Sydney Petersen
R400.00
The “axe” referred to in the title is the Group Areas Act, enforced in South Africa from the 1950s to the 1980s. In the 1960s the Act was enforced in Rondebosch in particular, and it became a residential area reserved for persons classified “European” or “white” by the government. This meant that all residents of the suburb not classified “European” or “white” were compelled to vacate their homes. “Then Fell the Axe” deals with the consequences of the Act. ~ Colin Petersen
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Then Fell the Axe on Rondebosch
“Then Fell the Axe” starts by contextualizing the prevailing circumstances in Rondebosch from a historical perspective, it analyses the demographics of the suburb and then proceeds to describe the effects on the personal lives of the author and his parents. An ironic twist to the tale is that the author and his parents are classified “colored”, yet they are directly related to one the oldest and most prominent “white” families in the Cape (illustrated in detail) and the author’s father is an eminent and celebrated writer of Afrikaans literature, the mother tongue of the ruling National Party. And, when the author refers to himself in his conclusion of the book as “the sole survivor of that tumult”, it is a thought – provoking allusion to a twist to the twist. He passed away on 14 August 2024, still resident at 29 Park Road, Rondebosch. ~ Colin Petersen
