Posts Tagged ‘South Africa’
Continuation…read part 1 here
3. Why I believe the term was racist:
The fighting in Grabouw was between black people and coloured people. The DA says it is caused by too many people moving from the Eastern Cape and using up the resources of the Western Capers…now which people do you think those are? I’m pretty sure she wasn’t talking about white people. Because let’s face it, when white people move to the western cape, they generally move into the suburbs where schools are not overcrowded, and no one is going to accuse them of using up western cape’s resources.
When black people move to the WC they move into the already overcrowded townships, and their kids enroll in the already overcrowded schools, which is why people were fighting for lack of service delivery. Cape Town is flippin expensive to live in, and the average South African person cannot afford to live in the surburbs.
4. Why I’m angry with white people:
“I don’t see why it’s a racist remark” “I don’t see why black people are offended by it” “Cape Town is not racist, Cape Town is a city – a city can’t be racist, people are racist”
Of course you don’t understand why a black person would be offended because YOU ARE NOT BLACK! Go live in a country that restricts your movements to only certain places because of your race then come and tell me you are ok with the new “democratic” government doing the same thing. For years, black people were told where they can and can’t go and where they can and can’t live, and now that we live in a new democratic country we are still being told to stay in our designated province? And y’all don’t see a problem with that. Ok.
A city is not a city without the people in it. If the majority of people in the city are racist, then I deem that city to be racist. Also, I believe the City of Cape Town enables racism. When the majority of white people live in comfy houses in the surburbs and the majority of black people live in overcrowded squalor in the townships, I deem that city to be racist. When the lovely surburbs get better service delivery than the poor people, I deem that city to be racist.
I should also add, I think most racist Cape Tonians aren’t intentionally racist. They honestly don’t realise that they things they say/do are offensive to black people. So we tend to cut them some slack…but then when does it end?
In conclusion: No one, not even people in the Eastern Cape – not one South African citizen that I know of, disagrees that the Eastern Cape education system is in disarray and something needs to be done about it. The province is known for it’s corruption, and the government can’t afford to sit back and do nothing about it. However, pretending Cape Town is a republic unto it’s own, and telling Eastern Cape people to stay where they belong, is wrong…it is definitely not the solution.
And to be honest, if the DA had just apologised for the use of the word, or better yet, thought about the implicatiions of using that word and selected a different word to use, they would have had a lot more support for their cause, but they didn’t. They just tried to justify it.
As the twitter famous Khaya Dlanga said, Helen Zille (and I would add the rest of the DA, and those unintentionally racist Cape Tonians I was talking about), aren’t necessarily racist, they are just really insensitive towards black people.
- In: thoughts
- 2 Comments
This comment on yesterday’s post was long enough to be a post on it’s own, as was the response to the comment. So decided to make it an actual post.
And thanks, Sterrekind, for the comment. Dialogue is always good, even when we disagree.
The comment:
“Hey, I have read a little bit about this now, because, as usual, I came in at the backside of the news…
I usually agree with your blog and we think the same a lot of the time. However, not this time, and that is why I feel the need to comment and voice my opinion, even if we disagree. Maybe we just misunderstand each other, but I feel the need to give my two cents.
As a white, South African woman, spending a bunch of time in the community, openly debating issues, defending people when others are being openly racist ect. I see my self a quite open-minded. But this time I am on the “white” side of things. Firstly, I think the race-card is just being over-played. Why do people not debate the issue, debate why using the term “refugee” is wrong, but immediately call race? Only when it is said by a white politician. But when the ANC retaliates by saying the DA is a “white, racist party” or that the DA uses blacks as “window dressing” (both statements from the Jackson Mthembu, spokesperson of the ANC, no-one claims their statements as racist.
History shows that black politicians can say pretty much what they want, but when Zille makes a comment about a term that is inherently non-racial, everyone is up in arms. Basically, the eastern cape has crap services and people come to the western cape to get those services. What on earth is wrong with saying that? Zille has proven herself time and again as being a strong leader who works hard to make a positive change in the western cape, and now people crucify her for making this statement, which was pulled entirely out of context. Frankly, I am tired of racial debates, tired of people blame-shifting, finger-pointing and voicing one-sided opinions only when they benefit. Not saying this blog, talking about politicians and the media.
