Afrikaner Broederbond
Encyclopedia
- This page refers to the Afrikaner Broederbond. For its later incarnation see Afrikanerbond. For the political party formed in 1881 by Rev S.J. du Toit, see Afrikaner BondAfrikaner BondThe Afrikaner Bond was a political party in the Cape Colony. It was formed by the union in 1881 of the Genootskap vir Regte Afrikaners of Rev S.J...
. For the unrelated company, see BrøderbundBrøderbundBrøderbund Software, Inc. was an American maker of computer games, educational software and The Print Shop productivity tools. It was best known as the original creator and publisher of the popular Carmen Sandiego games. The company was founded in Eugene, Oregon, but moved to San Rafael,...
.
The Afrikaner Broederbond (AB) (meaning Afrikaner Brotherhood) or Broederbond was a secret, exclusively male and Afrikaner
Afrikaner
Afrikaners are an ethnic group in Southern Africa descended from almost equal numbers of Dutch, French and German settlers whose native tongue is Afrikaans: a Germanic language which derives primarily from 17th century Dutch, and a variety of other languages.-Related ethno-linguistic groups:The...
Calvinist organization in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
dedicated to the advancement of Afrikaner
Afrikaner
Afrikaners are an ethnic group in Southern Africa descended from almost equal numbers of Dutch, French and German settlers whose native tongue is Afrikaans: a Germanic language which derives primarily from 17th century Dutch, and a variety of other languages.-Related ethno-linguistic groups:The...
interests. It was founded by HJ Klopper, HW van der Merwe, DHC du Plessis and Rev. Jozua Naudé
in 1918 and was known as Jong Zuid Afrika (Young South Africa) until 1920, when it became the Broederbond. Its large influence within South African political and social life, sometimes compared to that of Masons in Freemason conspiracy theories, came to a climax with the rise of apartheid, which was largely designed and implemented by Broederbond members. Between 1948 and 1994, all prominent figures of South African political life, including all leaders of the government were members of the Afrikaner Broederbond.
Origins
Described later as an "inner sanctum", "an immense informal network of influence", and by Jan SmutsJan Smuts
Jan Christiaan Smuts, OM, CH, ED, KC, FRS, PC was a prominent South African and British Commonwealth statesman, military leader and philosopher. In addition to holding various cabinet posts, he served as Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa from 1919 until 1924 and from 1939 until 1948...
as a "dangerous, cunning, political fascist organization', in 1920 Jong Zuid Afrika now restyled as the Afrikaner Broederbond, was a modest grouping of 37 white men of Afrikaner ethnicity, Afrikaans
Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
language, and the Calvinist
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
Dutch Reformed faith, who shared cultural, semi-religious, and deeply-political objectives based on traditions and experiences dating back to the arrival of Dutch white settlers, French Huguenots, and Germans at the Cape
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
in the 17th and 18th centuries and including the dramatic events of the Great Trek
Great Trek
The Great Trek was an eastward and north-eastward migration away from British control in the Cape Colony during the 1830s and 1840s by Boers . The migrants were descended from settlers from western mainland Europe, most notably from the Netherlands, northwest Germany and French Huguenots...
in the 1830s and 40's. Ivor Wilkins and Hans Strydom recount how, on the occasion of its 50th anniversary, a leading broeder (brother or member) said:
for understandable reasons it was difficult to explain [our] aims…[I]n the beginning people were allowed in…who thought it was just another cultural society (Wilkins & Strydom, 1980, 45)
The precise intentions of the founders are not clear. Was the group intended to counter the dominance of the British and the English language, or to redeem the Afrikaners after their defeat in the Second Anglo-Boer War? Perhaps it sought to protect a culture, build an economy and seize control of a government http://africanhistory.about.com/library/glossary/bldef-broederbond.htm. The remarks of the organization's chairman in 1944 offer a slightly different, and possibly more accurate interpretation in the context of the post-Boer War
Boer War
The Boer Wars were two wars fought between the British Empire and the two independent Boer republics, the Oranje Vrijstaat and the Republiek van Transvaal ....
and post- World War I era, when Afrikaners were suffering through a maelstrom of social and political changes:
The Afrikaner Broederbond was born out of the deep conviction that the Afrikaner volk has been planted in this country by the Hand of God, destined to survive as a separate volk with its own calling.
