A Brave Step By NP To Join ANC In SA
By: Andrew MatjilaTHE National Party of South Africa, under the leadership of Marthinus van Schalkwyk, the latter fondly known in political circles as "Kortbroek" van Schalkwyk, has finally capitulated and joined the African National Congress, the ANC (The writing was on the wall - Insight, Sunday Times August 15 2004).
The National Party was formed in January 14, very hot on the heels
of the ANC, which had seen the light of day two years earlier in
1912.
Indeed, from the look of things, fate had some mystical
occurrences awaiting bothparties in their lives.
They were both founded by dynamic personalities.
The ANC was formed in 1912 by intellectuals of their time.
There was RW Msimang, a lawyer of international standing,
Solomon Plaatjie, a teacher who became the first Organising
Secretary of the ANC, John Dube, who established the Newspaper
Ilanga la se Natal, first President of the ANC, Thomas Mapikela,
Saul Msane and many more.
It is definitely not an exaggeration to state that the formation
of a black political party in 1912 influenced white politicians to
do the same.
Some of them had survived the Anglo-Boer war of 1899-1902, now
called the South African War.
The Boer War Leader General J. B. Hertzog, Captain Jopie Fourie,
Henning Klopper and many others, sought to place the Afrikaners in
the fore-front of white politics in South Africa.
The controversial and notorious Natives Land Act of 1913 had
just been passed by the Union Parlianent a year before,
guaranteeing the white man's right to own land and denying the
black people that same right outside the so called "Scheduled
Native Areas".
From then on the National Party grew from strength to strength,
in the process establishing many organisations to promote the
Afrikaaner language in particular.
The Broederbond was formed in 1918, the secret society which for
sixty years worked very hard for the cause of exclusive
Afrikanerdom, the Ossewabrandwag, the Rapportryers,
Reddingsdaadbond, Afrikanerbond van Mynwerkers, Afrikaanse
Handelsinstituut, Afrikaanse Taal en Kultuurvereniging, Genootskap
van Regte Afrikaaners and many others.
Newspapers such as Die Vertaler, Die Vaderland, Die Burger, Die
Volksblad, Hoofstad and many more, were established to accentuate
Afrikaner politics and culture.
In 1932 the Carnegie Commission published its report on "poor
whites", assisted by Dr Ernie Malherbe in its investigation.
That report would later have far-reaching implications for South
African politics.
The policy of separate development or apartheid, created
structures to benefit white people more than blacks, in order to
uplift the standards of living of poor whites.
When the National Party came to power in 1948, the main thrust
of their policy was aimed at relegating the black population to
positions of servitude and poverty.
The new rulers created Bantustans and tried to make them viable
mini-states, hoping to satisfy black political aspirations.
Ironically dissenting voices did not arise from the black people
only, but also from whites citizens of South Africa.
The policy succeeded only in throwing a beautiful country into
chaos and a costly war of liberation launched by black
citizens.
It is over now and black people live together with their white
counterparts.
The younger generation of today is wondering what all the fuss
was about.
Perhaps they should look at the NPs track record from 1949 to
1994, to just enlighten themselves about what really happened, when
their leaders tried to separate even the air that we breathe.
Hate speeches were the order of the day, when even children were
taught to despise, hate, curse, swear and even attack people who
were not of their own race.
The legacy of the period will live for a long time to come.
The National Party of South Africa ruled that country and South
West Africa, today Namibia, for nearly fifty years.
The policy of apartheid, comparable to some kind of witches brew
that could kill instantly, was forged by the best brains in
Afrikaner politics.
It was implemented, failed and brought a lot of misery to both
its supporters and victims alike.
Children born in the post apartheid years will never come to
believe anybody who tells them what happened in the past.
The history that is being written now will be regarded as fairy
tales by generations in forty years to come, while pre-apartheid
history is now being re-written to put it into proper
perspective.
In like vein, today's children in Europe do not believe that
people in their countries had their heads chopped off in public in
the market square, where fresh fruit and vegetables are sold
daily.
And now the wheel has turned full circle.
Political parties which were sworn enemies barely ten years ago,
have joined ranks and sit around the same table to discuss the
future of South Africa.
We say "Hail, van Schalkwyk This is the action of a
visionary.
