Maar dis nou lekker! A group of influential Afrikaners has offered its expertise in dealing with some of SA’s most pressing challenges, saying they’re not going anywhere.
The Afrikaner Leadership Network includes academics, farmers, trade unionists, businesspeople, writers, lawyers, and formations like AfriForum and trade union Solidarity.
As SA celebrates 30 years of democracy, the group has issued a number of pledges, including:
🔹Commitment to Stay and Contribute: remaining in South Africa to help solve issues with infrastructure, economic stagnation, corruption and more.
🔹Preserving the Future Amidst the Past: acknowledging our history of apartheid but calling for a forward-looking approach that prioritises unity and cooperation.
It’s an interesting, if rather overdue, sentiment from this segment – who, it’s important to note, don’t represent ALL Afrikaners, many of whom have long embraced SA’s democratic project.
Yet minority concerns still form a core part of the pledge. This group also wants the protection of cultural heritage within schools and universities, an ongoing concern about protecting Afrikaans in education. Central to their message, too, is a formalised structure, officially recognised by the government, where the Afrikaner community can express concerns and proposals and ensure the government will take them seriously.
It’s worth noting that this is hardly an Afrikaans concern. When people in townships block roads, what are they complaining about? A government that doesn’t listen. The ANC tends to engage with minority groups only when it is time to vote.
In an election year, the initiative is more likely a case of political lobbying. We’d love to see this commitment to solutions and working together extend beyond May—from both the government and the Afrikaans community in question.