In other words, the traditional, deeply-pious Calvinism
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
of the Afrikaners, a pastoral
Pastoral
The adjective pastoral refers to the lifestyle of pastoralists, such as shepherds herding livestock around open areas of land according to seasons and the changing availability of water and pasturage. It also refers to a genre in literature, art or music that depicts such shepherd life in an...
people with a difficult history in South Africa since the mid-17th century, supplied an element of Christian predestination
Predestination
Predestination, in theology is the doctrine that all events have been willed by God. John Calvin interpreted biblical predestination to mean that God willed eternal damnation for some people and salvation for others...
that led to a determination to wrest the country from the English-speaking British and place its future in the hands of the Afrikaans
Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
-speaking Afrikaners, whatever that might mean for the large black and mixed-race population. To the old thirst for sovereignty
Sovereignty
Sovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...
that had prompted the Great Trek
Great Trek
The Great Trek was an eastward and north-eastward migration away from British control in the Cape Colony during the 1830s and 1840s by Boers . The migrants were descended from settlers from western mainland Europe, most notably from the Netherlands, northwest Germany and French Huguenots...
into the interior from 1838 on, would be added a new thirst for total independence and Nationalism. These two threads merged to form a "Christian National" civil religion
Civil religion
The intended meaning of the term civil religion often varies according to whether one is a sociologist of religion or a professional political commentator...
that would dominate South African life from 1948 to 1994.
This was the historical context in which the Broederbond emerged. The scorched earth
Scorched earth
A scorched earth policy is a military strategy or operational method which involves destroying anything that might be useful to the enemy while advancing through or withdrawing from an area...
policy of the British during the second Boer War devastated Boer
Boer
Boer is the Dutch and Afrikaans word for farmer, which came to denote the descendants of the Dutch-speaking settlers of the eastern Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 18th century, as well as those who left the Cape Colony during the 19th century to settle in the Orange Free State,...
(that is, rural Afrikaner farmer) lands. In British concentration camps, 27 000 Boer women and children had died. The Boer surrender at Vereeniging, though pragmatic, was deeply humiliating. Lord Milner's inflammatory policy of Anglicization simply rubbed salt into Afrikaner wounds, and a backlash was inevitable. The National Party and ultimately the Broederbond were the long-term and powerful results.
The National Party
National Party (South Africa)
The National Party is a former political party in South Africa. Founded in 1914, it was the governing party of the country from 4 June 1948 until 9 May 1994. Members of the National Party were sometimes known as Nationalists or Nats. Its policies included apartheid, the establishment of a...
had been established in 1914 by Afrikaner nationalists
Afrikaner nationalism
Afrikaner nationalism is a political ideology that was born in the late 19th century around the idea that Afrikaners in South Africa were a "chosen people"; it was also strongly influenced by anti-British sentiments that grew strong among the Afrikaners, especially because of the Boer Wars...
. It first came to power in 1924. Ten years later, its leader J.B.M. Hertzog and Jan Smuts
Jan Smuts
Jan Christiaan Smuts, OM, CH, ED, KC, FRS, PC was a prominent South African and British Commonwealth statesman, military leader and philosopher. In addition to holding various cabinet posts, he served as Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa from 1919 until 1924 and from 1939 until 1948...
of the South African Party
South African Party
The South African Party was a political party that existed in the Union of South Africa from 1911 to 1934.-History:The outline and foundation for the party was realized after the election of a 'South African party' in the 1910 South African general election under the leadership of Louis Botha...
merged their parties to form the United Party
United Party
United Party is a term used various political parties:* United Party of Canada* United Party * United States United Party* United Party of National Development, Zambia* United Party * United Party * United Party...
