Afrikaners are not "invaders".
History must be judged in the context of the time and not with today's ideology - Pres Ramaphosa disappointed us
It is with disappointment that the Afrikanerbond heard extracts of President Ramaphosa's speech in celebration of Reconciliation Day on December 16, 2019 in Bergville.
During Reconciliation Day, President Ramaphosa went out of his way to provide a contemporary ideological context to the Battle of Blood River. His own interpretation is that the Zulu impis were Freedom Fighters who fought for the freedom of their land against "invaders", namely the Voortrekkers. No mention of the context of history at the time, the brutal murders of Voortrekkers and their leaders and treason even after negotiations. No mention of the bloody history and massacre between black tribes during tribal wars at the time. This kind of one-sided interpretation of our history is not worthy of this President.
By referring to the Voortrekkers as "invaders", President Ramaphosa joins the "Colonialism of a special type" views of his predecessors. This is yet another indication of the prevalent dismissive attitude and view towards certain sections of the population. Unfortunately, the President is also continuing with the trend of the last few years, which indicates a one-sided history honouring only the ANC, its leaders and heroes with a disdainful attitude towards the history of virtually all minority groups. The ANC, through its actions and statements, interprets the history of South Africa as it fits them and their circumstances.
Recent events have left minority groups, and specifically Afrikaners, somewhat disillusioned. Someone once said, "Whoever has the power, writes history." Nowhere is this more clearly illustrated than in South Africa. The current land debate is being fabricated around the big lie about land ownership, and the President has now also joined the ranks of the big lie and a distortion of history. The present government, however, is rarely bothered by the truth.
President Ramaphosa is currently at risk of alienating himself from the Afrikaner minority. His actions and statements on Reconciliation Day, during which Afrikaners also celebrate Day of the Vow, are unsolicited. The President's persistent ineptitude and dismissive views of farm murders have started to pave the way for alienation.
We urge the President and the government to abide by the facts and the truth and to respect the history of Afrikaners. This also applies to the current land debate and populist untruths about land theft. Afrikaners are descendants of pioneers and Voortrekkers towards freedom and NOT of "invaders". This reference is therefore rejected with contempt.
Statement by Jaco Schoeman, Chairperson of the Afrikanerbond, 19 December 2019
