A Critique of P.W Botha Speech (Part 1)
P.W Botha’s speech, what a great speech, a speech filled with a lot of thinking and rethinking. The Black race, a race that has been marginalized to this day, a race the whites feel nothing good can come out from, a race with great intellects, creativity, opportunities, life and hope for the future. The Black race, filled with beauty, love and respect for humanity and God. The black race, filled with strength, charity, procreation, etc. Writing a critique on late Botha’s speech looks like doing nothing because the person involved is no longer alive, but we should all understand especially Africans that have travelled to the white man’s land that they are a lot of Botha’s to this day. Whites that think like Botha, whites that have the mentality of Botha, Whites that behaves like Botha and whites that sees Africa and Africans as the wretch of the world. It is of my view that something’s needed correction, just like Botha’s speech 27 years ago. Some will make us believe that all about the speech is a truism because of what is happening in South Africa and other parts of Africa today. Look at President Jacob Zuma of South Africa marrying many wives, but can we compare that to Silvio Berlusconi of Italy having sex parties and sleeping with 17 years old girl? Just like Black Zuma, there are a lot of whites all over the world involved in various sex scandals.
First and foremost, who was Botha? P.W Botha was the unapologetic leader of South Africa during the apartheid-era, who led his country into deepening and serious political crisis and racial violence as head of state from 1978-1989. Botha’s regime was to promote apartheid and nothing more or less. So therefore, in analysing and doing justice to Botha’s speech an account of each statement will be taken into consideration:
Firstly, let us look at why the speech was made? Going by who Botha was and as a leader of Apartheid South Africa and believing Apartheid will last forever such kind of speech is expected from him. For the likes of Botha of the world that believes in subjugation, oppression, superiority, anarchy, etc. such speeches should still be expected. We will conclusively say that the speech was made to promote Apartheid in South Africa and to make the world believe that nothing good can come out from a Blackman.
Secondly, Botha said they (whites) are not obliged to prove to anybody and even to the blacks that they are superior people and they have shown that more than 1001 times. The word superior is relative, relative in the sense that, at what point is the white more superior to the blacks or other races? Is it in physical strength or mental strength? Is it in evil or good? Is it in beauty or handsomeness? Etc. I will agree with Botha that the whites are more superior mentally than the blacks, but further to say that, the blacks are more superior physically to the whites. At this point we need a balance, one creates the other build. Creating without building leads to nothing, Botha’s definition of white and black shows that each need one another to arrive at a balance. All the great ideas put together by Botha’s White today, were built by a Botha Black. The sky scrapers, palaces, ships, irrigation, etc. were all built by blacks that were forced out of Africa as slaves, blacks that were made slaves in their own land, surface to say, to be mentally stable you need peace and a friendly environment. Botha South Africa never provided for that. Botha South Africa removed all mental thoughts from the blacks and gave them physical thoughts. Botha South Africa and Botha’s of the world never gave the blacks any recognition, blacks are judged by the colour of their skin and not by their thoughts, ideas and creativity.
Thirdly, Botha said the Republic of South Africa was not created by wishful thinking, but was created at the expense of intelligence, sweat and blood, this is true. True in the sense that lives were lost, wars were fought, people were dehumanized and raped, and children were rendered homeless and killed. The Republic of South Africa that was not created by wishful thinking but with intelligence, sweat and blood was built with foolishness, oppressions, rapes, killings, etc. The Republic of South Africa was built at the expense of the blacks but created at the expense of the whites. The Republic of South Africa today like before is a black nation and will always remain so. The republic of South Africa has moved on and is still moving on with and without the likes of Botha. For Botha and his likes the white man’s intelligence is the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction at the expense of blacks, the manipulation of black leaders to fulfil their selfish (White man’s) end.
Fourthly, Botha said they do not pretend like other whites that they like Blacks; this again is true to this day. My entire sojourn abroad, UK, USA, Canada etc., I have come to a final conclusion that the whites don’t like blacks and the likes of Botha don’t pretend about it. If not so, why do we still have racism eating very deep in the so called Whiteman’s land? The governing system of the world today is so pathetic against the blacks and Africa. Look at the world super powers and what distinguishes them from others, weapons of mass destruction. No African nation is allowed to have it and why? Because to the Botha’s white they don’t like us and we cannot have it. Africans cannot be trusted and you cannot like someone you don’t trust.
Fifthly, another very interesting part in Botha’s speech was and I quote “I believe that the Afrikaner (Afrikaner are white people of South Africa whose ancestors were Dutch) is an honest, God fearing person, who has demonstrated practically the right way of being”. Firstly, I am happy Botha in his life time realised there is a God, and that God need to be feared. But saying the Afrikaner is an honest person put to question their activities in South Africa, like the massacre of blacks over their own land; the raping of black women because of their beauty; killing of children, etc. If the Afrikaner way of being according to Botha is the right way, I do not think someone like Obama will ever become president of America.
Furthermore, Botha said blacks cannot rule themselves. This again is a truism. How can the blacks rule themselves when they are been perceived as the wretch of the earth; How can the blacks rule themselves when they are inferior to the Botha’s of the world; How can the black rule themselves when the system/yardstick of ruling is alien to them; How can the blacks rule themselves when everything they do is white; How can the blacks rule themselves when imperialism is still in existence; How can the blacks rule themselves when they are been denied the means to; The world politics does not make rules for the blacks to govern themselves that is what we have been subjected to since colonialism. Black leaders need corrections and permissions from white leaders to govern their states.