. This angered a contingent of hardline nationalists under D.F. Malan, who broke away to form the ’’Purified National Party’’. By the time World War II broke out, resentment of the British had not subsided. Malan's party opposed South Africa's entry into the war on the side of the British; some of its members wanted to support Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
. Jan Smuts
Jan Smuts
Jan Christiaan Smuts, OM, CH, ED, KC, FRS, PC was a prominent South African and British Commonwealth statesman, military leader and philosopher. In addition to holding various cabinet posts, he served as Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa from 1919 until 1924 and from 1939 until 1948...
had commanded the British Army in East Africa and was understandably amenable to backing the Allies a second time. This was the spark Afrikaner nationalism needed. Herzog, who was in favour of neutrality, quit the United Party when a narrow majority in his cabinet backed Smuts. He started the Afrikaner Party
Afrikaner Party
The Afrikaner Party was a South African political party from 1941 to 1951.-Origins:The roots of the party can be traced back September 1939, when South Africa declared war on Germany at the start of World War II. General J.B.M...
which would amalgamate later with D.F. Malan's ’’Purified National Party’’ to become the force that would take over South African politics for the next 46 years, until majority rule
Majority rule
Majority rule is a decision rule that selects alternatives which have a majority, that is, more than half the votes. It is the binary decision rule used most often in influential decision-making bodies, including the legislatures of democratic nations...
and Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
's election in 1994.
Leaders
The chairmen of the Broederbond were:(p48)| Name | Title | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| Klopper, HJ | 1918 | 1924 | |
| Nicol, W | Rev. | 1924 | 1925 |
| Greybe, JH | 1925 | 1928 | |
| Potgieter, JW | 1928 | 1930 | |
| du Plessis, LJ | Prof. | 1930 | 1932 |
| van Rooy, JC | Prof. | 1932 | 1938 |
| Diederichs, N | Dr. | 1938 | 1942 |
| van Rooy, JC | Prof. | 1942 | 1952 |
| Thom, HB | Prof. | 1952 | 1960 |
| Meyer, PJ | Dr. | 1960 | 1972 |
| Treurnicht, AP Andries Treurnicht Andries Petrus Treurnicht was a South African politician, Minister of Education during the Soweto Riots and for a short time leader of the National Party in Transvaal... |
Dr. | 1972 | 1974 |
| Viljoen, G Gerrit Viljoen Gerrit Van Niekerk Viljoen was a South African government minister and member of the National Party.... |
Prof. | 1974 | 1980 |
| Boshoff, CWH Carel Boshoff Carel Willem Hendrik Boshoff was an Afrikaner religious figure and cultural activist. Boshoff was the second child of Willem Sterrenberg Boshoff and Anna Maria "Annie" Boshoff. Annie was Willem's second wife and together they had 7 children. With his first wife, Willem had six children... |
Prof. | 1980 | 1983 |
| de Lange, JP | Prof. | 1983 | 1993 |
| de Beer, TL | 1993 | - |
The Broederbond and Apartheid
Every Prime Minister and State PresidentState President of South Africa
State President, or Staatspresident in Afrikaans, was the title of South Africa's head of state from 1961 to 1994. The office was established when the country became a republic in 1961, and Queen Elizabeth II ceased to be head of state...
in South Africa from 1948 to the end of Apartheid in 1994 was a member of the Afrikaner Broederbond.
Once the Herenigde Nasionale PartyHerenigde Nasionale PartyThe Herenigde Nasionale Party was a political party in South Africa during the 1940s. It was the product of the reunion of Daniel François Malan's Gesuiwerde Nasionale Party and J.B.M. Hertzog's breakaway Afrikaner nationalist faction of the United Party in 1940.In 1934, J.B.M...
was in power...English-speaking bureaucrats, soldiers, and state employees were sidelined by reliable Afrikaners, with key posts going to Broederbond members (with their ideological commitment to separatism). The electoral system itself was manipulated to reduce the impact of immigrant English speakers and eliminate that of Coloureds.
The Afrikaner Broederbond continued to act in secret, infiltrating and gaining control of the few organisations, such as the South African Agricultural Union (SAAU), which had political power and were opposed to a further escalation of Apartheid policies
.
Companies with Broederbond credentials
- ABSAAbsa Group LimitedThe Absa Group Limited is the largest consumer bank in South Africa.- Overview :Absa is based in Johannesburg and listed on the JSE Limited and is one of South Africa's largest financial institutions...
, formed by amalgamation of United, Allied and Volkskas banks, the latter of which was established by the Broederbond in 1934 and whose chairman was also the Broederbond chairman at the time. - ADS, formerly Altech Defence Systems
- Remgro, formerly Rembrandt Ltd., former holding company of Volkskas.
Former and Current members
- D. F. MalanDaniel François MalanDaniel François Malan , more commonly known as D.F. Malan, was the Prime Minister of South Africa from 1948 to 1954. He is seen as a champion of Afrikaner nationalism. His National Party government came to power on the program of apartheid and began its comprehensive implementation.- Biography...
