.Public Anger Directed at Racist Stellenbosch Student is Myopic and Fallacious
South Africans have become accustomed to reactive anger that lasts only a few days. It has happened all too often - I am sure that even our distant enemies have observed the trend. Whoever wants to destroy us as a nation can unfortunately easily exploit.
We tend to put so much energy into and pour scorn on isolated incidents that happen to receive media attention, yet eat and breathe racism on a daily basis. Sadly, once the social media frenzy dies down we pat each other on the back and say we have confronted the issue head-on, and life goes on. This tendency is so myopic and fallacious in character. The South African transformation agenda is just a façade.
Stellenbosch is a microcosm of society. Racism in South Africa is rife and gets worse every single day. Ironically, people who are the perpetrators of this inhumane behaviour are insolently going about their business quietly. They socialise their children in this doctrine, and in turn their kids demonstrate utter disdain for Black people. One does not need to be Einstein to see this; it rears its ugly head in every aspect of their behaviour.
Black people deliberately choose to hide behind Mandela reverence and the Constitution. It seems to me, Black people in South Africa have subconsciously accepted that they are inferior and there is nothing they can do about it. When incidents such as this happen in populous spaces like universities, the same Black folk rush to their television screens and social media to lament what is happening. They scream at the top of their lungs as if this is a completely new phenomenon yet on a daily basis they sit in boardrooms, share a beer, play sports and share company dividends with racists and call them our friends, colleagues and partners.
South Africa is a beautiful country on paper, it has all the ideals of a rainbow nation. It sells itself to the world as being united, embracing diversity and oneness but in reality, racism is inherent and vexed. Until the racism debate takes place brazenly and a spade is called a spade, it will continue to haunt Black people until they do not feel it anymore. Many Black people think that it is enough to have power and to pass laws and regulations to end racism or to allow it to have a natural death. Racism is a socially constructed behaviour, one is taught to be racist, no one is born racist. It will therefore take the process of unlearning racism to end it. No amount of laws will put an end to racism.
Karl Marx explains racism at two levels - capitalist relations of production and their ideological forms, and ideological forms that manifest themselves in an array of discriminatory practices. In the context of South Africa, the means of production are still in the hands of the minority (White people) and ideologically they still feel superior to the majority (Black people). Their superiority complex manifests itself in the discriminatory practices that they socialise their kids in and in turn, their kids behave in a manner that dehumanises and demeans Black kids. The Huis Marais incident at Stellenbosch University is just the tip of the iceberg and should be treated as such. To end racism in South Africa, it will take White leaders, White celebrities, White establishments and ordinary White communities to say enough is enough. It will take our fellow White colleagues at work, in churches, at schools to say ‘Not in my name.’ White folks need to be brave enough to call each other out and say racism is inhumane, it degrades people and it perpetuates hatred and it must stop. White people need to learn not to hide their heads in the sand as if it does not concern them, they will need to learn Sesotho or Tshivenda language and speak it in a manner that some Black folks use the Queen’s English. Ending racism will mean establishments fully embracing coexistence with Blacks.
The same energy expected from Whites should be demonstrated by Black folks in their deeds and thinking. There is absolutely no need for privileged Black people to behave like Whites. It is inwardly racist for Black folks to speak in English when there is not a single person who is a native English speaker in a group or gathering.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with African mannerisms - Black folk should not be ashamed to demonstrate them, it’s what makes and defines them. As a Black person one can be very proud of knowing your African roots, customs, cultures and traditions. Essentially, if Black folk can respect themselves and embrace their African-ness/Blackness it will be easier for other races to respect and embrace them.
To repeat myself: Our anger at the Stellenbosch University incident is myopic and fallacious.
• Mr Khumbulani Mngadi is an independent analyst based at UKZN.
*The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of KwaZulu-Natal.