I was at the Cape Town carnival on saturday and it was amazing to see the integration of different races and cultures. There were very little white people in the carnival, but that’s fine, as we are the minority. I don’t see anyone pointing out racism there. It was great to see how we can work together to celebrate our different heritages, learn by seeing each others dances, clothes, languages, music ect. I really was so proud.
I feel we should celebrate what we have, rather than reverting to name-calling and finger-pointing in every situation. This whole drama has lead to articles in international news like this one:http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/23/world/africa/in-cape-town-many-black-south-africans-feel-unwelcome.html?_r=3&pagewanted=all
The article is biased, only quotes one-sided sources and is being sensationalistic. Often issues that are to do with education, community development, financial inequality ect immediately get turned into race. Somewhere we have to look to the future and start to change things, not go back and keep looking for excuses why things don’t get better.
Turned into a long comment, but hey, that’s my opinion.”
The response:
I have never claimed that the remarks the ANC makes aren’t racist. In fact, most of the time they are FULLY racist…and, unlike Zille’s faux pas, intentionally so.
I did not disagree with the Zille’s message. The Eastern Cape is in disarray, and something needs to be done about it. I, however, am offended by the use of the term “refugee”…educational or otherwise.
Here’s the thing: Zille is seeking black votes…that’s not a secret. South Africa is still a black majority country, and in order for her to get the power/resources/whatever to make the changes she wants to make in this country, she’s gonna need black people to vote for her. The ANC has the black vote. The race thing is their “Ace of Spades”…their trump card. They will always use the race card where they think it benefits them. Zille keeps giving them ammo to use against her in that regard.
Black people say they’re offended by a term – not her message, just the term – and instead of her apologizing for the offence she takes to twitter and blogs and such to defend the use of the term…(the second part of the post goes up next tuesday and speaks more on this.)
And about that article you linked: I’m pretty sure most black people would agree that they see cape town as a “white” province and the DA a “white” party – not saying they’re right, but that is how they perceive it. And as much as apartheid is over, the effects are still very visible, and we cannot run away from that. The economic divide in SA is a direct result of apartheid, and until the divide is eradicated, unfortunately it will always be tied back to race
Having said all this: I am not a member of the ANC, never been a member of any political party…I try to vote on merit and the issues at hand (service delivery, etc) as much as possible, so I am not justifying the ANC’s racist remarks, I am simply saying that I, as an individual, am offended by being called a refugee. And I am also offended when, instead of being asked how I feel or why I feel that way, I am told that I shouldn’t feel a certain way and am told how I should feel instead.
And now I’m even more offended by Zille implying that by being offended by the term refugee I am xenophobic.
- In: thoughts
- 3 Comments
This blog was supposed to be about my Christian journey. But recently, it has started to become about my journey into what is referred to on twitter as “bad blacks.” Yea, I was fully against that term as well when I first read it…and I still think it’s a bad term, but the more I move to that side of South African twitterville, the more I find myself identifying myself with it.
What is a bad black? you ask. From what I’ve read (and I could be wrong on this), a bad black is a black South African who lives in the surburbs, got a good (private/model-c school) education, most often than not speaks with a twang, but is still more likely to vote ANC than the DA, and will call Helen Zille racist and be offended by terms such as “Professional Black” and “Refugees” and add to the CapeTownIsRacist twitter hashtag.
The reason I decided to write this post is because I found myself infuriated by the majority of white people in Cape Town this past week. A whole lot of them were saying that Black people are overeacting with this refugees thing. They justified the use of term. They defended Zille’s use of the term. They said that they don’t see why that term is racist. And they felt that the outcry over the use of term was just taking the attention off the real problem – ie the education system in the ANC-run Eastern Cape.
I am not from the Eastern Cape, but I was offended by the term. Let me tell you why:
1. The use of the word refugee:
Some definitions from the web: a. “A person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster.” b. “One who flees in search of refuge, as in times of war, political oppression, or religious persecution.”
