Hannes Wessels,
Recently I was fortunate to have the opportunity to speak at some length to former Rhodesian District Commissioner, Ben Kaschula. Now in his twilight years, blessed with an excellent memory, his story is an extraordinary one that regrettably few people will ever know about and that is a great pity. The more I listened to him, the more I was reminded that it was servants of the state of his ilk, during the years of white rule, who were making massive strides in bridging the racial divides that inevitably arose during the colonial era.
Dispatched as a teenager into the Rhodesian wilderness he had to adapt and learn fast. Through a devotion to duty, and to the indigenous people, he and his colleagues were busy constructing the legal and administrative framework that would provide the platform for a multi-racial society that would lead to economic growth and improved quality of life for all.
What few know is that he and his fellow District Officers were given very clear instructions to encourage traditional leaders to seek consensus from their subjects rather than rule by authoritarian decree. Through this learning process it was hoped, the black people would come to understand the democratic system and then be better placed to be part of the democratic process at a higher level leading to them having the vote in the election of representatives for national government. This proves the intention of successive white governments was never to deprive anyone the vote on grounds of race; the aim was to increase the size of the electorate on merit with education being one of the criteria.
Brought at times to tears, reminiscing about the close friendships forged with the natives he took enormous risks to serve, I was left lamenting the passing of an era when officials in authority understood their mandate was to serve the people; not to have the people serve them. Of course, because Mr. Kaschula was a Rhodesian colonial administrator, he, along with his colleagues, was condemned by the media and the world as a ‘racist’ and ‘white supremacist’.
With this in mind I recently read an article penned by Mr. Alexander Downer, former Foreign Minister of Australia. Showing gumption, in the face of a world where the received wisdom is all about how awful British imperialism was, he celebrates the very opposite; in very clear and reasoned terms he expresses his deep gratitude for the fact that Australia was colonised by Britain. He identifies the introduction of the rule of law, the separation of powers, and a market economy as the exceptional fundamentals that provided the bedrock for what has become one of the richest and most successful countries in the world. He points out no great nation in history was as thoughtful and benevolent in the projection of its power and this is undeniably true.
I noted from the piece it was identical principles of governance that the government of the day, which included Ben Kaschula, was trying to inculcate in the minds of the native population of then Rhodesia. Alas, just when they were making stellar progress, he, and his colleagues, were driven from the field by forces of violence seeking to destroy the systems they sought to build and implement, and to kill the proponents of these alien ideas. Unfortunately, with the support of the international community the antagonists triumphed and all his efforts to build a peaceful and prosperous country were wrecked in the course of a bloodbath.
Despite the parlous state of Zimbabwe, and indeed most of post-colonial Africa, providing ample proof, that men like Ben Kaschula, should have been treasured and protected, the recent Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) jamboree held in Johannesburg, sends a sharp reminder that no lessons have been learned, and following precisely the same anti-colonial narrative, more mayhem and murder beckons.
With raucous support from his followers, party-leader Julius Malema exhorted his audience to ‘Kill the Boer’. This open invitation to commit mass murder on the basis of race has received no censure from the president of South Africa, the South African Police, or from any world leader, so there can be little doubt it will happen, all that remains unclear is when.
Knowing as many South African farmers as I do, I am sure there are thousands of Ben Kaschulas out there awaiting slaughter. Many of them voted for and celebrated the coming to power of Nelson Mandela and dreamed of a peaceful and prosperous future. Like him, most of them have spent time, energy and much of their resources, trying to improve the lives of their black countrymen while feeding the country and adding to the national wealth. None of them want war, all of them ask for little more than a chance to cultivate and contribute, but they are doomed by the colour of their skin, and their connection to colonialism.
From where I find myself, having seen what I have seen, and witness to tragic events, fast unfolding events in southern Africa, I struggle to avoid concluding pure evil stalks the dark corridors of world power. Good mem and women everywhere, if they are Christian, and blighted with a white skin, are demonised and doomed in the brave new woke world.
God help our children.
