The Broederbond

Description

The most controversial nation in the world, the nation of gold and diamonds, of apartheid and Soweto, does not exist in complete isolation. South Africa, whether we like it or not, is inextricably linked to the economies of the Western world and its fate will affect us all. It is a nation divided not only between black and white but between white and white. To understand South Africa the world must know the Broederbond. This book is the first detailed and comprehensive exposé of that exclusive and immensely powerful organization which controls and governs South Africa. Its 12,000 members—all white, influential, male, protestant Afrikaners—dominate the lives of 25 million people; people of all races, religions and colors; the people of South Africa. Since its formation in 1918 the Broederbond has slowly tightened its grip on a nation. Through sophisticated methods of infiltration, backed up by the total commitment of its members and the absolute secrecy of its activities, the organization has systematically taken control of the key areas of South African society—the military, media, church, education, police and government. P.W. Botha, the Prime Minister; B.J. Vorster, the State President; and all but two of the present cabinet are members. What were once internal Broederbond policies of racial division and Afrikaner domination are now the policies of the state. Today it stands supreme—in South Africa the word Broederbond means power! Until now the truth about South Africa has remained hidden from the world. But in January 1978 a man walked into the offices of the Johannesburg Sunday Times. He told journalist Ivor Wilkins: "I've come to talk. . . I've been reading my bible constantly, and thinking. Now I feel certain I want to expose the Broederbond." For the first time a disillusioned member was prepared to risk the vengeance of the Bond to tell all he knew. Wilkins went straight to news editor Hans Strydom - the break on the Broederbond was underway. The defector had violated the organization's strict security regulations by keeping top-secret documents detailing policies and covering a wide spectrum of political, religious and social issues—including apartheid. Armed with this evidence and with the fruits of extensive research and interviews, the authors, at great personal risk and under constant threat of government clampdowns on their newspaper, have succeeded in providing a full and gripping account of the most powerful secret society in the world. And now, for the first time in its sixty year history, the Broederbond stands exposed in the spotlight of international scrutiny.