South Africa today: the state of the nation The Daily Maverick online Sometime late last year I wrote a short piece on South Africa and my (shared with countless other citizens) frustrations with the government (whom I did not vote for), bickering politicians and every other ill in this country - (the piece was inspired by the Marakana massacre). I felt compelled to write another piece. As the rape and thence murder of Anene Booysens continues to illicit a varied reaction across SA and the world, the deeper issue of the culture of violence permeating in SA has taken center stage . There are so many problems, so I’ll dive right on top of one of the biggest; though to be honest, no one could really change this in a substantial way – some problems take time to sort out, and some pain will only become manageable with even more time, the scars though, will remain, for a very very long time… I speak of Apartheid of course, and the fact that the nation of the New South Africa was born out of this heinous and evil construct. The nation which emerged was fraught with problems, but equally so, alive with possibility (to use a marketing catch phrase) and boundless potential. With such a fractured and divisive past, our subsequent number one enemy has always been ourselves. We know what we can achieve, and have achieved, but division persists with too many corrupt officials/government members, and an inactive public. However, everything I’m saying, and can and want to say, has already been said, so I’ll throw in some quotes here This is from a recent article on the Daily Maverick online newspaper: “We don’t know to what extent the frustration of young and old males, at their wits end in a society that has discarded them, where they have no jobs and women tend to get things quicker exacerbates the situation. That is not a cause, but could be an underlying issue behind incidence of sexual violence.” Link to full article here. "Cooper" referenced and quoted above is a doctor and psychiatrist. Of all the varied cultures we have in South Africa, the one we’re tending to cultivate and nurture the most in this near twenty year democracy, is violence. Here, where societal inequality is unparalleled (just the other day I watched a magazine program, showing off the a beautiful palatial mansion with sea views, a swimming pool and an entertainment deck – for the kids to entertain their friends with table tennis or snooker etc… meanwhile a few kilometers away, there are people who don’t even have a toilet in their own tiny house), dividing the country into the “have” and “have not’s”. As one local white comedian/ventriloquist put it “I grew up with the ‘we hate apartheid, but we benefited from it’ group”… the current democratically elected government has seemingly just left its people to fend for themselves – “If you want wealth, go get it”. This mentality, of every man for himself, has perpetuated from government down throughout South Africa, where we only seem to galvanize when our national sports team takes the field. There’s a lot of angst, frustration, unresolved anger, hurt and passion brewing beneath the surface, issues that weren’t dealt with in the Truth and reconciliation Commission (which should not have ended so soon) for example. Most uneducated black people (a result of every SA gov.) are too quick to haul out the race card whenever something goes against them, and most white people are too afraid/ashamed to talk about the past, and pain and suffering they know little of. I don’t know what it’s like to be forced from my home under an oppressive government and dangerous security police as I’ve grown up in a sheltered environment, mostly in the new South Africa, but older generations of my family can speak of such experiences – and that’s just one aspect… We’ve come out of an evil regime, and simply tried to live normally, act as we usually would if there was never an apartheid to speak of, but the scar on the nation as a whole is too deep to ignore. Plainly put, there’s very little dialogue between portions of society, a place or moment where one or many can vent their concerns and frustrations. So everyone seems to talk amongst friends, or keep their thoughts to themselves. I finished compiling and writing this article shortly after an introspective stroll down the Sea point promenade. Sitting there on a bench watching ships disappear and emerge from the mist off shore, looking down into the deep blue of the Atlantic, feeling the refreshing breeze which took the sting out of a hot day… What we see is nothing new; pain is pain, the world keeps turning and simple things will always be made to look complicated. Tides will continue to ebb and flow, and we will struggle on, always finding ourselves as our own worst foe.
The violence which has become common place in SA, and which for so many abroad is synonymous with us, is perhaps the civil war we should have had but didn’t. It was a miracle that we averted war – a poster for peace and reconciliation – but the same tools we carried in anticipation for conflict and survival, we now use on ourselves, frothing up in various forms, from drug and alcohol abuse to violence against our fellow men and women, compounded further by corruption, poverty, AIDS, all forms of crime, a lack of education, and thence morals and ethics - it's a different, passive kind of civil war. It's always amazing to me, just a few days ago my family played host to some friends from Switzerland, and their impression, along with countless others who've visited our shores, was that South African's are a warm and loving people, always ready to accommodate... so, when we put our best foot forward we can be example's for the world, but at the same time, our internal conflict can be the shame of the world - or at least one example of it... During the last days of apartheid, so many people prayed for a peaceful end, the country was a nervous hive of tension and prayer,as most sought God's guidance in our most trying time... how many though continued, and are still praying for the wellbeing of the nation?
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Loyiso Gola: host of Late Night News by Steven Benjamin "Writer's circle - worse than writer's block, sometimes anyway." The road was wet last night from fresh rains, but the clouds had already dispersed overhead, revealing a clear starry sky. I was standing in the middle of the road waiting for my two dogs to finish their late night walkabout. In my neighborhood one can still walk around in the middle of the night without much concern – it’s not advisable, but there’s not much trouble, particularly on a cold winter’s night (sorry about the cliche). Sadly though, not all neighborhoods in South Africa can say the same. Earlier in the day I did something I rarely ever do – I sat through watching a live broadcast of Parliament, where Lonmin, the Police “service” and the Marikana Massacre was at the center of debate. In these troubled times of our nation’s legacy I’ve been quite inspired to write about current events, but somehow nothing seemed to stick. I wrote an unpublished piece a month or two ago about the ills of our society and where the roots of the problems lie, within the foundations of our 18 year old democracy. Now, I started writing a piece on the ‘culture of violence’ bred within our land… I didn’t finish it as things morphed into a piece about frustration in a country with so much potential and equally as many failings. Even listening to the parliamentarians complaints and calls for ‘heads to roll’, particularly in the policing structures, I felt the overwhelming drench of frustration. Inevitably in a debate, issues are only discussed and contended, with a few harsh words hurled at certain quarters, true action and resolution though is still illusive, and seemingly far off. So, expecting little change I scrapped the piece and continued with other writing ventures. This is NOT the Rainbow Nation you often hear and read about. There was no honeymoon period just after the fall of apartheid – in my opinion; there was no courtship, no marriage, just breaking down of barriers – the barriers in plain sight… What we really need is a clean slate… A new government made up of young educated individuals unburdened by the scars of the country’s dark past, looking to forge a healthy new future. Though I feel it will be a while before we see the backs of the numerous struggle icons. What was that saying? “… you either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain…” especially if you were an icon, only to then take up a seat in parliament. Where are the leaders of the caliber of Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, Steve Biko and Oliver Tambo et al…? *LEFT FIELD*: Recently, on a satirical show (Late Night News), they claimed that for the next democratic elections, the poor and uneducated masses should be barred from voting, because they will – as the trend indicates – inevitably vote the current and largely ineffective ANC government (rife with corruption and mismanagement) back into power. They claimed that since those voters were clearly unqualified to vote, on the grounds that they were not making logical decisions, based largely on emotion and ANC propaganda (the major portion of voters are made up of the impoverished, and thus it is their say that determines the future leaders of our country). If the ANC does not deliver, then do not vote for them. Instead it should be the qualified and educated few who should determine the eventual leaders… A brave sentiment that sadly carries a lot of sense but will never be implemented. It begs the question though: Is conventional democracy really the answer for the diverse and unusual landscape of South Africa? Instead, should we then not lean on a model better catered or adapted for the unique dynamic within this country, considering our warped past and its ill legacy we have to contend with? --> Something to distract you from the woes of times of now… |
[Banner illustration by Joel Kanar]
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