Bantu Mniki Frankly speaking We must train our young people to think differently

The shocking death of more than 20 minors at a tavern in East London is one of those moments that require national mourning.

If we were given to omens, we would say, this is a very bad omen.

To lose so many young people in one incident, under unclear conditions, during Youth Month could not be more tragic.

Not only are we failing to engage our youth in productive pursuits, but we seem to have graduated to gathering them in places of death.

Maybe I am a bit melodramatic here. However, the contrast between raising children to become future contributors to our society and allowing taverns to gather them to their death is too ghastly.

There are very few parents who will not be driven to ask many questions here.

“What were minors doing in a tavern in the first place?”

“Is entry into a tavern not illegal for youth younger than 18?”

“How were these kids allowed into the tavern?”

While some of these questions are yet to be answered, they are too late for the youth who died in Scenery Park.

They are too late for the trauma that has been inflicted on this society, for the umpteenth time.

Neither are the outstanding answers going to address the shock and trauma experienced by the families, the community, and SA at large.

The first indictment of our society is the horrible role of alcohol.

It is no secret that SA has a massive problem with drug and alcohol abuse.

This problem is experienced first and foremost among adults, who spend large sums of money on alcohol and drugs every weekend, holiday, or opportunity.

This alcohol abuse lifestyle is largely committed in full view of children, who often equate adulthood with the right to enjoy drugs and alcohol.

The idea of fun has morphed into any drug and alcohol fuelled social activity. This is a tragic situation on its own.

During the lockdown over the past two years, it became an impromptu public experiment to see what happens in our society in the absence of alcohol.

While some people died because they found an alternative in backyard homemade brews, there was no denying that assault, road accidents and murder were dramatically reduced.

As the alcohol ban was lifted so did the assaults, rapes, GBV, road accidents, murder ramp up to their “usual” levels.

It was almost as if South Africans were declaring, “We would rather die than not drink our favourite alcoholic beverages.”

So, no-one can claim ignorance about the role of drugs and alcohol or the associated lifestyle in our society.

In an almost textbook South African response to tragedy, politicians, religious ministers, and journalists flooded into East London to report and express condolences to the families.

All of this is a well-intentioned expression of support for the bereaved families, something I am also likely to do at the end of this piece.

Yet there is something unsettling in how we have almost settled into a rhythm of tragedy, a flood of politicians, condolences, pledges of support and or burials, and move on.

Perhaps there’s a private glass of whisky, brandy or whatever later.

Truly we seem to be at the mercy of runaway circumstances, directed by no-one, leading nowhere.

The smell of complete national despair is heavy in the air.

Perhaps it is in the futile attempt to keep complete despair at bay that we down multiple glasses of whisky, beer, or brandy, if not take drugs to numb the pain.

Instead, this attempt delivers another generation into the clutches of the long-standing dance between despair and substance abuse.

Clearly, we need a way out. We are locked into a reality that is spiralling into the abyss.

The democratic era has apparently not produced real freedom.

Instead, it has entrenched an even deeper prison, the prison of the mind that leads to selfdestruction.

Tragically none of the politicians have taken note of this.

The task of healing this nation has fallen into the gutter, like so many of our young.

Certainly, the way we think, perhaps under the encouragement of self-serving, bhut’madlisa political leaders has not produced exemplary models for our young.

Perhaps the real task is to intentionally train our young to think differently.

Instead of hero worshipping the class of 1976, we must inspire them to live straight and narrow so they can build something entirely new.

My sincere condolences to the families of the young people who perished needlessly over the weekend.

However, the tavern must be closed permanently.