Two dozen white zealots, the self-appointed saviours of the Afrikaner people, have fought a decade-long rearguard action in the Gauteng High Court. Judgment is being given at last but it is perhaps not the looming heavy sentences that will cut most deeply.
For it is clear that the Boeremag accused – charged with treason, murder and attempted murder, among other offences – are outcasts from their people. Far from having carved a niche in the pantheon of Boer heroes, their stupidity has come to define the dom in Afrikanerdom.
The critical flaw was the assumption that Afrikaners would rally, much as the embattled Boers did around the revered General Koos de la Rey during the Anglo-Boer War. The anniversary of De La Rey’s death was chosen for the planned 2002 uprising that would establish a Boere Republiek and at least one accused claimed for himself the rank of generaal, affecting also the great man’s fearsome facial bristles.
It was all a massive miscalculation. It quickly became apparent there was zero popular support from Afrikaners who, though they have plenty of gripes with the African National Congress government, savvily realise that peace, economic growth and the end to their polecat status in the world, are preferable to ill-fated insurrections based on the prophecies of a Boer Nostradamus of almost a century ago.
Modern Afrikaners decided that the new Republic, however flawed, is preferable to promises of a Boer Utopia, albeit with guaranteed work, no inflation, the cancellation of debt, and a house or land for every citizen
So when they were approached for recruitment, Afrikaners serving in the new SA National Defence Force fell over themselves to report the planned insurrection. The Boeremag was quickly infiltrated with police spies. Afrikaner spies.
Such Afrikaner scepticism meant the Boeremag was all officers and no soldiers. A young mechanic recounted to the court how his boss (now one of the accused) one day bustled in, ordered him to raise his right hand and repeat a garbled oath, and then informed him that he was now a solider in the Boeremag. No, he was not, the young man decided, and made himself scarce.
The Boeremag’s goals were incendiary, verging on genocidal. They would trigger the uprising with a calamitous event of 9/11 proportions, following which blacks would be indiscriminately bombed and mowed down.
However crazy they might seem, these were not idle fantasies. The automatic firearms had been collected, the shrapnel-packed bombs assembled, vehicles procured and packed with explosives. Earlier random bombings had already killed one and injured dozens.
But Boeremag strategies were doomed not only by the indifference of the Volk but by the staggering naiveté of its leaders.
Government fighter planes would be shot down with hunting rifles; poisoned oranges would be scattered by air to decimate Soweto; blacks would be herded up the N1 into Zimbabwe, Indians down the N3 to Durban and thence to India; recalcitrant whites would clean up the empty townships or be shot; and draftees were to report for insurrection with firearm, Bible, hymnal, and suntan lotion.
The uprising was to be internally financed. When abandoned because it was clear that arrest was imminent, all they had rung up was a R30 000 donation from one of the generaals, and promises of revenue from the sale of 40 hectares of sunflowers and 200 sheep.
This kind of delusional behaviour echoes plans for right-wing insurrection elsewhere, such as in the United States and, most recently Norway, where Anders Breivik massacred 77 young people in July last year. It is vile brew of racist paranoia, laced with anti-Semitism, peppered with apocalyptic semi-religious visions, and stirred by societal misfits with Messianic delusions.
It is a bitter pill then for the Boeremag that God’s “Chosen People” of the African veld, in whose name it planned genocide, declined to be rescued. De La Rey, who was an honourable and reluctant warrior, would be pleased.
Do you really in your wildest imagination think ANY of their plan was in toutch with reality? I suggest you read what you can find on the Internet about the author of the book “The Third Boer War” – that is where the real white backlash is, in America!
What interests me, and we have heard nothing about it yet, is the charge of murder (.i.e. actual murder not fanatsies )
Actually, you can laugh at these “dom” Afrikaners but their HONESTY makes them far less dangerous than the usual suspects who:
- Make claims that cannot be proven e.g. they “support the ANC” yet use the media to peddle the twisted policies of the white tribal DA party.
- Constantly speak of government corruption while turning a blind eye to rampant corporate corruption.
- Claim that Afrikaans is an “African” language to keep their schools and universities as white as possible.
