Again
Anecdotal evidence is often insufficient because it does not allow for the complete picture, simply being there at the time means nothing in itself.
Differently put whether I was there or not at the time does not mean anything.
Try telling that to a court: Hearsay!
But then again my real world "ancedotal" childhood in the old South Africa, on an "evil" farm will probably then not count either. We can play games with realities any way you want. Sadly it does not tally with many of the myths today on either side. No people were abused the farm, nobody was rich. Money for 3 months salaries was kept aside, should the farm go belly up. We did not get free power, water. Loans were friggin expensive. When we got power, everybody got power, worker and farm owner. From the word go, water was via a tank for everybody.
We had somebody growing up on the farm, my friend, going to to veld school, coming back radicalized. His own brother asked to rather get him to leave the farm. When his wife gave birth, things went south. Today there is a ~47 yr old black lady with my mother's name out there somewhere, brought into this world by my mother after the district surgeon could not make it. This was the way of proud parents to say thank you. Unfortunately we have extremely diverse cultures in South Africa. But somehow we respected that, respected people for themselves, from both sides.
Sure, the cultures did result in 'funny' situations. One Madala was was frantic when I played with a crab. If it bit me I would turn into a women. But it was made clear to me by dad that you respect belief systems. I understood the irony of the white folk who had stoves and having a braai being funny to the black people. People could actually joke with people.
We also understood the different justice systems. If somebody was caught stealing on the farm, the perpetrator would be brought to the farm owner. The compassionate thing to do was call the police if he was deemed guilty. If not, it was explained why punishment based upon suspicion was not appropriate. The farm owner substituted for the chief, a role not to be taken lightly.
One day my dad and I went to town. Unbeknowst to us, PW Botha was in town. He was giving a speech. My dad made a U-turn with me, ascribed the word bobbejaan to him. (yep the term has been appropriated today). This was just after the electorial district had been re-zoned into another area, much like they try today, to ensure a political outcome in the vote. It was not exactly Nat country.
If you wanted extra people to help on the farm during a certain peak period on the farm, you'd speak to the captain/chief in the homeland. It would be decided what the salaries were etc. You needed to respect this step.
When people started threatening people, it was outsiders. It affected everybody. The bush telegraph does exist. When farms were being burnt down, you had to protect not only yourself, but also your people. 'Your'; including people working for you, likewise your neighbours and the people on their farms. The people doing the burning and killing were of a mindset of join us or you are against us. Their goal was to undermine and destroy anythign and everything that contradicted them, not only the government. It included slipping people into happy communities to undermine them, report on them. That was understood by all and why the one guy asked to let his brother go. He was crying at the time. And yes, he was black.
That is my ancedotal evidence, vs your hearsay. But words don't change reality.
The terrorism, apartheid and the war on apartheid affected everybody, innocent and not. Being a farmer put a target on your back. Living right next to a homeland made it especially so. Much like being merely being white today in certain circles even today.
But hey, popular history disagrees.
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