How else can the white expertise be injected into the social,
political and economic life of South Africa if you sit on the fence
waiting to criticise the opposition to the government of the day?
To simply sit down and clutch one's hair and exclaim "Kyk hoe
regeer hulle ", (See how they rule) will not bring about a better
country.
But being involved will ensure a sound system of government,
transparency, democracy, and permanency of the capitalist
system."
If the leaders of the past, on both sides of the political
spectrum could rise from the dead today, they would die of shock to
see white and black belonging to the same political party sitting
together and having a cup of tea.
But well, we are today's people correcting yesterday's bizarre
and outlandish mistakes.
Let us take a brief look at what the situation would have been
like had apartheid never happened.
A positive view of what the situation would have been like
is:
* Most, if not all our people, black and white, would be well
educated today.
* Most of our people would be economically productive and
well-to-do
* Laziness would be a very scarce commodity, since it is generated
by ignorance in most cases
* White and black would be ruling together without friction, with
the majority of black citizens living in rural areas without being
dictated to do so by law.
* There would never have been wars of liberation
* There would be no hatred among our citizens
* I doubt if the majority of our people would be languishing in the
kind of poverty we experience today * Who knows, perhaps not even
communism would have arisen in this part of the world.
But of course history had to take its course.
We are fortunate to have brave men and women of our new
generation who are prepared to put shoulder to the wheel and
correct the situation.
South Africa, unlike the rest of Africa, is well-developed and
highly industrialised, It offers opportunities which are
unequalled, compared to many developing countries, hence the great
rush by people from all parts of the world to settle there.
However for the fires of the blast furnaces of Iscor and other
centres to keep burning, for the wheels of the factories to keep
running, and for the economy to grow, expertise and the right
manpower is required.
Kortbroek van Schalkwyk no doubt knows this very well.
After all it was white know-how which established the income
andjob creating projects, and brought about industrialisation.
From a political perspective therefore, white expertise cannot
readily be made available if white citizens join opposition
ranks.
In order that continuity in the sphere of good economic
development should be maintained, and in order that high standards
of living that the whites have been enjoying through the years
should be maintained, this time around enjoyed by all, those with
knowhow should be involved directly.
This will ensure that the very wheels of industry they created
keep turning clock-wise.
White citizens in Southern Africa who join opposition parties
tend to become clock-wise.
In so doing the store of knowledge they possess is lost to the
nation, while the opposition await their turn to perhaps win in the
next elections to rule, a turn that might never come at all, or can
only come after many decades.
The National Party of South Africa has discovered that being in
the opposition benches will take ages for white citizens to become
involved in the development of their country, and that the right
move is to "join them, if you can't beat them."
I say "Congratulations!" to Mr van Schalkwyk for his daring
move.
He will no doubt be derided by some, dragged over the coals by
others, and be called all kinds of names.
The old Batswana saying: "Bo a tsha bo ya pele." (Life goes
on).
If van Schalkwyk and many other young white politicians can
become involved in the politics of their country, with their black
countrymen and women, South Africa will be on the right course for
healing the wounds of the past.
When wounds heal, there is forgiveness, love, committment and a
determination to work hard for one's country.
Incidentally, the Windhoek Observer of Saturday May 22, 2004,
published a story in which Mr Jan Oelofse, one of the biggest
landowners in Namibia, advised white citizens to join SWAPO.
Well, Mr Oelofse would not make such a statement in public
irresponsibly without having put much thought into it.
And, coming from a well -known family of farmers, entrepreneurs
and successful people in Namibia, Mr Oelofse knows very well that
he can easily damage not only his business as it were, but also his
reputation as a good Afrikaner, thereby becoming a x@#*..boetie, as
it was said in the past.
He knows full well that in order to be involved and to play a
vital role in this country, he would be where his expertise can be
utilised the most.
And I'm not saying anybody should join Swapo, or whatever
party.
Swapo can fight their own battles, and well too.
Furthermore, it is anyone's democratic right to choose a
political home.
But the reality of our situation requires white people in
particular to become aware of our situation, and try to make a
meaningful input where it is needed.
And it is no sin for the whites to join the ruling party, and
leave opposition politics to black citizens.
After all, the development that results from the input of the
white citizens will be for the good of all citizens of Namibia.
And this is the crux of the matter.
