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From: A & M van Rensburg <>
Subject: SA Coat of Arms
Date: Tue, 02 May 2000 13:43:44 +1000
References: <200004111142.EAA06801@bl-14.rootsweb.com>


Some listers may be interested in the new coat of arms for South
Africa. It seems rather impressive.
http://www.mg.co.za/mg/news/2000apr2/28apr-coat-of-arms.html
It is rather ironical that one of the most oppressed people would be
used as the centre piece. Two San people form part of the centre of the
arms. The San was hunted as animals (vermin) by the Boer's and was
captured and 'enslaved' by the Boer's, this was well after the
emancipation of slavery. My own father told me of the Bushman woman
which formed part of the family and was brought up from the North
Western Cape when the family moved to Potchefstroom c1913, she was
buried also in the family farm 'kerkhof' outside Potchefstroom when she
died. Another account was also past down by the family of a wild bushman
that was caught by my family and was tied to the waggon wheel on their
farm at Williston, Cape.

Whereas the Bantu also hunted the San and they also enslaved them,
however there was a greater assimilation/absorbtion into the Bantu
tribes. Unfortunately the enslavement of black by blacks are a very much
neglected area of research (It is not the political flavour of the
month) and it is given as an euphemism.

The use of the San language as part of the coat of arms rather than
Latin or some other language is a welcome and bold step. It is ironic
that the motto "ike e: /xarra //ke" meaning "diverse people unite" or
"people who are different join together" goes contrary to the experience
by the San from both the White and Blacks when taking into account the
historical record. Lets hope for the sake of the citizens of the present
and future South Africa that the coat of arms portrays the intend and
not the reality of the past experience.

Regards
André van Rensburg

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