Durban - As King Goodwill Zwelithini on Tuesday called for Afrikaners and Zulus to forgive each other and “move on”, the Day of Reconciliation at Blood River in KwaZulu-Natal was still marked by division.
About 1 000 people attended a commemorative event at the site near Vryheid, where President Jacob Zuma and other dignitaries officially opened a new bridge spanning the river and connecting the Ncome Museum and Blood River Monument.
But, while the bridge was symbolic of unity, and on a day meant to promote that, the divisions on the 176-year-old battlefields were all too clear. On the one side of Ncome (Blood) River, some of the Afrikaner community held their own commemoration simultaneously with the Zulus on the other side.
But there was a sprinkling of whites - dressed in Zulu traditional attire - at the unveiling, and at least a few blacks visited the Blood River Monument on the other side in the afternoon, in spite of the flying of pre-democracy flags.
On December 16, 1838, 470 Voortrekkers clashed with an estimated 15 000-21 000 Zulus in the Battle of Blood River.
On Tuesday, King Zwelithini said: “It’s not true that the river turned into blood. If we keep saying that our children will spit on our graves.
“We must learn to forgive. Let us all accept the generations of those who were defending the land. Painful as it might be, now is the time to move on,” he said.
“Yes, hate and violence took away a lot from us, our loved ones, dignity and property, but love has set us free.”
But retired Voortrekker Monument chairman, Gert Opperman, who also attended the unveiling, said “racial differences” evident in South Africa were still a concern.
“We must realise that reconciliation is not an event but a process,” he said.
However, the symbolism of the bridge was not lost on him.
“I see the bridge in that spirit that it joins the two sides of the battlefields. I trust it will lead to reconciliation in our country. There are various challenges in reconciliation. We are grateful that that initiative has been taken and that all sides of that bridge will be owned by both sides.”
Zuma said the bridge symbolised the removal of racial and social barriers between the different population groups who were involved in the Battle of Blood River. “We have also unveiled the new centre of memory to tell our story for generations to come.”
The Day of Reconciliation had different meanings to people depending on their background or race, Zuma said.
“For some it’s a symbol of thriving and for others it’s a bitter day of resistance. Afrikaners remember the success over the Zulu nation.”
Zuma said those who had fought each other were now commemorating each other. Reconciliation, he said, was possible if both sides made the effort.
“If we are determined, we can build this country in a short period. Reconciliation is a process not an event. It does not mean forgetting – it is trying to bury the pain of the past.”
The president said people must get over fear, hatred and pain. “Reconciliation and redress are two sides of the same coin.”
Meanwhile, congratulating the new Miss World, South Africa’s Rolene Strauss, Zuma said citizens “should all provide our full support for her”.
Dignitaries included Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa, IFP president Mangosuthu Buthelezi and Premier Senzo Mchunu.
- Daily News