Freedom should really mean more

THERE have been a number of racially motivated incidents recently that have raised temperatures and hardened attitudes between black and white people. Access to media platforms has quickly turned many people into armchair activists and as soon as the next political or celebrity scandal pops up, they quickly move on to the next topic of discussion.

The question is, why is racism still pervasive in our society? The answer lies in the perpetuation of economic inequality. Black people remain economically poor and inferior in social standing. No matter the class within a group.

Until we are economically free, we can’t determine our own rules and social standards. Our world will always be seen in the prism of those who dominate us economically.

What is the meaning of this democracy and freedom to an ordinary black person? Winnie Mandela once said: “We are free to roam the streets.”

The freedom she fought for ought to have meant more than that. And for as long we exist in the margins of the economy, nobody will ever accord us respect. If the economic question is not expeditiously addressed, we will remain slaves with suffrage.

We will never see the end of the Pretoria High School for Girls controversies.

The hair texture of victims will always be the same, and so will that of the perpetrators. Sfiso Memela