‘‘‘A jigsaw puzzle which Britain finds difficult to solve’’ : Britain, Bophuthatswana and the ‘Sun City Eight’

Feather, D ‘‘‘A jigsaw puzzle which Britain finds difficult to solve’’ : Britain, Bophuthatswana and the ‘Sun City Eight’. Modern British History. ISSN 2976-7016 (Accepted)

Text Bophuthatswana Article Final Changes Clean Copy.pdf - Accepted Version Access Restricted Download (448kB)

Abstract

In January 1984, seven British and one United States (US) national were jailed in the ‘independent’ Bantustan of Bophuthatswana for their roles in a complex fraud at a Sun City casino. This article demonstrates how the Bophuthatswana ‘government’ tried to use the detainees as pawns in their efforts to gain recognition of the territory’s independence, and the difficulties this created for British policymakers. While the Bophuthatswana authorities initially allowed British and US officials to visit the detainees, they soon became obstructive and demanded that permission was sought from their Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As neither the United Kingdom (UK) nor the US recognised Bophuthatswana’s independence such formal contact was ruled out. However, as this article will demonstrate, a well-orchestrated campaign by the families of the detainees put pressure on the British government which ultimately made concessions to Bophuthatswana regarding the visa process its ministers had to undertake prior to visiting the UK to allow contact with the prisoners. This paper will also demonstrate the degree of sympathy that certain sections of the British elite had for Bophuthatswana’s quest for international recognition. Indeed, the deal regarding the visa restrictions and access to the detainees was arranged through Sir Peter Emery, a Conservative member of the British parliament and chairperson of Shenley Trust, a firm hired by the Bophuthatswana government to facilitate their gold sales.

Item Type:	Article
Subjects:	A General Works > AZ History of Scholarship The Humanities A General Works > AZ History of Scholarship The Humanities D History General and Old World > D History (General) D History General and Old World > DT Africa H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
Divisions:	Humanities and Social Science
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Date of acceptance:	30 May 2025
Date Deposited:	30 May 2025 13:21
Last Modified:	30 May 2025 13:30
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/26466

View Item