A journalist in apartheid South Africa (173)

John Matisonn is a South African journalist who grew up in the suburbs in Johannesburg. In 1979 he was sentenced to jail for refusing to reveal his news sources. Matisonn describes life as a journalist in apartheid South Africa as well as his meetings with some of the key South African personalities of that period. He met with several South African Prime leaders including John Vorster, PW Botha and FW de Klerk who eventually oversaw the end of white majority rule. Also included are details of several meetings Matisonn had with Nelson Mandela the first black President of South Africa. We also hear about Soviet training for African National Congress leaders and the South African nuclear weapons programme. Now I could really use your support to help me to continue to produce these podcasts. A monthly donation of $4, £3 or €3 via Patreon will really and you will get the sought after CWC coaster as a thank you and bask in the warm glow of knowing you are helping to preserve Cold War history. Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ If a financial contribution is not your cup of tea, then you can still help us by leaving written reviews wherever you listen to us as well as sharing us on social media. It really helps us get new guests on the show. Special thanks to several listeners who left 5 star reviews including Louth23, monster ceilidh band and Mortificating. Peter Ryan is our interviewer today and I am delighted to welcome John Matisonn to our Cold War conversation… There’s further information on this episode in our episode notes which can be found here. https://coldwarconversations.com/episode173/ If you can’t wait for next week’s episode do visit our Facebook discussion group where guests and listeners continue the Cold War Conversation. Just search Cold War Conversations in Facebook. Thank you very much for listening. It is really appreciated – goodbye. Support the project! https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/ColdWarPod Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/coldwarpod/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/coldwarconversations/ Youtube https://youtube.com/@ColdWarConversations 0:00 Introduction of guest John Matisonn 2:02 Sponsor: Request for listener support and acknowledgments 2:34 Matisonn's experience as a journalist in Apartheid South Africa 7:00 Interplay of Cold War dynamics in South Africa 10:03 Nelson Mandela's relationship with Communism and the Soviet Union 14:27 ANC leaders' training in Soviet Union and GDR 21:02 South African collaboration with Western intelligence services 26:26 The concept of "linkage" in the Cold War and Cuba's involvement 29:38 South Africa's nuclear program 35:27 Reagan administration's approach towards South Africa 42:48 Matisonn's personal interactions with Apartheid era leaders 46:06 Introduction to John Matisonn's book "God, Spies and Lies" 48:25 Sponsor: Acknowledging Patrons and Sponsors 49:11 Invitation to Join Facebook Discussion Group Chapters powered by PodcastAI✨ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices