As with last time, the second meeting was held at the Fountain Hotel in Cape Town. After arriving at the airport, Deng Shiyang dialed Johan Schlink's contact number, then took a taxi from the taxi stand at the airport to the business district. About half an hour later, he met the short, stocky man in a room on the fifth floor.
Schlink was noticeably more respectful this time. He invited his guest to sit down and personally brewed a pot of Ceylon tea, thoughtfully asking if he’d like milk or a lemon slice.
“I can do it myself,” Deng Shiyang said, waving him off and glancing at the overly accommodating man. “Mr. Schlink, how are things going with what I asked you to handle last time?”
“Oh, that’s exactly why I asked you to come,” Schlink replied, putting on an awkward smile. “Regarding your order, I’ve arranged for the rocket launchers, grenade launchers, and ammunition, and the process has been mostly smooth. I’ll have a detailed price list ready soon. However…” his expression turned even more uneasy, and he stammered, “...there’s a bit of an issue with the rifles.”
“What kind of issue?”
“Rifles,” he replied. “The SS-77 and Mini-SS machine guns are no problem, but the R5 you requested is out of production, so I couldn’t find any in stock.”
“Didn’t they keep any reserves? Try contacting the South African military or police to see if they have well-preserved stockpiles. As long as the transaction is legal, I don’t mind if the rifles aren’t brand new.”
“Impossible,” Schlink rejected the suggestion outright. “Due to the ANC’s legislation banning private military companies earlier this year, combined with preparations for next year’s World Cup, South Africa’s weapon regulations are currently very strict. Aside from the armaments factories, I’m probably the only one willing to take on a deal like this.”
Deng Shiyang clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction and asked, “Besides Denel, are there no other companies in this country that manufacture assault rifles?”
“Well, there is. A few years ago, a company called Truvelo in Midrand began selling a rifle known as the Raptor carbine. But it’s heavy and expensive, so it hasn’t sold well. Also, Truvelo is a small company with limited production capacity, so placing an order would mean a long wait.”
His words were half-truths. The Raptor, like the R4 series by Vector, was based on the Israeli Galil, a model that wasn’t light to begin with. Although the Raptor carbine was slightly heavier than the R5, it wouldn’t significantly impact usability. And given the small order size, producing a hundred rifles wouldn’t take that long. However, without Denel’s connections, buying weapons with fake “end-user certificates” might attract attention from the South African government, likely the main reason Schlink wasn’t eager to go through Truvelo.
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But Deng didn’t call him out on it and instead asked, “Do you have any other options?”
Schlink lowered his head and thought for a long time, drinking his tea as he did so. Deng’s patience began to wear thin.
“Hey, do you have a solution or not?”
Seemingly snapping out of his thoughts, Schlink looked up, smiled apologetically, and said, “Forgive me; this has become quite tricky. But I did manage to locate a batch of MAZ rifles made in Sudan. I can assure you the quality is good; they’re all brand-new and still sealed in oil.”
“Is the transaction legal?”
“Well…” Schlink’s face turned awkward, and he replied, “But I can arrange for these weapons to leave the country, and you’d save the cost of purchasing an EUC…”
“Forget it. I’m not risking it just to save a little money,” Deng interrupted. “Let’s put the rifles aside for now. Do you have any other news to share?”
“Yes, about the mortars, and it’s good news.” Seeing the client’s displeasure, Schlink immediately replied meekly, “I contacted Denel Land Systems and told them a new client from East Africa wants to purchase a few mortars for trial, with the potential for larger orders if the quality meets expectations.”
“That’s good enough?”
“No problem at all. This reason is quite plausible, and since Denel is South Africa’s largest defense contractor with close government ties, legalizing this transaction shouldn’t be difficult.” Schlink then pulled a folded piece of paper from his jacket pocket, opened it, and read: “Here’s their quote: M8 81mm mortar with H-019 sights, priced at $13,000 each, so three would be $39,000. High-explosive 81mm rounds are $240 each…” He scratched his head and added, “But your order for rounds is really too low. Could you raise it to 300? That would make it easier. Even for testing, no country would buy only 200 mortar rounds.”
After a moment of feigned deliberation, Deng replied decisively, “Fine, let’s go with 300 rounds. But our budget is limited, so that’s all.”
“Alright.” Like a magician, Schlink produced a small calculator and began pressing its buttons with his stubby fingers. “With the rounds, that’ll be $72,000. Each trigger fuse is $12, and with the propellant charges, the total for the rounds is $78,000. Adding in the mortars, the total is…”
“$117,000,” Deng interjected.
“Yes, yes. The total for the mortars and ammunition is $117,000, plus 10% for the EUC and another 10% for export licenses and handling fees…”
“No need for all that,” Deng interrupted again. “Let’s keep it simple. You get a clear price for everything and email me the quote. If everything checks out, I’ll wire the advance payment immediately.”
“Alright, I’ll get a detailed quote ready as soon as possible.”
“That’ll be it for today.” After sitting a while longer to confirm there were no other issues, Deng stood up to leave. Schlink escorted him to the door, where they shook hands.
“I’ll wait to hear from you. Don’t disappoint me.”
“Don’t worry, Mr. Deylek; just trust me,” Schlink replied with a grin.
“Only an idiot would trust a broker!” Deng muttered under his breath as he headed down the corridor toward the elevator.
---
Notes:
Denel Land Systems: A South African defense company and a subsidiary of the Denel Group.
Truvelo Manufacturers Ltd: A South African military equipment company, primarily producing firearms and equipment for law enforcement.
MAZ Rifle: Sudan-produced version of the Chinese Type 56 assault rifle.