"The line between good and evil runs through every man."
"Tweebuffelsmeteenskootmorsdoodgeskietfontein" was written on the front of Mrs. Bosman's classroom wall. The longest word in the Afrikaans dictionary. Tweebuffelsmeteenskootmorsdoodgeskietfontein is a farm in the North West province of South Africa that is noted for its unusually long place name of 44 characters—the longest in South Africa and possibly fourth-longest in the world. Located in the Ditsobotla Local Municipality of the Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality, some 20 kilometres (12 mi) east of the town of Lichtenburg and 200 kilometres (120 mi) west of Pretoria, the name in Afrikaans means "the spring where two buffaloes were shot stone-dead with one shot" (Afrikaans: Twee buffels met een skoot morsdood geskiet fontein). Originally granted to A.P. de Nysschen on 24 April 1866 by the government of the South African Republic, Tweebuffelsmeteenskootmorsdoodgeskietfontein is also sometimes known by the shortenings Twee buffels (Two buffaloes) and Twee Buffels Geskiet (Two buffaloes shot).
I had my seat, sitting in front, often with Paris, my good friend, sitting to my left. I remember curiously wanting to memorise this name as a challenge. And I did. But the name itself is associated with learning about a few other things from Mrs. B that year. We did the 'Met Ander Woorde' columns, which for me came easy as a 'mother tongue' speaker. We also learned about Breyten Breytenbach. I remember learning that he was an anti-apartheid activist and that he spent time in Paris and Amsterdam. But we never learned about his brother, Colonel Jan Dirk Breytenbach, the founder of the Recces, South Africa's special forces unit. I learned this much later in life, through my brother-in-law, a man of the word and the law. Jan was arguably the most renowned soldier of the old South African Defence Force (SADF) since World War II.
"The line between good and evil runs through every man."
This profound quote speaks to the duality inherent in human nature, a concept that extends far beyond individuals to encompass families, societies, and even the natural world. We often speak of lovers and fighters, recognising that these seemingly opposing forces can coexist within a single person. This duality is omnipresent in nature, manifesting in various forms such as yin and yang, masculine and feminine, hot and cold, sthira (strength) and sukha (ease). These complementary forces exist all around us, and both are needed to reach a state of equilibrium.
The Breytenbach brothers, Breyten and Jan, embody this duality, representing the lover and fighter archetypes within their family. Their story illustrates how these contrasting yet complementary forces can shape individuals and their impact on the world.
Breyten Breytenbach: The Lover
Breyten Breytenbach, widely regarded as the greatest Afrikaans poet, personifies the lover in the family. His love for words and ideas extended beyond poetry into political activism. In 1975, driven by his passion for justice and equality, Breyten secretly entered South Africa under the alias Christian Jean-Marc Galaska as a founding member of Okhela, a militant anti-apartheid organisation.
Breyten's love came at a significant cost. He was sentenced to nine years in prison for his anti-apartheid activities but was released in 1982 after serving seven years due to considerable domestic and international pressure. Following his release, he returned to Paris, where he had been living in exile, to continue his work, demonstrating his unwavering commitment to the cause of freedom and justice.
Jan Breytenbach: The Fighter
In stark contrast to his poet brother, Colonel Jan Dirk Breytenbach embodied the fighter archetype within the family. He was arguably the most renowned soldier of the old South African Defence Force (SADF) since World War II. Jan's military career was extensive and distinguished:
• He joined the South African army in 1950 and later served with British forces during the Suez Crisis.
• He founded South Africa's first special forces unit, the Recce force, which conducted impressive operations in Angola.
• Jan led the controversial SADF airborne assault on the Cassinga insurgent camp in southern Angola.
Jan's fighter spirit was evident in his numerous military achievements and his reputation as a true soldier's soldier.
The Family Dynamic
The Breytenbach family exemplifies how the duality of lover and fighter can manifest within a single family unit. While Breyten fought with words and ideas for political change from exile in Paris, Jan fought on the battlefield for what he believed in within the South African military establishment.
Their contrasting paths led to tension, with Jan reportedly once declaring, "My brother trains the terrorists, then I shoot them dead". However, as time passed and South Africa transitioned to democracy, it is not lost on me how their relationship likely evolved—demonstrating that even the most divergent paths can ultimately lead back to family.
In a remarkable coincidence, the Breytenbach brothers, despite their divergent paths in life, passed away within months of each other in their later years. Jan Breytenbach, the elder brother and founding father of South African Special Forces, died on June 16, 2024, at the age of 91. Breyten Breytenbach, the renowned writer, poet, and anti-apartheid activist, followed his brother in death on November 24, 2024, at the age of 85. Though their lives took dramatically different courses—Jan as a military leader and Breyten as a dissident writer—their deaths in the same year seem a poignant reminder of their shared origins in South Africa's Western Cape province.
Breytenbach wrote an open letter to Ariel Sharon, then Prime Minister of Israel, in 2002. This letter was published in The Guardian newspaper and criticised Israel's actions against Palestinians. In the letter, Breytenbach stated that "A viable state cannot be built on the expulsion of another people who have as much claim to that territory as you have".
Rest in peace, Breyten and Jan Breytenbach. Your lives serve as a testament to the multifaceted nature of South African history and the enduring bonds of family—even in the face of ideological differences. May your stories continue to inspire reflection on the delicate balance between love and conflict, words and action in shaping history's course. As Napoleon (probably apocryphal) said: "To understand the man you have to know what was happening in the world when he was twenty."
Books written:
Breyten Breytenbach (5/ 126):
1. Windcatcher: New & Selected Poems 1964-2006
2. Voice Over: A Nomadic Conversation with Mahmoud Darwish
3. All One Horse
4. Intimate Stranger
5. The True Confessions of an Albino Terrorist
Jan Breytenbach (5/5):
1. They Live by the Sword
2. Forged in Battle
3. The Buffalo Soldiers
4. Eden's Exiles: One Soldier's Fight for Paradise
5. The Plunderers
Sources and citations:
1. South African History Online. "Breyten Breytenbach." https://www.sahistory.org.za/people/breyten-breytenbach
2. Poets.org. "About Breyten Breytenbach." https://poets.org/poet/breyten-breytenbach
3. Britannica. "Breyten Breytenbach." https://www.britannica.com/biography/Breyten-Breytenbach
4. DefenceWeb. "Father of SA Special Forces dies." https://www.defenceweb.co.za/sa-defence/sa-defence-sa-defence/father-of-sa-special-forces-dies/
5. Wikipedia. "Breyten Breytenbach." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breyten_Breytenbach
6. Encyclopedia.com. "Breyten Breytenbach." https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/miscellaneous-world-literature-biographies/breyten-breytenbach
7. The Conversation. "Breyten Breytenbach: a masterful poet, jailed for his politics, who reimagined South Africa." https://theconversation.com/breyten-breytenbach-a-masterful-poet-jailed-for-his-politics-who-reimagined-south-africa-244667
Citations:
[1] https://www.sahistory.org.za/people/breyten-breytenbach
[2] https://poets.org/poet/breyten-breytenbach
[3] https://www.britannica.com/biography/Breyten-Breytenbach
[4] https://www.defenceweb.co.za/sa-defence/sa-defence-sa-defence/father-of-sa-special-forces-dies/
[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breyten_Breytenbach
[6] https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/miscellaneous-world-literature-biographies/breyten-breytenbach
[7] https://theconversation.com/breyten-breytenbach-a-masterful-poet-jailed-for-his-politics-who-reimagined-south-africa-244667
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