The Taste of Poison: Apartheid's black ops in Zimbabwe: Episode 2
This series, ‘Apartheid’s black ops in Zimbabwe’, examines the acts of espionage, assassination, sabotage and subversion conducted by the South Africa within the borders of its northern neighbour during the 1980s. It also looks at the men who pulled the triggers and planted the bombs, as well as the impact of their actions, in what was a turbulent and sometimes devastating period for Zimbabwe and the region.Episode 2 covers the escalation of the clandestine battle at the end of 1981, investigating the fallout from the Gqabi killing, the sabotage of Zimbabwe’s national ammunition depot, the bombing of Zanu (PF) headquarters, and CIO’s intensifying pursuit of South African moles.
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The Taste of Poison: Apartheid's black ops in Zimbabwe: Episode 1
This series, ‘The Taste of Poison: Apartheid’s black ops in Zimbabwe’, examines the acts of espionage, assassination, sabotage and subversion conducted by South Africa within the borders of its northern neighbour during the 1980s. It also looks at the men who pulled the triggers and planted the bombs, as well as the impact of their actions, in what was a turbulent and sometimes devastating period for Zimbabwe and the region.Episode 1 outlines the genesis of the Apartheid state’s policy towards Zimbabwe, and investigates its first cross-border operations, including the killing of ANC representative Joe Gqabi.
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The Indonesian Massacres, 1965-1966
The Indonesian massacres of 1965 and 1966 were described by the CIA as ‘one of the ghastliest and most concentrated bloodlettings’ of the Cold War—and were responsible for up to a million deaths, according to some estimates. As such, they are comparable with some of the worst mass killings of the Century, but have remained relatively unknown. In this podcast, the Institute for Continuing History explores the growing body of research on the massacres that has emerged since the fall of Indonesia’s military regime in the late 1990s.
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Gukurahundi: The Tourist Abduction, 1982
Episode 4 investigates the abduction by bandits of six foreign tourists in Matabeleland during 1982. Robert Mugabe’s government accused Joshua Nkomo’s party, Zapu, of sponsoring ‘dissidents’—and alleged that the people of Matabeleland were working hand-in-glove with such ‘hyenas’ to subvert national security. A close examination of the incident—and of what members of government were saying behind closed doors—shows the allegations to have been propaganda. Key decision-makers knew that there was no elaborate conspiracy at play in Matabeleland, but used the tourist abduction to militarise the continuing assault on Zapu and its supporters.For those unfamiliar with 1980s Zimbabwe, see ICH’s basic introduction to the topic: https://www.continuinghistory.org/zim-background
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Gukurahundi: The Arms Caches 'Crisis', 1982
Episode 3 examines the arms caches ‘crisis’ of 1982—the ‘discovery’ of massive reserves of weapons that belonged to Zipra, the former military wing of Robert Mugabe’s rival, Joshua Nkomo. Zanu-PF declared it had nipped a coup plot in the bud, and terminated the unity government with Nkomo that had been formed at independence. Repressive measures against Nkomo’s party and former members of Zipra intensified alongside an increasingly shrill official narrative, which portrayed Zanu’s opponents as an imminent and escalating threat to national security. Yet events behind the scenes show clearly that the arms caches crisis was staged by Mugabe because Nkomo had refused demands for Zapu to be absorbed into Zanu-PF. Like most of the turning points that formed the backdrop to the Gukurahundi, the arms caches affair was driven by politics and hatred, not the treacherous activities of a nefarious rival.
When the long wave of mass violence continues to wash through society, there is typically no sustained inquiry to match. The Institute for Continuing History (ICH) has been established to fill that gap, running deep and long investigations on some of the world’s most egregious and forgotten acts of violence.
Please join us on ‘Continuing History’, the podcast, as we seek to expose those acts, the perpetrators who continue to conceal them, and the ongoing impact of crimes against humanity.
For more information, see www.continuinghistory.org
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