Genootskap van Regte Afrikaners

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The Genootskap van Regte Afrikaners (Afrikaans for "Society of Real Afrikaners") was formed on 14 August 1875 in the town of Paarl by a group of Afrikaans speakers from the Western Cape region. From 15 January 1876 the society published a journal in Afrikaans called Die Afrikanse Patriot ("The African Patriot") as well as a number of books, including grammars, dictionaries, religious material and histories. Die Afrikanse Patriot was succeeded in 1905 by today's Paarl newspaper.

Arnoldus Pannevis, a teacher, is generally considered to be the spiritual father of the society. He had observed that most of the South Africans from Dutch descent could not speak the "pure" form of their original mother tongue anymore. In the course of its (then) 200 year old history, the language of the immigrants from the Netherlands had been thoroughly changed by the influence of other European immigrants, indigenous tribes such as the Khoikhoi, and especially the Cape Malays.

The actual founding members were Gideon Malherbe, the Dutch immigrant CP Hoogenhout, DF du Toit (nicknamed Dokter, i.e. "Doctor"), the journalist DF du Toit (nicknamed Oom Lokomotief, i.e. "Uncle Locomotive"), his brother SJ du Toit, August Ahrbeck, Petrus Malherbe and SG du Toit. Everybody except Hoogenhout and Ahrbeck were related.

On 14 August 1975 the Afrikaans Language Museum was opened in the former house of Gideon Malherbe.