LW Bienedell

Lees reeks by Stryd teen vreemde oorheersing

“By the time he died, Dr Verwoerd had built his own monument which was there for all to see: the Republic of South Africa. The White people had been forged together in unity, the country was militarily strong and resilient, the police and security forces were effectively dealing with all attempts at subversion and infiltration, the country’s economy was dynamic, expanding and had become largely self-sufficient”. Jan Botha PFP-ondersteuner.                          

“Dr Verwoerd was also of course the main driving force behind our national plans for harnessing the waters of the Orange River. The big Hendrik Verwoerd Dam, now being built, will be his monument forever”.- Duddley D’Ewes, President van die Botaniese Vereniging van SA.

“The nation is suffering from a surfeit of prosperity and he can command almost unlimited funds for all that he needs at present in the way of military defence. HDr Verwoerd can claim that South Africa is a shining example of peace in a troubled continent, if only because overwhelming domestic power can always command peace.” Rand Daily Mail 30 Julie 1966

 

Verwoerd-Beeld by Verwoerddam weer in die gedrang

28 Januarie 1994

DIE verwydering van die beeld van dr. HF Verwoerd by die Overvaal Vakansieoord (nou Aventura-oorde) by die Hendrik Verwoerddam het weer ’n twispunt geword. Die Departement van Behuising en Werke het besluit dat die beeld aan Orania geskenk moet word. Aangesien die mense wat hier woon, die begrip Suid-Afrika prysgegee het ten koste van ’n verkleinde tuisland, het mnr. Jaap Marais, Leier van die HNP, geoordeel dat hulle geen aanspraak op so ‘n beeld het nie, aangesien hulle deur hulle optrede sy erfenis verskraal het tot iets wat vir die Afrikaner vreemd is.

Daarom het hy onderstaande brief op 21 Januarie aan die betrokke minister, mnr. Adriaan Vlok geskryf:

“U brief van 23 Desember 1993 het my so pas bereik.

Om die borsbeeld van dr Verwoerd wat by die Verwoerddam gestaan het, te verban tot die afgeleë en afgesonderde Orania, is ’n klaarblyklike poging om die nasionale betekenis en statuur van dr Verwoerd af te skaal tot iets familiaals en parogiaals.

Dat u skryf u is “van mening dat die borsbeeld van dr HF Verwoerd daar met die nodige agting en waardering bewaar sal word”, is natuurlik blote politieke huigelary—asof dit vir u en die Regering sou gaan om agting en waardering vir dr. Verwoerd.

Dat die politieke dwergies in die huidige regering bedreig voel deur die nagedagtenis van ’n politieke reuse-figuur soos dr Verwoerd en enige herinnering aan hom daarom wil verban en verberg, is te begrype.

In die morele en politieke drukgang waarin die “Nasionale” Party se verraad sy ondersteuners laat beland het, het hulle natuurlik historiese perspektief verloor en hulle verstande gesluit teen werklikhede.

Laat my weer enigsins perspektief gee aan wat dr. Verwoerd was en wat hy beteken het, ten einde die skandelikheid van die Regering se miskenning van dr. Verwoerd te belig.

“Dr. Verwoerd,” het dr. JD Vorster, bekende NG Kerkleier gesê, “was ’n Christen staatsman, seker die grootste in die Westerse wêreld”. Tom Muller van General Mining (vroeër Federate Mynbou) het gesê:

“Dr. Verwoerd het daarin geslaag om ’n standaard van stabiliteit te handhaaf; beslis ’n voorvereiste vir ekonomiese groei”.

Ek volstaan met die twee verklarings van Afrikaners, hoewel daar vele in dieselfde trant is wat toegevoeg kan word. Ek laat liewer Engelssprekendes praat om u die diepte van die skande te laat besef wat uenu partygenote pleeg deur u pogings om die nagedagtenis van ’n groot man te onteer.

Mnr Bruce Eager, Burgemeester van Johannesburg in 1966: “... we stand with the rest of the South African nation with our heads bowed in tribute to this great man who has played such a tremendous part in the life of this country over many years and particularly during his years as Prime Minister of South Africa... South Africa, which I believe has been an example to the rest of the world in its conduct of its affairs and in its attitude, particularly in very difficult times where we have been the butt of so much critisism by the outside world”.

Prof Raymond Dart, beroemde wetenskaplike: “... this sudden, senseless and shattering loss of its most outstanding leader. By some strange alchemy, probably his personal understanding of human psychology and the clarity of his vision, he had succeeded in inspiring, like a Churchill, the people he governed whether they belonged to his party or not, with sufficient of his own moral strength and stability to visualise, with him, constructive manners of meeting courageously the unknown rote European scientific civilisation will inevitably play in the future of the whole continent”.

