What happened at Chiawelo in Soweto on Tuesday, July 5, 2011, did not really come as a shock to me given the litany of thuggish behaviour that has been fostering around the country in recent times. What is important at the moment is to perhaps have a dialogue as a nation on the merits and the demerits; the genesis and the possible future outlook emanating from such happenings.
Out of the whole melee and criminal orgy carried out by those who are clearly hell bent on having a free ride in perpetuity, one element got me worried and wondering. An act that can only be associated with ultimate savagery that has never been seen in modern South Africa played itself out on national television.
As traumatised children and their parents emerged from one of the councillors’ houses that were under siege from the marauding mob, one of the women in the reckless crowd – if she still deserves to be called one – could be heard saying “asinandaba nabantwana”, loosely translated meaning, we don’t care about children.
I was initially at ease with the unfolding events from the beginning of the footage; there was no above-average reaction on my part nor any dramatic dropping of the jaw even when one member of the brainless mob leisurely took time to set alight the Toyota RunX parked in the councillor’s garage. I was almost expecting the worst.
But what that woman said as one of the children was being hoisted to safety after surviving a barrage of stones being pelted at the house and inhaling some of the smoke from the inferno, had me spilling my cheap coffee on my lap.
It was as if German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer was talking to himself when he said compassion is the basis of morality. The rude woman’s actions and words also flew past the face of what we grew up knowing. I suddenly had doubts about the community values that were instilled in many of us in relation to how any woman should treat children in her neighbourhood.
Whether it was misplaced adrenalin or pure thuggery, remains a mystery as I try to piece together the rationale of that woman’s behaviour. Her conduct left me with more questions than answers. Among some of the questions still lingering in my confused mind is whether she was aware of her actions, or maybe lack thereof. In another world, I would expect her motherly instinct to have stubbornly kicked in; she would temporarily cease “fire” and take care of “her” child. As they say, every child is the community’s.
I later imagined how that woman’s conscience would carry her for the rest of her miserable life had that defenceless and innocent child later choked and died from smoke inhalation. Is this the “collective” that we are building for future generations? If that is the case, what could have gone wrong? What would let a woman – a member of our society that is ordinarily trusted to take the lead in compassionate stakes – to suddenly adopt dog eat dog tendencies at the slightest provocation?
As we celebrate Mandela Month given that July is the month in which the world witnessed the birth of one of our greatest liberators and statesmen, will the old man be proud to see what unfolded on that cool winter’s afternoon in a township that he holds dear to his heart? Is this the freedom that he and many others, some of whom paid the ultimate price, fought for?
What happened in Chiawelo gives a chilling meaning to the words once uttered by American politician Jack Kemp when he said democracy without morality is impossible. Could what happened in one of the rapidly-developed, previously marginalised areas in our country spell the beginning of something we all don’t want to think about?
It is succinctly clear that what happened in Soweto is unacceptable. But where do answers lie? Are South Africans in general expecting someone from outside these shores to come here and tell us that a woman is not a mother only to her own children or are we the ones who should stand up and look at ourselves with the highest degree of frankness and ask ourselves tough questions?
Maybe this is the time for a national introspection; one woman and one man at a time.
© Photograph taken by Thomas Chauke.
4 comments:
It's a sad reality that our society has lost its morals. There are so many heartless people like the woman you talk about. It's just a reflection of our society. We are immoral and we have lost our values. There's an urgent need for us to go back to our ubuntu. We need serious moral regeneration programmes so that future generations can be live better than us..
It's a sad reality that our society has lost its morals. There are so many heartless people like the woman you talk about. It's just a reflection of our society. We are immoral and we have lost our values. There's an urgent need for us to go back to our ubuntu. We need serious moral regeneration programmes so that future generations can be live better than us..
Your writing and the subject are Captivating.
the lawless behaviour is fuelled by the lack of successful and lengthy convictions for people that proudly disregard the law in public protests.
As the community; we take no responsibility and we watch as a stone breaks a window and a library is burned.
The "protests" and strikes clearly show that we have not matured in our picketing.
Lastly, it shows that the people are not aware of the channels of channels of communication and how decisions are made. With understanding; they can "vent" anger at the right people.
Shupi Nkgadima (shupinkg@gmail.com)
i was really sad when i saw the news and as much as the people are sick and tired of the service delivery it doesn't justify their violent behavior. Could it be poverty playing with our people's state of mind, empty promises or lack of knowledge that causes them to be so violent and uncontrollable when striking? These no more humanity, hopefully with time things will get better. Only time will tell.
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