Monday 8 September 2008

UBUNTU/BOTHO

We have lost our Africaness, we have lost respect for the elders, and I remember taking a late taxi from Thembisa to Pretoria one Saturday evening. The last two people to board were two teenagers around 18-19 years a boy and a girl. Initially the girl didn’t want to board the taxi but her boy friend convinced her to. Whilst they were in side the girl was crying non-stop until the Taxi driver had to intervene. The young boys response was what you would expect of today’s youth ”Tswa mo ho rona wena timer nako ya hao e fetele” (leave us alone old man you time has passed)

It is this kind of disrespect that I am referring to, even our politics are not immune to this. Former ANC youth leader Fikile Mbalule spoke like he was talking to a boy when he made his public utterances about a sitting President of the country. Immediately after Polokwane triumph he made one of those outrageous statements “Mbeki was put on power by us and it’s us who removed him” not only did this sound undiplomatically and stupid but disrespectful as well. What happened to winning gracefully? I thought winning was the ultimate goal for the Zuma Machine and they would start healing immediately… boy was I wrong. What was really disturbing was that the Origination’s elders kept quiet as if nothing happened.

Kgalema Motlanthe one of the few who still have their dignity intact after all this Mshiniwam era, did do anything as they were busy eyeing positions post Polokwane. Now the ANC ineptitude is haunting them. Motlanthe is the first victim of their quiet diplomacy on ANC youth league. Malema and his idiots came so hard on him that he had to run for cover. I wonder if we will ever hear him speak ill of the youth league again. Apparently Malema even refused to apologies that, they agreed to differ …what ever that means. Zuma is as quiet as a mouse, so much for a future leader of the country. South Africans like to talk non-sense… we talk ubuntu and the next thing we burn people alive, talk of reconciliation the next you hear “ Kill the boer kill the farmer”, Nafcoc in the Western cape has just sent warning letters to Somalia’s who want to do business in the townships letting them know that they are not welcome. Do we even know or understand what these terms that we use so loosely reconciliation, ubuntu, Africa renaissance means or they have become part of our rhetoric? If this is the African renaissance era we have been talking about Almighty helper us all.

4 comments:

Ridwan said...

Excellent post Muzi. I can relate to your position and have found myself wondering where all the respect has gone.

I find myself saying "we not like that" a lot these days.

Don't know, but it does seem that we were a lot kinder and humane not so long ago.

Thanks for writing brother.

Peace,
Ridwan

Muzi said...

Always great to hear your opinion Ridwan, I think we have lost the most simplest thing to keep in Ubuntu.lets hope anew wave of moral regeneration will yield results

Anonymous said...

Well said. I know this is a good 4 or what years after you posted this blog but it has become even more relevant as time has passed since then and now.

But as a white person I am however grateful that my people have been blessed by a spirit of ubuntu from our African brothers and sisters. Thank you African brothers and sisters...

Muzi said...

A lot has changed since 2008 but we are going round in cirlce. I can't say we are better off now