LETTER: The truth is yet to be told
“Someone must have all the answers.”
Farouk Araie, Benoni, writes:
Allow me to present my views on the Helderberg disaster, as reported on by the Benoni City Times, ‘Fascinating insight into air disaster,’ on March 7.
Thirty-seven years ago the Helderberg crashed into the Indian Ocean killing all 159 people on board.
The truth has been covered up for all these years, in a concealment that is really staggering.
The most crucial and pivotal piece of evidence, that could either prove or disprove critical elements of the crash, mysteriously disappeared; the ZUR tape.
It is alleged to contain damning evidence which could confirm the presence of military cargo that was carried on board the ill-fated flight.
A ZUR tape records conversations between a pilot and a plane’s home base on a dedicated frequency.
At the time SAA used a short-wave radio station at the then Jan Smuts International Airport.
Transmissions were recorded on 24-hour reels kept for approximately 35 days before reuse.
The Margo Commission and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) failed to locate the missing tape.
It was claimed that it was mislaid or overwritten, an explanation that was difficult to comprehend.
Sworn statements reveal that this crucial tape went through 10 people in the corridors of power, including SAA, Armscor and the then-nationalist government.
Why would they go through such extraordinary measures to conceal a tape if there was nothing sinister in its contents?
It has been recorded throughout history, that powerful governments, can cover-up top secret incidents; South Africa is no exception.
On September 27, 1979, a US Vela spy satellite detected a double flash near the Prince Edward Islands, indicating a nuclear explosion was in progress.
South Africa vehemently denied involvement and a troubled western world covered up the incident, even in the face of overwhelming evidence that SA tested a nuclear weapon.
Many years later, President FW de Klerk came clean and dismantled the country’s seven nuclear bombs.
Any person in our country who doubts that the Helderberg did not carry explosive military weaponry should take time to listen to a historic 13-minute radio interview.
The person being interviewed was a toddler when he lost his father in the crash.
His dad’s death inspired him to become an attorney in his quest to obtain the truth.
The information that was presented is truly shocking.
The interview was conducted on the 33rd anniversary of the crash, on November 27, 2020.
Most of the role players have passed on, but someone must be alive to tell the truth.
We owe it to the crash victims’ loved ones to bring closure to an event that remains mysteriously unsolved.
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