Magnus Malan | |
|---|---|
 Magnus Malan circa 1990. | |
| Minister of Defence | |
| In office 1980–1991 | |
| Prime Minister | P. W. Botha andF. W. de Klerk |
| Preceded by | P. W. Botha |
| Succeeded by | Roelf Meyer |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Magnus André de Merindol Malan (1930-01-30)30 January 1930 |
| Died | 18 July 2011(2011-07-18) (aged 81) |
| Political party | National |
| Spouse | |
| Alma mater | University of Pretoria |
| Occupation | Politician and military chief |
| Civilian awards |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | South Africa |
| Branch/service | |
| Years of service | 1950–1980 |
| Rank | General |
| Commands | Chief of the South African Defence Force Chief of the Army Western Province Command South African Military Academy |
| Battles/wars | Operation Savannah |
| Military awards |        |
GeneralMagnus André de Merindol MalanSSA, OMSG, SD, SM, MP (30 January 1930 – 18 July 2011) was a South African military figure and politician during the last years ofapartheid in South Africa. He served asMinister of Defence in the cabinet of PresidentP. W. Botha, Chief of theSouth African Defence Force (SADF), and Chief of theSouth African Army. Rising quickly through the lower ranks, he was appointed to strategic command positions. His tenure as chief of the defence force saw it increase in size, efficiency and capabilities.[1]
As P.W. Botha's cabinet minister, he posited a total communist onslaught, for which an encompassing national strategy was devised. This entailed placing policing, intelligence and aspects of civic affairs under control of generals. TheANC andSWAPO were branded as terrorist organizations, while splinter groups (UNITA andRENAMO) were bolstered in neighbouring andFrontline States.[1] Cross-border raids targeted suspected bases of insurgents or activists, while at home the army entered townships from 1984 onwards to stifle unrest. Elements in theInkhata Freedom Party were used as a proxy force, and rogue soldiers and policemen in theCCB assassinated opponents.[1]
Malan's father was a professor ofbiochemistry at theUniversity of Pretoria[2] and later a member of parliament (1948–1966) and Deputy Speaker and Chairman of Committees (1961–1966) of the House of Assembly. He started his high school education at theAfrikaanse Hoër Seunskool but later moved to DrDanie Craven’s Physical Education Brigade inKimberley, where he completed his matriculation. He wanted to join the South African armed forces immediately after his matriculation, but his father advised him first to complete his university studies. As a result of this advice, Malan enrolled at theUniversity of Stellenbosch in 1949 to study for aBachelor of Commerce degree.[3] However, he later abandoned his studies inStellenbosch and went toUniversity of Pretoria, where he enrolled for a BSc Mil. degree. He graduated in 1953.
In 1962, Malan married Magrietha Johanna van der Walt;[3] the couple had two sons and one daughter.
At the end of 1949, the first military degree course for officers was advertised and Malan joined thePermanent Force as a cadet, going on to complete his BSc Mil at theUniversity of Pretoria in 1953.[3]
Malan was commissioned in the Navy and served in the Marines based on Robben Island.[3] When they were disbanded, he was transferred back into the Army as a lieutenant.[4]
Malan was earmarked for high office from early on in his military career; one of the many courses he attended was theRegular Command and General Staff Officers Course atFort Leavenworth,Kansas in theUnited States of America from 1962 to 1963. During this time he was introduced to PresidentJ.F. Kennedy and spent time doing manoeuvres with an American Armoured Division. In 1967, at age 36, while stationed inWindhoek and holding the rank of colonel, Malan joined the secretiveBroederbond organization.[5] He went on to serve as commanding officer of variousformations, includingWestern Province Command,[6]: 95 South West Africa Command, and theSouth African Military Academy.[6]: 95 [7]: 77
In 1973, Malan was appointed as Chief of the South African Army and three years later as Chief of theSouth African Defence Force (SADF).[6]: 95 [8]: xiv–xv As Chief of the SADF he implemented many administrative changes that earned him great admiration in military circles.[9] During this period he became very close toP.W. Botha, the thenMinister of Defence and laterPrime Minister andState President of South Africa.
Malan was awarded the following awards and decorations:[4]
Star of South Africa (Gold) (SSAG)
Order for Meritorious Service (Gold) (OMSG)
Southern Cross Decoration (SD)
Southern Cross Medal (1952) (SM)
Pro Patria Medal (South Africa) (with Cunene Clasp)[a]
Good Service Medal (Gold (30 Years))
Good Service Medal (Silver (20 Years))
Permanent Force Good Service MedalIn October 1980, Botha appointed Malan defence minister in theNational Party government, a post he held until 1991. As a result of this appointment, he joined the National Party and became Member of Parliament forModderfontein. He was also elected to be a member of the Executive Council of the National Party.[10]
During Malan's tenure in parliament as defence minister, his greatest opposition came from MPs of theProgressive Federal Party such asHarry Schwarz and Philip Myburgh, who both served as shadow defence ministers at various points during the 1980s.[11][page needed]
In July 1991, following a scandal involving secret government funding to theInkatha Freedom Party and other opponents of theAfrican National Congress, PresidentF. W. de Klerk removed Malan from his influential post of defence minister and appointed him as the minister for water affairs and forestry.[12]
Thestrike craftSAS Magnus Malan of theSouth African Navy was named after him[13] prior to the change of government in 1994.
