Apartheid South Africa did "get the bomb". They developed nuclear weapons though their arsenal at it's largest point was only like six tactical strength weapons.
Screw Postcolonial Africa EVEN Harder Than OTL
- Thread starter TickTock The Witch's Dead
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Apartheid South Africa did "get the bomb". They developed nuclear weapons though their arsenal at it's largest point was only like six tactical strength weapons.
As part of a half-assed WMD project Mobutu decides that Katanga's uranium deposits ought to made into dirty bombs. Now that Congo is in chaos these things keep showing up in every rebellion and brushfire war on the continent.
To appease service public opinion have Vorster turn over an atomic bomb to a responsible Bantustan leader. Not Mantanzima he was a devout Christian.
I've got it. Patrick mephthu, the Venda Chief minister, with a fourth grade education. Look We recognise Bantu independence so much we are giving them our most sacred trust the Abomb!
I've got it. Patrick mephthu, the Venda Chief minister, with a fourth grade education. Look We recognise Bantu independence so much we are giving them our most sacred trust the Abomb!
Did I just Mandela Effect South African nuclear capability?
Nah South Africa's program is just widely forgotten (sometimes intentionally).
Selukwe
Banned
Colonialism isn't the main reason that Africa has so many problems. Most of Africa's problems stem from local dictators, not European countries. Although you could argue that Europeans helped install some of those dictators (like the UK and Mugabe, for example)
Could have happened anytime after 1991, could happen tomorrow: US decides to take it's ball and go home to focus on internal issues, stops guaranteeing the world trade system. Things quickly get into vlad tepes tier death tolls in africa and economic ruuin due to the collapse of global trade+no more US protected supply chains.
Not sure if the comparison works quite as well, as Europe was rather a more compact area (though the Black Death did strike and kill millions in Asia as well) which killed off swathes of people weakened by decades of famine and horrible weather. Alright, that might work in some parts of Africa. Still, would be more difficult for it to travel, plus people would understand it. People were so scared and confused Byrne eh Plague partially as there were three strains going around and in general they had symptoms like less fatal things. Not that any of what I am saying really helps.
Perhaps we have people damming or rediverting rivers more often. Maybe get threats of war going. I know Egypt would, even though they let a tenth of the water they hoard for electricity to evaporate. Plus if we have issues with dam construction and anything breaks, we can see a lot of damage further downriver. Might break before too much water is in a reservoir though, and it is hardly like they would make an earthen wear dam like with the Johnston Flood one, as that one was explicitly for fishing anyways.
Indeed—The Bomb: South Africa's Nuclear Weapons Programme is an excellent source on the history of the program, both in it's technical and political aspects (including planned nuclear strategies), as is Revisiting South Africa's Nuclear Weapons Program. Fascinating reads for any enthusiast on the subject!
Just have the Aswan high Dam burst and you've wiped out most of Egypt killing millions of people including some of the largest cities on the continent if not the world.
Similarly you could have one of the insane proposals for a Congo River Dam actually see construction only to burst. No idea what sort of hell that would unleash.
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