Our Own Anarchy

Finally, in retrospect, the Anglo-Boer war takes on a
deeper meaning, it used to seem like an economic war
between two white cultures fought out of avarice and
greed: the strongest nation at the time, Britain, tried to
extinguish the Dutch nation here through the scorched
earth policy as we rebelled against British occupation

But Madiba studied Afrikaner history and realised that
war against us would result in the death of our women
and children again - because our nation is determined
to sacrifice everything for the right to govern ourselves
and both sides would suffer too much; destroying our
lovely country - Madiba dreamed of reconciliation

So right there on Robben Island he applied his insight
and won the respect of his wardens, educated his fellow
prisoners; seeing his vision of reconciliation so clearly
that he influenced everybody through his presence when
negotiating a new constitution for our country; conferring
freedom on everybody, irrespective of race and colour

Mandela spoke perfect Afrikaans and hailed the excellence
we brought to the fold by keeping the Springbok emblem
and engaging Zelda LaGrange as his personal assistant,
saying Afrikaners had to be freed from racial segregation
so as to free the whole nation – and he did free us; charmed
the serving President and the whole nation

Without the Anglo-Boer War we might have faced a full-
scale war in South Africa because our mettle would not have
been tested and nothing would have deterred the ANC to start
an armed war thinking we were simply oppressors – as it is –
he knew we were used to fighting for our freedom because
our forbears had been oppressed in Europe

And in the Cape, then in the new province called Transvaal –
our history spoke of fighting against all the odds to be free –
therefore Madiba could address our fear of subjection, knowing
we were the inheritors of the 80-year war of Spain against the
Netherlands - as well as the religious persecution of believers
in France through the Edict of Nantes

We have nowhere to go unlike other Europeans-in-Africa with
a homeland; we speak a new language called Afrikaans which
is a far cry from the original Dutch, we even have a 100-year
old literature - we cannot return to a fatherland  - when war
breaks out amongst Black tribes, we cannot leave

We have nowhere to go so we stay and fight for the progress
of our country and the life of our people among the black
tribes of Africa – amongst whom I found so much joie de
vivre, I willingly trade stiff upper-lip Western boredom
for our own form of anarchy…