Someone shared a video of a white woman yelling: “I am a Trustee of this place, you don’t belong here”. Her rage was directed toward a black woman. The allegations revealed white residents who were against blacks moving into the complex. Such people don’t belong anywhere, okay, maybe Orania. I recall some time ago when #Orania was trending and only then did I learn that they have their own currency. I knew they display and only acknowledge the old apartheid flag but I thought printing their own currency was a bit obsessive, if not laughable. Some people were asking why they were allowed to establish their own ‘country’ and my opinion was: “why wouldn’t racists be allowed to live amongst each other”. Truth is, we are better off with ALL racists moving to Orania. Fact is, freedom came at a price and no doubt peace and tranquility comes at a price, all the more reason for us all to chip in for those who wish to move (to Orania) but cannot afford to.
A friend (black) shared a story on Facebook. He was awaiting his turn to pay for a purchase as he stood behind a white woman. He was cognizant of the 1.5m social distancing protocol but she felt the need to yell ‘step back!’. He remained calm and swiftly took a step back and was now miles away from this woman. She yelled ‘step back’ for the second time and by now the shop owner noticed how unreasonable, pathetic and condescending she was and he apologized on her behalf. This madam was lucky that my friend was channeling his Zen on this particular day. He is an astute, quick-witted and highly educated individual, he would’ve ripped her to pieces on a different day.
My stance is, silence is not always bliss. Sometimes all it takes is one person calling the other to order. Imagine a young girl in kindergarten. She finds other kids playing with her favourite toys but she grabs one from a particular child (of colour) while screaming: “this is mine”. She knows very well that the toys belong to all the kids there but because nobody reprimands her she continues with her entitlement behavior. She might very well be imitating her parent’s behavior, the kind that suffers from superiority complexes. She grows up believing everything she likes and wants belongs to her. She grows up to be that woman who jumps the queue at the bank, pharmacy, grocery store, etc. Totally oblivious, aloof and nonchalant. The other people (of color) are invisible as far as she is concerned.
Now let me ask, what makes you think you belong in Sandton and I don’t? You can afford it, so can I…Why should I continue to stay in a 40 SQM 4-roomed house with an outside toilet and an asbestos roof in Soweto when I can build a mansion in my 1-acre plot in Little Falls or Blair Athol. Bearing in mind my grandparents ended up in townships because they were forcibly moved, during apartheid…. by your grandparents. You say people of colour don’t belong in Camps Bay, because you are obtuse and ignorant to know who the initial inhabitants were and how they lost their land. Don’t even get me started on the history of District 6….You say my kids don’t belong in that private school? You can afford your kids top quality education, so can I. Why must they continue with Bantu Education in the townships? Bearing in mind your forefathers introduced that abysmal system.
My Humble Opinion: You say I don’t belong here………… do you? Know your history and check yourself.
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”
Martin Luther King
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