Perhaps Kortbroek van Schalkwyk borrowed a leaf from Jan Oelofse
and tried his hand in South Africa, so as to be the first to take
the bull by the horns on this very crucial issue.
It is to be hoped that the example set by the National Party of
South Africa, will be emulated by their cousins, nephews and nieces
in Namibia, Zimbabwe and elsewhere on the African continent.
Indeed, from the look of things, fate had some mystical occurrences
awaiting bothparties in their lives.They were both founded by
dynamic personalities.The ANC was formed in 1912 by intellectuals
of their time.There was RW Msimang, a lawyer of international
standing, Solomon Plaatjie, a teacher who became the first
Organising Secretary of the ANC, John Dube, who established the
Newspaper Ilanga la se Natal, first President of the ANC, Thomas
Mapikela, Saul Msane and many more.It is definitely not an
exaggeration to state that the formation of a black political party
in 1912 influenced white politicians to do the same.Some of them
had survived the Anglo-Boer war of 1899-1902, now called the South
African War.The Boer War Leader General J. B. Hertzog, Captain
Jopie Fourie, Henning Klopper and many others, sought to place the
Afrikaners in the fore-front of white politics in South Africa.The
controversial and notorious Natives Land Act of 1913 had just been
passed by the Union Parlianent a year before, guaranteeing the
white man's right to own land and denying the black people that
same right outside the so called "Scheduled Native Areas".From then
on the National Party grew from strength to strength, in the
process establishing many organisations to promote the Afrikaaner
language in particular.The Broederbond was formed in 1918, the
secret society which for sixty years worked very hard for the cause
of exclusive Afrikanerdom, the Ossewabrandwag, the Rapportryers,
Reddingsdaadbond, Afrikanerbond van Mynwerkers, Afrikaanse
Handelsinstituut, Afrikaanse Taal en Kultuurvereniging, Genootskap
van Regte Afrikaaners and many others.Newspapers such as Die
Vertaler, Die Vaderland, Die Burger, Die Volksblad, Hoofstad and
many more, were established to accentuate Afrikaner politics and
culture.In 1932 the Carnegie Commission published its report on
"poor whites", assisted by Dr Ernie Malherbe in its
investigation.That report would later have far-reaching
implications for South African politics.The policy of separate
development or apartheid, created structures to benefit white
people more than blacks, in order to uplift the standards of living
of poor whites.When the National Party came to power in 1948, the
main thrust of their policy was aimed at relegating the black
population to positions of servitude and poverty.The new rulers
created Bantustans and tried to make them viable mini-states,
hoping to satisfy black political aspirations.Ironically dissenting
voices did not arise from the black people only, but also from
whites citizens of South Africa.The policy succeeded only in
throwing a beautiful country into chaos and a costly war of
liberation launched by black citizens.It is over now and black
people live together with their white counterparts.The younger
generation of today is wondering what all the fuss was
about.Perhaps they should look at the NPs track record from 1949 to
1994, to just enlighten themselves about what really happened, when
their leaders tried to separate even the air that we breathe.Hate
speeches were the order of the day, when even children were taught
to despise, hate, curse, swear and even attack people who were not
of their own race.The legacy of the period will live for a long
time to come.The National Party of South Africa ruled that country
and South West Africa, today Namibia, for nearly fifty years.The
policy of apartheid, comparable to some kind of witches brew that
could kill instantly, was forged by the best brains in Afrikaner
politics.It was implemented, failed and brought a lot of misery to
both its supporters and victims alike.Children born in the post
apartheid years will never come to believe anybody who tells them
what happened in the past.The history that is being written now
will be regarded as fairy tales by generations in forty years to
come, while pre-apartheid history is now being re-written to put it
into proper perspective.In like vein, today's children in Europe do
not believe that people in their countries had their heads chopped
off in public in the market square, where fresh fruit and
vegetables are sold daily.And now the wheel has turned full
circle.Political parties which were sworn enemies barely ten years
ago, have joined ranks and sit around the same table to discuss the
future of South Africa.We say "Hail, van Schalkwyk This is the
action of a visionary.How else can the white expertise be injected
into the social, political and economic life of South Africa if you
sit on the fence waiting to criticise the opposition to the
government of the day? To simply sit down and clutch one's hair and
exclaim "Kyk hoe regeer hulle ", (See how they rule) will not bring
about a better country.But being involved will ensure a sound
system of government, transparency, democracy, and permanency of
the capitalist system."If the leaders of the past, on both sides of
the political spectrum could rise from the dead today, they would
die of shock to see white and black belonging to the same political
party sitting together and having a cup of tea.But well, we are
today's people correcting yesterday's bizarre and outlandish
mistakes.Let us take a brief look at what the situation would have
been like had apartheid never happened.A positive view of what the
situation would have been like is:* Most, if not all our people,
black and white, would be well educated today.
