Violent threat from South African white right: Recent bombings give the lie to the view that violence by right-wing extremists is a thing of the past, just on the heels of the court appearance of a group of elite Afrikaner right-wingers accused of plotting to carry out armed attacks against the South African government to set up a secessionist Afrikaner homeland. Events indicate a high level of planning and organization, probably by people with military training. Fears of a pro-apartheid military insurrrection haunted the 1994 election that brought black rule to South Africa but it had been generally agreed that the extremists had lost momentum thereafter. It is not clear if these new secessionists have links to the pre-1994 right-wing groups, although some commentators believe there is evidence that they do. Personally, I have always found it naive to feel reassured that the virulence of apartheid-think had appeared to melt away in the afterglow of post-1994 “truth and reconciliation”.

Tim du Plessis, editor of the Afrikaans newspaper Rapport, told BBC News Online that they are part “of a lunatic right-wing fringe” which included serving and former defence force officers.

Their ideas are “very weird”, he said, and some have been known to call themselves Israel Vision and to have their own version of the Bible, which depicts black people as sub-humans.

They do not seriously threaten the government or the security of South Africa, but Mr du Plessis believes that they could cause serious loss of life and damage and sow distrust in what is still a fragile society. BBC

Some blacks have reportedly threatened reprisals against whites, especially farmers, for the recent bombings.