Chapter 303
Chapter 303
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: South African Maneuver
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Pyongyang had stepped up to support Zimbabwe (Rhodesia) with hidden intentions.
“Rhodesia is South Africa’s sole ally before it’s even their breadbasket. To isolate South Africa, we have to bring down Rhodesia—that’s the idea.”
Korea intended to strategically isolate South Africa by toppling Rhodesia’s white regime.
“So, we topple Rhodesia, isolate South Africa, and call it a day?”
As if.
Korea was steadily advancing preparations to bring down South Africa itself.
The first option was the Namibian (South West Africa) Liberation Army.
“Under international law, we have no reason to submit to South African rule.”
Korea provided aid to this Namibian Liberation Army.
Not only supplies, funds, and military advisors, but bases in Angola as well.
South Africa lodged protests with Korea and the Angolan government over the matter, but Pyongyang pretended not to hear a thing.
“Oh, we have no connection to them. It’s just spontaneous stuff happening in uncontrolled areas.”
“Then should we cross the border and wipe them out?”
“Hey now. That’s a different story. You want to get smashed like the Biafrans?”
South Africa had no choice but to keep fighting a draining border defense war against the Namibian Liberation Army.
The second option was support for the armed struggle group inside South Africa, the “Spear of the Nation.”
“We’d like to know why Korea is supporting us.”
“No need to overthink it. Pyongyang just wants to be friends with South Africa’s Black people. Help you in tough times, and you’ll believe our friendship is genuine, right?”
Korea didn’t bother hiding its intent to turn South Africa into a Third World nation.
With such obvious scheming on display, Joe Modise felt safe accepting Pyongyang’s support.
“We’re in no position to turn down cold soup or hot. We’ll take the aid.”
Backed by Korea’s funds and intelligence support, the Spear of the Nation ramped up its struggle.
Korea shook South Africa from both inside and out, intensifying pressure on Pretoria.
As Pyongyang openly targeted South Africa, the United States took notice.
“If South Africa falls like this, southern Africa will end up in Korea’s hands.”
“But we can’t openly back a white supremacist regime.”
With domestic Black backlash to consider, funding and military aid to a white supremacist regime was realistically impossible.
“That’s why I’ve come up with something.”
The U.S. CIA proposed covert intelligence support to South Africa.
“We launch satellites and recon planes to monitor Namibian Liberation Army border incursions, and provide comms intercepts to nab Joe Modise?”
“If you do that much, South Africa won’t collapse anytime soon.”
Buy time that way, and find options to respond to the South Africa crisis.
“Handle it from Langley. We know nothing about it.”
The U.S. government left the response to the CIA.
With full authority granted, the CIA sprang into action.
“Our own satellites aren’t enough. Borrow everything from the National Security Agency and National Reconnaissance Office too.”
The CIA focused immense intelligence assets on the South African border.
The power of these concentrated intel resources was formidable.
Through the eyes and ears of military satellites passing over South Africa hourly, the CIA relentlessly scooped up not just movements of the People’s Liberation Army from Angola, but even comms from Spear of the Nation members.
This intel was funneled secretly to South Africa’s capital, Pretoria.
“This information—is it solid?”
“These people haven’t survived by getting duped.”
The U.S. intel was spot-on.
White regime police arrested numerous Spear of the Nation leaders hiding in safehouses.
But they didn’t catch Joe Modise.
“We’d have been in big trouble without you.”
Joe Modise expressed his thanks for Korea’s intelligence support.
Truth be told, the reason Korea could provide timely intel was simple.
“Idiots. Their information security is nonexistent.”
Korea was monitoring white military and police movements like an open book through bugs and wiretaps.
Koreans passed this intel on to the Spear of the Nation.
Any issues in the process?
None at all.
“Hey, we’re honored yellow folk. Don’t you know we’re on equal footing with you whites?”
Touching Koreans the wrong way could spark apartheid-level problems, so South African police didn’t dare lay a finger on them.
Koreans roamed South Africa freely, delivering timely intel to the Spear of the Nation.
The CIA grew frustrated as the white regime came up empty despite multiple tips to nab Joe Modise.
