Hermanus Beukes: fearless politician to be laid to rest

HERMANUS Beukes, a fixture on the political scene of Rehoboth over the second half of the twentieth century, will be laid to rest at his hometown this weekend.

Beukes, who had been an outspoken and fiery critic of South Africa’s rule of Namibia and a frequent petitioner to the United Nations to ask for international intervention on behalf of the people of Namibia, died at the age of 91 on Thursday last week. He will be buried at Rehoboth on Saturday, one of his daughters, Anne-Marie Beukes, said yesterday.While working as a shoemaker at Rehoboth, Hermanus Beukes was also actively involved in politics, writing and sending petitions to the UN accusing South Africa of breaching the terms of the mandate under which it governed the then South West Africa, two of his children, Anne-Marie and Hewat Beukes, recalled yesterday.A political comrade of Beukes from pre-Independence days, Dr Kenneth Abrahams, remembered him as “a man of absolute dedication, brave to the point of recklessness, and fearless”.”Not even the awe-inspiring combination of Dr Verwoerd and Mr Vorster could intimidate him,” said Abrahams, who was with Beukes when South African Police agents kidnapped them in Botswana 41 years ago this month to return them illegally to the then South West Africa.Eventually the South African government, when confronted with the illegality of the abduction of Beukes, Abrahams and two companions – leading Swapo member Andreas Shipanga and another Rehoboth resident, Paul Smit – had to return the group to Botswana.At the time, Beukes never reached New York, where he had wanted to petition the world body in person.Instead, he returned to Rehoboth, continuing his work as a shoemaker and also continuing to speak out and petition against South Africa’s continuing rule over Namibia.”He always stood for truth and justice and the upliftment of the common man,” Abrahams says.A memorial service for Beukes will be held at his family’s home at Erf 4, Block C, at Rehoboth at 19h00 tomorrow.His funeral service is set to commence at the family home at 12h30 on Saturday, before continuing from 13h00 in the Rehoboth Methodist Church, according to Anne-Marie Beukes.He will be buried at Rehoboth on Saturday, one of his daughters, Anne-Marie Beukes, said yesterday.While working as a shoemaker at Rehoboth, Hermanus Beukes was also actively involved in politics, writing and sending petitions to the UN accusing South Africa of breaching the terms of the mandate under which it governed the then South West Africa, two of his children, Anne-Marie and Hewat Beukes, recalled yesterday.A political comrade of Beukes from pre-Independence days, Dr Kenneth Abrahams, remembered him as “a man of absolute dedication, brave to the point of recklessness, and fearless”.”Not even the awe-inspiring combination of Dr Verwoerd and Mr Vorster could intimidate him,” said Abrahams, who was with Beukes when South African Police agents kidnapped them in Botswana 41 years ago this month to return them illegally to the then South West Africa.Eventually the South African government, when confronted with the illegality of the abduction of Beukes, Abrahams and two companions – leading Swapo member Andreas Shipanga and another Rehoboth resident, Paul Smit – had to return the group to Botswana.At the time, Beukes never reached New York, where he had wanted to petition the world body in person.Instead, he returned to Rehoboth, continuing his work as a shoemaker and also continuing to speak out and petition against South Africa’s continuing rule over Namibia.”He always stood for truth and justice and the upliftment of the common man,” Abrahams says.A memorial service for Beukes will be held at his family’s home at Erf 4, Block C, at Rehoboth at 19h00 tomorrow.His funeral service is set to commence at the family home at 12h30 on Saturday, before continuing from 13h00 in the Rehoboth Methodist Church, according to Anne-Marie Beukes.