"Social Cohesion" ???

It's become common sense that our South Africa which is adored by the rest of the world for its imaginable "rainbow nation", remains a land of two halves and in need of some "social cohesion" as many have liberally said. But is social cohesion really what we need right now?

Now I've got a problem with the way social cohesion has been seen as the solution to South Africa's problems, without looking at the economy and its one sided ownership. If Social cohesion means we as black and white people must unite, hold hands, and sing together only when it suits our white compatriots and after all that return to our townships which black people have lived there as a direct result of apartheid and back to poverty, unemployment and the harsh reality of being black, then I personally as a black child don't want to be part of this social cohesion.

We as South Africans, need to fundamentally understand that the fight against apartheid, wasn't a mere fight that black people could now enter areas regarded as "Net Blankes" meaning, white persons only, but the fight against this inhumane regime, was that of the disposition of our land and eventually our economy.

Social cohesion will never work until the question around the economy and the land has been answered, in the sense that the economy, the land, and the means of production are placed in the hands of the black majority.

How should there be social cohesion when there's nothing economically coherent about our country, because without dealing with the structural flaws in our economy we can never have a successful social cohesion plan. Truth of the matter is, if social cohesion means celebrating each other as white and black people, I would indirectly be celebrating the legacy of apartheid and of black pain without redressing the core issues here.

What's there to celebrate as all white people have in fact benefited from apartheid even to this day, were they've had the privilege of being economically viable, and as a result, all black people have suffered from the inequities of the past and therefore I cannot fully accept the notion of celebrating each other, without transforming the economy first.

As a young black student, by celebrating and embracing white people as part of social cohesion, I would be in fact embracing whiteness and how they've benefited from a system which was perfectly created to benefit them leaving the majority marginalized, the same way as a white person who'll be supporting social cohesion without focusing on redressing the inequities of the past would be celebrating black pain.

Failing to redress the inequities adds on to centuries of black pain and black suffering, and now focusing on social cohesion would in fact not be solving the problem but putting it under the table and leaving the wound untreated, which would then lead to many other problems.

The only plan we need as South Africans at the moment, is an economic plan to help us redress the inequities of the past and how all South Africans can come together towards that shared goal. We need economic cohesion first in our country and therefore dealing with poverty and unemployment as a direct result of the injustices of the past.

I mean we share the same national flag, the same seasons and we sing the same national anthem, so why don't we share the economy according to the demographics of our country.

"BLACK MIDDLE CLASS" A MYTH.

"BLACK MIDDLE CLASS" A MYTH.


{ Picture taken from google search-Black Middle Class}

If there's a term in South Africa which i totally disagree and one which exasperates me just like "born free", has to be the so called "black middle class". Just like the term "born free", the "black middle class" commonly known as the black diamonds by white capital, is one which has been carefully created to persuade and align black peoples thinking in a certain anti-revolutionary way.

The so called black middle class is far from being a true meaningful middle class, as they don't own the means of production compared to the white middle class. The white middle class has capital, inherited wealth, paid up property, assets, and own the means of production, unlike the pseudo black middle class.

The imaginable black middle class is heavily indebted, is caught up in black tax, has no capital nor generational wealth and therefor has ACCESS to credit and NOT money. Our so called black middle class is the same group of people whom suffer from entrenched institutionalized inequalities and are living in societies were neoliberal economic policies are the order of the day, of which benefit the white middle class.

We cannot continue to classify our parents as middle class, as there's nothing middle class about them, as they've not caught up with the white middle class of which is far ahead of them due to our colonial and apartheid history. We are still far from having a true and meaningful black middle class considering that black South Africans account for the majority of the population.

The very dangerous term black middle class, refers to nothing but 21st century slaves of which sadly own nothing and gives black people hope as they automatically believe that they've "made it". honestly speaking, the difference between our black middle class and those lower to the, is in-fact the difference regarding what they materially consume and access to buying in credit.

The black diamonds are a bunch which have been carefully targeted by white capital and as a result, spend most of their income paying debts, driving cars of which many can't afford and contributing to the well being of lesser fortunate family members [ BLACK TAX] of which the white middle class don't have to worry about and in the process have much less to accumulate wealth and valuable assets.

