Die woorde van ʼn voormalige AB Voorsitter, prof Francois Venter is aangepas vir 2024 - Ons Afrikaners het vele stryde gestry, en baie daarvan is gewen: die taalstryd; die stryd teen die koloniale juk; die stryd teen armoede en agtergeblewenheid; die stryd teen verkleinering en gebrek aan selfvertroue; die stryd teen die koue oorlog; die stryd (met onsself) om afstand te doen van politieke mag en die stryd om regverdigheid en vryheid in geregtigheid in die voortbestaan in die nuwe bedeling in Suid-Afrika. Afrikaners in die verlede was helde en teenhelde, veldhere en voetsoldate, miljoenêrs en armlastiges, bouers en brekers, staatsmanne en manteldraaiers, geloofshelde en ketters, intellektuele en ploeteraars, kunstenaars en kleinburgerlikes, tegnoloë, tegnici, wetenskaplikes, boere, opvoeders, ekonome, juriste, medici, almal Afrikaners. Dit is wie ons is. 

Afrikaners het die nuwe era ingegaan met die verwagting dat ons wense erken sou word om geregtigheid te dien en vryheid in geregtigheid te ervaar. Aan hierdie verwagting is nog nie voldoen nie, maar baie van ons bates is nog hier in die land en by Afrikaners: intellektuele, tegnologiese, kulturele, godsdienstige, taalkundige, landbou, onderwys, akademie, ekonomiese en sake bates. Dit is die bates wat Afrikaners met Suid-Afrika en ons medeburgers wil deel binne ʼn regverdige bestel vir almal.

Tydens die 2022 Bondsraad van die Afrikanerbond by die Voortrekkermonument het ons as prioriteit vir die Afrikanerbond ʼn nuwe verbintenis tot brugbou in Afrikaner geledere aanvaar. Ons het die fokus gekies omdat die lewensterreine van die Afrikaner deur soveel invloede bedreig word. Daarom moes ons die verdeeldheid uitskakel. Ons weet as ons ten minste aansluitende samewerking kan bewerkstelling, kan ons saam die bedreigings en invloede van buite die hoof bied. Die ideaal van die Afrikanerbond het waar geword. 

 

In April 2024 kan ons terugkyk op die proses van meer as twee jaar om instemming te kry tot die Afrikaner-Verklaring. Vir ons was dit belangrik om deur konsensus die grootste gemene delers in die geledere van Afrikaners te mobiliseer of aanvaarding te kry. Daarom kan ons vandag: 

• die fokus plaas op die gemeenskaplikhede van en tussen Afrikaners en daardeur die verskille te oorbrug. 
• Afrikanerbelange doelgerig en met die grootste mate van konsensus te bevorder; 
• ‘n Gemeenskaplike Afrikaner ideaal bevorder; 
• Afrikanerskap te koppel aan ʼn gedeelde herkoms en geskiedenis; 
• Voortdurend soek na aansluitende samewerking 

 Ons is oortuig daarvan dat hierdie ʼn volgende stap is in die soeke na aansluitende samewerking tussen beduidende Afrikaner organisasies, instansies, individue en netwerke. Dit mag uiteindelik lei tot ʼn gemeenskaplike visie vir die meerderheid Afrikaners. Vir almal wat tot hier deel van die proses was wil ons opreg bedank. Die uitkoms was die Afrikaner-Verklaring en het ons vir onsself gewys Afrikaners kan hande neem in die uur van nood en krisis. 

As Afrikaners vanuit ʼn breë Afrikanergemeenskap wil onsself nie isoleer van die land en sy mense nie. Net soos ander Suid-Afrikaners het Afrikaners die onvervreembare reg tot:  

• die skepping van ’n vrye en regverdige samelewing waarin mense vir mekaar omgee; 
• ʼn omgewing waarin alle burgers van die staat se vrede en veiligheid verseker is; 
• ʼn land waarin die gemeenskap só georden is dat elke individu en elke gemeenskap sy volle potensiaal kan bereik; en 
• die algemene welsyn van die gemeenskappe, bevorder word.

Afrikaners se aansprake en ons beklemtoning van regte en belange moet nie in isolasie gesien moet word of as spesiale behandeling geag word nie. Ons vind aansluiting by internasionale gevestigde konvensies wat regte aan en kultuurgemeenskappe voorsien en verpligtinge op state plaas. Indien ons ʼn kultuurverdrag met die regering wil beding oor die regte en belange van Afrikaners, doen ons dit op basis van internasionale praktyk. 

