Die De Gaay Fortman-missie: ʼn Mislukte poging tot dialoog tussen Nederland & Suid-Afrika, 1963-1965

Abstract

Afrikaans

Nederlanders het hulle steeds vanweë bande van stamverwantskap en geesverwantskap emosioneel betrokke by gebeurtenisse in Suid-Afrika gevoel. Sedert die Sharpeville-gebeure in 1960, het daar by vele Nederlanders die besef posgevat dat Suid-Afrika gewaarsku moes word dat die land hom polities op ʼn verkeerde pad bevind het. Die jare sestig van die twintigste eeu is gekenmerk deur vele inisiatiewe tot kritiese dialoog. Een van dié inisiatiewe was die De Gaay Fortman-missie, ʼn nieamptelike parlementêre Nederlandse sending wat Suid-Afrika in 1964 sou besoek. Die missie se besoek is vanweë drie redes gekelder. Die SuidAfrikaanse regering het naamlik teen die samestelling van die Nederlandse sending beswaar gemaak, want vier van die vyf missielede was uitgesproke teenstanders van apartheid. Daarby het die Nederlanders aangedring op ʼn ontmoeting met Albert Luthuli, die destyds ingeperkte ANC-president. So ʼn ontmoeting was vir die Suid-Afrikaanse regering totaal onaanvaarbaar. Die feit dat die Eerste Minister, doktor H.F. Verwoerd, in Nederland gebore is, het hom ook oorgevoelig vir enige kritiek vanuit ʼn Nederlandse oord gemaak.

English

The De Gaay Fortman mission: A failed effort to dialogue between the Netherlands & South Africa, 1963-1965

The Dutch felt themselves emotionally involved in South African events because of ties of kinship. Since the Sharpeville incident in 1960, many Dutchmen felt that South Africa should be cautioned that the apartheid policy could only lead to more bloodshed. The nineteen-sixties were characterised by many initiatives to critical dialogue. One of these initiatives was the planned De Gaay Fortman mission, a non-official parliamentary Dutch delegation due to visit South Africa in 1964. The Dutch visit was cancelled mainly for three reasons. The South African government namely objected to the composition of the Dutch delegation, as four of the five members were outspoken critics of the apartheid policy. The Dutch members also insisted on meeting Albert Luthuli, the then restricted ANC President. Such a meeting was totally unacceptable to the South African government. In addition, the fact that the South African Prime Minister, Doctor H.F. Verwoerd, was born in the Netherlands, made him vulnerable and very sensitive to any criticism from the Netherlands.