What time will bring

February 22, 2007 by Personal   South Africa  

a few weeks ago I got mugged by a couple of guys with knives, seriously not cool.

There was a time when mugging wasn't even conceived, but ja... i guess times changed.

It got me thinking about my future in South Africa, do I really want to raise my children in a country where someone will kill you for R 10 (1 Euro, $1.50, $ZIM 1 Billion)

And its not only the crime rate that concerns me, I want my children to be able to become anything they want to be.

If you know anything about South African politics you'll know that skin colour still plays a big role down here - you can be the best in your field in the world yet you wont get the position you deserve since you dont have enough pigments in your skin.

Sounds of BEE (Black Economic Empowerment) in the air, I met CEO's of BIG companies that cant even read or write and companies are being pressured to move over to BEE or else.

So basically we were brought up labeled by the sins of our fathers (by the media and government) and that we should be ashamed of our heritage (apartheid), ashamed of what "we" did - Yet I am no racist, nor is anyone in my family, never were never will be, but I have to pay for it like everyone else.

From time to time we hear the whole thing of we must go back to Europe, and thats what 2 Million plus white south africans did already.

I guess if someone offered me a job overseas, i'd take it in a heartbeat...

a south african artist recently wrote a song called de la rey, its a song about the history of the afrikaners, more the boer war - calling us to be proud. But guess what, the government banned the song, they feel its insinuating that we must rebel and take back the country - cause we're pretty much in the same situation now as back then.

I dont want to be part of a war.

I wish i could go back in time and tell my great great grandfather to stay in Germany, at least we'd still have our own country one I could help rebuild after the war and call my own.

Here is the song/video which the South African government banned hehehe:



Here is the english translation to the song.

Confused about the boer war? Here's the history click here

Delarey - Bok van Blerk lyrics (English Translation)

On a mountain in the night
We lie in the dark and wait
In the mud and the blood
As rain and streepsak clings to me

And my house and my farm were burnt to the ground so they could capture us
But those flames and those fires now burns deep deep within me.

De La Rey, De La Rey can you come and lead the Boers?
De La Rey, De La Rey
General, General we will fall around you as one.
General De La Rey.

The Khakis that laugh
A handful of us against an massive force
With our backs to the clifs of the mountains
They think its over for us

But the heart of a boer is deeper and wider, they will come to see
On a horse he comes, the lion of West Transvaal

De La Rey, De La Rey can you come and lead the Boers?
De La Rey, De La Rey

General, General we will fall around you as one.
General De La Rey.

Because my wife and my child are in a camp dying,
And the Khakis are walking over a nation that will rise again

De La Rey, De La Rey can you come and lead the Boers?
De La Rey, De La Rey
General, General we will fall around you as one. General De La Rey.


Leave a Comment

Proud to be Boer February 23, 2007 by Amy

Lets be HONEST, how many people moan about South-Africa? Sjoe, countless. Ek weet ek wil nie my kinders in Suid-Afrika groot maak nie, maar weet jy wat is ironies hieraan, ek het op n klein plattelandse dorpie groot geword in die Vrystaat, en het dit "gelove" dit was kick ass jare. En nou wil ek vlug, ja vlug, want my grootste vrees? Ek is bang ek word verkrag, dank die Here ek het nog nie so iets oor gekom nie. Om n jong meisie in Suid-Afrika te wees is vir my "scary" Ek sal altyd trots wees oor wie ek is en waar ek vandaan kom, "a true Boer" maar ek wens nie vir my kinders n toekoms toe in Suid-Afrika nie. Funny, hoe n Song soos Delarey so vinnig kan "geband" word. Makes me laugh,dink die regering die mense gaan regte Delarey vernietig? Dit spoor die Boere net meer aan om dit te speel. But hey, the heart of a boer is deeper and wider, they will come to see! Deep and true words! Chio Boer

Very interesting February 23, 2007 by Anonymous

I actually came across your blog by searching google for someone I used to know with the same last name as you. At any rate, I found your blog and am very interested in your most recent post. You see, I am from the U.S and about 5 years ago I befriended a number of South Africans, particularly from Capetown and Port Elizabeth that maintained the belief that South Africa is a place unlike what you are describing, but rather ?a perfect place?. However, knowing that no country is perfect, I found your post to be very informative about the social problems the country faces. A primary source such as yours is hard to find in a history book.

