Magnus Malan died of heart failure
2011-07-18 18:08
Cape Town - Former apartheid defence minister Magnus Malan died at the age of 81 on Monday morning at his home in Durbanville, Cape Town.
"General Magnus Malan died peacefully early this morning at home. He leaves his wife of 49-years behind, as well as three children and nine grandchildren," his family said in a statement.
A friend and former colleague, General Gert Opperman, who is acting as a spokesperson for the family, told Sapa Malan had died of heart failure.
"He had been ill for quite some time, and his condition had deteriorated in the past few weeks," Opperman said.
Malan served as minister of defence from 1980 to 1991, an appointment that followed a long military career - stretching back to the 1950s - in the SA Defence Force. There, he rose through the ranks and was appointed chief of the defence force in 1976.
‘Total onslaught’
Malan built up a reputation as a highly competent strategist, and became one of the leading exponents of the "total onslaught" theory against South Africa.
After several command posts, he became chief of the SA Army in 1973, and chief of the SA Defence Force in 1976.
In 1980, he was appointed to the Cabinet of PW Botha as minister of defence. The following year, he was elected National Party MP for Modderfontein.
Malan also rose within National Party ranks, being elected to the Transvaal NP's executive committee in 1981, and rising to become one of the party's vice chairs in that province.
In 1991, he became chairperson of the Ministers' Council in the House of Assembly.
Malan's public statements as SADF chief dealt mainly with the alleged "total onslaught" against South Africa, and the need to develop a "total national strategy" to counteract it at all levels.
He also believed the answer to South Africa's problems was ultimately political, not military, in nature.
Political rights
During Malan's term as minister of defence, troops were used in the control of unrest in townships.
In 1986, following the introduction of a national state of emergency, he argued that political rights were not a relevant concern among the black masses.
In 1987, Malan admitted for the first time that South African troops were supporting Unita in Angola, and were also in that country to counter Swapo and the ANC.
In 1988, he and then minister of foreign affairs, Pik Botha, participated in talks on South West Africa (SWA) and Angola on the Cape Verde Islands, and in Brazzaville and Cairo, where they met Angolan representatives.
The talks eventually led to a settlement in both countries, with SWA becoming the independent Namibia under a Swapo government in 1990.
Malan was awarded the following military decorations: Star of South Africa (1975); Southern Cross Decoration (1977); Pro Patria Medal with Cunene Clasp (1977).
During 1990, his position as minister of defence came under threat following public revelations about SADF death squads operating against civilians.
On February 3 1993, Malan retired from politics after 12 years in Parliament.
Massacre
He was back in the headlines in October 1995, when then safety and security minister Sydney Mufamadi confirmed that Malan and other retired top military officers would face murder charges relating to the KwaMakhutha killings.
The KwaMakhutha massacre, in which 13 people, mostly women and children, were killed, took place on January 21 1987.
The state alleged Malan had been mandated to help Inkatha Freedom Party leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi create a para-military unit for the former KwaZulu homeland.
It was alleged that Malan was directly involved in setting up an SADF military training programme, dubbed Operation Marian, for about 800 IFP members in order to combat the perceived threat to the SA government and the IFP posed by the ANC and its allies.
It was further alleged that he specifically requested army officers to provide Buthelezi with an "offensive" para-military unit following consultation with junior officers.
Malan was acquitted by the Durban Supreme Court in 1996.
In the first week of his trial, a newspaper revealed Malan had been diagnosed with leukaemia four years earlier, and had been treated for the illness. This was confirmed by Malan, who expressed disappointment at the information being leaked.
"I don't want to play on anyone's sympathy," he said at the time. "The case must run its course. My health is a personal matter and not the concern of the court."
He added he had been cured of the disease as far as he was concerned.
Malan married Margot van der Walt in 1962. The couple have two sons and a daughter.
Opperman said funeral arrangements had not yet been made.
- SAPA