White people across twitterville said that Zille was using the second definition, and that makes it ok. No it doesn’t. As a South African citizen I have the right to live anywhere in South Africa without having my reasons questioned. There is a huge difference between relocating, and fleeing. Last I checked, the Western Cape, while run by DA, is still part of the Republic of South Africa, and any South African citizen had the right to move for whatever reason they see fit.
Are black people who leave Cape Town to move to Joburg to find jobs also refugees? Cos I know a lot of them. They moved, not because they didn’t like Cape Town, but because they couldn’t find work in Cape Town. Joburg isn’t crying foul and calling them refugees. Why? Because they have a constitutional right to do so.
2. Context of the use of the term:
As I mentioned, a lot of white people felt the outcry was diverting attention from the Eastern Cape’s educational system. A lot of black people, however, felt that the term had been used to divert attention from what was happening in Grabouw. People take to the streets because of lack of service delivery, and the DA claims that it’s because people moved there from the Eastern Cape…really???
So, this post is becoming a little too long, so I’ve decided to make it a 2-part-post.
Let’s fight racism…
Posted on: January 25, 2012
- In: thoughts
- 4 Comments
…by focusing on race.
I can’t speak for everyone of course, but I think that’s my issue with the DASO poster below. Ok, there’s also the fact that they are unnecessarily naked, but…yea.
There was once this TV ad for that train – think it’s called shosholoza meyl – and it had this black chick and this white guy and they met on the train and by the end of the train ride they were…uhm…a little too familiar, if you catch my drift. That ad, in my opinion, said what this poster was trying to say, without actually saying so. It sent the same message without having to say it, and without having the focus be on race. Yes, they were of different racial backgrounds, and yes I noticed the interracial-ness, but that wasn’t the focus. Of course they weren’t advertising interracial dating but a train, so it was a different situation. (wait, am i saying the DA is advertising interracial dating?)
Focusing on someone race can never stamp out racism, I think. At the end of the day, because the poster is ABOUT race, whe you look at the poster you see a BLACK girl and a WHITE guy, not just a couple.
I don’t know how they could have made it better – I’m not in advertising, I’m not a graphic designer – just sharing what I felt/saw concerning the poster.
in our future, interracial dating will be ok.
wounds that will not heal
words that scratch at the scab
hurt that refused to forgive
pain that will not dull away
unity – forever broken?
reconciliation – is it possible?
forgiveness – can you ever forget?
love – does it really win?
can the past be forgiven?
will the past be forgotten?
are we bound to repeat it?
are we bound to re-live it?
as we build higher walls
as we erect stronger fortresses
the love that might have been
gets locked outside
i crave freedom
i crave unity
i crave security
i crave His love
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Malema sings “kill the boer”…Hofmeyr sings a song with the word “kaffir”…my heart continues to break for my country.
30 bloggers, 30 days
Posted on: September 1, 2010
i live in africa.
i live in south africa, which is a thrid world/developing country. [not really sure what that means to be honest with you]
i live in stellenbosch, a quiant little student town – beautiful scenery, beautiful wine farms. i live in a nice, comfortable flat with indoor plumbing – shower, bath, flushable loo, bathroom sinks, kitchen sinks, etc. i have water available to me 24/7. i can walk out my flat and down the stairs and at the bottom is a little corner shop where i can buy bottled water. i usually prefer coke, or coffee, or tea – but when i’m feeling dehydrated, i’ll have a bottle of “vitamin water”.
i grew up in a township. there was no indoor plumbing. however there is water on the premises. there is a tap in the backyard where you can always get water. though water was not as accessible, it wasn’t really that bad. waking up in the middle of the night to go to the outhouse was not great – especially in winter – but clean drinkable water was always accessible so it wasn’t all that bad.
my mom grew up in “the rural areas” – way outside of town in the middle of nowhere. there was no indoor plumbing, there was no outdoor plumbing. to get water, you had to walk out of the little village to the dam just outside the village boundaries. i remember visiting there during the holidays when i was a kid. it was actually kinda fun for me cos it was something different. my cousins who lived there didn’t think it was fun so much…that was their lives! they had to make the daily trek to go fetch water for survival.
but, at least there was water…clean, drinkable water. not everyone is as fortunate as that.