Een van die sleutel werklikhede in Suid-Afrika is dat ons ‘n multikulturele en veeltalige land is. Ons wil in ʼn gees van wedersydse erkenning en respek met ander gemeenskappe in Suid-Afrika praat om oplossings te kry vir die veelvuldige krisisse wat ons almal se toekoms bedreig. Ons wil ook graag ʼn bydrae lewer tot die sosio-ekonomiese ontwikkeling van Afrika. Afrikaners se voetspore lê al lankal wyd in Afrika. 

Vir die Afrikanerbond is die boodskap daarin met die Afrikaner-Verklaring dat dit ons nou in staat stel om volledig en trots Afrikaner te wees, sodat ons ook volledig Suid-Afrikaner kan wees en daarom ook volledig ʼn bydrae in ons land en op die kontinent kan lewer. Dit sluit volledig aan by die Afrikanerbond se goue formule naamlik die bevordering van die eie belang in samehang en in balans met die nasionale belang. As Afrikaners bou ons saam aan die toekoms van Suid-Afrika. Ons is hier om te bly. 

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In the words of former AB Chairperson Prof Francois Venter (adapted) - Us Afrikaners have had many struggles, many of which we overcame: the language struggle; the struggle against the colonial yoke; the struggle against poverty and social disadvantage; the struggle against belittling and a lack of self-confidence; the struggle against the cold war; the struggle (within ourselves) to relinquish political power; and the struggle for fairness, freedom and justice under the new dispensation in South Africa. Over the centuries, Afrikaners have shown themselves to be heroes and anti-heroes, field marshals and foot soldiers, millionaires and paupers, builders and breakers, statesmen and cloak-turners, heroes of faith and heretics, intellectuals and plodders, artists and petty bourgeoisie, technologists, technicians, scientists, farmers, educators, economists, jurists, doctors, all of them, Afrikaners. That's who we are. 

Afrikaners entered the new era expecting acknowledgement of our wish to serve justice and experience justice in return. This expectation has not yet been met. Many of our assets remain in the country, though, and still belong to Afrikaners: intellectual, technological, cultural, religious, linguistic, agricultural, educational, academic, economic and business assets. These are the assets that Afrikaners want to share with South Africa and our fellow citizens within a fair dispensation for all.

During the 2022 Federal Council of the Afrikanerbond at the Voortrekker Monument, we prioritised a new commitment to building bridges in Afrikaner ranks. We chose this focus because we realised that the Afrikaner’s walks of life were under threat from so many influences that it had become imperative to remove the divisions. We know that if we can at least achieve convergent cooperation, we can confront the threats and influences from outside together. Thus, the ideal of the Afrikanerbond – is being realised. 

 

Now, in April 2024, we can look back on a process of more than two years to get agreement on the Afrikaner Declaration. It was important for us to mobilise and gain acceptance of the biggest common denominators among the ranks of Afrikaners by consensus. Accordingly, today we can: 

- place the focus on the commonalities of and among Afrikaners, and so bridge the differences 

- promote Afrikaner interests purposefully and with the greatest degree of consensus

- Promote a common Afrikaner ideal

- Link the Afrikaner character to a shared heritage and history 

- Keep pursuing convergent collaboration.

 

We believe this is the next step in seeking convergent cooperation between leading Afrikaner organisations, institutions, individuals and networks, with the ultimate aim being to achieve a common vision for the majority of Afrikaners. We sincerely thank everyone who has been part of the process so far. The outcome was the Afrikaner Declaration, and through it we have proven to ourselves yet again that in an hour of need and crisis, Afrikaners can take hands. 

As Afrikaners from a broad Afrikaner community, we do not want to isolate ourselves from the country and its people. Like other South Africans, Afrikaners too have the inalienable right to: 

• the creation of a free and fair society in which people care for each other

• an environment in which the peace and security of all citizens of the state are ensured 

• a country in which society is ordained in such a way that each individual and every community can reach their full potential

• the promotion of communities’ general welfare.

Afrikaners' claims and our emphasis on rights and interests should not be viewed in isolation or regarded as special treatment. We are aligned to internationally established conventions that provide rights to cultural communities and impose obligations on states. If we should negotiate a cultural pact with Government on the rights and interests of Afrikaners, it would be done on the basis of international practice. 

One of the key realities in South Africa is that we are a multicultural and multilingual country. In a spirit of mutual recognition and respect, we are eager to speak to other communities in South Africa to find solutions to the multiple crises that threaten the future of all of us. We also wish to contribute to the socio-economic development of Africa. The footprints of the Afrikaner people lie far and wide across Africa. 

To the Afrikanerbond, the Afrikaner Declaration signifies that we can now be fully and proudly Afrikaners who can thus be fully South African and can make a full contribution in our country and on the continent. This aligns with the Afrikanerbond's golden formula of promoting one's own interest in coherence and in balance with the national interest. As Afrikaners, we are building the future together with our fellow South Africans. We are here to stay.