024 will be an important one on the road of South Africa. All the lessons from the past will have to be recalled. Especially those learned in the field of national security intelligence and strategy.

As the series’ title suggests, it will consist of eyewitness recollections and insights. Especially about the last decades of the “old dispensation”, as experienced within the security and intelligence community. First-hand accounts and perceptions, flowing from the pens of people who actually were there. Not just chronological-biographical life-sketches of the “who, what, when and where” of that which our contributors witnessed. Above all, they are focusing on understanding the “WHY“. Their personal INSIGHTS, as they now each themselves (with the wisdom of maturity and the benefit of time-distance and hindsight) understand that often tumultuous era. To help the rest of us to better understand the psychological driving forces and unspoken realities that dictated the course of events (in fact, Mr Johan Mostert’s highly informative recent eyewitness article about the late eighties and what was really going on in the security field – realities that made the eventual choice of negotiations inevitable – was the inspiration for this new series; we carried his contribution as a special issue, which you can read here: CLICK HERE).

This new series is not dry, overly formal, academic historiography. No footnotes nor long references. No political “spin”, no self-justification nor “sorry-that-I-exist penance”.

Above all, it is honest. Critical, where necessary, because it is especially from the mistakes of the past that one learns. But also proud of the often unique achievements.

Easy to read, written in conversational style. Like a chat around the campfire, between friends and family, where the big truths are figured out candidly and in-depth. In CONTEXT, taking into account the distinctive realities and outlooks of that era. For the sake of UNDERSTANDING it. And LEARNING from it. Like when you explain, from the heart, to your astute, beloved granddaughter why certain things were done. Not tangled up in too much detail, so that one doesn’t get stuck on each individual tree, but for once can see the forest for what it was. Because this is often where individual articles about specific events fall short – they lack the ability to portray the overall picture. Because individual articles cannot tell the whole story from A to Z. With the result that the inter-connected whole is not made clear.

We believe that this new series will be of great value to future researchers and to posterity, as it sheds light on the instincts, fears and ambitions that motivated the participants who helped shape that era. More than likely, we are now well into the last of that generation who can still help record that history like this, first-hand as eyewitnesses. A project that invokes a duty of honour to contribute such recollections and insights, so that all sides of the complex drama of our history can be captured on record, in a balanced manner. A project to which we invite you, as NONGQAI readers who were also there, to contribute – either with your own accounts and retrospective insights, or simply just by means of your comments  on what others have written. We’d love to hear from you!

For a visual image of the various government structures of the period, click the button below.