Former Prime Minister. - H. F. VerwoerdHendrik Frensch VerwoerdHendrik Frensch Verwoerd , commonly identified as H.F. Verwoerd, was Prime Minister of South Africa from 1958 until his assassination in 1966...
Former Prime Minister. - J. G. StrijdomJohannes Gerhardus StrijdomJohannes Gerhardus Strijdom, commonly called JG Strydom or Hans Strydom , nicknamed the Lion of the North, was Prime Minister of South Africa from 30 November 1954 to 24 August 1958...
Former Prime Minister. - B. J. Vorster, Former Prime Minister.
- Dr JS Gericke, Vice Chancellor Stellenbosch University
- Pik BothaPik BothaRoelof Frederik "Pik" Botha is a former South African politician who served as the country's foreign minister in the last years of the apartheid era...
, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, currently member of the African National CongressAfrican National CongressThe African National Congress is South Africa's governing Africanist political party, supported by its tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party , since the establishment of non-racial democracy in April 1994. It defines itself as a...
. - H. B. ThomH. B. ThomHendrik Bernardus Thom was born in Jamestown, Eastern Cape, and grew up in Burgersdorp, South Africa...
, historian and former Rector of Stellenbosch UniversityStellenbosch UniversityStellenbosch University is a public research university situated in the town of Stellenbosch, South Africa. Other nearby universities are the University of Cape Town and University of the Western Cape....
. - Tienie Groenewald, retired Defence Force general.
- Barend Johannes van der Walt, former ambassador of Canada.
- P. W. BothaPieter Willem BothaPieter Willem Botha , commonly known as "P. W." and Die Groot Krokodil , was the prime minister of South Africa from 1978 to 1984 and the first executive state president from 1984 to 1989.First elected to Parliament in 1948, Botha was for eleven years head of the Afrikaner National Party and the...
, former Minister of Defence and Prime Minister. - Anton RupertAnton RupertDr. Anthony Edward Rupert was an Afrikaner South African billionaire entrepreneur, businessman and conservationist. He was born and raised in the small town of Graaff-Reinet in the Eastern Cape. He studied in Pretoria and ultimately moved to Stellenbosch, where he established the Rembrandt Group ...
, notable Academic - Marthinus van SchalkwykMarthinus van SchalkwykMarthinus Christoffel Johannes van Schalkwyk is the Minister of Tourism in the Cabinet of South Africa. Formerly both Premier of the Western Cape and Leader of the Opposition in the Parliament of South Africa, he was the leader of the New National Party from its inception on 8 September 1997 until...
, former member of the youth wing of the Broederbond, the last leader of the National Party and current minister of tourism in the ANCANCANC commonly refers to the African National Congress, a revolutionary movement which became the ruling political party in South Africa in the 1994 election.ANC may also refer to:-Organizations:...
government of Jacob ZumaJacob ZumaJacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma is the President of South Africa, elected by parliament following his party's victory in the 2009 general election....
. - Tom de Beer, recruited 30 years ago, now chairman of new Afrikanerbond.
- Nico SmithNico SmithNico Smith was a South African Afrikaner minister and prominent opponent of apartheid. Smith was a professor of theology at the University of Stellenbosch, a member of the Afrikaner Broederbond organization, and a minister of the apartheid-supporting Dutch Reformed Church...
, Dutch Reformed Church missionary who exposed the Afrikaner Broederbond in a book
et al.
- F.W. De Klerk Former South African State President and leader of the National PartyNational Party (South Africa)The National Party is a former political party in South Africa. Founded in 1914, it was the governing party of the country from 4 June 1948 until 9 May 1994. Members of the National Party were sometimes known as Nationalists or Nats. Its policies included apartheid, the establishment of a...
- Lang Hendrik van den Bergh The South African spyboss during the Apartheid regime, and close friend of former South African Prime Minister B. J. Vorster.
Further reading
- On the Afrikaner youth today and the Broederbond crutch - Afrikaans
- On the Native Club and the Broederbond
- Membership numbers 6800 to 12000 with 450 branches
- Tom de Beer on formation of new Afrikanerbond.
Dr JS Gericke/Kosie Gericke Vice Chancellor Stellenbosch University