A bunch of bloggers i follow have joined together with other bloggers in a campaign called 30 Bloggers, 30 Days, $30,000. The goal is to raise $30,000 in 30 days.
The best part about this campaign is that all money donated will reach a specific group of needy people.
Here’s where this money will go:
- Our goal is $30,000. This provides clean water to 1,500 people (300 families, 6 entire communities).
- 100% of the money donated goes towards water projects. Private donors take care of all the overhead.
- $20 provides 1 person clean water for 20 years.
- Our money will go towards building water projects in Central African Republic.
- If you give, charity: water will keep you up-to-date with the status of your project, provide you with GPS coordinates of exactly where the well you contributed to is being built, and take pictures and video along the way.
So, how can you help?
- GIVE. $20 provides clean water for one person for 20 years! Go to the 30 Bloggers, 30 Days, $30,000 site and make a donation.
- SHARE about it on Facebook and Twitter. Follow @charitywater here.
- Blog about it.30 bloggers is simply a starting point. We would love to have more people join in and help spread the word!
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some of those bloggers are:
Bryan Allain
Matt Appling
Jason Boyett
Billy Coffey
Tripp Crosby
Wes Molebash
Katdish
Tyler Stanton
Goodbye Phillip
Posted on: July 14, 2010
- In: my life | thoughts
- Leave a Comment
For a month, Phillip, you held the world captive. You got new fans, you lost some old fans, you raised hope in some countries, you broke some hearts – mine included. And now it’s time for you to leave. It’s been good Phil, it’s been great having you in my backyard. Farewell, dear Phillip.
highlights
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1. South Africa, I adore you. Thank you for putting on the best world cup ever. So much pride and happiness right now. The way the whole country just came together, the unity, the gees, all of it. Thank you for putting on the smiles and being gracious hosts to the world – even the Uruguay team.
2. Bafana Bafana, it would be physically, psychologically, and emotionally impossible for me to be any prouder of you than I am right now. I must admit, I had 0 belief in you at the start of the world cup. I was willing to support you because I love you, but I thought hoping for a win would be just letting myself in for a disappointment…and how wrong I was. I’ve never been prouder to be a Bafana supporter. I’ve never been prouder to wear a South African supporter jersey. You may not have won the world cup, but you won my heart. You played with heart. You played with passion. You played with skill. You played like Africans! I thank you!!! My dad says you just maybe the best football (notice i said football not soccer – there’s a difference) team South Africa has ever produced. I might agree. Yes you didn’t score many goals, and yes there’s still a long way to go…but you showed passion and skill and played football.
3. Ghana – thanks for representing Africa in the top 16. I’m sure you made your country proud. But you also made a continent proud. I watched a bunch of South Africans screaming for you, chanting your name, dressed in your colours, and finally cry at the injustice at the end of your match. Bafana united a country. Ghana united a continent. Thank you.
lowlights
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1. Fifa:
a. teach your referees and lines-men the rules of football. seriously, that was embarrassing. there were times when it seemed like i could have done a better job at refereeing. also, i’ve always defended the “referee has the final say” rule, but sometimes the referee’s calls (or lack thereof) were kinda idiotic, and i think some of those rules need to be looked at again.
b. i hate how you’ve taken the love of football out of the equation and replaced it with money. i hate that people no longer play in the world cup for the love of football and to represent their country, but rather to make money. i hate that people have decided that using your hand to ruin the entire freakin world cup (yes suarez i’m talking about you) is ok because they get more money if their country wins. how could you possibly be proud of winning the world cup if you win because of you blatantly cheated? i really don’t understand how you could rejoice because you just got kicked out of a match for cheating. is that how you represent your country? “Uruguay-ans will do anything to win, even cheat if their skills aren’t good enough” – is that what you want your country to be known for?