Prof Percival R Kirby, bekende musikus: “I am bound to revere his memory since he was the mouthpiece of the Government which during the last decade and a half has done far more for the arts in general and for the art of music in particular than any previous administration.... our Government has gone out of its way to stimulate and develop culture in every direction and I feel certain that in recent years this has been powerfully supported by the benign personal influence of the late Dr Verwoerd”.

Mnr Herbert Mabin, Direkteur van die Association of Chambers of Commerce: “Among Dr Verwoerd’s many other fine characteristics were outstanding habits of sustained and thorough work, an unswerving devotion to both principle and duty. These were qualities in which he set a magnificent example to the nation as a whole...”

Mnr James Ambrose Brown, bekende romanskrywer en dramaturg: “To be strong without fanaticism is perhaps the measure of true greatness in a statesman. It is not given to many to see beyond their own generation and whether one believes in all Dr Verwoerd did, in all its nuances or not, one had to see him as a man who was looking at the future as few men of his time have been able to do... As an English-speaking South African who has tried to look beyond the immediate present and see what he saw for this subcontinent, I can only say that his vision seemed a clear and unequivocal one, that he saw it with absolute conviction as the nation’s one hope for a peaceful solution of our particular subcontinental problem. The world may not agree with this, but the blood running in the gutters of other great nations who have not yet found a way of peaceful co-existence may be proof that this man Verwoerd was not the apostle of a futile separation, but a clear-headed and courageous man whose policies would ultimately have united all our racial elements”.

Lt kol A H Johnstone, Hoof van die Boy Scouts: “If ever there was a man who gave his life to do justice, it was Dr Verwoerd. He served his God in this generation in a fine and statesmanslike manner. The youth of our country can and will show their gratitude for the life of this great South African...”

Mnr G H Millman, Hoof-bestuurder van die 1820-setlaarsvereniging: “...the image of Dr Verwoerd stood out clearly and unequivocally as that of a man of great courage and deep conviction, a man who obviously knew what he wanted and where he was headed for. Small wonder then that in these days those qualities were a beacon to light the way of those in search of a country in which their hopes and not their fears may come true”.

Dr H Abt, Kulturele beampte van die Joodse Raad van Afgevaardigdes: “If leadership is the crowning reward of a sharp intellect, adherence to principles, strength of character and a firm belief in God as the guiding spirit over man and nation, Dr Verwoerd was a true leader”.

Mnr Duddley D’Ewes, President van die Botaniese Vereniging van SA: “Like all men who rise to national eminence, Dr Verwoerd had a personality of many facets. His mind was too active to be content with politics and the sociological side of public affairs only. One thing in which he had been showing more and more interest is our indigenous flora... Dr Verwoerd was also of course the main driving force behind our national plans for harnessing the waters of the Orange River. The big Hendrik Verwoerd Dam, now being built, will be his monument forever”.

Prof HF Sampson, bekende regsgeleerde van Rhodes Universiteit: “He was a man the greatness of whose character was not only fashioned by nature but by the impact of political circumstances, sharpening his mind with problems of which his predecessors have been spared, in particular the major ideological problem of our age. Whether right or wrong in his view of it, and of all those who share it, he kept his hands free of the intrigues that has sulled others, and the courage of his faith unaltered by hostile opinion. When history comes to assess his stature it will be as a stateman rather than a politician, resembling a rock in a swirling tide. Like Abraham Lincoln his callous assassination will surely enhance his memory with an auro of martyrdom. For myself my respect for his memory is simple, I am proud of being a citizen of his country”.

En waar hierdie versukkelde regering die land tot die huidige algehele gemors “hervorm” het, kan u in teenstelling daarmee gerus kennis neem van die skitterende sukses wat dr. Verwoerd behaal het met sy bestuur van Suid- Afrika.

Die Rand Daily Mail van 30 Julie 1966, vyf weke voor die sluipmoord op dr Verwoerd, het geskryf:

“At the age of nearly 65 Dr Verwoerd has reached the peak of a remarkable career. No other South African prime minister has ever been in such a powerful position in the country. He is at the head of a massive majority after a resounding victory at the polls. The nation is suffering from a surfeit of prosperity and he can command almost unlimited funds for all that he needs at present in the way of military defence. He can claim that South Africa is a shining example of peace in a troubled continent, if only because overwhelming domestic power can always command peace. Finally, as if that were not enough, he can face the session (van die Parlement) with the knowledge that, short of an unthinkable show of force by people whom South Africans are rapidly being taught to regard as their enemies, he can snap his fingers at the United Nations. Thanks to the recent judgment of the Hague Court he can afford to condescend to the world body, graciously remaining a member as long as it suits him. Indeed, the Prime Minister has never had it so good”.

In dr. GD Scholtz se biografie van dr Verwoerd skryf hy:

“In 1962 het die besoekende Amerikaanse professor Gilbert verklaar: ‘The performance of the South African economy was one of the miracles of modern science’.

