Linking an old ANC liberation song to the murder of Eugene Terreblanche seems like a long shot to make political hay for a spent force while the sun shines.
Crime in our country knows no racial bounds and according to recent figures, published by Nationmaster.com, 0.47 out of 1000 South Africans of all races will become victims of murder by the end of the year. (UK 0.014 in comparison)
If anyone else than Terreblanche was to have met the maker at the hands of violence last Saturday night he or she would simply and silently have become another notch on the scale of the sad fact above.
If a culprit needs to be found for this latest act of crime than it would perhaps be more expedient to focus on law enforcement and the judicial system.
A point in case is Eugene Terreblanche’s conviction, some years back, for attempted murder. After serving three of his six year sentence he was released while his victim never fully recovered from this attack and was left with severe brain damage and remains disabled for life.
I am trying to put myself in the place of the victim’s father and I wonder if I would feel that justice had been done if my son was at the receiving end of Terreblanche’s brutality.
Nation building requires many skills one of which is mature leadership on all levels of society.
Africa is a continent where symbols and rhetoric are like a “symbiosis” which will either act as cement for unity or as a wedge for division.
A young and diverse Nation, like ours in particular, needs to wake up every morning with a new desire and a fresh commitment to search for unifying fundamentals.
Denying the present and propagating the status ante-quo are signs of a divided past. Using symbols and rhetoric of a bygone era can only be poison to unity and they are fertile ground for division to flourish.
While Malema’s song “Kill a Boer Kill a Farmer” may have been appropriate inspiration during the struggle to end apartheid it has as little relevance in our society as has the old South African flag sported by right wing extremists.
South Africa has a new flag under which our Nation is united. Our soldiers, sailors and airmen as well as our policemen and -women swear their oath of allegiance under this flag. It is a symbol of pride and unity. To fly the old flag is an insult to every South African.
“Kill a Boer Kill a Farmer” is equally inappropriate. The struggle to abolish Apartheid has been won and is over.
Today’s struggle is to feed the Nation, to create jobs and dignifying living conditions for all. This struggle cannot be won by a single political party alone but requires an inclusive effort by all people. To this end we need national symbols and unifying rhetoric addressing all beyond party political affiliation..
JS
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