Piet Joubert Quotes

“…the real truth. Now, you must have heard that the English – or as they are better known the Englishmen – took away our country, the Transvaal, or, as they say, annexed it. We then talked nicely for four years, and begged for our country. But no; when an Englishman once has your property in his hand, then is he like a monkey that has its hands full of pumpkin-seeds — if you don't beat him to death, he will never let go – and then all our nice talk for four years did not help us at all. Then the English commenced to arrest us because we were dissatisfied, and that caused the shooting and fighting. Then the English first found that it would be better to give us back our country. Now they are gone, and our country is free, …
— The Transvaal from Within, 1899, J. P. Fitzpatrick.
:Letter to Lobengula, dated March 8, 1882, which Fitzpatrick, writing from Pretoria jail, attributes to Joubert. The letter was found by Francis Thompson at Lobengula’s kraal, while negotiating on behalf of C. J. Rhodes.”

“They [the field cornets] should have seen to it that the bible be used in schools, as the law prescribes.”

“The heart of my soul is bloody with sorrow. … (Nonverbatim: I have done my utmost for peace, despite England pushing the Boers out of their inheritance bit by bit, and taking advantage of us in every conference and native war. My hope till the present war had been for a South African Confederacy under English protection – the Cape, Natal, Free State and Transvaal all having equal rights and local self-government.) … But now we can only leave it to God. If it is His will that the Transvaal perish, we can only do our best.
— The Diary of a Siege, 1900, H. W. Nevinson.
:In conversation with Henry Nevinson, October 2, 1899, at the outbreak of war. According to Nevinson, Joubert spoke English with a "piquant lack of grammar and misuse of words".”

“… de gevaare drygt aan alle kanten om een oorlog met die kaffers.
Translated:… dangers are arising on all sides which could precipitate a war with the Africans.
— Thomas Francois Burgers, MS Appelgryn, 1979, p. 71-72
:August 1875, informing President Burgers of the agitation by Cetshwayo and Sekhukhune, after Cetshwayo was prevented from attacking the Swazis, and a buffer zone was annexed by Joubert on May 25, 1875”

“They were the beginning of the fall. From them the call went out for protection by foreigners. The Gold fields were a source of misery for the Government. It was due to the gold fields that the country was drawn into war.”

“The heart of my soul is bloody with sorrow. … (Nonverbatim: I have done my utmost for peace, despite England pushing the Boers out of their inheritance bit by bit, and taking advantage of us in every conference and native war. My hope till the present war had been for a South African Confederacy under English protection – the Cape, Natal, Free State and Transvaal all having equal rights and local self-government.) … But now we can only leave it to God. If it is His will that the Transvaal perish, we can only do our best.”