Southern UFO News - No 08 - 1979

Magazine Overview

Title: SOUTHERN UFO NEWS
Issue: 8
Date: July 1979
Publisher: CONTACT INTERNATIONAL
Location: Durban, South Africa

This issue of Southern UFO News focuses on recent UFO reports and investigations within South Africa, alongside broader discussions on the nature of UFO phenomena and government secrecy.

Editorial

The editorial highlights the challenges faced by the Contact office, including staff shortages and the impact of high petrol prices on communication and meetings. It thanks Virginia Wilson for her assistance and notes the successful monthly meetings, featuring a talk by Cynthia Hind. The editorial also mentions an intention to align with international UFO groups by focusing on Close Encounters of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd kind. The editor, Mike Viljoen, concludes with personal thoughts on scientific objectivity, emphasizing that while scientists are trained to be objective, the unexplained nature of many phenomena, including UFOs, requires open-minded investigation rather than immediate extraterrestrial labeling.

New Members

The newsletter welcomes new members, apologizing for the lack of personal letters due to studies. A list of new members from Durban, Johannesburg, Windhoek, Pinetown, and Westville is provided.

An In-Depth Examination of Recent South African UFO Reports by Cynthia Hind

This section details a talk given by Cynthia Hind, MUFON's representative for Southern Africa. She discusses her interest in UFOs, sparked by interviewing Elizabeth Klarer and becoming involved with MUFON. Hind expresses frustration with scientists and governments unwilling to be named when discussing UFOs, often providing multiple explanations for sightings. She defines UFOs and categorizes sightings into Close Encounters of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd kind. Hind presents the case of Trident pilot Woods, whose sighting was initially dismissed as a meteorological balloon. She notes that common UFO sizes range from 7 to 15 meters, citing the example of Danie van Graan of Loxton, who encountered beings with distinctive features and was affected by a beam.

Shapewise, discs and saucers are common, but cigar, triangular, round, and egg-shaped objects are also reported. Hind mentions the Lonnie Zamora case in Socorro, New Mexico, and the Mindalore case in South Africa involving an egg-shaped object. She notes that UFOs often appear with bright lights and can emit sounds or be silent. Data analyzed by Hynek suggests UFOs are more frequently seen on Wednesday and Saturday nights, between 8 and 10 PM, and in certain months like October.

Hind also touches upon the occurrence of UFOs near magnetic faults and mentions a Rhodesian group that attempted to observe them without success. She discusses the global UFO 'flap' of late last year, which resulted in injuries and fatalities, noting that activity has since quieted. Regarding the beings, she describes them as potentially tall (over 2m) or short (under 1.5m), humanoid, and communicating telepathically. She references reports of 'Big Foot' in America and discusses language development in extraterrestrial beings.

South African Cases Investigated by Cynthia Hind

The Groendal Case: Near PE, four boys reported seeing entities dressed in aluminum foil near a dome-shaped object. The entities glided away using 'flipper-action'. Physical evidence included a depressed section of ground (7 x 20 m) and equidistant pad marks.

The Mindalore Case: Megan Quezet and her son André encountered an egg-shaped craft with spider-legs. Beings with transparent eyes communicated with them. Under hypnosis, Megan reported being invited aboard the craft, experiencing peculiar lighting, and a period of amnesia. The craft was estimated to be 4m wide x 5m high and emitted a buzzing sound upon takeoff.

The Rosmead Tennis-court Case: This case involves a mysterious destruction of a school tennis court. Harold Truter, the primary school principal, discovered the court wrecked with ripped tar and withered trees. Evidence suggested something landed on the court and took off, leaving tar pieces on a nearby hill. Official explanations like a whirlwind were disputed.

Further Discussion and General Interest Items

Hind discusses the difficulty in obtaining information, mentioning that the CIA is hiding UFO documentation and that American embassies report UFO activity to the US government. She also refers to claims that the USAF has two crashed UFOs with dead occupants at Wright Patterson Air-force Base. A past UFO crash in South Africa in 1952 is also mentioned. Hind concludes that much information about UFOs is being withheld from the public.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are the detailed investigation of specific UFO sightings and encounters in South Africa, the characteristics of reported UFOs and their occupants, and the persistent issue of government secrecy and the suppression of information regarding UFO phenomena. The editorial stance, particularly from Mike Viljoen, advocates for open-minded scientific inquiry into UFOs, cautioning against premature conclusions while acknowledging the existence of unexplained phenomena. Cynthia Hind's presentation reinforces this by presenting evidence and case studies that challenge conventional explanations and suggest a need for further investigation into the UFO phenomenon.