- Avoid the topic of land reform in order to cling to the benefits of centuries of land theft during colonialism and apartheid.
etc etc etc.
Furthermore, your praise of De La Rey, an Afrikaner terrorist, is once again, in line with the dishonest DA’s support of the subversive lyrics of the Afrikaner folk song in his name.
Thanks. I at last see the link between De la Rey and the ANC.
The only thing that I can glean from this whole stupid affair is that it reflects what our ‘justice’ system has become. Totally paralyzed and unable to do the simplest of cases in a short time? Justice delayed is justice denied. 10 years to the wining/losing post and then I suspect that the appeals will start and drag this whole matter on for another 10 years. It has also become so expensive that the simplest of cases will bankrupt anyone. The bad guys in this case may one day get their justice but the public of South Africa will never get theirs as they will be left with all the bills to pay. As is the case world-wide, the only winners are the lawyers. Selebi will not pay his bills as is the case with so many others.The tax payers never get justice.
If the Boermag last 27 years in prison they might also come out heros, but their chances of survival are remote! In the 40 years of apartheid about 600 people died in prison, which we found horrifying at the time, but now the stats are often over 600 in one year.
I have been reading a bit about the white backlash in the USA on the Internet, especially the backlash against Obama as “pro-Muslim” and “anti- Christian” and forsee major problems in the future!
@Dave Harris: What blatant one-eyed nonsense you spew forth.
- Make claims that cannot be proven e.g. they “support the ANC” yet use the media to peddle the twisted policies of the white tribal DA party.
NO. You are making claims that cannot be proven of a “white tribal DA party.” As I understand, whites are now in the minority of DA supporters – which implies you are spreading untruths. OK, let’s be honest and just call it a LIE from you.
- Constantly speak of government corruption while turning a blind eye to rampant corporate corruption.
NO. Firstly, I see no evidence of “blinds eyes” to corporate corruption. Secondly, define and support with FACTS that business corruption is “rampant” relative to government corruption.
- Claim that Afrikaans is an “African” language to keep their schools and universities as white as possible.
Erm, NO. Afrikaans is a language arising in Africa. The reason you ascribe to “their claim” is your OPINION. No supporting evidence is provided by you (possibly because there is none).
- Avoid the topic of land reform in order to cling to the benefits of centuries of land theft during colonialism and apartheid.
NO. That is a blatant lie. Land reform is not avoided. It is, however, advocated in a fair, just, and sustainable manner. The major failure in land reform in my OPINION is the lack of management and delivery capability of pathetic ANC deployed cadres.
@Dave Harris
I agree with you (wonders have not ceased) that in their honesty the Boeremag Afrikaners posed little danger to the Republic.
De la Rey, who in the eyes of the British Empire was indeed an Afrikaner terrorist, but one to be reckoned with. With little outside help these terrorists (mostly farmers) kept the Empire quite busy for a few years, inflicting considerable losses on the ‘rooineks’. But eventually they were outnumbered, while their farms were destroyed and their women and children sent to concentration camps.
Unlike the ANC which managed little in their ‘struggle’ and depended mostly on outside help. Except for a few terrorist acts of bombing snack bars in which innocent bystanders were the likely victims, they achieved not much. Even so they make claims of having defeated apartheid which is as dishonest as their promise to provide a better life for all. Not to mention their dishonest support of subversive lyrics of the so-called freedom songs in which the boer (Afrikaner) should be killed and which proves that they are still terrorists at heart.
If honesty is the yardstick by which danger is measured I leave it to you to work out how safe SA is with a government like the ANC.
Honestly, now.
Although WSM was only referring to 2 dozen white zealots in the Boeremag,
my bro speaks correctly about the ‘HONESTY of Afrikaners’ and that they are far from ‘dom’.
Afrikaners came to this country with determination, courage, vision and implemented a culture of hard work, self-sufficiency and community – despite arduous and almost insurmountable difficulties.
They built up the country. They were given no free houses or ‘jobs’. They were not destructive – nor stagnant in an primitive doldrum.
They brought civilisation to people who were nomads, cattle herders, believing in witchcraft (and dying young); people who knew nothing of reading or writing.
