Boere Vryheid

A number of times, driving through Cosmo City, a cosmopolitan mix mash residential suburb of low and medium cost popcorn houses, I saw a little white washed church standing out. Popcorn, well just my name for these type of matchbox size houses that spring up like popcorn. What made me stop this time was as I was riding by Vespa past, this a medi-vac helicopter started landing at the clinic just in front of the church. This got my attention so I turned off not expecting to find the resting place of one of the leaders in the struggle for Boere freedom.

This little white church seems like an old farm church which is now misplaced among all these houses instead of a veld. The church is not dated but there is a grave stone for a Sussie van Tonder and memorial wall for Robert Spiller van Tonder next to the little white church.

Sussie van Tonder Gebore Magdalena Johanna Steyn 15 Mei 1928 - 14 Maart 1973
Eggenote van Robert, en moeder van Hans, Thomas, Elna, Robert Jnr, Adriaan en Dirk.
Ere-sekretaresse van die dorpsraad aksiekomitee wat gedurende 1956-1959 die nuwe dorp Randburg tot stand gebring het.

Ons hulde aan entrepeneur, skrywer, digter, vader, oupa, eggenoot, geliefde volksleier oom Robert 6 Oktober 1923 – 4 Augustus 1999 Robert Spiller van Tonder

Agter kleinseun van prof. Dirk Postma, stigter van die Gereformeerde kerk in Suid Afrika. Seun en kleinseun van Boere-vryheidsvegter wat het in die Engelse Oorlog 1899 - 1902. Sy verbete stryd vir die handhawing van Afrikaans besorg hom die ere-titel "Taalbul van Tonder" Stigterslid van die HNP. Sy filosofie is opgesluit in volkskap en die verskyning van sy boek "Boerestaat" (1977) bevestig sy status as die vader van die Boerestaat filosofie nl. "Die herstel van die eertydse Boere Republieke van Transvaal Vrystaat en Vryheid in 'n modern Boerestaat". Stigter en leier van die Boerestaat party. Stigter van die dorp Randburg (1959). Gewaardeerde eggenoot van Sussie Steyn (1951 - 1973) en Louisa Richter (1981 - 1999). Geliefde vader van Hans, Thomas, Elna, Alet, Robert, Addriaan en Dirk. Oupa van 17 kleinkinders.

Vryheid aan alle volke - ook aan die boerevolk! Die stryd duur voort...

How ironic it is that here a small white church build by a leader of the Boerevolk, calling for their independence, is now surrounded by a sea of low and medium cost houses inhabited mainly by black African people.

But the irony didn't stop there as Richard van Tonder according to the memorial was a hero in terms of uplifting the Boere language, Afrikaans and when exploring the little white church I found a Zulu by the name of Bongani who gave me insight to what was now. The little white church is not used anymore for church services as they have a more modern building next door. The little white church is used for computer education and Bongani teaches here. When Bongani heard that I was a developer he was keen to show me what he has developed.

Wait for it, Bonagni has developed a multimedia programme to help children with reading Afrikaans. Yes here is a Zulu teaching the Boere language at a little white church in a middle of a black city. I am sure Robert van Tonder would be proud.