“Enkele maande voor die dood van dr. Verwoerd het die hoofredakteur van die Britse tydskrif Statist, Paul Bareau, geskryf: ‘At the rate of which South Africa is now expanding, the term “mircale” is likely to be appropriate to its development over the next few years”.

In the PFP-ondersteuner, Jan Botha, se boek Verwoerd is Dead skryf

hy:

“...he had ground down the White Opposition inside Parliament and non-White resistance outside of it to such an extent that it seemed as if he had become invincible and immovable. When the assassin’s dagger suddenly ended his life, there was an immense and staggering void in South Africa”.

Elders in die boek skryf hy:

“...the threats from the United Nations, the arms boycott by the United States and Britain, the Republic’s own prosperity and Dr Verwoerd’s assurances to the English-speaking section had brought about a measure of White unity in South Africa that could not have been foreseen when he became Prime Minister in 1958".

En ook

“By the time he died, Dr Verwoerd had built his own monument which was there for all to see: the Republic of South Africa. The White people had been forged together in unity, the country was militarily strong and resilient, the police and security forces were effectively dealing with all attempts at subversion and infiltration, the country’s economy was dynamic, expanding and had become largely self-sufficient.

“...in the history of South Africa his name wil live for ever as the leader who, when his country was threatened with internal disorders and with economic sanctions, boycotts and open aggression from overseas, stood as a symbol of defiance, and the will and determination to survive. His physical and mental courage had made him a living legend to those who followed him”.

Dit is hulde wat gebring is aan hierdie groot Afrikaner, wie se nagedagtenis mnr. FW de Klerk en die syne tot die vergetelheid wil verwens.

Wat van die grootste belang is, is die wyse waarop dr. Verwoerd hierdie skitterende sukses behaal het teen ’n georkestreerde wereldwye vyandige aanslag teen hom en Suid-Afrika.

Jan Botha, in die bogemelde boek, skryf:

“He himself was not prepared to be blackmailed or to move an inch from the position he had adopted all along. All demands for concessions by South Africa were accompanied by threats which made it clear that each concession would simply be one step to be immediately followed by the next. The audience, numbering more than 2,000, gave the Prime Minister thunderous applause when he said: ‘I am absolutely opposed to concessions of any kind’. He added: ‘I personally would rather see South Africa poor but White rather than rich and mixed’. The Government could take no more notice of its critics overseas as it did of its critics at home, and that was little enough. The Government’s politics satisfied moral and religious beliefs and it would not be alarmed by the clamour or by the boycotts. He told a Klerksdorp audience the next month: ‘I would rather be abused for being a granite rock than soft clay’”.

Hy het dus nie voor die vyande gekruip of geflikflooi nie, maar soos ’n man sy man gestaan ter wille van sy volk en sy land en daardeur respek afgedwing.

By ’n ander geleentheid het hy gesê:

“If we give in to the demands made on us we would destroy ourselves, and no country would willingly commit suicide. If they put their words into deeds, we as a nation will fight for our interests. We will never give in. We can and we shall win, but then we must have the confidence that we were placed here in the southern part of Africa with a definite purpose”.

Met helderheid van siening het hy sy saak gestel.

“Ons” het hy gesê, “het net weer dieselfde ou keuse, die keuse tussen die oorhandiging van ons vaderland aan die nie-blankes, op die ou end aan die Bantoe, en wel die Bantoediktator... en aparte, eiesoortige parallelle ontwikkeling. Ons moet die wêreld probeer tevrede stel... ons eie doodvonnis as ’n nasie teken, of ons moet bereid wees om die swaarkry en die pyn, wat vasstaan vir ons mag veroorsaak, te verduur”.

Let wel: “Ons moet die wêreld probeer tevrede stel, ons eie doodvonnis as nasie teken...” Dit was op 10 April 1961. En nou volg u party die beleid om die wêreld tevrede te stel en “ons eie doodvonnis as nasie” te teken.

Mnr. FW de Klerk het in Junie 1977 in Skietgoed geskryf: “Magsdeling in ’n federasie is ’n bloudruk vir die ondergang van die Witman in Suid-Afrika”. Wat hy en sy party nou doen, is dus om ’n bloudruk vir die ondergang van die Witman in Suid-Afrika in praktyk te stel.

Natuurlik moet so ’n man en sy trawante vlug voor die oordeel van die geskiedenis en moet hulle hulself waan dat hulle daarin slaag wanneer hulle dr Verwoerd se naam en nagedagtenis verban tot ’n uithoek soos Orania. Die geskiedenis laat hom nie uitoorlê deur politieke praksering en konstitusionele geknoei nie. En misdaad, ook teen ’n volk, verjaar nie.

Dit is tot eer van dr Verwoerd dat ’n lafhartige en patetiese politieke bende soos die huidige regime wat homself teen die Afrikanervolk verskans deur met ’n vervalste mandaat te regeer en tussenverkiesings af te skaf, nie dr Verwoerd se groot menslikheid en skitterende staatsmanskap wil erken nie.”