Carl Niehaus

Having placed Carl Niehaus firmly in the category of heroic Afrikaners like Braam Fischer and Beyers Naude, I found his revelations, as recorded in the Mail and Guardian of 13 - 19 February 2009, a sad awakening.  Afrikaners who stood up against apartheid were among the bravest of the brave. Other Afrikaners regarded them with anathema for their ‘betrayal' of the volk and they were made to suffer egregiously.

The article in M&G, which presents a weak confused man, forces one to apply the aphorism of absolute power and corruption to his actions and makes one question his motives for having joined the ANC.  Was he simply one of the previously disempowered who, after 1994, found themselves in positions of power, lost their perspective and like thieves began to divide up the spoils amongst themselves?  

Soldiers, having fought a battle, are blown up by a sense of entitlement and like Janjaweed types go on rampages of looting and rape.  How sad that heroes of the struggle descend to such a level.

Great men like Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi are allocated to us once every hundred years and we spend all our time looking for them in vain among our present politicians.  

16 February 2009

Yesterday, Nelson Mandela made an unexpected appearance at an ANC election rally in the Eastern Cape. Why?  To counteract the effect of Carl Niehaus's confession?