* . *
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
Wednesday, June 4, 2025
Earth-News
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    Spotify & OpenAI: Will Gen AI ‘Hollow Out’ Entertainment? – Technology Magazine

    Will Generative AI Transform the Future of Entertainment

    Author Richard Russo Will Speak At Sandwich Town Hall – CapeNews.net

    Join Us for an Inspiring Evening with Author Richard Russo at Sandwich Town Hall!

    Entertainment Partners Acquires CASHét, Digital Payments Vendor for Productions – Variety

    Entertainment Partners Acquires CASHét, Digital Payments Vendor for Productions – Variety

    Salem’s Harborwalk Garden Cultivates Community with Entertainment, Food, and Events – 105.7 WROR

    Discover the Vibrant Community Spirit at Salem’s Harborwalk Garden: A Hub for Entertainment, Food, and Fun!

    Entertainment-Focused Narrative and Culture Change Practice – New America

    Transforming Culture Through Engaging Entertainment Narratives

    Rising stars: Young classical musicians surging on social media – Yahoo

    Meet the Next Generation of Classical Music Sensations Making Waves on Social Media!

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    The Isfahan Center for Nuclear Technology – UCF, ZPP, and IRR10 – Alma Research and Education Center

    Exploring the Isfahan Center for Nuclear Technology: Innovations and Insights from UCF, ZPP, and IRR10

    Inside the tedious effort to tally AI’s energy appetite – MIT Technology Review

    Inside the tedious effort to tally AI’s energy appetite – MIT Technology Review

    Finland Set to Lead EU Quantum Technology Defense Project – IoT World Today

    Finland Set to Lead EU Quantum Technology Defense Project – IoT World Today

    AI for lawyers: Win back your time using technology – nationaljurist.com

    Reclaim Your Time: How AI is Transforming the Legal Profession

    Prosecutors accuse men of exporting U.S. military technology to China – Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

    Men Charged with Illegally Exporting U.S. Military Technology to China

    ROLAND’S NEW WIRELESS TRIGGER TECHNOLOGY, PORTER & DAVIES ON TOUR, NEW 64 AUDIO ASPIRE UNIVERSAL IEM MODELS, WAVES FREE PLUGIN PACK – Modern Drummer Magazine

    ROLAND’S NEW WIRELESS TRIGGER TECHNOLOGY, PORTER & DAVIES ON TOUR, NEW 64 AUDIO ASPIRE UNIVERSAL IEM MODELS, WAVES FREE PLUGIN PACK – Modern Drummer Magazine

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    Spotify & OpenAI: Will Gen AI ‘Hollow Out’ Entertainment? – Technology Magazine

    Will Generative AI Transform the Future of Entertainment

    Author Richard Russo Will Speak At Sandwich Town Hall – CapeNews.net

    Join Us for an Inspiring Evening with Author Richard Russo at Sandwich Town Hall!

    Entertainment Partners Acquires CASHét, Digital Payments Vendor for Productions – Variety

    Entertainment Partners Acquires CASHét, Digital Payments Vendor for Productions – Variety

    Salem’s Harborwalk Garden Cultivates Community with Entertainment, Food, and Events – 105.7 WROR

    Discover the Vibrant Community Spirit at Salem’s Harborwalk Garden: A Hub for Entertainment, Food, and Fun!

    Entertainment-Focused Narrative and Culture Change Practice – New America

    Transforming Culture Through Engaging Entertainment Narratives

    Rising stars: Young classical musicians surging on social media – Yahoo

    Meet the Next Generation of Classical Music Sensations Making Waves on Social Media!