2. all those people who got on other people’s cases because they don’t get it. i’m so tired of hearing people critisizing other people’s passion for football – “it’s just a game. get over it”…well, it may be just a game for you, it means more to me, so back off. you have your thing, i have mine…you don’t have to like it – i can’t make you love football, i can’t make you get it (and i don’t think i’d want to) – but just because you don’t doesn’t give you a license to critisize and judge those who do. and all those christians going on about how other christians are worshipping soccer and not God also need to back off. my passion for soccer doesn’t take away from my relationship with God. your getting on my case about it however, might. i’m not worshipping the soccer. i’m not worshipping the players. i love love love the passion in the soccer players. i love love love when someone loves what they do so much that they spend their time practicing and honing their skills – seeking perfection – and then displaying it and sharing it with the world. it’s the same love i have for passionate musician, and passionate artists, and passionate programmers, and passionate accountants, and passionate car guards, and that one dude at kfc, etc. so please don’t judge me for loving football.
other thoughts:
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1. so very bummed about Brazil. you have no idea just how much.
2. so very bummed about Maradona leaving his Argentina coaching job. i loved watching that man at the matches.
3. my heart broke when i heard about the dude who’d committed suicide after brazil’s loss. hectic. Lord, i’m so glad that my hope is in you. please remind me daily about what’s really important. and please be with the dude’s family.
I felt it, it is gone! (sadness)
Hottest day of the summer
Posted on: July 13, 2010
- In: blog carnival | my life | thoughts
- 6 Comments
thinking about summer reminded me of my family’s big move in 1995. as you know, summer in the northern hamisphere is winter in the southern hemisphere. in august of 1995, while it was still winter in south africa, we got on a plane and headed to the US. we boarded the plane wearing jeans and turtle necks and huge winter jackets and doc martens on our feet. we had a couple hours lay over in hong kong where we had planned to find a place to take a shower and get refreshed, so we carried an extra set of clothing to change into then, but that didn’t happen.
none of us (me, my younger sister, or my mom) had never come across chinese food before…ever! so on the plane we were served strange food with strange taste and strange smells. and our stomachs couldn’t handle it – especially my mom, who was 8 months pregnant at the time. so we flew from south africa to hong kong with no food and upset stomachs. as soon as we got to the hong kong airport we went on a mission to find a restaurant we recognised, that served food we knew. we finally ran into a mcdonalds and we gobbled that down. but the time it took to search for the restaurant and eat and stock up for the next plane ride took up our lay over so we didn’t have time to go refresh…
we got back on the plane – our next stop: los angeles. it was hot. not unbearably so, but hot. my dad was at the airport already waiting for us, and we hadn’t seen him in a while so the heat and all of that took a back seat. anyway after the “hellos” and “how has your trip been so far” and “wow hong kong is weird”, we got back on the plane and headed for nevada.
we stepped out into the reno airport – in america – to a group of complete strangers we didn’t know, holding up a welcome sign in my home language – tswana. so super surreal. apparently they had asked my dad how you say “welcome to america” in tswana, but he didn’t know what they were planning. so our little welcome party at the airport was a complete surprise – and a beautiful one at that.
anyway, we soon found out that our luggage hadn’t made it to the US with us…and as we walked out of the airport we were greeted by a heat wave – 105*F, hottest day of the summer so far – coming from the cold south african winter, dressed in our cold-winter clothes.
and that was our welcome to the Nevadan summer…unforgettable.
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This post is part of the One Word at a time blog carnival. Check out more posts on the theme of “Summer” here.
world cup fever…it is here!
Posted on: June 30, 2010
- In: my life | thoughts
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so south africa, my beloved country, is hosting the fifa world cup this year…and obviously i had to see some of the games live! i’ve seen two so far.
the first one was Portugal’s 7 – 0 victory over the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (aka North Korea). man that was a thrashing. and it was so good to get to see it. i bought tickets for me and my brother, because as i said before, he is a huge Christiano Ronaldo fan.
the second one was Cameroon and Netherlands. this one was actually a gift from a friend. he was supposed to go with another friend but the friend pulled out so he offered me the ticket! my friends are such awesome people. oh Samuel Eto’o, you are beautiful. that penalty you scores…even though you guys lost, i’m glad i got to see you play.
also Cameroon’s jersey no. 2…cuteness! (or maybe it’s just the hair) and a pretty good defender as well.
my only regret of the world cup is that i didn’t get to see bafana or brazil play live – they being the top two teams in my heart. i really didn’t think i’d enjoy going to the games, hence i only bought tickets to the Portugal one for my brother, but being there in that atmosphere surrounded by fellow football lovers…magical! must say though, going to fan parks or even to a local bar to watch with other people also brings the vibe…and it’s just so much better than watching alone in your room.
i’m saving up for the world cup in 2014…it’s in Brazil – which just brings a smile on my face. in that one i’m definitely seeing both bafana and brazil, no matter what!
