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<strong>LitNet</strong> Akademies Jaargang 9(3), Desember 2012<br />
Pratt became violent and smashed w<strong>in</strong>dows and had to be removed and locked up <strong>in</strong><br />
Sanatoria. There he descended <strong>in</strong>to what he described as a “Miltonian Hell”, c<strong>om</strong>ple<strong>te</strong><br />
with fires, prongs and yells of anguish.<br />
Sy toestand was emosioneel onvoorspelbaar – by tye eufories en dan weer broeiend, vyandig<br />
en aggressief. Pratt het “orrelmusiek gehoor” en “disembo<strong>die</strong>d” gevoel. Die neuroloë het sy<br />
toestand met elektriese–skok-<strong>te</strong>rapie probeer behandel. 68<br />
In moderne me<strong>die</strong>se <strong>te</strong>rme sou Pratt se toestand waarskynlik gediagnoseer word as maniese<br />
depressie en epilepsie begelei deur t<strong>in</strong>nitus. Soos ook uit van <strong>die</strong> me<strong>die</strong>se verslae duidelik is,<br />
het spesialis<strong>te</strong> destyds nog sulke “orrelmusiek” as akoestiese hallus<strong>in</strong>asies beskou. Intussen is<br />
we<strong>te</strong>nskaplik bewys dat t<strong>in</strong>nitus <strong>die</strong> waarnem<strong>in</strong>g van nie-ui<strong>te</strong>rlike akoestiese klanke is wat<br />
soos orrelmusiek kan kl<strong>in</strong>k. Dit is ’n biologiese simpto<strong>om</strong> van ’n ekstreme strestoestand wat<br />
voork<strong>om</strong> as ’n begeleidende effek van angstoestande, slaaploosheid en depressie en het niks<br />
met hallus<strong>in</strong>asies <strong>te</strong> doen nie. Persone wat aan epilepsie ly, berig dat as hulle onder stres<br />
verkeer, hulle dikwels t<strong>in</strong>nitus kry, en dan ’n grand mal-aanval (Bies<strong>in</strong>ger 2007; Feldmann<br />
2002; Hocker 1997).<br />
Blykbaar het Pratt sy t<strong>in</strong>nitus eg<strong>te</strong>r as ’n hemelse boodskap <strong>in</strong><strong>te</strong>rpre<strong>te</strong>er. Hy het besluit <strong>om</strong><br />
klavierlesse <strong>te</strong> neem “<strong>in</strong> the hope of be<strong>in</strong>g able to recapture for humanity the heavenly<br />
melo<strong>die</strong>s he had heard dur<strong>in</strong>g the days of experienc<strong>in</strong>g the organ music”. 69 Sy vrou het baie<br />
gely onder sy gewoon<strong>te</strong> <strong>om</strong> een keer per maand op ’n bepaalde dag <strong>die</strong> hele nag lank ’n<br />
enkele akkoord op <strong>die</strong> klavier <strong>te</strong> hamer (Maisels 1998:104).<br />
In <strong>hier</strong><strong>die</strong> tyd het Pratt ook aan “grandiose delusions of the political saviour type” beg<strong>in</strong> ly en<br />
het geglo dat hy uitverkore is vir Suid-Afrika se politiese verloss<strong>in</strong>g. 70 Hy het h<strong>om</strong>self <strong>in</strong> <strong>die</strong><br />
rol van ’n Ou-Testamentiese profeet gesien wat h<strong>om</strong> <strong>in</strong> sak en as wou klee en al sy besitt<strong>in</strong>gs<br />
wou weggee. By tye het hy h<strong>om</strong>self as ’n tipe Christus-figuur beskou. Die psigia<strong>te</strong>rs het sy<br />
toestand as morbied-religieus beskryf. Hy het dikwels by <strong>die</strong> rektor van <strong>die</strong> Anglikaanse<br />
gekerk gebieg en was ook geïn<strong>te</strong>resseerd <strong>in</strong> “yogism”. 71<br />
Pratt was <strong>in</strong><strong>te</strong>ns gekant <strong>te</strong>en nasionalisme. Malan en baie nasionalis<strong>te</strong> het apartheid as ’n<br />
oploss<strong>in</strong>g beskou <strong>om</strong> <strong>die</strong> probleem van ’n groeiende swart oormag <strong>te</strong> han<strong>te</strong>er (Gili<strong>om</strong>ee<br />
2012:46). Toe Alan Paton <strong>die</strong> Liberale Party (LP) <strong>in</strong> 1953 stig, het Pratt by <strong>die</strong> party<br />
aangesluit. Hy wou <strong>die</strong> reger<strong>in</strong>g uit <strong>die</strong> kuss<strong>in</strong>gs lig en konsta<strong>te</strong>er: “I decided to form a<br />
Coalition government.” Prof. L.A. Hurst het Pratt se politieke missie op grond van <strong>die</strong><br />
“boodskap” wat hy <strong>in</strong> 1954 ontvang het, soos volg beskryf: 72<br />
He <strong>te</strong>lls of how he proposed to approach three political leaders, one of wh<strong>om</strong> was Mr.<br />
Havenga. One agreed, <strong>in</strong> pr<strong>in</strong>ciple, but when the second turned the proposal down, he<br />
decided not to approach Mr. Havenga, a fact for which he has subsequently blamed<br />
himself. Although question<strong>in</strong>g elicits the fact that he was not seek<strong>in</strong>g cab<strong>in</strong>et rank, but<br />
that his role was that of “gett<strong>in</strong>g th<strong>in</strong>gs go<strong>in</strong>g”, I consider that this disclosure of his<br />
<strong>in</strong>dica<strong>te</strong>s a grandiose or megal<strong>om</strong>anic trend as hav<strong>in</strong>g exis<strong>te</strong>d at the time, of the<br />
political saviour type, <strong>in</strong> his lack of appreciation of his lack of qualification and<br />
experience for his self-assigned role of political leadership.<br />
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