South African self-defence & survival instructor, Lourens Steytler, has had to defend himself after a recent article published by an Afrikaans-language weekly newspaper in South Africa (https://www.news24.com/citypress/news/right-wing-links-to-second-military-camp-20240810) caused a stir by accusing him and two training instructors “including a former special forces operator (recce)”, of conducting “unauthorized military training” with “illegal firearms” at a training camp outside Modimolle (also known as Nylstroom) in the Limpopo province. This was reported to have been uncovered when the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, commonly known as the Hawks, and the South African Police Service (SAPS) raided the property.
Steytler disputes the contents of the report.
While he did not respond to inquiries from the Rapport newspaper at the time, he chose to sit down for an EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW with BGTN’s Uveka Rangappa. He said it was important to “place my version of the story, the truth, so that the public out there can balance the stories for themselves and find the truth.”
Steytler said, “All of the firearms that I had there were checked and found to be legally registered and legally licensed. I was asked to produce the licenses which I did, they checked the serial numbers and licenses, and I was told all was in order.”
BGTN contacted the Hawks’ spokesperson, Colonel Katlego Mogale, who sent a WhatsApp reply in which he stated that, “after discussion with the National Head, it was advised that now we let (the) investigation proceed and not engage with media at this stage.”
The headline of the Rapport article reads, “Second military training camp has links to right-wing Suidlanders group.” On its website the Suidlanders describes itself as, “an emergency plan initiative officially founded in 2006 to prepare a Protestant Christian South African Minority for a coming violent revolution.” Commonly described as an extreme right-wing group, the Suidlanders are believed to be preparing for a race war.
Steytler denied any affiliation to the Suidlanders.
For the full interview see below:
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