Thembile Ndabeni
Cape Town - Is the ANC in power or holding an umbrella (power) for white people?
That is the question I asked in one of my opinion pieces.
If you compromise with racists from the beginning, you have encouraged them to continue.
With the magnitude and stature, as a compromiser, one of the worst compromises Nelson Mandela made after he was released was to compromise black people.
During the phase of negotiations, he suspended the armed struggle without proper consultation especially with Chris Hani, the man directly in charge of uMKhonto weSizwe.
On the other hand, their counterpart, the National Party government, was still armed and involved in the killing of the African people.
This is what is happening today. When there is a racial conflict emanating from a killing of an African by a farmer or discrimination of an African child at school by a white educator, learner or even by a parent, white people gather brandishing weapons.
At Senekal in the court case of a farm killing, former SADF soldiers, some are former generals, were armed wearing SADF regalia.
It happened at Brackenfell; a white man drew a gun in a racial conflict. In Mpumalanga racism was reported and it was alleged that the camera was set conveniently to expose wrongdoing by African children and not their counterpart, white learners.
They, together with their parents, even demonstrated disrespect to the MEC.
If the people like the learners, educators, and parents do not respect the MEC, how can they respect learners and other people?
During the dark days of Apartheid there was a song, “Senzeni na”?
Black people, except women against gender-based violence, must never ever sing that song again but fight “by all means necessary”, within the ambits of the law.
The opposition party, Double Agenda (DA) makes noise as if it is committed to the education of all children.
They also did play that Double Agenda (DA) again in the State of the Nation (SONA) but said nothing about racism taking place in Hoërskool Jan Viljoen.
By the way there is nothing new. Its current racist architect Helen Zille joined armed white former soldiers, including generals wearing Apartheid South African Death Force (SADF) regalia in Senekal.
Standing next to those armed white people, she condemned the EFF’s call for Africans to defend themselves against armed white racists.
That is the DA's mastermind who says nothing good about Africans, except to paint them with the ugly brush so that they can be seen as having and still contributing nothing in this country.
She once said it was FW de Klerk who freed this country.
That is an insult to the sacrifices of Africans’ forebears who laid their lives, starting from the arrival of their coloniser ancestors.
From the time colonisers landed, Africans were killed, disappeared, tortured, lost land and livestock, and suffered all other forms of degradation, until the apartheid regime under De Klerk she is praising. The DA defends or turns a blind eye to racism.
African people must fight their own struggle. It is unfortunate to the likes of Bram Fischer, Beyers Naude, Ruth First, Marinus Schoon, John Frederick Harris, Bishop Russell, and the others including those still alive. What Biko once said, “Black man, you are on your own '', is applicable. White people still feel they are entitled to special treatment.
The worst is what happened at Hoerskool Jan Viljoen, where it was reported that white learners with the blessing of educators, discriminate against African learners, calling them with the K-word, saying apartheid will come back. This is not new. It happened in Mpumalanga at Witbank Technical High School. Just like at Hoerskool Jan Viljoen it extended to a fight between parents.
The latest submission of this piece was at Wessel Maree Hoerskool in the Free State.
Racists are following in the footsteps of cricket and rugby players supported by officials. Surprisingly, for the likes of Ali Bacher, Nelson Mandela passed on admiring them.
Why are the racists and their Double Agenda party and the likes not saying racism is happening after 27 years of democracy?
Is the issue not of national interest because it affects people of colour? Tomorrow they will go to canvas for the very same people of colour to vote for them. What must be done?
It begins with parents making observations and asking their children everyday how school was.
That will happen only if they create an environment for them to confide in them.
After that, follow the necessary procedures and make sure the racists are not treated with kids gloves.
Failure to act is allowing the decline of the child in all respects, performance, behaviour, and trauma. They can be suicidal.
It is unbelievable to read some comments about what happened in Mpumalanga:
Has anyone died from being offended by a “racist” remark? Come on, get over yourselves, people! There are more things in the country to worry about (News24, 14 June 2021).
It’s unfortunate that the pain, trauma, and all psychological effects suffered by the African child at Wessel Maree Hoerskool as expressed by the mother, means nothing to the person with the comment above, because the victim is a child of a less human in their eyes.
We must assist, educate, and refer the victims to the relevant places. Even at work, people are scared to lose jobs, and unions and other relevant bodies are betraying them. The first thing the department must do is to listen and give support like counselling.
Check the issue of allocation of marks as well. The department must not amuse racists, learners, educators, and parents.
Part of the investigation is finding out from a learner the source of racial attitude.
If a learner is found guilty something must be done, deterrence of continuation.
Age cannot be an excuse for exemption from retribution otherwise they will laugh, go back, and make mockery of those who reported them, especially the victims.
Same applies with educators, if found guilty they are not suspended but expelled with the stamp that will make them never be employed again. The law must take its course.
If a parent is found guilty, they must be banned from the school premises, also, law must take its course.
The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) must make sure they follow up all reports of racism. Special attention must be given to the allegation of setting of cameras to protect one group and bedevil the other.
There should be a serious special retribution for that. As much racism is not the only thing it must be investigated. Not blaming the SAHRC, one wonders where do these reports end.
Courts must deal harshly with all the perpetrators, especially that of gender-based violence. If those boys are not punished, then the country is not serious about gender-based violence.
There must be courts or a law strictly dealing with racism. After 27 years of democracy, racism is still rife and the seeds are planted to kids to discriminate against others even at school.
Ndabeni is a former history tutor at UWC and a former educator at Bulumko Senior Secondary in Khayelitsha.
Cape Times