FIFA World Cup 2010…Feel it, It Is Here!
=========================
while we are on the subject of the world cup i’m gonna take a few minutes to address something. going in the opposite direction from the first part of this post, this part is a bit of a rant: while South Africa was getting beaten by Uruguay in their second match, a bunch of people left the stadium…before the match ended. a whole load of people critisized those people who left and called them unpatriotic and stuff. why? because we are the hosting country and even if our team loses we should just grin and bear it and be good hosts to the other nations…especially if they are on the field playing their hearts out for their own country.
i get that! i really do! and i apologize to Uruguay on behalf of those people who left the stadium.
however, to those people who were crying foul i’d just like to say, i really doubt those people who left the stadium did it to offend Uruguay. i really doubt their intentions were meant to be unpatriotic…infact, i would go as far as to say they were indeed patriotic. if i had been in that stadium i would have probably left as well…not because i was grumpy or sulking or whatever, but because at that moment when i realised that we were going to lose, my heart was broken to the point where nothing else mattered. i forgot about the people around me. i forgot to be all nice and christian and i was practically swearing at the referee…had he been in front of me at that moment…well, i won’t go there. at that moment nothing mattered in the world, including the hosting of the world cup. the only thing i knew is MY TEAM was losing…and losing unfairly. i wanted to be alone. i wanted to cry alone. i didn’t want people around me trying to console me. i wanted the world cup to end and everyone else to go back to their countries so that South Africa can weep in peace.
my heart was broken beyond caring – selfish maybe, but when you are in that much pain it happens. my brother, sister, mom and dad knew better than to try and talk to me about the game at that moment…nothing good was gonna come out of my mouth. so we talked about the weather or some other trivial thing or watched tv…
the next day i woke up, sun shining, birds singing, and all was right with the world again – not really, but you get the point. i had had my night of mourning, and i was ready to join the rest of the country in celebrating the hosting of the world cup again…amd i was then able to appreciate how well my boys had played the night before. yes, there were some ref’ing mistakes, and yes we couldn’t get any goals…but they tried, they played with heart, and i’m so very proud of them.
now, i’m not saying that the people were right in leaving the stadium – i’m not excusing their actions. i’m simply trying to give an explanation as to why it might have happened. just trying to put myself in someone else’s shoes before judging their actions.
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[disclaimer, before i get stoned for being sexist or something. i know there are girls who like/love soccer. i know there are girls who actually watch the world cup for the soccer and not for the guys. i know this because, despite the following post, i am one of those girls. i was born into a household that watched every sporting event they could find on tv. i spend most of my saturday afternoons at soccer matches every weekend. i have been supporting the same local team (kaizer chiefs) since before i could write my own name. soccer is beautiful...cute guys or not!]
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the first world cup i watched was the 1994 world cup…actually, i didn’t really watch it. my dad had video taped some of the games (good old vcr’s) and so i watched the ones he had taped. i think it was just the semis and the finals.
check out those dreads....*sigh*
the second world cup i watched was in 2002…i think i just totally missed the 1998 one. anyway, this time two boys caught my attention. the first was christiano ronaldo of portugal. honestly, ronaldo only caught my eye because he was a good player. he was quite fast and he could score. after the world cup though every girl and their mother was talking about how cute he was and suddenly every girl had a crush on him. which was totally fine with me because it left me to have the new love of my life all to myself. my brother developed a man crush on ronaldo which he still has to this day. ha!
Love of my life
i guess this year i’ll have to find a new love of my life to watch internationally. locally though, there’s always Itumeleng Khune. 