I love my country February 23, 2007 by Christoff Truter

Sjoe you sure those friends of yours are from SA? heheh, cause seriouly, they must be turning one huge blind eye on whats happening over here. Sure no country is perfect, all have their share of troubles, but what I dont like and I am sure anyone who experienced it will agree, is being limited to what you can achieve thanks to your skin colour - might sound weird for black people to hear this coming from a white person. But how can anyone want jobs solely because of their race, and not by their skill, by what they achieved, what satisfaction is in that? I want to know that I earned something because I am good at what I do! But wow, saying SA is perfect, is turning a blind eye on one of the countries with the highest crime rates, higest HIV rate, most rapes, not to mention the silent war on farmers, killed by the thousands. Something like 40% of South Africa is unemployed, hence contributing to the crime. If you've got a starving family, I guess you will go the extremes. Yet when we look at the murders, there isnt a death penalty anymore, but we've got laws on people smoking in their houses. Yet I love this country, I hate the state its in, I hate the fact that people are dieing, I hate that people dont have food to eat - wish I could employ everyone. But I am feeling extremely unwelcome in my country, most of the 2 million that left, love the country as well...

Agree February 23, 2007 by Natashja Singleton

I live in South Africa too, and probably the most dangerous state (Gauteng) too. To me it's not really just the fact that jobs are given to people who can't do it, but the crime, it's horrible. Now adays little children are being kidnapped and slaughtered like animals. What is that? I once read that the government stated that stealing is not a crime.... Things like that makes the people do the things they do. I personally believe that if they bring back the death penalty crime rates will drop. Because then they will be to afraid to do the things they do. For them it's easy to take a life, but they fear to lose their own. SA is fast on track to become the 2nd Zimbabwe.!!

Proud February 23, 2007 by Christoff Truter

<img src="http://static.cstruter.com/images/proud.jpg" /><br /><br /> Heheh, one of my friends sent me this photo of a bumper sticker.<br /> Found <a href="http://powerpop.blogspot.com/2007/02/disturbing-de-la-rey.html">this blog</a> yesterday while going through my site logs, I posted a comment, my comment isn't approved yet. Quite interesting one of the comments compared De La Rey to a SS captain, hardly the same thing, the boer war was a freedom war. Interesting to note how angry the blogger gets, and suddenly become a scholar of colonialism, yet its clear that she's greatly mistaken in her history. Personally the song de la rey doesn't have any political meaning to me whatsoever, the authors of the song recently confirmed that it doesn't on live TV. Unfortunately people will always interpret things through different eyes. For me its simple, I am a 24 year old Afrikaner, who's been told his whole life that there is nothing to be proud of, and they I will have to pay for the sins of my father till the day I die. The Afrikaner youth lost their identity and pride, this song tries to motivate us to rebuild ourselves, stand up out of the dirt we've been kicked into, to pick ourselves up, obviously not repeat the mistakes of the past. So that we can one day tell our kids to be proud to be in their own skins. If this is disgusting like the author pointed out, then so be it... Its like me going off at the American youth about all the indians that have been killed in america, about all the slaves, about Iraq etc. Most countries had dark histories, I hardly think its worth fighting about it, we are here today, not like we can change what happened. Leave the past where it is!

to the people who think its a threat February 23, 2007 by warren

to those of you who think its a threat for what the past has done, wake up its a history lesson with a nice tune, sad thing is you and your kids more than likey no nothing of boere war and could learn from it yet you all so stuck up on the past you would blame it on apartied, even though it was well after the boere war, wake up look at the future of this country which is going down because you all living in the past and blaming it. history is of life, move on and build a better history together as one!

Only A Song! February 23, 2007 by Natashja Singleton

To me it's only a freaking song, why must everyone always say that it wakes sleeping dogs? I mean, just look at how many movies are being made over history, King Arthur, Spartacus... And yet that doesn't bring back history, why because what's done is done, but when someone just sings a song about hope and freedom then we want to repeat history... Maybe they should put way the "Learn History in 5 days for Dummies" book and wake up....

Die Nuwe Naam Probleem February 23, 2007 by Natashja Singleton

Na deeglike ondersoek verstaan ek die nuwe naam vir Pretoria,"Tshwane" beter en dit pla nie meer nie. Dis eintlik vernoem na Genl de la Rey se swaer, Genl Tshwanepoel.

Makes me sick February 23, 2007 by Amy Oertel

Are you serious? Can?t believe there is still people over seas that think South Africa is a perfect place, believe me, as a 21 year old girl, living in Gauteng, its scary, not wanting to drive any where after 9 at nights, why? Because its too dangerous, no really, stopping at a robot, make sure the window is closed, why, because do you want your handbag or cell phone to be stolen? You must come and visit in Gauteng, I will show you the real South Africa!!!!!!!!!!!

jammer February 23, 2007 by boerevriend

Ja I left South Africa with my family over a decade ago. It was the hardest decision of my life but I was lucky that I could leave. The opportunity of 1994 has been lost. It is widely recognised that the criminal justice system in SA is collapsing. There is a genocide going on against white farmers (if you check the definition of genocide it confirms this). I am sad that I can't bring my kids up in SA, I lived in a small Free state dorpie and it was a great place to grow up. I'm not an apologist for apartheid but things are worse not better.