Burgher P.J. du Toit: Uncommitted Republican and Traitor 

The psychological impact of the guerrilla war on burgher Petrus Johannes du Toit contrasted from that of the individuals discussed previously, primarily because his perception of the war was completely dissimilar to the previous cases. Firstly, when he was commandeered on 5 September 1900, he was most unwilling to comply. According to the first entry in his diary he appealed to the Field Cornet to exempt him from taking up arms again, because he had already completed two spells of duty.

This unwillingness was probably partly due to his lack of commitment towards the republican ideals, having been born in the Cape Colony, educated in English and brought up in the English tradition. Secondly, he was not a robust, physically strong man and his health seemed to fail as the guerrilla war progressed. Thirdly, it is pertinent that he was a teacher by training and probably had little in common with the other burghers, many of whom were semi-literate or illiterate farmers. C.M. Bakkes also makes the point that he was an artistic, sensitive bachelor.

From Du Toit’s diary it becomes apparent that he did not feel a strong sense of loyalty towards the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek. The editor immediately makes this point clear in the chosen title of the diary: Diary of a National Scout (vehemently hated by the Boers as countryman turned traiters). Then too the entry for 16 December 1900 reads:

“Dingaansday! Independence day! Where are they now? Poor Transvaal.”

Notwithstanding his lack of loyalty he initially did not choose to disobey the orders that commandeered him for the third time. And throughout the section written while he was with the Boer guerrilla fighters (which, in fact, only lasted from 5 September 1900 to 31 May 1901 ) he frequently considered the possibility of laying down arms and joining the British.

This incessant inner vacillation was heightened in late November 1900, when a Klerksdorp lawyer, J.A. Neser, sent a letter to General P.J. Liebenberg, for whom Du Toit acted as secretary. In the letter Neser wrote that the Boers had fought bravely against mighty odds, but he believed that they should take up Major-General C.W.H. Douglas’ offer to lay down their arms while their property would still be respected. Du Toit made it clear that although Liebenberg did not respond to the letter, he himself felt rather inclined to go with Neser’s plea, as he was of the same opinion.

Du Toit was often gloomy and depressed. On 6 October 1900 his entry began:

“A windy, sad and melancholy day. I am lying in the tent writing and reading.”

Then on 31 December 1900 he complained

“Last day of century and bloody year of 1900. How sad the century closes, with blood and fire, thousands of weeping widows and orphans, thousands of homeless mothers and families ... What misery, what lamentations, broken hearts ... Oh, God of Gods, hast thou let us over to ourselves ... If our case is a hopeless one, what can I do to stop it? All is a mystery. I shall act soon, yes this very day or tomorrow.”

The problem he had in taking the final step to “act”, in other words to lay down his arms and change sides, could well have been a major cause for his downcast feeling. It certainly caused him a great deal of stress, which probably precipitated his attacks of feeling “seedy” or perhaps even accounts for the bouts of asthma that plagued him. When he was called to give evidence at a treason trial at Wolmaransstad on 16 January 1901, and five of the accused were sentenced to death, it affected him to such an extent that that he was feeling “very seedy”. For the following three and a half months Du Toit remained in a state of indecision about what action he should take until 31 May 1901, when he finally changed sides and became a paid scout for the British.

When an examination is made of the psychological aspects of Du Toit’s situation during his nine months with the guerrilla forces it is clear that, in terms of GRRs, there were a number of weak links in the chain. Strümpfer quotes Kobasa who claims that hardiness involves three components namely:

• • • • commitment,
      • control and
      • challenge.

These elements were all lacking to some extent in Du Toit’s makeup. His first entry on 5 September 1900 and several subsequent remarks point to the fact that he did not feel himself committed to the republican cause.

Moreover, the mere fact that he meekly accepted the commandeering orders, albeit reluctantly, suggests that he experienced a feeling of powerlessness and that he did not have firm control over the circumstances of his own life. As mentioned before the perception of not having control over one’s life may well lead to physical ailments and psychological distress. Strümpfer quotes examples where it is considered that hardiness and social support are two sides of the same coin of coping resources. According to Du Toit’s diary he had very little social support while on commando. Another possibility in Du Toit’s case is Antonovsky’s theory concerning the “health ease/ disease continuum”. This maintains that all individuals fall somewhere between the extreme poles of illness and well-ness, depending on how well they are able to cope with their stress.

Salutogenesis arises from highly efficient coping with stress, and the inability to cope may lead to physical ailment. This theory probably explains many of Du Toit’s maladies. It could be argued that after Du Toit had taken the “action” that had been tormenting him for so many months, his general disposition improved. Although he spent two months in Wakkerstroom hospital towards the end of the war, this was due to typhoid fever and apparently was not related to his earlier ailments. Petrus du Toit was discharged from the British force on 13 June 1902 and subsequently became an attorney in Klerksdorp. He continued living an active life, taking part in local politics and cultural activities, until his death from asthma at the age of seventy.

In conclusion, it is surmised that the negative psychological impact of having to fight in the guerrilla war for the republics, defending a cause to which he was not committed, was the prime reason for his frequent bouts of moodiness and depression, as well as his numerous physical ailments. Furthermore, these conditions were apparently of a temporary nature which passed when he had taken the step to change sides.

Source: Psychological Impact of Guerrilla Warfare on the Boer Forces, UP