I am writing in response to Nick Koornhof’s “appeal to white South Africans, especially the Afrikaners”, to vote for the ANC in the upcoming elections.

From the tagline of the opinion piece, I understand that the appeal was originally made in a speech delivered by Koornhof in the National Assembly. Of course, the speech was delivered in English, the language that the ANC insists on forcing upon all South Africans as lingua franca, regardless of any personal preference they might have.

Now, while I have some understanding for that, it nevertheless strikes me as odd that in making his appeal to the Afrikaners in writing on a national news website, he doesn’t consider translating it into the mother tongue of those very Afrikaners. In fact, it leads me to question his motive for his appeal. Is it truly an appeal to the Afrikaners, or is it the fulfilment of a placatory duty to his political masters? Only Koornhof will know. Nevertheless, in keeping with his choice, I will respond accordingly, in English.

Another part of Koornhof’s appeal that strikes me as odd is how he phrases it, in that he chooses to soften an appeal for Afrikaners to vote for the ANC, as a plea to “[his] community to consider giving at least one of their votes to President Ramaphosa and the programme for a truly better South Africa”.

This is in keeping with what seems to be a wave of attempted influence from various sources, including recently from Max du Preez on the same web forum, for Afrikaners to acknowledge and support Ramaphosa as a kind of “last hope” for the country’s well-being. A messiah, if you will, who needs all the support he can get against the evil forces that oppose him.

But, I ask, are a significant portion of the forces that oppose Ramaphosa in his attempts at positive change not coming from within the ANC itself? Are the “forces of populism” that Koornhof believes Ramaphosa needs to resist not largely present inside the ANC? I believe they are.

Is the irony of this lost on Koornhof? That he appeals to Afrikaners to vote for the ANC so that it can be saved from demons of its own making?

Furthermore, allow me to consider for a second, Ramaphosa, the proffered messiah, the apparent last hope for South Africa to be a post-colonial success story as opposed to just another failed African state. How trustworthy is he?

To my knowledge Jacob Zuma, as president of South Africa, faced no fewer than six motions of no confidence in the National Assembly. The first motion came as early as March 2010 and the last one was in November 2016. Zuma survived each and every one of those motions.

Given that context, here is my question regarding Ramaphosa, the messiah, the last hope: where was he on each of those occasions, and how did he vote? At each opportunity to get rid of Jacob Zuma, primary author of nine wasted years of government, if Ramaphosa is to be believed, did he grasp the opportunity to get rid of Zuma, or did he by virtue of his vote, assist the destruction to continue? I have no proof, but I have a strong suspicion of the answer, as I imagine most South Africans have.

And for that matter, what about Koornhof? If my sources are correct, then Koornhof has been a member of Parliament on an ANC ticket since 2014. So, Mr Koornhof, where were you during each of the motions of no confidence against Jacob Zuma? And how did you vote? Did you vote for the right thing?

I think I am not alone in my utter disdain in response to the ANC’s recent apparent amazement at the depth and breadth of corruption, state capture, and the general lawlessness of its own representatives during the so-called nine wasted years under ANC rule. Suddenly, apparently, they did not know. Yes, perhaps they suspected, but they certainly didn’t know. They didn’t know the extent, they say.

Of course, any right-thinking, taxpaying citizen will simply scoff at this. Between the opposition parties and an increasingly critical media, the extent of the rot was clear to recognise. They simply chose to ignore it.

So, again, on each occasion that was available in Parliament to get rid of the rotten head of this rotten ANC body, where was Ramaphosa, where was Koornhof, and how did they vote? Where was Pravin Gordhan, for that matter? Or any of several other ANC leaders that are currently upheld as having greater moral substance than the looters?

In my opinion the answer is simple: they were all there. They were in the National Assembly and when the time came to vote they toed the party line. They chose the ANC over the people of South Africa.

Because that is the ANC way, isn’t it? In the ANC it is party first. Everything else comes second. The general well-being of the country; the plight of the poor; the care of the sick, elderly and orphaned; the preservation of the tax base; the creation of jobs. Every single worthwhile thing. Second.

Koornhof appeals for the Afrikaner vote to go to this very same ANC. This, he says, will allow us to “break free”. Break free of what, I ask? Break free of our opposition to corruption, perhaps?

A vote for the ANC will be “the Afrikaners’ Mandela moment”, Koornhof says. A vote for a despicable, inexcusable, rotten-to-the-core ANC government, will be the Afrikaner’s “Mandela moment”, because suddenly, under Ramaphosa, it will apparently all be different. And what exactly is a “Mandela moment” anyway? And why do we need one?

Well, I am sorry. When those who we are now imploring us to support Ramaphosa had the opportunity to make the right choice, they chose not to. Six times.

I simply do not trust them.

When I decide whom to vote for, I will ask the same question that I ask at every opportunity I have to cast a vote, namely:

Who can I trust to represent me and my loved ones in the National Assembly? Who can I trust to speak for me and for the things that matter to me, which includes the preservation and protection of my language, religion, culture and values? And please note, preservation, not dominance.

Who will find supportive voices amongst other likeminded leaders from other groupings, no matter who they are, and cooperate with them on matters of the common good? Who will truly care for the poor and powerless, but not at the expense of the already empowered? Who will support business, the risk takers who drive the economy, growth and job creation, but not at the expense of the poor, the vulnerable, the infirm, the powerless?

In short, who will do the right thing?

After 25 years of ANC rule, I know that it is not them. And I know that Ramaphosa cannot be trusted to do the right thing when it really counts.

Here is my appeal to my fellow Afrikaners:

Do not be caught in the web of deceit that is woven by Ramaphosa and ANC apologists like Nick Koornhof and Max du Preez. Also, do not be deceived by the notion that a vote for a small party is a wasted vote, as the DA would like you to believe.

My appeal is that you will vote for someone you believe you can trust to act in your best interest and the best interest of your loved ones. The Afrikaner needs a voice in the National Assembly that speaks for him, for his culture, for his language, for his values. The Afrikaner needs a voice in the National Assembly that will cooperate with other sensible voices on matters of common good, no matter where those voices come from.

Ramaphosa and his ANC are not that voice. They will not speak up for what is dear to you.

My pleidooi is vir elke Afrikaner om sy of haar stem te laat tel vir wat rég is.

Ons vir jou, Suid-Afrika. 

Hendrik Jansen van Rensburg

Assagay, KZN