Some thoughts about the early history of southern Africa

I read, with interest, a review of the book The Lie of 1652 by Patric Mellet. It is a rather complex review! I grew up with English as first language and was wondering how many people will follow all of the very complicated writing!

I have appealed in March 2020, and again in November 2020, to StatsSA that they add to the next census distinct categories for the San, Khoe, Kalanga and Cape Malay since I cannot see where they would classify themselves - African, Coloured or Indian since I don't think that the Khoisan are likely to classify themselves as White, or the Cape Malays as Coloured or African, or would they simply select the category called Other? We show very little acknowledgement to the Khoisan, the original people of our wonderful country!

I have wondered what South Africa would be like now if the 'Whites' had not come here? What would the numbers of San, Khoe and Kalanga be like now? What would the numbers of Nguni, Sotho-Tswana, Venda and Tsonga people be like? What ages would people typically reach? What would their homes be like? What would their towns, cities, hospitals, universities, roads, technology, infrastructure, transport and so forth be like? Would a farm be feeding tens of people or thousands of people? 

It strikes me that the 'Whites' did not bring the soil, the gold, the diamonds, the wonderful agricultural or natural potential. Without their developing these potentials, what would have been developed by people who had been here for thousands of years and had not done particularly much with the potential?

I appeal to everyone to ask such questions and be honest with themselves before simply accepting the history as it is taught in school now, or fifty years ago, or in books like this one about the inaccuracies of accounts of what occurred in and around 1652. It is good to expand one's vision and not simply keep a narrow view, but please do not let other people tell you what is true - or what is false. Think about it yourself. Do your own research and then accept that, since you and I were not here in 1652, or 180 years before that when D'Almeida was here, 400 years before that when the Nguni peoples first came, or 1500 or perhaps many thousands of years before 1652 when the San people were inhabiting the region that we now describe as the country of South Africa, we will each have our own biases and not one of us can truly say who is right. Let us focus on what is right in the way that we treat each other rather than agonising about who is right about history. Let us rejoice in the strengths of each group and person in our wonderful country and live according to the motto on our Coat of Arms '!ke e:/xarra//ke' which is from the Khoisan language of the /Xam people - let us rejoice in the meaning - "diverse people unite", or "people who are different joining together". Let us build a wonderful united society made up of widely diverse people rather than looking for things that will divide us.