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Excellent piece as always Hannes. I identify readily with the injustices of a contrived history, having worked for the Ministry of Information for a short while before ‘gapping’ it. Incidentally, the anti-white narrative takes form in so many ways today, not least of all in Canada. Shakespeare — Out Damned Spot, Out — seems to be the mantra of the day. I am working my way through Clarke’s missive: ‘The Last Rhodesians’ with which I know you are familiar; there are so many stories yet unwritten/unpublished. Kaschula’s is one of them.
I believe William Keys is correct in is conclusion that once African states were granted independence and became an embarrassment to the British Government, the success of Rhodesia became too glaring a comparison to the failure of other “independent” states. Liberalism had taken a hold in the minds of the politicians and successful White rule could no longer be tolerated, apart from the financial burden the newly independent states placed on their former ruler. Smith was right in declaring UDI and had he been supported by more honest politicians, Rhodesia would have been a prosperous shining light in the now very dark continent.
So now we have to suffer speeches by Malema,
Who apparently loathes anything Britannia,
If he actually went to school,
All he utters now is drool,
And without whites he will be so much happier.
Two meaningful quotes:
“A fool is known by his speech; and a wise man by silence.” — Pythagoras
“One of the penalties of refusing to participate in politics, is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.” – Plato
The article and 04 comments are spot on. This from my past interactions and memoirs from Mr. Wessels, Mr. Van Zyl, Mr. Scheepers, P. M. Mr. Ian Smith, and the video interviews.
The same socio-political diversions and collapse causing interferences have been applied to other Western countries.
The destroyers side lined men and women that apply their talents to maintain the established order.
These persons are of all skin tones, faiths, skills, possibly tribes, e.g., Shona, Masai in Africa, in regard to say Britannia, please correct me as needed, the eventual unifying of the Britons, Welsh, Scots, Norman’s and Saxons.
The U.S.A., or North, Central, and South America, the native Indian tribes.
The water well pumps do not function, roads, hospitals. These few examples show how an issue is used to gain empathy, yet no serious action is to be done to fix the above mentioned.
Sorry for the lengthy examples.
Here at a true journalist group, the history, concise, is given. Past or present.
Most of you men, RLI, and others are considered my brothers and cousins.
Would I could have stopped the break down.
I am half way or 3/4 of the books by P. M. Ian Smith, whom I look at as an Uncle, and Mrs. Win Hooper.
I appreciate these emails.
Just finished Nigel Biggar’s Colonialism: A Moral Reckoning, a must read for any fair minded observer.
Thank you. So, so true.
Sadly many decent Brits, and we on the tip of Africa, were caught up in the decline phase of Empire and the resultant rise in power of the weak, the gormless wokes, who are an inherent part of it all. Years ago I read an article by an Indian political writer saying that the problem was not colonialism but that there had not been enough it, that if we wanted to bring less developed countries into the modern world more time and influence was needed. As RWJ so eloquently put it, the ANC remains a tribal structure but now infused with vague ideas on Marxism and dressed up in the clothes of a democracy.
Hi Keurboom, I find myself agreeing with the first two-thirds of your reply and lack information to validly comment on the final sentence. I thought that Nigel Biggar’s Colonialism failed at its core because he finessed the Perfidious Albion Elephant in the room.
The British Empire was fundamentally a wealth creation set-of-entities for the British home interests. Everything else was subordinate to British home interests and when those interests began to fail Perfidious Albion showed its ugly face.
There are many worse but never trust, underestimate, the Poms, don’t be fooled by smiles, pinstripes, they’ve been slyly screwing the world for centuries, will always do politely whatever suits them. Rhodesians found that out, strange events, loaded additionally with cynicism and jealousy?
RWJ, RWJohnson, once of the far Left, now writing brilliantly on South African and global realities.
Hannes, I had a very good relationship with Ben although I don’t think he completely trusted me to be accurate with his views and activity. But I had enormous respect for him, working with skill and determination in the face of brick walls such as Lardner-Burke and Dupont. Many men like Ben are now facing death and old age with great disappointment, more perhaps than the rest of us who also witnessed with dismay violence and hypocrisy.If you have further contact with him
please wish him well. John Kelley
Heartbreaking.