My bro. also chose the right words with ‘cling to the benefits of colonialism”. Of course they should!
‘Dom’ does not apply to Afrikaners.
‘Dom’ is doing nothing for yourself but taking what there is (like libraries, schools, etc) and burning them down.
‘Dom’ is when you have no job or skills and cannot afford to house, feed or educate children, but yet keep on breeding like rabbits.
‘Dom’ are the suckers who believe the lies, deceit and promises of a provenly inept, thieving, corrupt, self-serving ANC government, who steal tax-payers’ money for themselves, and only pay ‘lip service’ to the poor by using them as voting fodder for re-election.
‘Dom’ are how those poor kids who have still not received text-books have been annointed by dommer-than-dom ‘Minister’ Angie.
Shame on…
… Shame on her and shame on the ANC.
‘Dom’ is when you are blindly follow ‘the dom’ and swallow what ‘the dom’ have to say.
Dave, a troll by any other medium is just contrarian. Your irrational hatred of anything that even hints of DA discredits anything remotely constructive you may have to. You Dave are your own worst enemy.
@ Peter Joffe — The main reason why the trial has taken so long is that the accused have brought at least 40 interlocutory appications, ranging from bail, demand for prisoner of war status, the recusal of the judge, etc. A sidelight is that the one accused who pleaded guilty was sentenced to 10 years in 2003, got a two year cut in sentence during an annual blanket prison pardon and served, in the end, three years. Been toasting his toes at the home fires for some time already.
You are right about the cost: R34m in legal aid funds.
Dave (Bald faced liar) Harris at it again. Afrikaans is an African language spoken only in S. Africa and born here from a mixture of Dutch/German/French and a bit of English plus small bits of local African languages. De la Rey was a regular army general fighting an invading army, not a terrorist. In WW1 times he was not warm to fighting British wars but did nothing of a terrorist nature. Not only are you a liar but your knowledge of SA history is about zero.
Brent
As far as I know the word ‘dom’ in Afrikanerdom has nothing to do with stupidity as is thinly suggested although there certainly must be Afrikaners who are stupid.
The English word ‘Christendom, likewise, does not suggest stupid Christians. The latter expression is ancient, to say the least, from the early middle ages viz. [Middle English Cristendom, from Old English cristendm : cristen, Christian; see Christian + -dm, -dom].(The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved).
Probably originated from or through germanic maybe. In German we still have e.g. Christen- heiden and Juden-tum.
Afrikanerdom seems to be a more recent expression as it is not mentioned in the ‘tweetalige skoolwoordeboek’ issue 1964.
Dom seems one of those curious additions which in this case provided our columnist with a handle to some fun?poking.
Defining ‘dom’ in its context it was not: maybe I expected too much of ‘defining’.
William you hit the nail on the head.
Ek hoop die dom bliksems sit nog lank en gee hulle tyd om te dink oor die onnosele strooi wat hulle aan hang. Dit is laakbaar.
Wit mense in SA het nie meer lus vir sulke idiote nie. Ons almal het aan beweeg en bou aan n beter SA.
Dave ” The Drivel ” Harris. Sir you are the other side of the Boeremag. You are no diffirent, your views and hate are excactly the same as the Boeremag sir.
@Jon Story
In spite of the overwhelming military might of the apartheid regime, the ANC were successful in employing a multitude of tactics locally and internationally in making apartheid SA ungovernable. The strategic thinking of MK could not be matched by the one dimensional military force mindset the apartheid thugs, who like the Nazis were incapable of thinking creatively. Just like how Gandhi outsmarted the mighty British Empire, the ANC employed similar tactics resulting in the mass student protests in the eighties which spelt the beginning of the end of the apartheid regime.
It was appropriate to choose De la Rey’s anniversary; De la Rey was plotting rebellion against his government — treason, that is — in support of a foreign power (Germany) when he was accidentally shot after running a roadblock set up to catch the Foster gang. The song commemorates this armed rebellion; it’s not about De la Rey’s activities during the Boer War.
