Mzansi lives also matter

Dirk Lotriet

Iwish the world was a different place, but it’s still a heartless dump, as was proved by the recent death of George Floyd at the hands of brutal Minneapolis police officers.

I don’t know if racism played a role – future court cases will undoubtedly inform us – but the worldwide protests by the Black Lives Matter movement has showed that racism and police brutality is undoubtedly as big a problem as in any other era.

Which is exactly why I give my unqualified support to the movement. Black lives do matter. As do white or Asian lives. And the lives of women and children and people who can’t fend for themselves.

Despite the lovely Snapdragon’s protests, even I matter and I will fight for every person on this planet’s right to respect.

Even the idiots matter, which is lucky, because we have an abundance of idiots in South Africa, where things don’t work like they do in the US.

George Floyd was suspected of buying cigarettes with a counterfeit $20 note. The American law enforcers frown upon the use of fake money, unlike here, where buying cigarettes is the mortal sin.

When I visited my local Bangladeshi store last week in search of… uhm… let’s say chocolate bars, a worker told me police raid their shop daily in search of cigarettes. If they find anything, they confiscate the ciggies and demand bribe money.

These are difficult times. Bheki should list smokes prices at all the police stations so that us smokers can know where we can get the best deal.

You can’t fault the Minneapolis authorities’ immediate response. The four officers involved have been fired and criminally prosecuted.

In South Africa, on the other hand, the family of Collins Khosa, who was allegedly tortured and killed in Alexandra for drinking beer in his own yard, had to go to court to have the officers who were present suspended.

Khosa’s death is not an isolated incident. Civilians have been shot, bullied and assaulted countrywide in the name of lockdown.

Judge Hans Fabricius slammed the ministers of defence and of police, but Uncle Cyril has been mum in public addresses.

It’s high time the people of South Africa remind government that Mzansi lives matter too.