From my childhood, all the conversations I can remember with my earthly father were direct and touching. I was still small and he always grabbed me and swung me around until I landed on his shoulders. And then he said, “The world is very hard and heavy, and I see what’s going on in your head, don’t listen to what your mother and other people say. Believe in yourself and in God, and know that you are unique and there is nothing that your brain and hands cannot build.”
I loved my father so much, but my mother did everything in her power to remove him from my life. The whore. My father’s architectural blue prints were so clear and bright to me and his mathematics and drawing works for example the airports like Jan Smuts International Airport in Johannesburg or the D.F. Malan Airport in Durban or the Volks Trust bank in Pretoria. The firm of architects where he was a partner was called Daneel, Smit and Partners.

My father’s name was Carel Johannes THERON. a descendant of our Afrikaner folk hero Danie THERON. The same name as my grandfather Carel Johannes THERON, who built the South African railway from Cape Town to the top of the Limpopo River. I missed my father throughout my childhood and even as an adult we never had time for each other. I still miss him. He always worked and when I was growing up and he was old, I always worked. In our phone conversations he always said, next year we will get together and eat some biltong and drink moonshine. He left my life when my mother abused her wedding vows, when I was 6, and he is now dead, and I am 60. Thank you for being my earthly father, notwithstanding that my mother said you were not my real father. You were for me. Thank you Dad. The road of life is hard, but one day we will finally get together and play rugby and kill some shit. I miss you old man!
“May God please bless America, the land I live in, and Heaven, the land you live in.”

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Van my kinder jare, al die gesprekke ek kan onthou met me aardse vader was direk en treffend. Ek was nog klein en hy het my altys gegryp en om hom geswai tot dat ek op sy skouers geland het. En dan het hy gese, “Die wereld is baie hart en swaar, en ek sien wat gaan aan in jou kop, moet nie luister wat jou ma en ander mense se nie. Glo in jouself en in God, en weet dat jy is uniek en daar is niks wat jou brein en hande nie kan bou nie.”
Ek was so lief vir my Pa, maar my Ma het alles in haar mag doen om hom te verwijder van my lewe. Die hoer. My Pa se argitektuur blou drukke was so duidelik and helder vir my en sy wiskunde en teken werke by voorbeeld die lug haven’s soos Jan Smuts Internationale lughawe in Johannesburg of die D.F. Malan lughawe in Durban of die Volks Trust bank in Pretoria. Die firma van architekte waar hy n vennoot was se naam was Daneel, Smit en Vennote.

My Pa se naam was Carel Johannes THERON. n afstammeling van ons Afrikaner folks-held Danie THERON. Die selfte naam as my oupa Carel Johannes THERON, wat die tryn weg dear Suid Afrika gebou het van Kaapstad tot bo by die Limpopo rivier. Ek het my Pa gemis deur my kinder jare en self’s as n grootmens het ons nooit teid gekry vir mekaar nie. Ek miss hom steeds. Hy het altyd gewerk en toe ek groot was en hy oud, het ek altyd gewerk. In ons foon gesprekke het hy altyd gese, volgende jaar sal ons bymekaar kom en n bietjie biltong eet en witblits drink. Hy het my lewe verlaat toe my ma haar trou beloftes gebruik het, toe ek 6 was, en is nou dood, en ek is 60. Dankie dat jy my aardste vader was, nie teen staande dat my ma gese het dat jy nie my regte pa was nie. Jy was vir my. Dankie Pa. Die pad van lewe is hart, maar eendag sal ons saam rugby speel. Ek mis jou ou man!
“Mag God asseblief seen Amerika.”

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Ab infantia mea, omnes sermones quos cum patre meo terreno memini directi et commoventes erant. Adhuc parvus eram et semper me prehendit et circumvolvebat donec in humeros eius caderem. Tum dixit, “Mundus durissimus et gravis est, et video quid in capite tuo agatur, noli audire quae mater tua et alii dicunt. Crede in te ipsum et in Deum, et scito te unicum esse et nihil esse quod cerebrum et manus tuae aedificare non possint.”
Patrem meum valde amavi, sed mater mea omnia in potestate sua fecit ut eum e vita mea removeret. Meretricem. Delineationes architecturae patris mei mihi tam clarae et lucidae erant et opera eius mathematica et delineatoria, exempli gratia aeroportus sicut Aeroportus Internationalis Jan Smuts Ioannisburgi vel Aeroportus D.F. Malan Durbani vel Argentaria Volks Trust Praetoriae. Societas architecturae ubi socius erat Daneel, Smit et Socii vocabatur.

