A BRIDGE TOO FAR
‘No reconciliation’ 24 years after dawn of democracy
AS SOUTH Africa marks the Day of Reconciliation, there is little unity at the site where a bloody battle was fought years ago between Afrikaners and Zulus.
There are two museums on the site. The Voortrekker Monument and Blood River Museum commemorates the Afrikaners while the Ncome Museum honours the Zulu warriors who took part in the battle.
In 2013 the Reconciliation Bridge was opened above the Ncome river by the Department of Arts and Culture in the hope that it would bring the two groups together and heal the wounds of the past.
However, this week there was little evidence of intermingling as the two groups commemorated on their own.
Furthermore, the gate leading to the Afrikaner memorial site is locked on most days, preventing visitors from moving across.
An entry fee that is charged at this side has also become an obstacle for ordinary South Africans to enter.
Subsistence cattle farmer Mthenjwa Ngobese, 60, who was born in Ncome, said when the bridge was built, there was a glimmer of hope for reconciliation. However, according to him, Afrikaners had been reluctant to fully embrace it.
“When we attempt to visit them during the event, the gate on their side is locked, which gives us an impression we are not wanted. We want to commemorate the day with our white neighbours. We want to understand their culture and, most importantly, to build harmonious relations.”
On Friday afternoon when the Sunday Tribune visited the Reconciliation Bridge, the gate leading to the Afrikaner museum was locked.
At the Voortrekker Monument and Blood River Museum, visitors from different parts of the country had set up camp to reflect on the lifestyle enjoyed by their ancestors.
Bert Visser, the manager of the Voortrekker Monument and Blood River Museum, said during operational hours from 8am-4pm the gate remained opened.
He said an entry fee was charged to cover maintenance expenses because they did not receive a government subsidy.
According to Visser the Ncome Museum was subsidised by government. However, the Sunday Tribune was not able to verify this information.
Said Visser: “It is agreed the bridge will be opened at 11 o’clock on Sunday to allow free movement from both sides. We have not been able to commemorate together because our cultural activities are not the same, but we have mutual respect,” he said.
Visser said people reacted differently to change which was common across cultures and races.
He said relations between the two groups had improved slightly.
He added that reconciliation should not be rushed as it was not an overnight process.
“When the process is rushed it brings resistance from both parties.”
He added that to avoid tension, the organisation had removed the old South African flags.
Retired historian, Professor Jabulani Maphalala, who was the first chairperson of Ncome Museum, accused Visser of misleading society. He claimed it was untrue that Afrikaners were not receiving a subsidy.
“During my days as a chairman, Boers were funded to a tune of R150 000 to build the museum. Leaders at the time were too desperate for reconciliation between the Afrikaners and Zulus.”
Maphalala said true reconciliation was elusive because Afrikaners were less interested.
“Forget it, reconciliation will never happen any time soon. I was there when two members of the Afrikaner Bond refused a joint commemoration on the basis that they had their own way of praying.”
The Department of Arts and Culture could not be reached at the time of publication.