CHAPTER VIII
THE TRANSVAAL’S PRESIDENT AND FLAG INSULTED BY THE UITLANDERS
The President of the South African Republic is obliged by law to visit outlying districts as much as possible, in rotation, to ascertain the views, grievances and wants of the public.
The turn of Johannesburg came to receive such a visit. The President went there in order to give the public an opportunity to state to him personally what they wanted in the way of improvements generally. If they had any wants or grievances to be redressed, now was their time to say so, and obtain their desires as far as was just and fair. Was this done?
No! When the President mounted the public platform, he was received with groans and hootings. Paid roughs caused a disturbance, which was taken up by the lower element amongst the crowd, and the President had to escape as best he could from the dastardly roughs, who would not have scrupled to lay their hands upon his person. The sacred, beloved flag of the Republic was torn down and rent to shreds.
This was the way Johannesburg sought redress for their grievances.
The loyal public were righteously enraged, and had it not been for the conciliatory speeches of the President later on, the Burghers would not have rested until due revenge had been taken for the dishonour done the chief of their Republic and their flag.
But the Government refused to punish the scoundrels; they hoped to win the Uitlanders over by gentleness and forbearance.
The next grand opportunity for the organisation to revile the Government and the people came with the Malaboch war.
A petty chief rebelled, causing general disorder in the Zoutpansberg district, and setting a bad example to the thousands and tens of thousands of natives living in the district. Malaboch had to be subdued and made to obey the laws of the land or the whole native population would soon have been in rebellion. This was done.