Target Choice Sparks Row in South Africa

J O H A N N E S B U R G, South  Africa, Dec. 18 -- South African soldiers refused orders to fire at targets covered in pictures of President Thabo Mbeki and other black government officials, a newspaper reported.

Defense Minister Mosiuoa Lekota ordered an investigation into the incident, which comes amid criticism that the country’s armed forces remains riddled with racism against blacks, the Sowetan Sunday World reported.

The newspaper reported that an instructor at a military shootingrange in Pretoria ordered members of the South African NationalDefense Force’s National Ceremonial Guard to shoot the targetsdepicting black leaders last Tuesday.

The soldiers said they were enraged and refused to shoot.

Instructor’s Race Withheld

Capt. Thomas Klaasen, the instructor, was accused of misconductand resigned Thursday. The Defense Ministry declined to say whetherKlaasen’s resignation was in response to the incident and spokesmanSam Mkhwanazi declined to reveal Klaasen’s race.

Several months ago, a computer image of former President NelsonMandela turning into a gorilla was found on military computers.

A ministerial committee looking into racism in the military saidthe defense force had not reformed itself sufficiently since theend of apartheid six years ago and had no clear vision for puttingchanges in motion.

Though blacks have been appointed to top positions in thedefense force, the bulk of officers remain white, Defense ForceChief Gen. Sipiwe Nyanda said in September. The defense forcehas 80,000 troops.