The Boeremag could have caused a lot of destruction, although it’s unlikely they would have gained much support. And, bluntly speaking, a lot of white South Africans think more or less the way the Boeremag think — just restrict their racist fantasies to the braaivleis, the bar counter and the internet chatroom.
One cannot help but chuckle at the sheer stupidity of the ”boere” antics. And if one lumps the likes of ET and Steve Hofmeyr with this lot the question remains, are these people so desperate for heroes that they will scrap a bottomless pit, to pitch these hopeless individuals. The other irony is the so-called supporters who support these ‘hopeless” individuals. Most of the supporters are so scared to declare themselves in the open and would rather choose to hide behind faceless names, hide in dark corners, hide behind drawn curtains and locked doors. The sheer cowardice is also shown in the dragging out of this case, not only because they are cowards but also because they cannot stand by their cause. What kind of ”heroes” are these who cannot articulate their principles and their ”fight”. They choose to cherry-pick the likes of De la Rey, whom is so far from their cause. And yet they so blatantly use this name to have some sort of credibility. The question must also be asked, where is your so-called afrikaner pride, when you allow ”hopeless” individuals such as these to disgrace and make a laughing stock of your history? ANC heroes, at the very least understood their struggle, understood principle and understood the nature of ”freedom fighters”. Not only did they endure this fight for 350years, they produced icons that are celebrated across this globe. The struggle for afrikaner-domness is grossly ill conceived and selfish. But then again,…
I don’t know about ‘dom’, but the Dave Harris comments are far more than just ‘dom’ – they are completely ‘onnosel’.
@Tofolux
Well,well, well. We know that the ANC will rule till the second coming (is it that nigh?) but now we hear that their freedom fighters have been enduring the fight for 350 years! And then there are the “dom-Afrikaners” who make us believe that Jan van Riebeeck was ‘created’ just about as long ago….
Talking about making a laughing stock of our history
@Creator – racist fantasies are not only the privy of the braaivleis. You will find them in shebeens too!
@David – if you cannot see the difference between Dutch and Afrikaans then you have a horror show on your hands because by that logic Xhosa and Zulu are the same language…
And to the topic…looking at history; Stupidity has achieved many things and will continue to do so.
@tofolux – ‘…allowed “hopeless” individuals…’ Er, nobody allowed then to do anything. They were misguided in THEIR delusion. If you could for once look at what actually happened and not your interpretation of events you would notice that they were pretty much regarded as renegade wackos.
Take your bigoted views that all Afrikaners are racist and trash it.
S.A.JUSTICE SYSTEM
Illegal-Wise or Regtig Dom
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – -
Die broedermag
Sit net en wag
Ag, allemagtig
Dit is hulle krag
@ Tofolux, Yet once again: The ANC is not a ‘race’ but a Political Party.
Ironically, it is the DA, as a political party, who represent exactly what Mandela stood for and strived for.
(The ‘Arrogance-Nepotism-Corruption’ party of today – a party of corrupt, inept, greedy, self-enriching politicians, who ‘play’ the poor with fake promises in exchange for votes – have merely hijacked the acronym ANC for their own purposes.)
So it is even more ironic that you ‘take credit’ for ‘icons produced by the ANC – obviously, first and foremost, Nelson Mandela. …. for what Mandela gave his life for was a NON-RACIAL, equal opportunity society – whereas you are a blatant racist.
Just as people of the Boeremag are racially driven and biased, so has the current Zuma-led ANC become. Just as the Boeremag failed to gain support, let us hope it is not long before ‘loyalist’ ANC supporters finally wake up to how they are being ‘used’.
Many black S.Africans do not subscribe to what the ANC has now become. There are many other political parties where they find a home.
@Charlotte, lets debate this thing about Da and ANC. Da is not a revolutionary movement or a liberation organisation. Now it is a revolutionary and liberation movement that produces revolutionaries such as Madiba and yet this is in total contradiction of the DA policies and ideoplogy(if any). Also, Madiba as a Commander-in-Chief of Umkhonto we Sizwe fought for the constitutional principles of non-racialism, non sexism and democratic principle. So its quite opportunistic for you to attribute this equal opportunity society to him because he would have lambasted you for the mere proposal of it. Secondly, if Madiba is and remains an ANC member, why is it that DA singles out Madiba and only Madiba for association and disregards Luthuli, Helen Joseph, Oliver Tambo or Walter Sisulu etc?