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    The Isfahan Center for Nuclear Technology – UCF, ZPP, and IRR10 – Alma Research and Education Center

    Exploring the Isfahan Center for Nuclear Technology: Innovations and Insights from UCF, ZPP, and IRR10

    Inside the tedious effort to tally AI’s energy appetite – MIT Technology Review

    Inside the tedious effort to tally AI’s energy appetite – MIT Technology Review

    Finland Set to Lead EU Quantum Technology Defense Project – IoT World Today

    Finland Set to Lead EU Quantum Technology Defense Project – IoT World Today

    AI for lawyers: Win back your time using technology – nationaljurist.com

    Reclaim Your Time: How AI is Transforming the Legal Profession

    Prosecutors accuse men of exporting U.S. military technology to China – Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

    Men Charged with Illegally Exporting U.S. Military Technology to China

    ROLAND’S NEW WIRELESS TRIGGER TECHNOLOGY, PORTER & DAVIES ON TOUR, NEW 64 AUDIO ASPIRE UNIVERSAL IEM MODELS, WAVES FREE PLUGIN PACK – Modern Drummer Magazine

    ROLAND’S NEW WIRELESS TRIGGER TECHNOLOGY, PORTER & DAVIES ON TOUR, NEW 64 AUDIO ASPIRE UNIVERSAL IEM MODELS, WAVES FREE PLUGIN PACK – Modern Drummer Magazine

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
Earth-News
No Result
View All Result
Home Business

The Helpmekaar Movement: Afrikaners’ historical self-empowerment – Ernst van Zyl

October 21, 2023
in Business
The Helpmekaar Movement: Afrikaners’ historical self-empowerment – Ernst van Zyl
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

The South African political discourse revolves around poverty, inequality, and unemployment. While the narrative of state intervention is popular, history reveals Afrikaners’ self-empowerment initiatives. The Helpmekaar Movement, born in 1915, fostered community support and upliftment. Churches, women, and children contributed, laying foundations for institutions like Santam and ABSA. Despite economic challenges, a spirit of self-reliance thrived, inspiring cultural and economic progress, demonstrating the power of community-driven initiatives for prosperity.

Sign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox at 5:30am weekdays. Register here..

Afrikaner poverty and self-empowerment: What was the Helpmekaar Movement?

By Ernst van Zyl*

Poverty, inequality, unemployment, “white privilege” and inherited wealth are some of the defining concepts in the current South African political discourse. However, poverty is not an unfamiliar predator lurking in this corner of Africa. There are winning recipes to be found in the past. You just need to know where to look.

However, it appears that many commentators and politicians draw the wrong conclusions from the history of the Afrikaners’ own struggle against extreme systemic poverty and inequality. The best example is the popular, false narrative that Afrikaners’ primary vehicle out of the dark depths of poverty, was the state. This is a convenient narrative for the centralist ANC and EFF, who want to consolidate their power and trap people in a state of dependency. A proper study of history reveals that it was in fact well-organised community initiatives that primarily enabled Afrikaners to break free from the clutches of poverty. 

The most influential of these was the Helpmekaar Movement, which was born in 1915, with the primary goal of alleviating the heavy burden of fines, debts and prison sentences imposed on rebels and their families after the 1914–1915 Maritz Rebellion. Despite Afrikaners’ general impoverished circumstances less than 15 years after the Anglo-Boer War, funds began trickling in. Word spread, and soon, residents of numerous towns nationwide, rich and poor, also started participating in this community-based movement.

During a time when Afrikaners were suffering from enormous economic challenges and poverty, the flame of selfdoen (do-it-yourself) and self-empowerment was kindled. Churches collected funds door-to-door, women and women’s associations sold pancakes and koeksisters, and children even contributed from their pocket money. Heart-warming accounts have been recorded of people who, like the widow in Mark 12:42, were willing to donate their last coins to a cause greater than themselves. Some Afrikaner families were prepared to give up meat, butter, sugar and other non-essentials to scrape together funds. Even farmers on the brink of bankruptcy donated a chicken or a bucket of milk.

Later, the Helpmekaar Movement developed a broader value-driven approach to community-empowerment. Focus was placed on the education of the youth, skills development, strong family ties and religious values. Later, a focus emerged on establishing new Afrikaner institutions to match the dominant existing English institutions. The overall goal was the general development, upliftment and poverty alleviation among Afrikaners, the establishment of Afrikaans institutions, the restoration of a healthy self-image and cultural preservation. Notably, this pioneering upliftment was achieved by relatively poor Afrikaner communities without any government support.

