The Afrikaner-Broederbond, a secretive South African society, was comprised of Afrikaans-speaking Protestant white men over the age of 25. Its influence in South African society was profound and far-reaching for many years, with its rituals and membership shrouded in secrecy, accessible only by invitation.
Established in 1918, the organization was formed in response to the humiliating defeat of the Afrikaners by the British in the South African War (1899–1902). A government commission in 1964 described the Broederbond as an organization where Afrikaners could unite amidst confusion and disunity to work for the survival and advancement of the Afrikaner people in South Africa.
Through the Broederbond, Afrikaner men sought to preserve their culture and traditions in the face of mistreatment by British South Africans and second-class citizenship. The silent network of the Broederbond became a vehicle for attaining power, and the organization was widely regarded as the driving force behind the ascendance of the predominantly Afrikaner National Party to national dominance in 1948. Several South African prime ministers, including Daniel F. Malan and Hendrik F. Verwoerd, were counted among its members.
Despite its close association with the conservative Dutch Reformed Church and the apartheid-promoting National Party, the Broederbond gradually began to shift its stance and actively supported President F.W. de Klerk’s announcement to dismantle the official policy of apartheid in 1990.
In 1994, the organization transformed, changing its name to Afrikanerbond (“Afrikaner League”) and embracing transparency, opening its membership to any Afrikaans-speaking South African over the age of 18, regardless of race, gender, or religion. In 2006, the Afrikanerbond adopted a new constitution that positioned the group as primarily for Afrikaans-speaking people in South Africa, while also expressing its commitment to collaborating with other organizations and the government to enhance the quality of life for all citizens in the country.