I usually refrain from responding to bigots or rhetoric non-sense but in this case I think that you need to explain why you(DA) are opportunistically associating yourself with Madiba when even he has a good old chuckle about your narrow agenda.
Tofolux.
* A non-racist society is cited in the ANC manifesto and endorsed by Mandela in all his speeches, writings and books.
* A non-racist society is what the DA represents
* What brings you to the conclusion that the DA “singles out” anyone? What nonsense! – or as ‘Tannie Evita’ says: ‘completely onnosel”
* How do you know what Madiba chuckles at?
* The word ‘nonsense’ is not hyphenated.
* And besides your blatant racism, distorted, unprecedented nonsense is what you spout.
* …. constantly.
What Tofolux writes is so garbled, muddled and fallacious, that she keeps scoring points for those who oppose the shocking peformance of the ANC.
+She should rather write to Zuma and ask him to come home and clean up the terrible mess that our country is in and do something about the criminality of the ANCYL – instead of messing around with Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe.
She could also write to all the out-of-control protestors and miners etc., or all the teachers and children who are still waiting for text books, or all the people dying in hospitals which are now in total crisis, and remind them how lucky they are that they voted for the ANC.
@Dingleberry Dave Harris
The fall of Apartheid was as a direct result of mostly investment sanctions (and the refusal to rollover loans as they became due) and to a lesser extent trade sanctionsby the G20 nations.
The student actions, boycotts, rent and educational boycotts were never going to bring about regime change.
Neither did MK ever engage successfully in military combat.
Planting bombs in Magoos Bar in Durban is not exactly D-Day, Dave,
@Dave Harris
quote: The strategic thinking of MK could not be matched by the one dimensional military force mindset the apartheid thugs, who like the Nazis were incapable of thinking creatively.unquote
You have been looking at too many American WWII films.
The strategies of MK, although bothersome to the apartheid regime, did not bring it down. They only contributed to the demise of apartheid. To claim otherwise is dishonest.
@Charlotte, instead of name calling and rhetorical responses, lets engage openly, honestly and with respect. In the true spirit of our wonderful product of a liberation movement,Madiba,lets engage honestly, openly and with respect. The point I am making is that ANC is not a mere political party. Secondly, DA does not represent a non-racist society because their cabinent in the western cape legislature is an obvious contradiction to that statement. The question I pose and which I am asking you to answer, why are you associating DA with Madiba and no-one else in the liberation movement or history of our country noting that Madiba is a product of his ideology, his values, his morals and his liberation movement.
@ Rodney Ian, you must be able to engage diverse views and instead of dismissing an opposing or alternative view, pose the counter-argument in order to enrich a discussion. Simply insulting, is just so limiting and narrow.
Tofolux
There are no rhetorical questions
2 questions were posed – which again you don’t answer. The rest are statements.
@Charlotte
Perhaps Tofolux has trouble reading, I also had to read it carefully to spot the questions.
That by the way, Tofolux makes an interesting statement namely that the ANC is no mere political party.
Reading between the lines, that could mean
1. They are a political party, but also
2. A liberation movement, formerly known as a terrorist organisation by ‘the enemy’.
The former constrains the ANC to work within the present political framework of the country.
The latter means that they are not so constrained. That would explain a lot.
Poor DA who are only a political party and seemingly racist to boot if one views their cabinet composition in the W Cape. According to Tofolux that is.
The “racism” in the Western Cape is not from the Whites but from the Browns who have been told they are “Not Black Enough” in their own Homeland in terms of the ANC BEE quota system.
@ Lyndall Your comment regarding racism (e.g. ANC BEE quota system and ‘Not Black Enough’ ) does not only apply in the Western Cape. It applies to ”Browns’ throughout S.Africa.
A test case reported today reveals that a SAA online application scheme for pilot trainees, accepted a male named ‘Sipho’, whereas the identical details on an application submitted under the name ‘Kosie’ was rejected.
