Terre'Blanche and the Afrikaner homeland

AWB leader Eugene Terre’Blanche, addressing the Vryheid Agricultural Union last Thursday, called on the ANC to grant the Afrikaners a homeland. “We gave blacks their homelands. Why don’t the ANC do the same for us?” Sort of a little laager on the prairie — spare me.

I’d like to call on the ANC on behalf of the Afrikaner volk, but my ideas run totally contrary to Mr Terre’Blanche’s. My thinking goes something along the lines of former Democratic Alliance leader Tony Leon’s concept of using our people of best competence.

This might well achieve the goals of the Afrikaner and other communities, while instilling hope where despair now runs rampant.

The Afrikaans community belongs in the whole of South Africa, just as the whole of South Africa belongs to all of its communities. Its frustration arises from being sidelined at a time when it has so much to offer this country and this continent. My exasperation arises out of our failure to employ this wealth of potential to the benefit of us all.

Let’s examine this concept in a few areas.

Crime
If the incredible depth of talent available to South Africa from that community in respect of policing, training thereof as well as the designing and implementing of strategy to fight crime was put to best use, crime would be drastically and quickly reduced (of this I have no doubt). Yet instead of using them to bring through a new generation of crime fighters, steeped in proper police traditions, they are marginalised and denied promotions. With the demographics of South Africa, the simple fact is the vast majority of police officers will always be black. Accordingly, there is no threat of a coup if that is the concern.

While our prosecutors appear to be mixing together superbly and learning from one another, our police appear to be lagging far behind. When I go to court I am proud to see how well our prosecutors, of all races, are bedding down together. By employing the same sense within the police we would recognise our Afrikaner community, strengthen the training of all communities and give public confidence a boost. They would know that our police officers would have undergone the strictest training routines, and been subjected to the toughest physical tests and highest examination standards. We know this from our apartheid days, when Afrikaners ran a tough police force and a potent military.

Military
Again there is a waste of invaluable experience and potential at a time when South Africa could do with a competent and powerful army. If that is not the case, I apologise to those in command, but best I point out the perception of the population to you. Most people think the SANDF is a joke, incapable of beating Lesotho convincingly and a force that would most probably get beaten by Zimbabwe, composed of lazy, ill-disciplined and unfit soldiers who strike and play politics.

In addition, the army owes its allegiance to the government rather than the country and is capable of becoming a Zanu-PF-style tool rather than the protector of all South Africans. If my perception is wrong, the “commentary team” will be taking my head off in the comments section.

What this country needs is national service (I’m hiding in my bunker as I type this) to instil discipline and pride among our youth, as well as a professional army along the lines that the Afrikaners built up during the years of apartheid. Their experience would be invaluable in restoring pride, confidence and sealing those borders as is desperately needed right now.

Civil service, health and local government
Again the Afrikaners’ experience in running these departments and improving these services for the entire country will instil a huge amount of pride in their community and create lasting bonds. You can all laugh at me, but if an oke who ran Witbank was dragged into Alexandra and got the systems right, regardless of his political views (AWB even), I guarantee the whole community would be on Carte Blanche telling South Africa about Oom Kosie (the AWB guy) who visits their homes, and we’d all be crying like babies watching this on television.

Impossible?

Watch your Springboks, guys. Follow the magnificent Blue Bulls, and see the pride when our black and coloured players come through on merit. This weekend, Loftus took up the Sharks’ call of “Beast” without any prompting. In years to come, the majority of Springboks teams will comprise players who are not white. Wanna bet? Wanna bet me as well that this so-called Afrikaans “racist” community will roar them on with pride?

In every facet of society, the Afrikaans community has so much to offer and is willing to offer it. By encouraging this, in the face of our demographics, you are not risking a white government but rather entrenching a black government that is enhanced by the delivery of services and the increased competence which this might well bring. Those skills need to be taught and utilised by a new generation for the benefit of all South Africans.

In the past I have looked at federalism, self-autonomy and other variations on this theme. My view is that the time has come to encourage the Afrikaans community to take its place in the sun, and thereby benefit all South Africans with their wealth of skills and experience. I have no doubt that it will uplift us all.

And yes, before you ask, the Sharks are still kak.