On 2 November 1995, Malan was charged together with 19 other former senior military officers for murdering 13 people (including seven children) in theKwaMakhutha massacre in 1987.[14][15] The murders were said to have been part of a conspiracy to create war between theAfrican National Congress (ANC) and the ZuluInkatha Freedom Party (IFP), and maintaining white minority rule. The charges related to an attack in January 1987 on the home ofVictor Ntuli, an ANC activist, inKwaMakhutha township near Durban inKwaZulu-Natal.[16]
Malan and the other accused were bailed and ordered to appear in court again on 1 December 1995. A seven-month trial then ensued and brought hostility between black and white South Africans to the fore once again. All the accused were eventually acquitted. President Mandela called on South Africans to respect the verdict.[17] Nonetheless in South Africa, the Malan trial has come to be seen by some as a failure of the legal process.[18][19][original research?][20][original research?][21][22][23][24]
Malan also had to appear before theTruth and Reconciliation Commission.[25]
On 26 January 2007, he was interviewed by shortwave/Internet talk radio showThe Right Perspective.[26] It is believed to be one of the very few, if not the only, interviews Malan gave outside of South Africa. In 2006, he published an autobiography titledMy Life With the SA Defence Force.[27]
Malan died at his home in Pretoria on 18 July 2011.[28] He was survived by his wife, 3 children and 9 grandchildren.[29][3]
 | This articlemay lendundue weight to certain ideas, incidents, or controversies. Please helpimprove it by rewriting it in abalanced fashion that contextualises different points of view.(October 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
In August 2018, a book by a former apartheid-era policemanMark Minnie and journalistChris Steyn alleged that Malan had been involved in apaedophilia ring in the 1980s.[30] The book,The Lost Boys of Bird Island contains testimony that Malan used his position as Defence Minister to kidnap and ferry young Coloured boys to an island off the coast of South Africa by helicopter, under the pretext of going on a fishing trip. They were then allegedly raped and otherwise sexually abused by Malan and other members of the ring who purportedly included local businessman Dave Allen, former minister of environmental affairsJohn Wiley, and at least one other government minister who is not named but is still alive.[31] The book, however, contained sufficient information for readers to conclude that former finance minister,Barend du Plessis, was the implicated living minister.[32]
Dave Allen was later arrested for paedophilia but was found dead from an apparent suicide before he was due to appear in court.[33][34] Wiley was found dead just weeks later.[31] Mark Minnie, one of the authors ofLost Boys was found dead in August 2018.[35]
The allegations were met with scepticism and rejected by those who were intimately acquainted with Malan, including his surviving family.[36][37][38] In a review by investigative journalistJacques Pauw, Minnie is described as "a sloppy, negligent and careless policeman". Pauw criticised the book's authors, especially Minnie, for the quality of the investigation and research supporting the allegations and Steyn for having a conflict of interest; and asserted that this has had a negative impact on the victims getting justice.[39] In April 2019, a major South African newspaper, Rapport, published an apology for their reporting based on the book. The newspaper apologised to the surviving relatives of Malan as new evidence had emerged that cast doubt on the contents of the book and the key allegations were based on unsubstantiated hearsay.[40][41] On the morning of 3 March 2020, Johan Victor Attorneys, who representedBarend du Plessis and the surviving families of Malan and Wiley, released a press statement revealing that, after a forensic investigation was conducted into the allegations made in the book, major concessions and a lack of concrete evidence implicating any of the ministers had been found. The publishers of The Lost Boys of Bird Island,Tafelberg, a subsidiary ofNB Publishers, retracted the book from the market in both its hard copy and e-book form later on the same afternoon. They issued a statement in which an apology was extended toBarend du Plessis, but not to any other person identified in the book.[42][43]
.jpg)
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)| Government offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry 1991 – 1993 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Defence 1980–1991 | Succeeded by |
| Military offices | ||
| Preceded by | Chief of theSouth African Defence Force 1976–1980 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chief of theSouth African Army 1973–1976 | |
| Preceded by | Chief of StaffArmy 1972–1973 | Succeeded by Discontinued |
| Preceded by | Officer CommandingWestern Province Command 1971–1972 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Officer CommandingSouth African Military Academy 1967–1971 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Officer CommandingSouth West Africa Command 1966–1967 | Succeeded by |
Chiefs of theSouth African Army | ||
|---|---|---|
| Director-General of Land Forces |  | |
| Army Chief of Staff | ||
| Chief of the Army | ||
Chiefs of the South African military | |
|---|---|
| Chief of theUDF 1912 – 1957 .svg) | |
| Commandant General of theSADF 1958 – 1973 .svg) | |
| Chief of theSADF 1973 – 1994 | |
| Chief of theSANDF 1994 – present  | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
