"Onderweg (na 'n kamp) het 'n kind van een van die vrouens gesterwe. 'n Engelse offisier het by haar gekom, die kind uit haar arms geruk en hom in 'n sloot lans die pad gegooi en die drywers vand ie waens beveel om voort te gaa. Die Engelse het geen gevoel gehad nie." (Raath en Louw, Die konsentrasiekamp te Springfontein)
Op 25 Oktober 1947 , skryf 'n mnr. C.R.G. Lewis van Turnbridge Wells, Sussex die volgende brief wat op10 Desember 1947 in 'Die Volksblad' gepubliseer is:
Waarde Heer,
Ons glo dat U blad 'n belagrike Boerekoerant in ons Suid Afrikaanse kolonie is. Ons hoop dus dat U die brief uit Brittanje sal publiseer.
Waarom is julle Boere vir 'n republiek en daarteen om 'n kolonie van ons te weers? Vir 'n agterlike minderheid met geen eie kultuur en geen leiers nie, is julle baie gelukkig om onder ons bewind te staan. Suid-Afrika het groot rykdom, maar daardie rykdom moet ingespan en na die regerende land, Brittanje, teruggebring word. Julle het groot oop ruimtes - dit moet beskikbaar gestel word vir ons landsburgers wat begerig is om na Suid-Afrika te emigreer. Wanneer hulle aankom, verdien hulle die beste werk en goeie huise: omdat hulle veel beter tipes as julle Boere is.
NIE EENS DIALEK
Met betrekking tot taalbevoegdhede: Jul baster-taal, Afrikaans, moet geheel en al verbied word - dit is lelik en het geen affiniteit met ons wonderlike Engelse taal nie. Ons Britte was gewis nooit van plan om dit te leer of dit as 'n taal te erken nie. Dit is nie eens 'n dialek nie!
Daarom, Boere en Afrikaners, hou jul monde oor 'n republiek of 'n oorwinning in die verkiesing. As julle lastig begin word, sal ons Britte julle gou-gou nog 'n pak gee soos ons in die Boereoorlog gedoen het. En hierdie keer sal jul vroue en kinders veel langer in die konsentrasiekampe bly!
"Rule Brittanie" - en weg met Afrikaans en die Afrikaners. Met Smuts aan ons kant, sal Suid-Afrika 'n Britse kolonie bly.
Die Uwe,
CHARLES R.G. LEWIS
Op 2 Januarie 1948 antwoord kaptein Henri Slegtkamp hom as volg:
Dear Sir,
Referring to your disdainful letter to one of our Afrikaans newspapers "Die Volksblad", I would gladly reveal my and other Africaners' feelings to you and your, to my mind, entire ignorance of our tradition and history.
Your slanderous utterances that the extermination of Boer-women and children was a valid undertaking that should, if needs be, repeated, is the most disdainful, mean and vulgar expression I ever heard from an Englishman. Luckily you are in the minority and of the lowest alloy. The Arikaner nation rejects your thoughts with the contemptibility which it deserves.
I'll now tell you something. I know what I am talking about because I had the rank of Captain int he Boer Commando's during your aggressing war of 1899-1902, and fought to the bitter end. On your bragging that if we started to be a nuisance "again", you, British people, will very soon give us another hiding like that of the Anglo-Boer War, I have only one comment to make, and this is, just try. Are you aware that at the end of the war ther were 430,000 British men in die field against a small 22,000 Boers? And if it wasn't for the cruel massacre of 26,000 women and children in your Belsen camps, we would never have given in, and the "mighty: British army would have left these coasts faster than they arrived here.
You talk of "British Fairplay":Shame! Your men could do nothing against the unarmed Boers, so the ppor women and children had to suffer. They were dragged out of their homes, the dwellings with their contents, as well as the produce on their lands were burned to ashes, their fowls, pigs, sheep etc., stabbed to death by bayonets, shot or burned to death in thousands. Very valiant, eh? I wonder whether you and your sort fought during the last two world wars to help your country out of its trouble.
It's a pity, my nation was too much of a christian nation, too human to prisoners and to their foe. If they are stilla llive, ask Capt. Healy (Royal Engineers), Capt. Beard (Intelligence) and Capt. Carlton who was taken prisoner with 170 men on Spioenkop and taken by me to Pretoria,a nd who, on departure, handed me his card with the words that if ever we are madeprisoners we must be treated like gentlemen.
Concerning our language. We are proud of it, and your sort of Englishmen will never understand it, but if ever you come to this country, I'll advise you to start learning that "despicable" language NOW, for you will need it badly.
Your quasi "Rule Brittania" is something of the past. Your greatness, your illustriousness has fallen to NIL. Your sun is disappearing in the west. Don't forget God's mill grinds slowly but sure, and your country is in the mill. Our aim and strife is a Free Republic, and it is coming. Further we aim at a sincere friendship towards every good Englishman, but not towards your sort. Through your sort your country is in that trouble today, and you will rather flee from your country than to sacrifice a small bit towards its safety.
You have sent you blasphemous letter to one of our greatest Afrikaans Newspapers. I now challenge you to publish this letter in one of your greatest newspapers, so as to convince your people that the Boer Nation is a noble nation that always forgives, but NEVER forgets.
I don't believe that there are many people in your country that will sympathise with you, but I am convinces that you will be abhorred and despised by every noble and christian Englishman.
You have already received our disdain.
Yours faitfully,
CAPT. H.F. SLEGTKAMP D.T.D.
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