On this day in 1915: Anti-apartheid activist Beyers Naude was born
From Broederbond-dominee to anti-apartheid icon. Here's the lowdown on Beyers Naude.
A Dutch Reformed dominee, named after a Boer War general, Beyers Naudé became what Nelson Mandela referred to as a “living spring of hope for racial reconciliation”.
His father, Jozua Naudé, also a dominee, was a founding member of the Afrikaner Broederbond, a secret society aimed at promoting Afrikaner nationalism.
Naudé obtained his theology degree at the University of Stellenbosch in 1939 and also completed a Master’s degree in languages. He joined the Broederbond as its youngest member ever when he was only 25.
Sharpeville Massacre
For the next twenty years Naudé ministered to various congregations across the country. He followed the political philosophy of the National Party, but the Sharpeville Massacre in 1960 brought about a huge change of heart.
Naudé was serving as a dominee, in the elite Aasvoëlkop congregation in Northcliff where he experienced intense inner conflict between the church’s support of apartheid and his own Christian principles. In 1963 he resigned from the Broederbond after 22 years of membership. His real turning point came on a Sunday morning in September 1963. Already considered a traitor for quitting the Broederbond, he braved complete rejection by the Afrikaner community by condemning apartheid from the pulpit.
After completing his last sermon in which he placed “the authority of God before the authority of man”, he removed his robes and left his church. Naudé and his family were completely ostracized by their fellow Afrikaners. Naudé was embraced by the Black community and joined a Dutch Reformed congregation led by Reverend Sam Guti in Alexandra.
Oom Bey and The Arch
In October 1977, Naudé and his Christian Institute were banned. He was not allowed to leave his house, or speak to more than one person at a time. He continued to speak to other anti-apartheid activists like Archbishop Desmond Tutu on a one-on-one basis.
Naudé’s banning order was lifted in September 1984. He immediately threw himself back into the struggle against apartheid. He succeeded Archbishop Tutu as the secretary-general of the South African Council of Churches in 1985. In 1987 he formed part of the Afrikaner group that met with ANC representatives in Senegal.
In 2001 Naudé was given the freedom of the city of Johannesburg and one of its busiest roads were named after him.