By 1917, a total of 100 000 pounds more had been collected than was necessary to cover the fines and compensation claims against the 1914 rebels. These funds were invested, and the proceeds were used for educational purposes like scholarships.

The Helpmekaar Movement’s remarkable successes and momentum ignited a new sense of standing together, working together and building together among Afrikaners. Afrikaner self-empowerment initiatives like the South African National Trust and Insurance Company Limited (Santam) and the South African National Life Insurance Company Limited (Sanlam) were founded a month apart in 1918. The Cooperative Winegrowers Association of South Africa (KWV) also dates back to 1918 and in 1921 the Afrikaans Verbond Burial Enterprise Limited (Avbob) was established.

Many Afrikaners just started finding their feet when the Great Depression (1929–1939) hit. To survive, my great-grandfather had to leave his Karoo farm behind and trade the wide, open spaces and clean desert air for Johannesburg’s dark, cramped, stuffy mineshafts. He always said they believed in those hard times, you will never run out of money if you keep a tickey (threepence) in your wallet. I therefore carry a tickey in my wallet today.

In 1935, Volkskas Bank (today ABSA) was founded as a cooperative loan bank to serve Afrikaners devastated by the Great Depression. The Reddingsdaadbond (literally “The rescue act alliance”) was founded in 1939 with the objective of the economic rehabilitation of impoverished Afrikaners. Their famous motto: ‟’n Volk red homself!” (A nation saves itself!). In 1940, Federale Volksbeleggings (Federal People’s Investments) was founded to further contribute to the Afrikaner’s economic upliftment and eventual economic independence. One of their first loans was to Anton Rupert’s Rembrandt cigarette company, which he started in his garage.

In 1942, the Afrikaanse Handelsinstituut, a voluntary association of Afrikaans businessmen, was founded to help Afrikaner businesses get off the ground and to represent their interests collectively. In the early 1940s, the magazine Volkshandel was started to inform Afrikaners on business management and economic matters. In 1949, Tegniek (today known as Finweek) emerged as a magazine aiming to contribute to the Afrikaner’s entry into industry after the Second World War. In 1946, Bonuskor was founded – a financial institution to further the economic empowerment of Afrikaners. Bonuskor was also the first Afrikaans company to be listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. The message of these community initiatives was clear: Rather than begging for help, Afrikaners would simply create and establish a place for themselves in industry, trade and business.

These breakthroughs occurred when the South African economy, especially the commercial business world and industries, was dominated by English speakers with their powerful monopolies, which led to a large gap between the incomes of the two groups. For example, during the 1940s, Afrikaners controlled only about 1% of the country’s industries.

The Helpmekaar spirit also retained a mindset of cultural development. In 1929, the Federation of Afrikaans Cultural Associations (FAK) was founded to coordinate Afrikaner cultural organisations nationwide. In 1931, the youth organisation the Voortrekkers was founded to cultivate Christian values, leadership, good character and appreciation for nature. In 1933, the first complete Afrikaans Bible translation was published from Afrikaner ranks.

According to historian Jaap Steyn, ‟The success of the Helpmekaar Movement made Afrikaners realise that, despite the general poverty, they still had a lot of money (when pooled together).” Flip Buys often reminds us, ‟You can make big money from small change.” The Solidarity Movement is inspired by these lessons from the past. As a proud member of this new Helpmekaar Movement, I have my own variation of my great-grandfather’s saying: as long as you keep a grain of knowledge of your ancestors’ sacrifices and successes in your heart, your courage will never run out.

