17/03/2015
THE ART OF REVOLUTION AND THREE WISE MEN
One year decades ago I had the honour to involve myself in a year study course on revolutions at an Institute of Higher Learning. The case studies we did I still remember, The Maoist Revolution – The American Revolution – The French Revolution – The Russian Revolution - Vietnam, the different methodologies of mobilisation, the art of revolutionary warfare and how a peasant army of Mao starting his long march out of Hunan province with nothing but pitchforks and a slogan “Are you hungry? – are you poor? – are you lacking in access to ownership of the means of production – if yes follow me, we are going to take it with force that which belongs to us” could topple the strong Nationalist Army of Chang Kai Shek.
In that year of great learning three men stood out in my fading memory, three men that were not afraid to speak the truth irrespective of the dangers it posed, speaking out as their conscience and learning would require but so conveniently hidden away by the rest of us for the simple fear of ostracisation. It was in the years that one had to be white, member of the National Party, member of the Dutch Reformed Church, Bank at Volkskas, drive a Borgward, join the Ruiterwag and pray you are selected for the Broederbond to be assured of high position in government and even in some private enterprises.
South Africa then was a benevolent dictatorship where the National Party together with the Afrikaner Broederbond, SABC and the NG Kerk had total control over all aspects of governance and thinking. Ostracisation meant that you were w**ded out of everything, your work, access to many things and most of all the branding as a traitor. Within the ranks of the Afrikaner, treason was something terrible, something unmentionable, something that would take you out of the heart of your family, your friends , your community and chuck you out in no-man’s land. You would rather die than facing the shame of treason.
The first wise man was Professor Herman Gilliomee. He was the man presenting and explaining the French Revolution, opening our minds to the ground breaking work of Alexis de Toqueville and drawing a line right through to the situation in South Africa where the inability of the National Party to understand and comprehend the simmering revolt simmering in the majority disenfranchised, to take the steps to dismantle Apartheid before it is too late. He paid the price. He was w**ded out of the Establishment, branded as a traitor.
Today Professor Herman Gilliomee is an Afrikaner activist, fighting for the cause of Afrikaans, a thorn in the flesh of those that want to w**d Afrikaans out as a language of Education and Instruction.
Second wise man was Prof Totemeyer of the Staatsleer Faculty. His sin was to inform his students that SWAPO would win a free and democratic revolution in South West Africa (today Namibia). He was w**ded out and branded as a traitor.
SWAPO did win the first and free election in Namibia and ever since.
The third wise man was Reverend Nico Smith of the Dutch Reformed Church, a man of 40 when he joined our select group of 8 in the study of revolution. My recollection of him was a shy man with a diabolical dress sense (Brown crimplene trousers, Grashopper shoes, purple paisley tie), never heard a profanity from his lips, a humble man but not weak, a true representative of the Carpenter of Galilee, Rabbi Yeshua of Nazareth.He was our friend, always sometimes joining us for a drink but he would always have a cup of coffee while we had ales He was the man that opened my eyes to the principled stand of the famous three German Theologians, Karl Barth – Berndt Niemoller and Dietrich Bonhoeffer against Adolf Hi**er through the Pfarrernotbund. He was w**ded out by the Church Establishment, branded as a traitor and spent his remaining years as a Minister of Religion of the NG kerk of Afrika in Mamelodi
Five years ago I took two American cowboys from Beaumont Texas out for a visit to the diamond mine at Cullinan. I remained behind at the Info Office while Johnny and Vernon went on the guided tour, chatting with Maria and Poppie two elderly Ndebele ladies in charge of the Office, I complimented Poppie on her excellent Afrikaans which she acknowledged with “ Jy weet, ons Ndebeles praat almal goeie Afrikaans, dit gaan terug na Paul Kruger se tyd”. Mamelodi she said when I asked her where she and Maria lived. Then I asked her “Poppie, I had a friend,Rev Nico Smith who was a Moruti in Mamelodi, you know of him?” She said “ we were members of his congregation, he converted my father, baptised him and all of us, we loved him”. “Five years ago was the last time I saw him with a group of German morutis walking towards the gate of the mine, he was very old and walked with great difficulty. I ran to him and greeted him as Father and tears were running down his cheeks in recognition of me – that was the last time” she said. There we sat, Poppie, Maria and I, 37 degrees in the shade on a Tuesday afternoon under a Jacaranda tree, saying nothing but with tears in our eyes in remembrance of Nico Smith.
Afterwards, some of those that sat in collective judgement were the ones joIning the ANC. Some like RF Botha, Roelf Meyer and others too. This is a strange world we live in, one of constant changes to the shape of and structure of power and its associated elites but in it runs as a golden thread the abuse of power, lies, propaganda and all its minions to remain close to the trough as the leading source of inspiration and vision.
Some friends of mine are also fighting for justice. Gert Gerrie Hugo is fighting from Stockholm the cause of justice for all SA Service Men that served in the SA Ghost Army of 75, the men that were disowned by its own Government,
It is good that us older men writes about these things. Who shall teach the young but us? Whose example are there to look at but us?
May truth prevail, may honour be given to those that merit, may we stand silent in honour to those courageous that went before us, let us undo the wrongs of the past, let us shine our lights.
Humbly I submit
