Mike Horn causes chaos in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. Jessica Jaccoud, lawyer and socialist deputy of the Vaud Grand Council, questioned the government of this canton on the French border and on Lake Geneva this week. The elected official “marvels” at the title of “Honorary Member” of Vaud Promotion, the association that monitors the notoriety and attractiveness of the region, given to the famous 56-year-old adventurer, known in France for ” In the wild ‘ on M 6, then ‘Survive the Impossible’ on RMC Découverte.
The elected official reacts to the broadcast of “Mike Horn, the hidden face of the adventurer” on Thursday 19 January on the RTS (Radio Télévision Suisse) program “TempsPRESent”, the equivalent of the magazine “Special Envoy” ( France 2 ), presented by Jean-Philippe Ceppi. This investigation focuses on the youth of the man who was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1966 and who found refuge in Château-d’Œx, Switzerland, after the end of the apartheid regime.
VIDEO. The RTS program “Mike Horn, the hidden face of the adventurer”
The 45-minute document, which is mainly filled with archive images, delves into the eventful past of the media figure. And picks up on some of the many lies Mike Horn has told, with accounts that change over time.
During his military service in the mid-1980s, he took part in numerous deployments. At 19, Mike Horn “voluntarily” joined the notorious Battalion 101, which ravaged the South African border in present-day Namibia during the war. Questioned by RTS, former officers of this special unit confirm the presence of the future explorer in what Sam Nujoma, the first President of Namibia, nicknamed “the assassin battalions” for tracking down everyone who fought against the apartheid regime.
Secret missions for the South African Army
“That was our job. We were considered the best counterinsurgency unit in the world. It was the war, so inevitably there were unpleasant things. Not only did we shoot at each other, we rolled over each other. Enemies couldn’t run over us because they were on the ground. But we had vehicles. And the driver’s weapon is his vehicle. So if someone aimed at him, they didn’t have time to stop, they ran over them. That’s how it is, it’s war,” said Waal de Waal, a former officer of the 101, pointing to the camera.
Since 1986, this team has been accused of being behind a massacre at a meeting of SWAPO (an armed rebel group fighting for Namibia’s independence) in the Namibian capital of Windhoek.
PODCAST. The life of Mike Horn, great extreme adventurer
Mike Horn calmly defends himself against these serious allegations in front of the camera. “It’s been so long… I have to look in my diary… I’m not sure I was there,” stammers the man who will then do secret missions for the South African army before leaving everything for the moment . the release of Nelson Mandela, which heralded the end of the segregation regime.
Questioned by the RTS, the globetrotter clumsily tries to justify himself. “I wanted to play an active role in protecting South Africa. People think we hunt and kill. I hunted people who wanted to kill other people. Like a cop. I didn’t want to kill, I wanted to prevent evil elements from killing people I love,” he says. Later in the show, he adds that military expeditions were “part of his life” like “going to buy croissants.”
“I take full responsibility for everything I have done in my life”
A few days before this uplifting edition of Present Time aired, Mike Horn sent a lengthy message to production.
“I was part of the official South African Army back then. I did my military service there. I strictly followed the orders given to me, he explains. I had no particular love for the apartheid regime. I was just fulfilling my civic duty. I was not present at the operation of Battalion 101 accused of murdering leader Immanuel Shifidi in Windhoek in 1986. I never supported the apartheid regime, not only during my military obligations but also after they were fulfilled. I never had any relationship with Battalion 101 or its members. My arrival in Switzerland is not linked to these operations, but accidentally, as I have had the opportunity to explain in all my books. It is clear that today, although I take full responsibility for everything I have done in my life, I regret having attended these surgeries. »
Contacted by us, he hasn’t replied yet.