Legislature adopts DA motion to shut down Kommandokorps

The Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature yesterday adopted a DA-tabled motion that the controversial "hate camp" of the Kommandokorps must be shut down immediately.

The DA motion, condemning the activities of "Colonel" Franz Jooste and his Kommandokorps is a decisive victory in the fight against racism.

Following media reports and a subsequent DA complaint to the Human Rights Commission, the DA moved that:

• The Kommandokorps unit must be shut down and closed immediately;
• Mpumalanga Provincial Police Commissioner, Lieutenant-General Thulani Ntombela, be requested to use every legal means available to him to shut down the camp, pending a full investigation into what is happening there;
• The house condemns racism of all kinds, both in this house and elsewhere in our province;
• The house condemns farm attacks, farm murders and crime of all kinds; and
• The continued existence of this camp be regarded as an affront to our democratic order, and that it must be stopped now.

 In addition, the DA has learnt that while the training activities of this ultra-right wing group takes place on a farm outside Carolina in Mpumalanga, it is not a permanent camp or militant base, and the owners of the farm hold no connection to Kommandokorps.

According to our information, "Colonel" Jooste lives in Gauteng, and rents this lodge on an ad hoc basis from time to time to conduct his training. By doing so, Jooste has not only compromised the lives of the young people he is attempting to indoctrinate with hatred and racism, but has also placed other farmers in the Carolina community at risk of being stigmatised as racist. 

While the DA motion is now a resolution of the Legislature and must be implemented, the DA has already traced and interacted directly with the owners of the farm, and appealed to them not to allow further Kommandokorps training or activities to take place at their facilities. The owner was not aware of the nature and activities of Kommandokorps, and it would appear that the facilities were rented by Jooste under the false pretence of being a security firm. We are pleased that the owners of the facility have undertaken not to make their facilities available to Jooste or Kommandokorps again. 

We extend this call to all lodges and farms in Mpumalanga. Closing Jooste's access to facilities will assist in derailing his demented and unacceptable conduct.
The DA is committed to building a better and non-racial South Africa, where everybody will enjoy the freedom of equal opportunity and participation in all spheres of our democracy and will not tolerate activities or groups like Kommandokorps. 

Statement issued by Anthony Benadie, DA Leader in Mpumalanga, February 29 2012

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