RIEBEEK-KASTEEL: The impact of colonisation lives on in one of SA's oldest towns, and it clearly still conjures up painful memories for its residents.
“Nothing has changed here,” a number of them say.
Riebeek-Kasteel is named after Dutch coloniser Jan van Riebeeck who, in 1661, initiated an inland exhibition under the leadership of Pieter Cruythoff and found fertile land in the Swartland area.
About 5km outside Riebeek-Kasteel is Riebeek West, where, in the 19th century, both Jan Smuts and DF Malan were born.
Malan’s father, Daniël Francios Malan, was born in 1844 and died in 1908. He bought Allesverloren farm 140 years ago in 1876, which today overlooks some 227 hectares of land, vineyards and, in its peripheral vision, a coloured settlement.
The farm is still in the Malan bloodline. DF Malan (jr) was born in Riebeek West in 1874 and went on to be the first prime minster of the Union of SA from 1948 to 1953.
The cottage where Smuts was born in 1870 can be visited daily in Riebeek West and there is an exhibition of photographs of his life.
After the Anglo-Boer war, Smuts devoted his energies to the achievement of a political union of the four British colonies in South Africa and was responsible for the drafting of the Union of South Africa's constitution as a delegate to the National Convention.
In 1948, the main issue before the electorate was whether the United Party, under the leadership of Smuts, would continue to administer the state or whether the National Party (NP), led by DF Malan, would be placed in power.
Voters took to the polls on May 26 of that year, and the latter was the outcome.
At the time, Afrikaner nationalists described the NP coming into power as a “miracle” and proof that God was watching over his volk, even though the party stood for Afrikaner domination and racial segregation.
It created a society in which it hoped Afrikaner control and privilege would be permanent – and the instrument used was apartheid.
Malan said after the election: “Today South Africa belongs to us once more."
Today, like most times throughout history, the vast majority of the 4 350 Riebeek West residents are coloured, Afrikaans-speaking people and the Swartland region is a DA-led municipality.
The community is aware of their town's history and, although they can talk about it freely and openly, it is not one they boast about; and it is clear it still conjures up hurtful memories.
Katrina Johnson, 80, said white people have always had the privilege of money in the area, and also stole land coloured people used to own in Riebeek West.
“Us coloured people used to have land all over, nice land we used to grow our own food on. But they forced us out to these locations. When my mother told me that, I could not understand how people could do that to other people,” Johnson said.
Although transformation was happening at a snail's pace in the area, she said she will be voting next month – and has encouraged all of her 10 children to do the same.
“If you don't vote, you can't complain,” Johnson said.