Eschel Rhoodie
Encyclopedia
Eschel Mostert Rhoodie (1933 – 17 July 1993) was a South African politician, public relations man
and spin doctor most famous as being one of the key players in the 1978-79 Information Scandal
, also known as "Infogate" or "Muldergate". He served as the Secretary
of the Department of Information between 1972 and 1977, while Dr Connie Mulder
was Minister
of the department.
in publications such as the Dutch
weekly magazine To the Point. Rhoodie was employed as the press officer of the South African embassy in The Hague
in 1971 and he made a clandestine agreement with Dutch
publisher Hubert Jussen to establish the magazine. To the Point was to be secretly financed by the South African government. This secret scheme had the approval the Prime Minister, B.J. Vorster
, the chief of the Intelligence Services, General Hendrik van den Bergh, the Minister of Information, Connie Mulder
and Gerald Barrie, the then head of the Department of Information.
, since Rhoodie was not a member of the Afrikaner Broederbond (a secret fraternal organization dedicated to the promotion of the interests of Afrikaners). He was young, dynamic, enterprising and impatient; particularly with the bureaucratic process. These were the qualities that enabled him to get things done.
Shortly after his appointment to what would later be called the Dirty Tricks Department, Rhoodie recruited as his deputies Les de Villiers and his own brother, Deneys Rhoodie. Initially, To the Point was the only secret project in operation, but the Bureau of State Security had plans for a number of other schemes and long list of spooks
(secret agents) willing to see them through. It wasn't long before a second project was instituted.
This time it was the creation of an organisation designed to counter South Africa's sporting isolation. The result was the Committee for Fairness in Sport. Then came a scheme involving a group of influential businessmen abroad. The Club of Ten, as the group was known, had the difficult task of tackling the media
, the United Nations
, other institutions, individuals and countries for their double-dealing and hypocrisy where South Africa was concerned. A number of influential individuals operated more covertly to improve South Africa's image abroad.
By 1975, "Project Annemarie" was conceived (Annemarie was the name of Rhoodie's teenage daughter). This was for the introduction of an English-language newspaper to counter attacks on the apartheid government
by the English press - particularly the Rand Daily Mail. The man chosen to front this operation was Louis Luyt
, a fertilizer millionaire. When Luyt was blocked to become a major shareholder, he announced that he intended to create his own independent newspaper.
This is how the Department of Information covertly launched The Citizen
in 1976.
Other publications and front organisations like The Study of Plural Societies, the SA Freedom Foundation and the Foreign Affairs Association were also funded by the Department of Information. During this time the Bureau of State Security (BOSS) created the Committee for Fairness in Sport to counteract South Africa's exclusion from international sport.
. By this time he was South Africa's Most Wanted Man and the government had instituted legal proceedings against him. In March 1979, Rhoodie moved to Great Britain
where he attempted, unsuccessfully, to gain political asylum. In a BBC
television interview with David Dimbleby
on March 21, 1979, he strongly denied the accusations made against him, reiterating his claim that he was being made a scapegoat
for the whole affair, and maintained that senior government figures, including the then Prime Minister
, P.W. Botha, were both aware of and sanctioned the secret projects he had conducted as head of the Department of Information.
Shortly afterwards, Rhoodie moved to France
, where he was eventually arrested by the French authorities and incarcerated for 88 days pending extradition
to South Africa
.
By 1979 Rhoodie was found guilty of fraud and sentenced to 12 years in prison. The sentence was later reversed by the appeals court in Bloemfontein
. Rhoodie and his wife Katie left for the United States of America in 1982. His book The Real Information Scandal, which was published in October 1983, contained sweeping allegations of big-name involvement in secret information projects, involving military alliances with Israel
and the election of Ronald Reagan
as US President.
Eschel Rhoodie then moved to the United States
where he worked in advertising. He lived there until his death on 17 July 1993.
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
and spin doctor most famous as being one of the key players in the 1978-79 Information Scandal
Muldergate Scandal
The Muldergate scandal, also known as the Information Scandal, was a South African political scandal involving the Department of Information.South African Prime Minister BJ Vorster, Dr. Connie Mulder and Dr...
, also known as "Infogate" or "Muldergate". He served as the Secretary
Secretary
A secretary, or administrative assistant, is a person whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, communication & organizational skills. These functions may be entirely carried out to assist one other employee or may be for the benefit...
of the Department of Information between 1972 and 1977, while Dr Connie Mulder
Connie Mulder
Connie Mulder, born Petrus Cornelius Mulder , was a South African politician and father of present cabinet minister and leader of the Freedom Front Plus Pieter Mulder....
was Minister
Minister (government)
A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet....
of the department.
Early career
Believing that standard diplomatic activity was insufficient to improve apartheid South Africa's negative image abroad, Rhoodie hatched secret projects with the knowledge and huge financial support of top political leaders. One example of this was the use of public funds globally to covertly entice finance journalists to write positive articles about South AfricaSouth Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
in publications such as the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
weekly magazine To the Point. Rhoodie was employed as the press officer of the South African embassy in The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
in 1971 and he made a clandestine agreement with Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
publisher Hubert Jussen to establish the magazine. To the Point was to be secretly financed by the South African government. This secret scheme had the approval the Prime Minister, B.J. Vorster
B.J. Vorster
Balthazar Johannes Vorster , better known as John Vorster, served as the Prime Minister of South Africa from 1966 to 1978 and as the fourth State President of South Africa from 1978 to 1979...