Nomen patris mei erat Carel Johannes THERON. Progenies herois nostri popularis Afrikaner Danie THERON. Idem nomen ac avus meus Carel Johannes THERON, qui ferriviam Africae Australis a Capite Bonae Spei ad summum fluminis Limpopo construxit. Patrem meum per totam pueritiam desideravi, et etiam adultus numquam tempus inter nos habuimus. Adhuc eum desidero. Semper laborabat, et cum adolescebam et senex erat, semper laborabam. In colloquiis nostris telephonicis semper dicebat, “anno proximo conveniemus et biltong comedemus et witblits bibemus.” Vitam meam reliquit cum mater mea votis matrimonialibus usa est, cum sex annos natus essem, et nunc mortuus est, et sexaginta annos natus sum. Gratias tibi ago quod pater meus verissimus es, quamquam mater mea dixit te non verum patrem meum esse. Mihi eras. Gratias tibi ago, pater. Via vitae est cor, sed aliquando simul pilam ludemus. Desidero patrem tuum!”
“Deus Europam Benedicat”

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Kusukela ebuntwaneni bami, zonke izingxoxo engizikhumbulayo nobaba wasemhlabeni zaziqondile futhi zithinta inhliziyo. Ngase ngimncane wangibamba njalo wangijikijela ngaze ngahlala emahlombe akhe. Wabe esethi, “Umhlaba unzima kakhulu futhi uyasindwa, futhi ngiyakubona okwenzeka ekhanda lakho, ungalaleli ukuthi unyoko nabanye abantu bathini. Kholwa kuwe nakuNkulunkulu, futhi wazi ukuthi uhlukile futhi akukho lutho ubuchopho bakho nezandla zakho ezingakwazi ukwakha.”
Ngangimthanda kakhulu ubaba, kodwa umama wenza konke okusemandleni akhe ukumsusa ekuphileni kwami. Isifebe. Imidwebo kababa yezakhiwo eluhlaza yayicacile futhi ikhanya kimina kanye nemisebenzi yakhe yezibalo kanye nemidwebo njengesibonelo izikhumulo zezindiza ezifana ne-Jan Smuts International Airport eGoli noma i-D.F. Isikhumulo sezindiza iMalan eThekwini noma ibhange iVolks Trust ePitoli. Ifemu yabadwebi bezakhiwo lapho ayenguzakwethu yayibizwa ngokuthi i-Daneel, Smit and Partners.

Igama likababa kwakunguCarel Johannes THERON. inzalo yeqhawe lethu lamaBhunu uDanie THERON. Igama elifanayo nelikamkhulu wami u-Carel Johannes THERON, owakha ujantshi waseNingizimu Afrika ukusuka eKapa ukuya phezulu eMfuleni iLimpopo. Ngangimkhumbula ubaba kusukela ebuntwaneni bami futhi ngisho sengimdala sasingakaze sibe naso isikhathi somunye. Ngisamkhumbula. Wayehlala esebenza futhi ngisakhula futhi esekhulile, ngangisebenza njalo. Ezingxoxweni zethu zocingo wayehlale ethi, ngonyaka ozayo sizohlangana sidle i-biltong siphuze ama-witblits. Washiya ukuphila kwami ​​lapho umama esebenzisa izifungo zakhe zomshado, lapho ngineminyaka engu-6, futhi manje useshonile, futhi mina ngineminyaka engu-60. Ngiyabonga ngokuba ubaba wami weqiniso, nakuba umama wathi awuyena ubaba wami wangempela. Ubungowami. Ngiyabonga Baba. Indlela yempilo yinhliziyo, kodwa ngelinye ilanga sizodlala ibhola lombhoxo ndawonye. Ngiyalikhumbula ikhehla lakho!
“Nkosi Sikelela iAfrika”