Spirit of ubuntu has diminished significantly in this democracy which once was a beacon of hope

Barack Obama’s victory in the 2008 American presidential elections engendered thoughts of a post-racial America among quite a number of Americans. When SA attained its independence in 1994, there was a general sense of euphoria as winds of positivity wafted across the country. The venerable teary Bishop Desmond Tutu aptly dubbed the country ‘the rainbow nation’. None could fault him for that.

We were as a country on cloud nine and truly believed we were reconciled. After all, did we not have our beloved former president Nelson Mandela championing reconciliation?

Most can recall how he went to visit ou tannie Betsie Verwoerd, the widow of the late apartheid architect and leader Hendrik Verwoerd. Madiba even invited his former prosecutor in the famous Rivonia trial, Percy Yutar, for tea.

Few can forget how united we were during the 1995 Rugby World Cup where Joel Stransky with his dropgoal and the resistance of the Boks to the New Zealand juggernaut won us victory.

The same unity was displayed in 1996 when Bafana Bafana defeated Tunisia to win the African Cup of Nations. Ditto in 2010 as we hosted the Soccer World Cup. South Africans of all races sat side by side in the country’s stadia, sang and cheered their teams.

For a moment we forgot we were black, white, coloured or Indian. We were just South Africans. Had we not consigned apartheid and the concomitant differences it had caused to the dustbin of history? It could be that we were rather over-optimistic to imagine that the deep-seated differences and prejudices among us would simply vanish. Several racially motivated incidences woke us up to the fact that racism was not gone. We had been naïve and we needed to be jolted to the reality we were still in SA not Utopia.

Reports started coming of black people – men in particular – being fed to lions as in the case of Mark Scott-Crossley (who I understand may have been granted parole).

Young boys died after caught stealing sunflowers and some are almost buried alive as their captors shove them in coffins. Since in the majority of these incidents the perpetrators were white and the victims were black. There was the sense in which some felt that the former were doing what they were used to. Old habits die hard. Right?

Not very many people would have expected that racism can emanate from our coloured brothers and sisters. Were we not in the trenches together during the dark days of apartheid fighting for a free, non-racial, non-sexist and democratic country?

Most of our coloured brothers and sisters have lost their lives in the fight for freedom as did their black, Indian and white counterparts. Still, some of our coloured brothers and sisters are serving with distinction in various capacities in the current national government.

In the light of the foregoing, one finds it disturbing to learn about reports that coloured residents in Klipspruit, Gauteng, are protesting the appointment of a black principal for a school in their area. One resident was shown on television news pinning the blame on the SA Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu), which he claimed had vowed to fill all posts with their own members. The said organisation has a number of coloured educators in its membership as far as this writer is concerned. What the resident intimated was that Sadtu was more concerned with helping its own ‘black’ members in posts they did not ‘deserve’.

The line of reasoning he seemed to follow was that since the area was a coloured residential area, only coloureds should be employed. The attitude of the resident is typical of the racial categories that were spawned by the erstwhile apartheid system. It is sad that we still have it in a democracy.

It is an open secret that most black learners are leaving township schools for a variety of reasons to go and study (for those from well-to-do families) in former Model C schools.

Others are to be found in schools that are situated in coloured areas. Some township schools, as a result of this exodus of learners to ‘better’ schools, have had dwindling numbers, resulting in others shutting down and learners and teachers sent to other schools.

There are a number of coloured and Indian educators in many townships schools who are doing a sterling job. Newell High in PE, my hometown, is led by an Indian man as a principal. Nombulelo High in Grahamstown, my alma mater, is led by a white lady principal. Township parents have never made a song and dance about this. At the last school I served, KwaMagxaki High in PE, we had two coloured educators who are still part of the staff establishment of the school.

There was nothing untoward about this as they did and I hope still do their work to the best of their ability. Imagine for a moment if township parents were to say that they demand only black teachers for township schools.

Would that not be perceived as patently racist and utterly unacceptable? Why should it be right when it is done by coloured parents? Is not the country supposed to be for all who live in it: black, white, coloured and Indian?

I thought that the days of ‘own affairs’ were gone with apartheid. The incidents by coloured parents at Klipspruit should be vehemently condemned. They do not represent, I dare suggest, the views of the majority of coloured parents.

It is heartening to note that the Gauteng education MEC Panyaza Lesufi swiftly intervened to calm the situation. His stance in insisting the principal remain and not pandering to the whims of the parents is commendable.

I hope that how he deals with this problem will inspire other MECs in other provinces to act harshly with manifestations of racism. Kudos to him for displaying good leadership and wisdom sorely needed in our country.

Lolonga Tali lives in King William’s Town and regularly contributes to Daily Dispatch