“Bunch of idiots. What the hell can they do right?”
They had some success against the Namibian Liberation Army, at least.
But achievements against guerrilla-level liberation forces didn’t justify the costly satellites and recon flights.
‘Catching Joe Modise is key to an easy fight.’
After agonizing, the CIA changed strategy.
Make the Blacks betray Joe Modise themselves.
The CIA proposed a bold bounty strategy to the South African government.
“You mean put an even bigger bounty on Joe Modise’s head than now?”
“Guarantee enough money to change their lives, and the temptation to betray will follow, right?”
Not a bad point.
While the CIA and South African government went red-eyed hunting Joe Modise, Korea pulled out its third option to topple South Africa.
A movie.
“Area 11? What’s that? Sci-fi flick?”
Not just any sci-fi movie, of course.
Area 11 was a current affairs exposé disguised as sci-fi.
Korea viciously attacked southern Africa through the horrific lives of aliens crash-landed in South Africa.
“You cheapskates won’t spare a cat food can for your Elevens! Be grateful for what we give and live off it!”
The film’s nonstop depictions of inhuman treatment by South African whites were enough to make viewers grimace.
“Look at those bastards. Are they even human?”
Korea’s Area 11 didn’t achieve massive commercial success, but it monopolized public attention.
The movie’s ripple effects hit reality immediately.
“Don’t even glance at goods from the racist state of South Africa.”
Korea even encouraged underground boycotts of South African products.
When South Africa protested,
“Oh, it’s just a voluntary civilian movement.”
Pyongyang played dumb with duck noises.
The South Africa boycott wasn’t limited to Korea.
Third World nations and U.S. Black civil rights movements ran their own boycotts.
“If it’s the same price, buy from countries without racism.”
South Africa’s economy took a real hit from this one film.
Already burdened with massive war spending from Rhodesia’s collapse, clashes with the Namibian Liberation Army, and the Spear of the Nation, the worsening economy made South African authorities sense a grave crisis.
“At this rate, we’re really done for.”
The South African National Party government felt the need to placate Blacks to some degree.
“We need the international community to at least feel we’re taking a progressive stance.”
Faced with survival, even a white supremacist state could transform.
South Africa decided to grant seats previously denied to non-whites.
“But why separate buildings?”
“It’s a tricameral system.”
“What’s that mean? I’ve heard of bicameral, but tricameral’s new to me.”
“One per race, so tricameral.”
South Africa unveiled a novel political system with separate White, Coloured, and Black parliaments.
“Power’s limited, but hey, beggars can’t be choosers for you lot?”
“Have they lost their minds? What kind of bullshit is this?”
South Africa followed up with a second measure.
Full of equally outlandish concepts no other country would dream up.
“You hate racial discrimination? So we’ve prepared an alternative.”
South Africa “independently separated” or made autonomous Black-majority areas.
“Then you’re citizens of another country—good for you—and we’re not discriminating—good for us. Okay?”
Of course, it was wordplay.
These Bantustan areas were essentially “giant concentration camps” to expel Blacks from South Africa.
“No, our jobs and workplaces are all in South Africa—how does splitting off housing make sense?”
“So come work as foreign laborers.”
South African authorities hoped these cosmetic reforms would sway international opinion.
But Korea wasn’t about to let that slide.
“We figured you’d pull something like this.”
Korea turned South Africa’s move against them.
“They’re independent, right? Then we’ll monitor South African troops crossing in and out.”
Korea immediately turned these states into military bases for the Spear of the Nation.
“Even Korea can’t get away with this.”
South Africa blocked Korea’s land supply routes to the Bantustans.
“Then we’ll airlift it. You gonna stop that too?”
As the Berlin Airlift showed, stopping aircraft in flight meant war.
Could South Africa go to war with Korea?
Korea began supplying the Bantustans using Mozambique as a base.
The results were disastrous.
“Borders popping up inside your own country—think you can watch them all?”
South Africa’s white manpower was limited, but borders to guard had more than doubled.
How long could South Africa hold out in this situation?
Pyongyang licked its chops, anticipating South Africa’s end.