Begging to be black

Abstract

Antjie Krog, 2009. Begging to be black. Cape Town: Random House Struik. 291 pp. R220-00. Begging to be black focuses on the turbulent events that occurred immediately after Nelson Mandela's release from prison. This is done through the experiences of a white Afrikaner woman who finds herself sympathetic to the cause of the African National Congress (ANC). The title is enticing and traces a particular theme: that the author wants to be accepted into the black independence cause, but cannot do so freely as she is viewed with suspicion by both whites and blacks. The book directs itself backwards and forwards into Basotho and contemporary South African history, with a focus on Mshweshwe (King Moshoeshoe?) in particular. The main events are set around the small town of Kroonstad, in the Free State Province. The writer finds herself entangled in 'Third force activities' which were designed to counter any political eminence by the ANC. This was at a very critical time in the struggle for freedom in South Africa. Her support for the black cause gets her entangled unwittingly in the black-on-black violence which characterised that period and was often fanned by underground police, who sought to derail the fight for a legitimate struggle for freedom, into one of senseless violence. Several murders were committed in Kroonstad, fuelled by the 'Third force' under the guise of politics. Krog finds herself implicated in one such high-profile murder between black thugs (tsotsis) used by the apartheid system on the one hand, and genuine struggle operatives on the other. Pressured by her husband she gives herself up, is arrested, and has to fight in the courts to prove her innocence. The case drags on, but as freedom becomes inevitable in 1994, it fizzles out and Krog is acquitted. The book is written in both a historical and contemporary context, which may be confusing to some readers who are not familiar with the southern African situation. The switch between Basotho history and contemporary South African history gives one the impression of reading three books in one. Begging to be black has three critical narratives. The history of the Basotho people is narrated through King Moshoeshoe's (pronounced Mshweshwe) prism. The turmoil and upheaval caused by Nelson Mandela's release and the march to freedom is traced through Kroonstad in the Free State Province, which ironically once belonged to the Basotho people. In between there is an attempt to locate the fundamental human connection by interrogating philosophically the concepts of blackness and whiteness. Part one of the book begins with an examination of the turbulent political climate in Kroonstad after the release of Mandela. This was a period of intense jockeying for power among four principal protagonists: the ANC, the National Party, the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) and a group of other, smaller stakeholders. Antjie Krog seems amazed by the lengths to which apartheid--through the intelligence services--went to create black-on-black violence. She cautiously embraces the advent of the United Democratic Front (UDM)/ANC in Kroonstad, but is alarmed at the immediate escalation of violence all over the country, and especially in the Free State, between ANC sympathisers and a criminal gang known as the Three Million Gang. These were common criminals sympathetic to the IFP and utilised by the apartheid system. Wheatie is the Kroonstad leader of this criminal gang which creates havoc in the town, though he always avoids doing time, assisted by a network of apartheid spooks strategically placed in all the relevant sectors. Wheatie is finally murdered in broad daylight as he heads for the taxi rank. Krog is implicated in this murder. Several conspiracy theories arise from the case that follows. Several interspaced chapters trace the roots and rule of King Mshweshwe of Basutholand. Unusually, Mshweshwe became king while both his father, Mokhachane, and his grandfather, Peete, were still alive. …