As South Africans we need to be very honest with each other and we need to start grabbing the bull by its horns. We don't have a black middle class and in-fact have a collective of people who materially consume more instead of saving.

Now one would quarrel with this group of people, of which wouldn't be 100% fair, but one needs to understand their historical background, all they've ever wanted to do was move away from poverty and a have sense of having "made it".

Black people have lived for centuries of years where whites have lived in better economically viable areas, driving nice cars, attending the best schools and have therefore psychologically also wished for that, hence them changing lifestyles, moving to town and having all the things which were previously denied to them, even though most can't afford to.

Black South Africans whom are far better of compared to what they were previously, need to be educated about what it really means to be middle class and the responsibility they'll have to carry in-order to introduce a real and meaningful black middle class and being the first generation to accumulate wealth and therefore circulating it within the black community.

SASCO should WAKE UP

As SASCO celebrates it's birthday today, I hope they'll take part in a serious self-introspection as an organisation!

SASCO which is supposed to be a student organisation fighting for the interests of students and being a vanguard for all students studying in South Africa, has over the years allowed itself to be swallowed by mere party politics.

 In my humble opinion SASCO should've never associated itself with a certain political party from the onset, because by that you are indirectly compromising the values and key mandate of the organisation itself.

SASCO should be a non-political vanguard student organisation which should be attracting all students irregardless of their political affiliation and while other political student formations play politics which each other, SASCO should be mobilizing and bringing students together to fight the common enemy and push for a student agenda.

It's therefore very clear that SASCO is losing ground on various campuses which is the harsh truth we need to accept as students, I mean SASCO lost a historical institution such Fort Hare to DASO out of all organizations and lost Turfloop to the fast growing EFFSC just to name a few.

It's time for SASCO to go back to basics or run the risk of being irrelevant and compromising it's mandate by being political. When one looks at the amazing work being done by non-political student movements such as #RhodesMustFall and #OpenStellenbosch one cannot help but think that it's actually supposed to be SASCO doing what #RhodesMustFall and #OpenStellenbosch are perfectly taping into, which is bringing students of all political student formations together which is what SASCO is failing to do at the moment.

To show you that SASCO is compromising it's values, since the establishment of SASCO, SASCO has always been fighting for free education which the ANC led government should've long implemented by now, but minister Blade Nzimande is busy drinking red wine, SASCO has always been fighting for radical transformation in higher learning institutions which the ANC led government is running at a very slow pace to ensure that radical transformation, but every time when elections come near, SASCO is expected to say "Vote ANC" which is very disturbing and creates a contradiction of which students are beginning to realize.

SASCO should never in whatever way possible endorse,any political party no matter what, and should stop involving themselves in ANCYL politics, SASCO should leave politics for political formations and should fight for students rights, since it's a students organisation.

The only time SASCO should engage themselves in party politics is the day they have a seat in the National Assembly.

South African students are yearning for a true radical student organisation which will robustly fight the status quo and the lack of transformation in higher learning institutions of which many students are beginning to move towards the EFFSC leaving SASCO weaker, even more students are looking for a militant, unapologetic student movement which will be non-political and focus on the students FIRST instead of involving in party politics which is delaying The Student Revolution.

As South African students we need an organisation which we can all identify with first before anything and one where we can ALL join together to fight white supremacy and bring meaningful radical transformation and the reconstructing of our higher learning institutions!!

Aluta Continua

The Student Revolution is near...

The Student Revolution is near........

( written by Modibe J Modiba) 

21 years into our relatively young democracy, black students from all corners of our economically untransformed country are beginning to ask the right questions and are pressing the correct buttons. Unfortunately, it's still black students who are finding it difficult to survive in higher learning institutions and are forever reminded of what it really means to be young and black in this country. 

Truth be told, many of South African universities are anti-black! I mean UCT is anti-black, Wits is anti-black, so is UFS, UP, NWU (potchefstroom), Rhodes University as well as the notorious pro-Afrikaans Stellenbosch University just to name a few.

Let's be honest, with all these student protests taking place across the country, one can only be reassured that as black students we are sick and tired of being spectators in our own god-given country, we are tired of feeling as if we a being "accommodated" on our own land, we've realized that white privilege should be fought with all we have and that its time we started fighting for what rightfully belongs to us. 