* Most of our people would be economically productive and
well-to-do
* Laziness would be a very scarce commodity, since it is generated
by ignorance in most cases
* White and black would be ruling together without friction, with
the majority of black citizens living in rural areas without being
dictated to do so by law.
* There would never have been wars of liberation
* There would be no hatred among our citizens
* I doubt if the majority of our people would be languishing in the
kind of poverty we experience today * Who knows, perhaps not even
communism would have arisen in this part of the world.But of course
history had to take its course.We are fortunate to have brave men
and women of our new generation who are prepared to put shoulder to
the wheel and correct the situation.South Africa, unlike the rest
of Africa, is well-developed and highly industrialised, It offers
opportunities which are unequalled, compared to many developing
countries, hence the great rush by people from all parts of the
world to settle there.However for the fires of the blast furnaces
of Iscor and other centres to keep burning, for the wheels of the
factories to keep running, and for the economy to grow, expertise
and the right manpower is required.Kortbroek van Schalkwyk no doubt
knows this very well.After all it was white know-how which
established the income andjob creating projects, and brought about
industrialisation.From a political perspective therefore, white
expertise cannot readily be made available if white citizens join
opposition ranks.In order that continuity in the sphere of good
economic development should be maintained, and in order that high
standards of living that the whites have been enjoying through the
years should be maintained, this time around enjoyed by all, those
with knowhow should be involved directly.This will ensure that the
very wheels of industry they created keep turning clock-wise.White
citizens in Southern Africa who join opposition parties tend to
become clock-wise.In so doing the store of knowledge they possess
is lost to the nation, while the opposition await their turn to
perhaps win in the next elections to rule, a turn that might never
come at all, or can only come after many decades.The National Party
of South Africa has discovered that being in the opposition benches
will take ages for white citizens to become involved in the
development of their country, and that the right move is to "join
them, if you can't beat them."I say "Congratulations!" to Mr van
Schalkwyk for his daring move.He will no doubt be derided by some,
dragged over the coals by others, and be called all kinds of
names.The old Batswana saying: "Bo a tsha bo ya pele." (Life goes
on).If van Schalkwyk and many other young white politicians can
become involved in the politics of their country, with their black
countrymen and women, South Africa will be on the right course for
healing the wounds of the past.When wounds heal, there is
forgiveness, love, committment and a determination to work hard for
one's country.Incidentally, the Windhoek Observer of Saturday May
22, 2004, published a story in which Mr Jan Oelofse, one of the
biggest landowners in Namibia, advised white citizens to join
SWAPO.Well, Mr Oelofse would not make such a statement in public
irresponsibly without having put much thought into it.And, coming
from a well -known family of farmers, entrepreneurs and successful
people in Namibia, Mr Oelofse knows very well that he can easily
damage not only his business as it were, but also his reputation as
a good Afrikaner, thereby becoming a x@#*..boetie, as it was said
in the past.He knows full well that in order to be involved and to
play a vital role in this country, he would be where his expertise
can be utilised the most.And I'm not saying anybody should join
Swapo, or whatever party.Swapo can fight their own battles, and
well too.Furthermore, it is anyone's democratic right to choose a
political home.But the reality of our situation requires white
people in particular to become aware of our situation, and try to
make a meaningful input where it is needed.And it is no sin for the
whites to join the ruling party, and leave opposition politics to
black citizens.After all, the development that results from the
input of the white citizens will be for the good of all citizens of
Namibia.And this is the crux of the matter.Perhaps Kortbroek van
Schalkwyk borrowed a leaf from Jan Oelofse and tried his hand in
South Africa, so as to be the first to take the bull by the horns
on this very crucial issue.It is to be hoped that the example set
by the National Party of South Africa, will be emulated by their
cousins, nephews and nieces in Namibia, Zimbabwe and elsewhere on
the African continent.