Botha also said and I quote “Give them guns and they will kill each other”. This again is the truth, but at whose expense? The blacks kill each other to fulfil the dream and greed of the Whiteman. Who created the gun and why was the gun made? Was the gun created by the blacks? For what purpose the gun was made? At whose expense gun was created and build? The only way the white could and can claim superiority to the black is the power of the gun, the gun has given them so much power that any rubbish the white man says today hold sway. What did Hitler used to kill his fellow whites? What did Stalin used to oppress his people? What did Mussolini used to subjugate his own people? All these people mentioned were they given gun to kill each other? The answer is capital No, they all manufactured their own guns and started killing each other, but the Africans were given guns to kill each other by the white man. The gun is what was used to colonise Africa and impoverish us. The gun is what was used to enslave Africans even in their own land. The gun the power of the gun, unlimited in its firing power;
Another interesting part of Botha’s speech is and I quote “They are good in nothing else but making noise, dancing, marrying many wives and indulging in sex”. Again this is true. The blacks love dancing and singing, that is why today blacks hold the entertainment world. Blacks like Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Whitney Huston, Puff Daddy, just to mention but few sang their way to success and recognition in life. Yes, the average black man love sex, but do we really love sex more than the white man? What about white leaders like Silvio Berlusconi of Italy having sex parties in his palatial villa, Straus-Khan Dominique, Bill Clinton, etc. just to mention but few that engaged themselves with prostitutes. Let’s come to think of it properly, I don’t think I know any black man of my age taking Viagra or any sex enhancement drug, but all the white men I know even under my age are involved in one sex enhancement drug or the other. Is it that the white man is jealous of the black man sex prowess? Late Botha is not the only one that is complaining or has complained about this issue of the black man and sex. Recently in the UK I was made to understand by a white woman that any white woman that has made love to a black man cannot and will not marry a white man. I was confused and perplexed when I heard it and I further asked why? The answer I got was beyond my imagination and I think it should be left for another day discussion. The issue about sex and the black man is not about who love it most but who has the strength for it most and I strongly believe the white man indulge in sex more than the black man but don’t have the strength of the black man.
Botha also said and I quote “Let us all accept that the Blackman is a symbol of poverty, mental inferiority, laziness and emotional incompetence”. This I don’t agree with. The system in Africa does not make room for laziness; we don’t have benefits from government to depend on in Africa. The average African works to take care for his/herself in Africa. It is only in the white man’s world we have people depending on benefits all their lives. The black man’s poverty is the white man’s wealth, Africa and Africans have been impoverished to develop and feed the white man. Look at our natural resources; we cannot use it to take care of ourselves but rather to build the white man’s world. Oil, termed black gold is in Africa but has caused more problems for Africa than any other thing. Look at the Niger Delta Area in Nigeria, filled with oil deposits but very underdeveloped, the white man will tell you it’s the blacks man problem but my question has been who is drilling the oil? At whose expense the oil is been drilled? Who is benefitting from the oil? By the white man’s design the black man is lazy but by God the black man is very strong. If the black man is not strong going by what they have passed through since colonialism and slavery, Africa would have been a farm land for the whites according to Hitler’s design for Africa.
This is another wonderful statement by Botha and I quote “Isn’t it plausible? Therefore that the Whiteman is created to rule the Blackman……And here is a creature (Blackman) that lacks foresight….. The average Black does not plan his life beyond a year”. This also I disagree. The white man is not created to rule over the black man, but the white man designed it to be so. President Obama is the President of the most powerful nation in the world today and he is a black man. Former President Nelson Mandela of South Africa is a Black man, this write-up is not about black successes but a critique on Botha’s statement and I will want it to be so. Blacks all over the world have excelled in their various fields and endeavour and they will continue to do so without minding the likes of Botha and company. How can the black man plan when no matter what he plans for and will benefits of his people will not see the light of day as long as the white man’s interest is not included. Look at the humiliation Chief Olusegun Obasanjo (Nigeria’s former President) got on the issue of Charles Tailor. A gentleman’s agreement was breached because of the interest of some people that don’t care about what happens in Africa. Look at Gadhafi of Libya, when he was against the West and enemy to them nothing happened to him but immediately he embraced them he died. The so called West will let us believe that the Libyans revolted against him; why didn’t they revolt when he was their enemy? A famous Black Reggae legend by name Bob Marley once sang a great song that has in it lyrics that goes like this “ You can fool some people sometimes but you can’t fool all the people all the time”. Some blacks/Africans have been fooled but not all blacks/Africans can be fooled.
Conclusively therefore, I will want us to do a very quick reminiscence of the evils of the world and try and identify what colour they represent, Adolph Hitler of Germany; Joseph Stalin of USSR; Benito Mussolini of Italy; Mao Zedong of China; Leopard II of Belgium, the man who pushed for the colonisation of Africa and Asia, who also amassed a huge personal fortune by exploiting the Congolese through forced labour, Vlad Dracula of Romania, Gaius Caesar of Rome, King John of England, etc. These people or leaders are not blacks and like Botha all these had their own perception about the black man and we still have people like them in the world today. The major problem facing black Africa is leadership. Africa is saddled with leadership crises from North to South, West to East. Africa needs leaders that can hold their heads high to prove to the white man that we can indeed rule ourselves. Ghana has done it and there is nothing wrong in copying from our black brother Ghana.
My fellow Africans, we should not allow Botha’s speech to derail us but continue to fight for good governance for Africa. Africa is suffering from leadership crises. The only good thing I have seen coming from the white man’s world to Africa is democracy. We should embrace democracy like never before for Africa to move forward. Democracy can and will transform Africa from what the Botha’s of the world thought and are still thinking about us. Like Asia, Africa is the next level in terms of trade, technology, peace and love. With democracy we can achieve greater height and do greater things.

By Collins Clarke