Every year it's black students who get financially excluded, it's black students who get failed by NSFAS, it's black students who get given a colonised curriculum, who walk around all these racist imperialist institutions and are constantly reminded of their suffering and misery, as well as the fact that, It's black students who face extreme cases of racism on a daily basis and all these have contributed to the awakening of black students across the country who are now ready for a revolution. 

South Africans must also understand that non-partisan movements such as #RhodesMustFall and #OpenStellies for example play a crucial role not only in higher learning institutions but in our societies as a whole, it is therefore very important to note that when students called for the statue of Rhodes to be removed from the University Of Cape Town or when students at Stellenbosch started protesting about the pro-Afrikaans language policy, it wasn't about just removing the statue or fighting Afrikaans on the other hand, but it was about fighting the status quo, fighting institutionalized racism, decolonising the curriculum and to spark a necessary national debate

As an ordinary black child from any black household, I know how education is forever stressed by elders and how you're made to realize from an early age that education is important and that it's the only way out for the black child. But yet again, with all this institutionalized racism happening in higher learning institutions, is there really any hope for the black child? 

It's therefore very evident that South Africa is headed for a revolution which will undoubtedly be led by black students from across the country and that we as students mean serious business and that those who are reluctant to transformation, are in serious trouble. 

What interesting times it is to be young and black, The Student Revolution is near.

#OpenStellenbosch

#OpenStellenbosch




It's so embarrassing that 21 years into democracy, we still have higher learning institutions such as the untransformed Neo-liberal Stellenbosch University, who make it a point to have some classes offered in Afrikaans only. It's not fair that some students will enjoy being taught in their mother tongue, but others have to struggle and make use of translator devices which students at the University have continuously claimed that those devices are not audible and are certainly uncomfortable.

The use of Afrikaans at the university is certainly done deliberately to keep non-Afrikaans speaking students out of the university, especially black students. It makes no sense that classes must be offered in Afrikaans only and certainly shows the lack of transformation in higher learning education.

I therefore commend the good job that the group #OpenStellenbosch is doing at the university, by protesting and disrupting those Afrikaans only classes which should not be allowed to continue because they symbolize apartheid style segregation, and how dare some students who've benefited from Apartheid go around claiming that they're being "disadvantaged" because their Afrikaans only classes have been disrupted. What should happen to the other students who are forever disadvantaged every time the lecturer speaks Afrikaans?

The language policy at the university should certainly be reviewed and should make it a priority that all classes should be offered in English, I mean don't Afrikaans speaking students understand English? It's a universal language.

Stellenbosch University must accommodate all students so that they're all on the same level and have the equal opportunity to succeed academically, and not just Afrikaans speaking students. Like many other "white universities", Stellenbosch University has been at the forefront of racial segregation for many years and therefore should be leading the pack in ensuring a balanced and non-segregated university.

It must also be noted that #OpenStellenbosch and those disgruntled students at the university are not fighting Afrikaans speaking students, and this should never be seen as an attack on Afrikaans speaking students, but those students are merely fighting to be accepted and to be accommodated in an institution which they pay fees at.

The days of having institutions, especially higher learning institutions which prioritize white Afrikaner students only, should've been dealt with during the very early days of "our" democracy. What have our leaders been doing? I mean it's 2015 and we as students are still fighting issues such as the language policy among other things, that's totally embarrassing.

Our leaders have certainly failed us with regards to transforming "our universities" and have left such institutions to continue using their apartheid style segregation tactics while many students suffer.

It's not fair that some students should work two times as hard and make use of devices which have been placed to frustrate students while others enjoy the benefits of being taught in their home language. Does South Africa really belong to all who live in it? Certainly not.

Expropriate land WITHOUT compensation

Expropriate land without compensation!!

I find it really embarrassing when we as South Africans, 21 years into our relatively young democracy, debate about the whole land issue. First and foremost, we all know how land was forcibly stolen from millions of black South Africans by white colonialists and how the Native Land Act of 1913 made it a priority to see the black majority of this country landless and segregated, while the majority of the land laid in the hands of the white minority.

