Understandably she was heartily congratulated on her success, which congratulations she graciously accepted.
She was also propositioned, in countless different ways, on the issues of race, ethnicity and skin colour. That is where South Africa is to-day, after some 17 years since apartheid was deposed as government culture. Its not about her vision as leader in Parliament of the Opposition, but about her ethnicity??
As repeatedly pointed out in blog posts the national psyche of South Africa is infused with race, ethnicity and skin colour. It is a preoccupation and obsession that is eating away at the national psyche like a cancer, destroying progress towards nation building.
Because the colour “black” was posted as the central criteria for a human being to qualify for redress from apartheid disadvantage, under our Affirmative Action and other transformational models, there is now an inarticulate proposition in the subconscious mind of the nation that “Black good, White bad, Coloured/Indian/Chinese not too good”. This is the exact converse of what was at the heart of apartheid culture. 17 years after apartheid it is assumed that every Black person is disadvantaged in relation to every White person, even if such Black person is a billionaire. This has ensured that a "connected" Black elite is amassing fabulous wealth whilst the majority remain stuck in apartheid style poverty.
The obsession has been evidenced by continual incidents of a subsisting racist culture in the corridors of power. Notable examples are Mike Stofile bitterly complaining that there was no place for Blacks in SARU after being beaten in a democratic election for the presidency of the South Africa Rugby Union by Oregan Hoskins, a Coloured. "I've been saying for four years now there is no place for black people in SA rugby and this is the final nail for black people in this country” Stofile lamented. As a Coloured Organ Hoskins had no right to oppose a Black.
Later there was the Jimmy Manyi saga, in which our chief government spokesman was shown on tape holding to the considered view that “there were too many Coloureds in the Western Cape … and that they should migrate to other provinces”. Cabinet then had to backtrack on a Bill that it had signed off on, which was designed to force Coloured migration from the Western Cape as employers would be forced to dump them in the workplace.
Despite such back tracking, the Department of Correctional Services has just been exposed for implementing a policy to give effect to the Jimmy Manyi racist doctrine. Manyi had also insulted Indians by postulating that they were “over-represented” at management level on account of their “economic influence”.
Just last week, none other than Julius Malema, flag waving populist leader of the ANC youth League, condescended to apologize for referring to Indians as “coolies”, a derogatory term. His apology sufficed. No other sanction, let alone condemnation, accrued. However he has declined to apologize for referring the Whites as "criminals" and “thieves”. Not so as regards Darren Scott, ace media sports anchor who was fired for calling a Black colleague a “kaffir”, also a derogatory term. The difference in the Malema and Scott incidents is that Scott is White and Malema is Black. As a Black person, Malema is “more equal” than Scott on our new “animal farm”, and his racist comments therefore more tolerable and unremarkable.
Leanne Manas did her job as a media journo. She put it to Lindiwe that there was a veritable deluge of comment from various Black spokespersons that she was simply not perceived as Black or Black enough! She put it in a dozen different ways, including the allegation that Lindiwe was a “coconut”, i.e., black/brown on the outside but with a “white” mentality. A long indictment from the "thinking like a black" camp was put to her.
To her immense credit our good lady, Lindiwe Mazibuko, disregarded the accusations and declined to dignify them with any kind of response. With the ease and grace of a person of immense emotional intelligence she simply declined to be dragged down into the pernicious quagmire of this obscene discourse and stuck to what matters in present day South Africa, i.e., the now dire needs of our people. Not once did she mention the word “black”, despite the very pointed nature of the questions put. It never appeared, for a nano second, that she would be distracted by this nonsense. Instead she spoke to the needs of our people and how she imagined that she and her party would be able to address those needs. To her, it is all about failed delivery, human misery and what needs to be done. It is all about hope for the future.
All right thinking citizens of South Africa, in particular, must salute this young lady. Not only is she educated, personable and skilled, she also has that most precious commodity, understanding. She understands that in a constitutional democracy race, ethnicity, skin colour are irrelevant. What is relevant is social justice. She understands, in particular, that you do not take the blindfold off Lady Justice and ask her to see differences in the race and ethnicity of human beings. She knows that to do so guarantees deterioration to systemic discrimination, victimization and other forms of injustice, such as xenophobia, as we have experienced in South Africa at horrendous levels.
Lindiwe Mazibuko, we salute you. You are a new brand of leader. You are refusing to turn South Africa into an “animal farm” in which some are “more equal than others”. You have understanding; understanding of the realities, understanding of human rights; understanding of social justice. You share this understanding with your illustrious colleagues Helen Zille and Patrica de Lille. It in this brand of leadership that provides hope for the future of this incredible country.
It is the hope that Martin Luther King Jr adverted to in his “I Have a Dream” speech and Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela imagined in his “Never Again” speech.
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