SA unity still elusive
Twenty years into democracy there are two economies, writes Thabane Khumalo
of black South Africa is conditional on the success of white South Africa, and that the success of white South Africa is conditional on the success of black South Africa.”
Although “confronting the past makes for emotive dialogue which often ends up in tears, but national unity and reconciliation demands of all of us a higher level of maturity and mutual trust”.
The question is how far have we moved towards the creation of a peaceful, non-racial and united society?
The pursuit of unity in diversity and national unity were at the core of the ANC agenda throughout the struggle, but the apartheid machinery brainwashed the majority of whites into believing that mass driven struggle was not concerned with the welfare of the nation and its prosperity.
It took the leadership of Mandela during the democratic talks and in the aftermath of the assassination of Chris Hani to calm the seething anger of Africans and placate primary fears of whites.
The country took notice of the commitment and capacity of the ANC and president Nelson Mandela to place peace and restraint above retribution.
When the the interim constitution was adopted by the country’s political parties, Mandela was entrusted with the immense burden and responsibility of uniting a glaringly divided nation.
“Mandela was courageous in setting up the structures to support democracy at the same time that he went about addressing the horror of the past through the truth and reconciliation process.”
Since Mandela’s death on December 5, South Africans of all hues, including minorities and businesses proudly proclaimed to be a rainbow nation behind Mandela’s vision, whereas the reality is that we remain deeply divided along racial lines.
The fact of the matter is that very little has been done by the country’s minorities and business sectors to promote reconciliation both in the workplace and at community levels.
Rainbow
The creation of a rainbow nation is something that still eludes South Africans, even almost 20 years after the April 27, 1994 political miracle.
Despite increasing contact between members of black and white South Africans in business, in workplaces and other contact points, both groups revert to their traditional social circles where their conversations, concerns, views and aspirations remain as different from each other as they were during the apartheid era.
South Africans still hold diametrically opposed views on reconciliation and national unity. Almost 20 years of democracy, the country’s citizens should be celebrating national events such as Freedom Day (April 27), Youth Day (June 16), National Women’s Day (August 9), Heritage Day (September 24) and Reconciliation Day (December 16) together to celebrate Mandela’s legacy.
However, minorities do not seem interested in mixing with the masses yet they claim to have heeded Madiba’s call for unity in diversity.
Minorities are not concerned about national unity but simply abusing Mandela’s iconic status to pursue their narrow interests.
The government’s efforts of reconciliation, national unity, non-racism and cohesion are yet to enjoy an overwhelming support of business and minorities. The latter still perceive the Mandela-led reconciliation agenda to simply mean “forgiving and forgetting” all the historical injustices.
When the subject of the means to deliver an effective reconciliation agenda arises, minorities who are inspired by the need to protect their historical status will accuse the majority of “reverse discrimination”. Any attempts to build a unified nation would need to be preceded by a fundamental change in the psyche of both sides of the national divide.
For the much-vaunted “South African miracle” to be fully realised, transformation and empowerment need to be the prime requisite for taking Mandela’s reconciliation and national unity vision into fruition. It was therefore not enough for business to go on an advertising spending spree in the media appreciating what Madiba did for our young democracy without supporting his vision.
Business should be responding to workers’ demand for better workplace conditions and wages; community concerns over jobs, education, health care, safety and sustainable environment, and partnering government in the provision of basic services that are accessible, affordable and sustainable.
White South Africans, particularly those in control of the means of production, assets, experience, opportunities and other resources must willingly share the gains of their advantages in order to address the deep-rooted realities of the country’s two economies, and to create a common ground between African collectivism and Western individualism.
The series of community and labour protests that have become a culture within our society, and an accelerated call by the masses for economic freedom have a potential to reverse the political miracle achieved in the past 20 years of democracy.
“The real threat to the stability of the country would be failure to address the fears and aspirations of the majority and not those of a minority,” warned ANC stalwart Harry Gwala.
Haunt
The depravity of apartheid will still haunt us for many years to come, hence transformation, reconciliation and national unity remain the most contentious national issues that South Africans have an obligation to evaluate and reflect on honestly and constantly.
Former US president John F Kennedy once said, “If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich”. Therefore the black and white, poor and rich, rural and urban questions need to be continuously examined to ensure that the muchvaunted Mandela rainbow nation is fully realised, and to fulfil the promise we make when we sing the national anthem, “united we shall stand”.
Khumalo is a political and communication strategist with the Durban-based Think Tank Marketing Services. He writes in his personal capacity.