Legends of self-sacrifice
and survival are common in the wake of great tragedies.
Take the legend of
Racheltjie de Beer.
We all grew up in homes
where parents would cite her as an example to stubborn little girls who refused
to watch over their pesky little brothers. Her story was even included in
school history books, and she was named in the same breath as some brave
Boer-War children; Dirkie Uys, Japie Greyling and Jopie Fourie.
However, in future, Racheltjie de Beer will
have to rub shoulders with Rapunzel, Cinderella and Rumpelstiltskin, as
Racheltjie de Beer never existed.
Our country’s best genealogists have been
researching the de Beer family for several years now. They have gone as
far back as the landing of the first de Beers on the Cape shores a few
centuries ago and have been sharing their discoveries on their cyber-space chat
room: SAGenealogie.
Nowhere have these family-research gurus been able to find any evidence of a
girl who died in the sleet of a freezing Free State, Karoo or Southern
Transvaal winter’s night, let alone of one who died protecting her brother. In
no de Beer-line has there ever been anyone by the name of Rachel, Racheltjie or
Rachie.
And so, regretfully
this time, another good story bites the dust.