Afrikaners: South Africa's true patriots

I am not an Afrikaner although I am often mistaken for one and often treated with the same discrimination at work, in social circles and on the highways of this country. Having Free State license plates tends to reinforce the idea. So does having a Dutch surname and an Afrikaans girlfriend.

How do I consider myself if not Afrikaans? English then? No, simply as 'a South African'. It's unfortunate more black South Africans, white South Africans and everyone in between do not do the same. Whatever your language or cultural baggage...er background, can you try to be a South African first, and embrace your South African brothers and sisters? Instead we constantly remind each other what our class-status (current discriminator or past discriminator), tribe and history is.

When I was at school I didn't have a terribly high opinion of Afrikaners; the Andries Treurnicht and PW Botha era gave me a cliched version of an uptight, hypocritical 'religious' class of people who had not a lot of class to begin with. What happened to Hansie and Joost tended to reinforce this idea of a 'two-faced' group with 'apparently high morals'. But you could respect them for their guts and chutzpah, their vim and vigor, their strength and boer-maak 'n plan innovativeness, their business acumen their enterprising and energetic 'seize the day' the attitude.

Yesterday, driving back from the VASBYT bike ride (I did 107km, my 3 Afrikaans companions did 150km) I realised what a classy bunch of guys I was with. All very wealthy, handsome, complete men. Excelling in sports, at work, good husbands and fathers. I say this not to flatter them or as an empty commercial. I've been in their homes and seen them with their wives and children. They're some of this country's brightest minds, and have good hearts. These guys are up at 5 morning most days a week to train and they train like hell. Not because they need to, but because that's how competitive and high-performing they are. It's impressive. So when you hear insulting remarks about Afrikaners (which you do often in the media and on black talk shows and in columns) and you refer them to a few friends you know you know the cliche doesn't work; it doesn't stick as much as many vested interests wished it would.

After 1994 I left the country for several years - because as a white male I couldn't find work here - and during that time abroad came to respect the Afrikaner as a group rather than a political group. South Africans abroad tend to find Afrikaans very useful when conveying sentiments privately (surrounded by English foreigners). I must say that through my girlfriend I picked up a strong sense of what the South African culture is. I can't say I have really experienced this as strongly with any other South African group. Mandela, as an individual, perhaps and Desmond Tutu, come across as individuals who have knitted this nation together, but millions of their peers have done the opposite. Afrikaners though give me a different sense in their every day activities... That sense of the real South Africa, and what it means to be a real South African. It's a way of eating and socialising that's distinctive, it's an attitude to the outdoors and sports, it's a language, it's a genuine love for this country, it's the nomenclature of the mountains and places.

Afrikaans is the only language that is uniquely South African, born here, spoken by whites, blacks (though not a lot) and coloureds. Coloureds - the Afrikaans 'hey my bra' Cape Malays in particular, are another group of genuine South Africans that I take my hat off to...

I think Zuma has a point, in saying that Afrikaners are the only genuine white South Africans. By the same token, I am not sure if I have experienced the same 'genuine' love for the country you pick up from Afrikaners and coloureds from ordinary blacks. Am I wrong? Perhaps I just haven't noticed. Compare the rugby zeitgeist, the legacy of the Springboks and nation building, to the soccer zeitgeist (what's that?). That's an Afrikaner sport for you. Cricket has had similar strong nation building across both races, with characters like Donald, Pollock and Smith flying the flag for English white South Africans.
Black sportsmen have emerged in these 'white sports' and all South Africans have grown to love and respect them - Ntini, Habana, Paulse and Petersen to name but a few.

I'd like to see that inclusive nation building coming out of Black South Africa. From soccer to the shebeens. I think it can. But I also think a lot of black South Africans like to give Afrikaans South Africans the finger (so much for versoening)because it suits them, and because it entrenches their position. On the other hand you can't blame a lot of blacks for feeling this way after years of oppression. But maybe you've got to start putting the grudges away and work on building something. I mean, now you're free are you going to spend your time griping or making up for lost time a la Mandela?
Griping is understandable but not noble or productive. Sadly, many previous disadvantaged choose to gripe and blame and this has few spinoffs other than ego-satisfaction and wasting even more time. Sorry, today if you can't make a success in South Africa there's not really anyone to blame but yourself. Not every South African is a racist, but to treat them that way and to discriminate against them obviously becomes self fulfilling.

I was at a meeting at work in which I was told how the most intolerant people in South Africa are from the Free State, the Afrikaners there. I often hear, in my work scenario, about how racist Afrikaners are, so I feel uncomfortable talking the language at work over the phone (because by implication I must be a racist Afrikaner).

I am not sure how this benefits race relations. It doesn't surprise me then when I drive on the N1 and end up getting arrested (illegally) and taken to the police station and threatened and intimidated to teach me a lesson. For looking like an Afrikaner. I guess it says a lot about the people who point the finger of Discrimination. And I think it shows you that Zuma is taking a step in the right direction. I don't remember Mbeki making conciliatory remarks to whites. It is good to see Zuma doing this, and we can all benefit by being genuinely conciliatory. This is your country, and my country - not either or.

clipped from www.thetimes.co.za ANC president Jacob Zuma called Afrikaners the only true South Africans among whites, at a meeting with representatives of Afrikaner groups in Sandton, Johannesburg today. "Of all the white groups that are in South Africa, it is only the Afrikaners that are truly South Africans in the true sense of the word," Zuma said. Zuma said that after the advent of South Africa’s first democratic elections, Afrikaners withdrew because the blame for apartheid "was being placed squarely on the Afrikaners, on the National Party". It was good that Afrikaners were trying to see how they could play a role, and dialogues such as today’s were important. He appreciated the Afrikaner’s honesty.