#RhodesMustFall

#RhodesMustFall

Why the hell are we even debating whether the statue of Rhodes the capitalist should be removed or not? It can't be that after centuries of oppression, the children of the oppressors find it in them to tell the children of the oppressed ( who today have to live with the burdens created by the past) how they should react. Rhodes symbolizes white supremacy which has no room in Africa and has instilled white privilege among many white South Africans which has kept them feeling superior for many years. It is also disturbing to hear the defenders of Rhodes coming out and openly telling fellow South Africans that Rhodes should not be removed from the University Of Cape Town since he contributed to the establishment of the university by donating portions of land to the institution. Wait a minute, let's get something straight, whose initial land was he donating in the first place? And in whose country was he giving it up?

Imagine how Jewish students would react having to see a statue of Hitler in a public area, especially at a place of higher learning. It shouldn't be acceptable for a black child to walk past a statue of a man who has been at the forefront of exploitation towards black workers for centuries, it also shouldn't be fair for African children to be told how they should deal with their anger and just move on as if nothing happened. It is very clear that the statue sends a very sck image towards many South Africans and not just students at UCT as well as the fact that students are now sick and tired of talking about transformation in "our" institutions and are now acting. We never see statues of Steve Bantu Biko, Oliver Tambo,  Chris Hani, and even Robert Sobukwe just to name a few, but yet people feel obliged to defend statues of Rhodes who has been at the forefront of black misery for centuries.

#RhodesMustFall and that's not up for debate, we have many pressing issues affecting our country and seriously can't waste our time debating whether Rhodes must fall or not. Having a statue of Rhodes is ignorance and a lack of transformation drive by management, how should we unite and build a social coherent country when white privilege is still the order of the day for many white South Africans especially if they see nothing wrong with that and if people STILL have the audacity to tell fellow black students that they should simply forget and move on, as if  Jewsih students would ever forget about the holocaust.

What is currently happening at UCT will SOON spread across the country!
#RhodesWillFall