So therefore it breaks my heart, as a young black South African, who has familiarized himself with the struggle for land which was stolen from our forefathers, whenever I see my black government buying stolen land from land thief's. It also breaks my heart whenever we as black students stand up and start talking about land and later get told by some that, we are a "threat to democracy" as if white colonialists were democratic when it came to the land debacle.

When it comes to the issue of land, black South Africans from all corners our Neo-liberal and Neo-patrimonial country must unite and show solidarity in the fight for our our own land. I really do not see why black South Africans in the DA ( Democratic Alliance ) for example, should not align themselves in the struggle for land, after all, it's the black people who remain landless, not the DA. Among other issues, the fight for land should be fought by all black South Africans as well as white South Africans who've realized that the current one sided ownership of land is dearly costing our much talked about "rainbow nation", thats if it really exists.

The struggle for land should be a unifying factor among all black South Africans irrespective of their political affiliation, and should move beyond mere party politics, as this is a black struggle.

The expropriation of land WITHOUT compensation is therefore the only way forward for South Africans, as the willing buyer willing seller policy has certainly not helped. Buying back stolen land will therefore be a spat in the face to people such Robert Sobukwe and Solomon Plaatjie who robustly opposed the racist Natives Land Act and to our forefathers who lost their lives during the struggle.

By buying back our own land we are essentially supporting crime and painting a negative picture that crime pays, and that its ok for someone to steal your candy and that you can always buy your candy back later on, at a highly inflated price. It therefore cannot be politically, socially and economically viable, for the majority of land to be owned by just a very few minorities, while the majority of the people fight for mere crumbs and remain landless.

Why should we compensate? Compensate for STOLEN land?  NO!

South Africans are NOT lazy

South Africans are not lazy!! 

Those who go around uttering words such as "South Africans are lazy" are indeed lazy thinkers themselves, it cannot be justifiable for certain people especially government officials, claiming that fellow South Africans who by the way vote them into power are lazy.  The people of any country are a true reflection of their societies and the system of the country they reside in.  I've heard many people openly claiming that South Africans are dependent on the state and cannot stand on themselves and depend on government handouts such as grants as if it's the people's fault.

Nobody ever says the Chinese are lazy because their own government has set out clear policies which will be favorable to the majority of the Chinese people and policies which have been implemented to see the Chinese people succeed.

Reality is government has made its people dependent on grants, so that the people of South Africa are forever dependent on them and that they can never see themselves in isolation from the government. By failing to give South Africans an effective education system which will equip them with necessary skills to help them start up businesses, by failing to introduce radical policies which will see our people becoming the true owners of the means of production, by failing to economically emancipate the black majority, by failing to eradicate poverty and creating sustainable jobs will certainly lead to a country where it's people are dependent on grants and food parcels.

One thing that many people fail to understand especially those claiming South Africans are lazy is that, you can give your neighbour R10 a day, but by doing that you are actually making them dependent on you forever, which is exactly what our beloved government has done instead of educating the people on how to create their own income.

It's black South African students who every year face the same misery and struggle of getting funding for their higher learning education, it's black students who every year get financially excluded and now have to return home and face the harsh reality of being a black child. It's these black students who end up being frustrated from sitting at home and later on indulge themselves in drugs, crime and unprotected sex which most likely leads to pregnancy.

After all this has happened we'll see an unskilled and unemployed black child giving birth to another black child and sooner or later both will become dependent on government grants and fall victims of being called "lazy" by those who should be solving the root cause of this.

It's the black majority who're called "lazy" because when people say South Africans are "lazy" they're actually referring to the black majority of this country. White South Africans never fall into the trap of being called such because, they own land, they run the economy, they've been the beneficiaries of political and economic policies which have favored them for centuries of years and are still favoring them and are therefore better equipped and NEVER fall into the bracket of being called "lazy" unlike black South Africans.

Our government should be focusing on ensuring radical changes across all spectrums of our societies which should be beneficial to the black majority FIRST, but instead it lies stagnant and remains confused with regards to economic policies. Our government should be at the forefront of mentally unslaving the black majority and then economically emancipating them so that they don't depend on government.

Free the black child economically and provide them with necessary resources to get an effective education and see if they'll be "lazy"!!