Discrimination based on race and gender – and obviously, connections’ – prevails under ANC governance.
Tofolux: Regarding your garbled rants, I repeat: You will change no one’s mind on this forum – even if they could understand you.
Rather convince those dying in hospitals because of broken apparatus and no medication; … convince those beset by drugs and gang wars in the W. Cape (and with the ANCYL threatening to ‘make the Cape ungovernable) – and a dud president who cocks a snoot at the premier,when she requests extra assistance for the police who cannot cope with the rampant criminalty …
Rather convince families of the miners and those of the police who died in the bloodbath at Lonmin platinum mine, how fortunate they are in having voted for the ANC again.
Show those living in abject poverty, how well-off those in ANC leadership are – like the billions to be spent on Zumaville. Remind them how very lucky they are that they voted the ANC in again.
And Tofolux .. also point out to the children, parents and teachers in Limpopo and the E.Cape that text books are not really necessary to succeed – nor is honesty, integrity or a decent education. Tell them to use the ANC leadership as their role models. Point out how wealthy Zuma, Malema and ANC politicians have become without any education or doing any work..
Make sure to tell them that ANC political dirty dealing and dishonesty is a much easier and effective way of getting rich – and even if you’re caught and sentenced, you get someone in the ANC to testify that you’re teminally ill (like Schabier Shaik or Jackie Selebi) and you’ll be ‘let off’ by the president and then spend your golden years with all your ill-gotten gains
Tell them how happy they should be to have voted for a party like the ANC which is so single-minded and focussed – even if its for their own self-enrichment.
Tell them that although ANC politicians made even more money out of illegal tenders or by dumping hundreds of unused text books into rivers etc, they always promise to ‘get to the bottom of it’. (Never a truer word)
Tell them that by voting for the ANC, everything that goes wrong in the country – from bad weather to crime, violence, corruption and non-delivery, can be blamed on the whites, apartheid or the DA.
… because instead of being grateful, some black voters are now really gatvol.
@ Jon Story. A good quote: “Don’t read between the lines, because I don’t write between the lines”.
Tofolux not only has trouble reading (between the lines or not), she also has trouble writing, hearing and understanding. She repeats herself and contradicts herself (count how many times in her last comment) with her distorted views.
To clarify: The point I often make is that the ANC of Nelson Mandela stood for a non-racial, equal opportunity society. But because of the racism rife in the ANC today, it is the DA which now actually fulfils and implements Mandela’s dream of what democracy was meant to be.
This is obviously my opinion. I am not a spokesperson for the DA (as Tofolux purports to be for the ANC). Nor did I infer that the DA ‘singled out anyone” (Where does she even come with that idea?!). I used Mandela as a prominent example because of his well-known stance on racism in a democracy.
In fact, were ‘liberation’ still relevant, I would even say that the DA exemplifies the liberation needed in S Africa today to rid ourselves of the scourge of ANC governance
Just one thing, Jon: However one views it, the DA, unlike the ANC, gives jobs to the best qualified (not based on race, gender or bribes).
Note those in top positions in the DA today – men and women, Black, Coloured and White: Helen Zilla, Lindiwe Mazibuko, Dr. Wilmot James, Patricia de Lille, Mmusi Maimane, Ivan Meyer – to name but a few….
@Charlotte, I rest my case. Ones views must be respected but to go down to that level, sorry try Rodney-Ian maybe. Mindless ping-pongin aint my thing.
@Rodney-Ian, what is a brown? Also, hey I am not here to change right-wing views. I am here to put my view. You cannot hog forums as if it belongs to you only, freedom of speech belongs to all who live in this country. A constitutional right guaranteed, struggled and fought for, not by yourselves.
——————————————————————————————————————Mindless ping-pong aint my thing”. This from Tofolux! What a joke!
“You cannot hog forums”. – Another joke!
and “I rest my case” …… Then rest it for pity’s sake!
Now take your case to ANC voters and reassure them that the blackguards and crooks in ANC leadership, even if kicked out, will still have plenty money to play with from what they have stolen and salted away.
Perhaps they need convincing not to give the ANC the kick-in-the-pants that it so ‘richly’ deserves