Werner Weber, FF Plus provincial leader: Mpumalanga, 7 August 2018
The land in the area known as Mpumalanga today was not stolen or unlawfully taken from anyone, the Voortrekkers obtained the land legally from the then Swazi king by means of bartering with, among other things, livestock.
The Swazi king, Mswati III, confirmed this on 2 August 2018 during talks between the king and a delegation of various groups from the Afrikaner community under the lead of Werner Weber, the FF Plus’s provincial leader in Mpumalanga. The FF Plus’s national chairperson, adv Anton Alberts, accompanied Mr Weber.
The aim of the talks was to discuss the land in South Africa that farmers obtained legally through historical agreements with the Swazis as well as to make the message to the ANC loud and clear: it is a malicious myth that all the land in South Africa was stolen from black people.
Here follows the joint press statement that was issued after the talks:
Joint Press Statement
A grouping of Afrikaner leaders met with King Mswati III and his Commissioners on the Border Determination Special Committee [BDSC] at Lozitha Royal Palace, Eswatini Kingdom on the 2nd August, 2018. The Afrikaner delegation consisted of:
i. Werner Weber – delegation leader and Mpumalanga Freedom Front Plus leader;
ii. Advocate Anton Alberts –Freedom Front Plus National Chairperson and member of Parliament;
iii. Mr. Louis Meintjies – President, TAU-SA;
iv. Mr. Jan Bosman – Chief secretary, Afrikanerbond;
v. Mr. Meyer de Jager – Member of the Afrikanerbond executive;
vi. Mr. Wilson Ngema – Co-founder of Insika Yesizwe of South Africa
Following discussions the two parties agreed on the following:
1. The good relations that have long existed between the people of Eswatini [Swaziland] and the Afrikaner people are revitalised and reaffirmed;
2. The Afrikaner people acknowledge the Kingdom and people of Eswatini to be the original owners of the land in around Mpumalanga, amongst other land;
3. That due to differences in cultures, when the Eswatini monarch granted the Voortrekkers land use rights through kuKhonta over the land by virtue of agreements concluded in the 1800’s; the Voortrekkers were of the mind that they were acquiring permanent land use rights. The parties, therefore, agree that the land was not stolen.
4. The parties are in strong agreement that any efforts to change the land ownership pattern held by the current land owners in and around the Mpumalanga area should surely be preceded by settlement talks and agreement with the Kingdom of Eswatini as per their longstanding request to successive South African governments.
In conclusion, the parties agree to continue with discussions with regards these land matters and are committed to working towards an amicable solution.
