A last update on Saturday’s Rooiplaas reunion at Bronkhorstspruit: 30 July 2022 by Eeben Barlow

One of things Rooiplaas does is get guest speakers from across all walks of life – including those who once fought against us. What we don’t do is discuss or engage in party politics. 

As many can remember, we had the Russian Defence Attaché address us last time despite the fact that he once fought against us in Angola. He spoke to us about the Russian involvement in the Boer War. Despite some initial reservations, he was warmly welcomed by everyone, and his talk was very informative and well received. 

One of our guest speakers this Saturday is the controversial ex-head of our foreign secret service. Despite the fact that his great grandfather fought in the Boer War on the side of the Boere against the British, he ended up opposing us during our time in the SADF. He is known as someone who has, consistently spoken truth to power and has never been scared to criticize the government of the day. 

When he was taken to task in parliament, he was defended by the opposition parties, proof that he does not practice partisan party politics in his job. 

He will give a brief overview of his background, his role and training in the opposing force (ANC-MK), his time on death row, and then, more importantly, discuss the foreign threats against South Africa. This is NOT a political gathering but rather a gathering aimed at understanding what we as a nation are facing. This is something we all, regardless of our beliefs, ought to be aware of. 

To those who view this askance, it must be asked why they chose to serve in the SANDF when the change of government occurred in 1994. 

To understand where we came from is as important as understanding where we are going as a country and what threats and challenges we face. 

This promises to be a talk no one should miss.