Read also:

Kusile power station return raises health concerns: What Eskom is not telling South Africans
Development Bank of Southern Africa joins forces with Transnet to revitalise South African ports and railways
South Africa set to overtake Nigeria and Egypt as Africa’s largest economy in 2024, IMF forecasts

*Ernst van Zyl is the Head of Public Relations at AfriForum and the director of the documentary film Selfbestuur. Ernst obtained a master’s degree (cum laude) in Political Science at Stellenbosch University. He is a co-presenter of the Podlitiek podcast, hosts the Afrikaans podcast In alle Ernst and has a channel for political commentary and interviews on YouTube. Ernst usually publishes contributions on X (formerly known as Twitter) and YouTube under his pseudonym Conscious Caracal.

Visited 1 times, 1 visit(s) today

>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : BizNews – https://www.biznews.com/rational-perspective/2023/10/20/helpmekaar-movement-afrikaners-self-empowerment-ernst-van-zyl

Tags: businessHelpmekaarmovement
Previous Post

Redefining rights: Exploring South Africa’s constitution and the nature of entitlement – FMF’s Zakhele Mthembu

Next Post

Ripple vs SEC: SEC Will Not Get to Appeal Until Next Year?

Experimental ecology and the balance between realism and feasibility in aquatic ecosystems – Nature

Experimental ecology and the balance between realism and feasibility in aquatic ecosystems – Nature

June 4, 2025
The Science of Scent: How Israeli Innovation is Redefining Perfume and Wellness – The Jerusalem Post

Unlocking the Power of Scent: How Israeli Innovations are Transforming Perfume and Wellness

June 4, 2025
Accidental discovery at New York planetarium unlocks secret into universe’s inner workings – PBS

Serendipitous Find at New York Planetarium Reveals Secrets of the Universe!

June 4, 2025
Lifestyle choices at 60 linked to dementia risk decades later, study shows – ABC News

How Your Lifestyle Choices at 60 Could Impact Dementia Risk Later in Life

June 4, 2025
GBH layoffs hit 45 staffers less than a month after World cuts – Current – For people in public media

GBH Cuts Deep: 45 Staff Members Laid Off Just Weeks After Major Restructuring

June 4, 2025
Washington state gets a $918M lift from international students – Axios

Washington State Reaps $918 Million Boost from International Students!

June 4, 2025
Spotify & OpenAI: Will Gen AI ‘Hollow Out’ Entertainment? – Technology Magazine

Will Generative AI Transform the Future of Entertainment

June 4, 2025
In a first, Minnesota doctors walk their own picket line, then hustle to see patients – Star Tribune

Doctors in Minnesota Take a Stand: Walking the Picket Line Before Caring for Patients

June 4, 2025
Mein Kampf found with gun case at USF and FSU shooter idolized Hitler — there’s time, and a need, for lawmakers to act – Florida Politics

Uncovering Dark Ideologies: The Alarming Connection Between Recent Shootings and Extremist Influences

June 4, 2025
The Isfahan Center for Nuclear Technology – UCF, ZPP, and IRR10 – Alma Research and Education Center

Exploring the Isfahan Center for Nuclear Technology: Innovations and Insights from UCF, ZPP, and IRR10

June 4, 2025

Categories

Archives

June 2025
MTWTFSS
 1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
30 
« May    
Earth-News.info

The Earth News is an independent English-language daily published Website from all around the World News

Browse by Category

  • Business (20,132)
  • Ecology (665)
  • Economy (679)
  • Entertainment (21,585)
  • General (15,261)
  • Health (9,721)
  • Lifestyle (682)
  • News (22,149)
  • People (680)
  • Politics (688)
  • Science (15,899)
  • Sports (21,183)
  • Technology (15,665)
  • World (666)

Recent News

Experimental ecology and the balance between realism and feasibility in aquatic ecosystems – Nature

Experimental ecology and the balance between realism and feasibility in aquatic ecosystems – Nature

June 4, 2025
The Science of Scent: How Israeli Innovation is Redefining Perfume and Wellness – The Jerusalem Post

Unlocking the Power of Scent: How Israeli Innovations are Transforming Perfume and Wellness

June 4, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

Go to mobile version