Burning of effigies will not stop us

The chances of South Africans achieving a Utopian racial harmony after centuries of racebased prejudice are nearimpossible.

To our credit, the nation has pulled off a feat rarely seen in world history when, out of the divisions and injustices of our past, we somehow pulled ourselves back from the precipice and fashioned out a semblance of nationhood of which we can be largely proud.

It has been a ride as bumpy as any. Mostly smooth, with the occasional jolt from a nasty crater on the surface of the road to bring some unpleasant realities home, the journey will not be complete without genuine transformation.

A case in point was the hanging in public last week of an effigy of Panyaza Lesufi, the hard-working Gauteng MEC of education, for daring to open public schools to all.

His was a natural step expected to be taken by a government entrusted with undoing the legacy of apartheid – a little word invented by the architect for a system universally condemned as a crime against humanity.

We all know that at the very heart of that evil system was the denial of opportunities to the black child, while ensuring on the other hand an almost nauseating abundance for those the system was meant to serve.

The overriding consideration behind South Africa’s transition from apartheid was the need for peace, hence the reconciliatory stance taken by the new political elite – but exclusion of the majority will threaten that peace eventually.

For peace’s sake, some aspects of our lives were left largely undisturbed, as one section of the populace was cleansed of the foul stink of apartheid without forsaking that which made the system what it was – exclusion of black Africans.

It has persisted on many levels, and with it, fortunately, is the reawakening of consciousness among those previously – and presently – discriminated against, that the monster was perhaps not slain, but had been in deep sleep.

Slay it, we say. That is why we stand fully behind efforts such as Lesufi’s in every sphere – land restitution included – if we are to see South Africa reach the full potential it has always held in promise for her people.

Throw the book at those like the shameless lynch-mob that hanged the effigy, and let them know that the people will not be cowed.