, the chief of the Intelligence Services, General Hendrik van den Bergh, the Minister of Information, Connie Mulder
Connie Mulder
Connie Mulder, born Petrus Cornelius Mulder , was a South African politician and father of present cabinet minister and leader of the Freedom Front Plus Pieter Mulder....
and Gerald Barrie, the then head of the Department of Information.
Secretary of Department of Information
In July 1972, Rhoodie, at the age of 38, was appointed to the post of Secretary of Information. This promotion was quite controversial in South African politicsPolitics of South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a unitary, parliamentary republic. The President of South Africa is both head of state and head of government; in the same manner as the prime minister of other nations, the President is elected by the National Assembly and must enjoy the confidence of the Assembly...
, since Rhoodie was not a member of the Afrikaner Broederbond (a secret fraternal organization dedicated to the promotion of the interests of Afrikaners). He was young, dynamic, enterprising and impatient; particularly with the bureaucratic process. These were the qualities that enabled him to get things done.
Shortly after his appointment to what would later be called the Dirty Tricks Department, Rhoodie recruited as his deputies Les de Villiers and his own brother, Deneys Rhoodie. Initially, To the Point was the only secret project in operation, but the Bureau of State Security had plans for a number of other schemes and long list of spooks
SPY
SPY is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:* SPY , ticker symbol for Standard & Poor's Depositary Receipts* SPY , a satirical monthly, trademarked all-caps* SPY , airport code for San Pédro, Côte d'Ivoire...
(secret agents) willing to see them through. It wasn't long before a second project was instituted.
This time it was the creation of an organisation designed to counter South Africa's sporting isolation. The result was the Committee for Fairness in Sport. Then came a scheme involving a group of influential businessmen abroad. The Club of Ten, as the group was known, had the difficult task of tackling the media
News media
The news media are those elements of the mass media that focus on delivering news to the general public or a target public.These include print media , broadcast news , and more recently the Internet .-Etymology:A medium is a carrier of something...
, the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, other institutions, individuals and countries for their double-dealing and hypocrisy where South Africa was concerned. A number of influential individuals operated more covertly to improve South Africa's image abroad.
By 1975, "Project Annemarie" was conceived (Annemarie was the name of Rhoodie's teenage daughter). This was for the introduction of an English-language newspaper to counter attacks on the apartheid government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
by the English press - particularly the Rand Daily Mail. The man chosen to front this operation was Louis Luyt
Louis Luyt
Louis Luyt is a South African business tycoon and politician, and one-time rugby administrator.Making a name for himself as a rugby star as a young man, Luyt went on to found Triomf Fertiliser, Luyt Breweries, and to take control of Ellis Park stadium in Johannesburg...
, a fertilizer millionaire. When Luyt was blocked to become a major shareholder, he announced that he intended to create his own independent newspaper.
This is how the Department of Information covertly launched The Citizen
The Citizen (South Africa)
The Citizen is a tabloid style newspaper that is distributed nationally in South Africa.In 1998, The Citizen was acquired by CTP/Caxton. Its core readership is now black middle-class men.- See also :* List of newspapers in South Africa...
in 1976.
Other publications and front organisations like The Study of Plural Societies, the SA Freedom Foundation and the Foreign Affairs Association were also funded by the Department of Information. During this time the Bureau of State Security (BOSS) created the Committee for Fairness in Sport to counteract South Africa's exclusion from international sport.
Aftermath of Information Scandal
When this misappropriation of state funds came to light, Rhoodie fled to EcuadorEcuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
. By this time he was South Africa's Most Wanted Man and the government had instituted legal proceedings against him. In March 1979, Rhoodie moved to Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
where he attempted, unsuccessfully, to gain political asylum. In a BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television interview with David Dimbleby
David Dimbleby
David Dimbleby is a British BBC TV commentator and a presenter of current affairs and political programmes, most notably the BBC's flagship political show Question Time, and more recently, art, architectural history and history series...
on March 21, 1979, he strongly denied the accusations made against him, reiterating his claim that he was being made a scapegoat
Scapegoat
Scapegoating is the practice of singling out any party for unmerited negative treatment or blame. Scapegoating may be conducted by individuals against individuals , individuals against groups , groups against individuals , and groups against groups Scapegoating is the practice of singling out any...
for the whole affair, and maintained that senior government figures, including the then Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
, P.W. Botha, were both aware of and sanctioned the secret projects he had conducted as head of the Department of Information.
Shortly afterwards, Rhoodie moved to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, where he was eventually arrested by the French authorities and incarcerated for 88 days pending extradition
Extradition
Extradition is the official process whereby one nation or state surrenders a suspected or convicted criminal to another nation or state. Between nation states, extradition is regulated by treaties...
to South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
By 1979 Rhoodie was found guilty of fraud and sentenced to 12 years in prison. The sentence was later reversed by the appeals court in Bloemfontein
Bloemfontein
Bloemfontein is the capital city of the Free State Province of South Africa; and, as the judicial capital of the nation, one of South Africa's three national capitals – the other two being Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Pretoria, the administrative capital.Bloemfontein is popularly and...
. Rhoodie and his wife Katie left for the United States of America in 1982. His book The Real Information Scandal, which was published in October 1983, contained sweeping allegations of big-name involvement in secret information projects, involving military alliances with Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and the election of Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
as US President.
Eschel Rhoodie then moved to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
where he worked in advertising. He lived there until his death on 17 July 1993.