Contemporary history experiences of Kallie de Beer: Stories of my grandpa and- mother about the Anglo Boer War. The family link to the diamond related and seventh adventist church de Beers. Farms in the Free State's little towns and trips abroad. Research in contemporary history of South African diplomacy and the change of the former South African Army into a peacekeeping force in Africa and additional academic research in casu open distance e-learning.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

DE BEER COMMENTS ON MY BLOG

With reference to my photo's on the original De Beer who's name perpetuated into the well known DE BEERS diamond company, I received some humorous comments. Some family members of the old De Beer baptised their children with the same name plus the new family name when married to a daughter and so forth. They really had to carry a burden of initials without inheriting anything at all ! Other De Beers phoned me and enquired whether we can claim some money for the use of the De Beer name, et cetera. Unfortunately the De Beers have no claim at all. The original people who lived on the famous diamond diggings (Big Hole)in Kimberley, (renamed as Sol Plaatje after an African Native National Congress leader: read ANC),were Koi and San people. They may have some claim in the redistribution of land in the new South African political dispensation... There was once upon a time a case made out for them in the Port Elizabeth courtin the Eastern Cape, however, little is known about it. The De Beers received their share for their farm and settled on Smitskraal, in the district of Boshof as mentioned in my previous Blogs. The only kick a De Beer can get out of it is when the customs officers ask you whether you are related to the Diamond De Beers because it sounds a bell abroad ! Sorry my fellow De Beers, we have to dig for our own wealth somewhere else...

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