Tag: Freemasons

Freemasons call all Dutch and Afrikaans residents

The Eendract maakt macht nr.8 Freemasons lodge is calling on all interested Dutch and Afrikaans speaking males in the community to join them, the Roodepoort Rekord reported.

What makes this lodge, which was established in 1899, special is the fact that they perform their rituals in Dutch and that it is the only Dutch lodge in Africa.

When the Grand Lodge South Africa (GLSA) was established the Eendract maakt macht lodge decided to remain with the Groot oostender Nederlander orde in Holland. Over and above performing their rituals in Dutch they have also stayed true to the Dutch way of performing their rituals.

For those who have not mastered the language, an electronic or hard phonetic copy is available and rituals are read instead of recited off by heart, says current Chairing Lodge Master Steven Groeneveld.

According to lodge secretary Piet Konemann the essence of Freemasonry is “taking a rough ashler (stone) and chipping away at it until it is a perfect ashler” which simply means “taking good men and making them better men”.

Konemann said the brotherhood is not a secret society but their rituals and symbols are secret until you become a Freemason. This he says is to protect the rich tradition of the fraternity.

Groeneveld points out the Masons are all about helping the community and their fellow brothers but they do not walk around boasting about it. He also said interested parties should not see it as a business networking opportunity since it is not an “old boys club”.

‘Freemasons planted seeds of Apartheid’

masoniclodgeOn the grounds of Parliament, close to Tuynhuys in the heart of Cape Town, the Lodge De Goede Hoop is hidden behind a parking lot filled with expensive ministerial cars.

It is an old, white, plastered building, writes City Press.

Only the Freemason symbol on the window and the Star of David above the large wooden doors show that this is not just another ­parliamentary building.

There are many conspiracy theories, ­alleged links with murders, and those who ­believe the Freemasons “planted the seeds” of Apartheid.

The building was inaugurated as the first masonic temple in South Africa in 1803 and is still used daily by its members.

This week, City Press took a tour of the ­temple with the newly appointed Grand Master of the SA Freemasons, Geoff ­Edwards.

On a table in the foyer are a square and a pair of compasses – well-known masonic symbols. On the wall is an engraved list of the names of former masters and the wall beside the front door is adorned with a framed ­photograph of Watty Watson, former ­DA chief whip and retiring Grand Master.

“People say we’re on parliamentary grounds, but that’s not true. Actually, Parliament is on our grounds,” he says.

The first Freemason lodge was formed in Cape Town in 1772 and the temple was built about 30 years later.

The Cape government of the time and the Freemasons were so intertwined that the Cape Parliament used the masonic banquet hall as a venue from 1854 to 1884 until the old House of Assembly was completed.

Others say that from the organisation’s ­inception in the 14th century, it has been the ­secret hand that is quietly ruling the world.

Not true, according to Edwards, taking us into the meditation chamber with its sinister statue of a dead man with a dagger, a book and an hourglass, and the words “know thyself”.

Two artificial human skulls add a chilling edge to the room. “People say the Freemasons have ruled the world over the centuries, but the truth is ­that many rulers were simply ­masons,” he says.

“Like many other organisations, we have been attacked aggressively in the past. During World War 2, Hitler tried to wipe out the ­Freemasons.

The most fascinating room in the Lodge De Goede Hoop is undoubtedly the middle chamber. With only two small windows letting in a sliver of light, the room is dark even in the ­middle of the day. Here, ceremonies are held at night in the pitch dark to remind members just how fleeting their lives are.

The organisation is open to all races, but does not accept women as members. There are female lodges in some parts of the world, but they are not recognised by the Freemasons’ constitution.

“In our lodge we have members of ­Parliament from three different political ­parties and they all get on tremendously well together,” he boasts.

Source: City Press