EXTRACT OF MESSAGE OF GOODWILL BY MAJOR GENERAL (RETIRED) GERT OPPERMAN, CEO OF THE VOORTREKKER MONUMENT AND THE HERITAGE FOUNDATION, AT NCOME ON 16 DEC 2005

It is indeed and honour and a privilege for me to be here today. I have been coming to Blood River/Ncome on a very regular basis over the past nearly four years, and these visits have become one of the highlights in my otherwise very busy programme. Today is however the first opportunity I have to say a few words at the Ncome festival, which makes it an even more special occasion for me.

There has always been a symbiotic link between Blood River and Ncome, since they formed part of the same battlefield many years ago. The Vow taken before the Battle of Blood River has since been commemorated on a regular basis, at Blood River and elsewhere in the country. The Vow has as many times been misinterpreted and misrepresented, as it gradually came to be seen as the event where Afrikaner nationalism was celebrated, frequently in a very emotional way. One therefore has to understand and accept that for many it became an objectionable event, one that excluded the other people living in the same country and sharing the same history.

It would nevertheless be a mistake to underestimate the significance the celebration of the Covenant has for many Afrikaans speaking people, and to try and suppress its commemoration, as long as it is commemorated for what it is in essence, namely a re-affirmation to celebrate the day as a Sabbath, to continue building God’s church in our country, and to educate our children about the history so that it will be remembered and appreciated also by future generations. These three elements represent the core of the Vow of 1838.

The Commemoration of the Vow must not, and should never have been used or misused as a nationalist rally day, for political or ideological purposes. If it is celebrated in the true Christian spirit it represents, it will not lead to the exclusion and estrangement of other people. If it is commemorated in the correct way, to the glory of God and not to glorify historic events and other earthly persons, it will also serve to promote goodwill and reconciliation between all people.

I firmly believe history and a proper knowledge of culture and historic events are very important. If we as the adults do not lead by our example in this regard, and cannot convince our children and their children about its importance, we should not blame them if they start to suffer from cultural and historic amnesia, as is frequently alleged. Our children are growing up in different times, and we cannot accept that they will automatically know, acknowledge, accept and continue to celebrate what happened in the past, if we do not take it upon ourselves to keep on educating and motivating them.

But it will be equally wrong to only look at the past, without contextualising it in the present and to project it into the future. Better knowledge and understanding of what happened yesterday, if applied intelligently, objectively and with humility, could lead to a better understanding of today, could help us to avoid a repetition of the mistakes of yesterday, and contribute towards a better tomorrow for all in our beloved country.

And it is in this spirit I would like to bring to you all a positive message of goodwill, one of a shared past, but also of a shared present and even more important, a shared future. May we continue in the spirit of constructive good neighbourliness achieved at Blood River/Ncome over the past few years, and may we takes hands even stronger on our way to the better future we, as adults, owe to our children and their descendents.

May they one day look back and admire us, the current decision makers, for the sincere faith, good judgement and courage we displayed in our time, just as we admire and respect our ancestors for what they did to contribute towards a better future for their descendents. That, I believe, will do justice to and make the sacrifices of our ancestors more worthwhile. I we refuse to or cannot do so, we will not deserve to be remembered nor admired by our descendents.