The South African Arms Industry

(on a headline in a newspaper regarding a new attack helicopter)
 
 

Look! Look! Can you all see?
Look at all that we can do!
We make weapons for land and sea,
And for the air we make them too.

The world, with its arms embargo,
Thought we'd soon be on our knees,
But while they held back the cargo
We've been as busy as the bees.

And now we have all we need
To dispose of any enemy.
Yes! We may be proud indeed
Of our great arms industry.

By sea or land they may try
As by air it cannot be done,
For we'd shoot them off the sky
With our new "Alpha XH1".

But ... there'll be no conflagration,
That will never come to light
For, with the new dispensation
We'll surrender without a fight.

Weapons are of no use at all
If gone is the will to resist.
Compromise will be our downfall;
The country will cease to exist.

So stop the superfluous boasts
That weapons will make us secure;
Rely only on the Lord of Hosts
And keep the race proud and pure.

Empangeni, 1986.
 

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