White man

While driving this past Sunday to Witportjie in Roodeport with friends, we saw a white female beggar. We were on our way to a church gathering to cap off the day set aside by the Lord.

As the robot turned red, we stopped and the lady approached the car in front but quickly turned away on noticing the car was driven by a black man. She turned to us in the car behind, then quickly retreated on noticing our pigment.

Her face of desperation quickly turned to a smug grin. This was not only disrespectful, but it was a look that made us feel like lesser beings. To her we were nothing.

“It’s no secret, white people don’t respect us blacks.”

I can’t stop thinking about that Sunday drive.

I often wonder about racial undertones in society.  Racism still exists and is institutionalised so much, even a white vagrant on a corner looks down on darkies superior to her.

This is why I was very bothered when President Cyril Ramaphosa in the past week addressed the Afrikanerbond’s centenary ‘celebrations’.

There are mixed reactions to this and I have a strong opinion which I however will keep to myself.

“White people must examine themselves.”

It’s no secret, white people don’t respect us blacks. It’s not just in the older generation but the young ones are keeping the legacy alive. One only needs to take a trip to Krugersdorp to see what I mean.

There are dividing lines all around us. Look at the national rugby team, even with Siya Kolisi as captain division persists. Personally I feel white people are not prepared to change, not prepared to share what’s rightfully ours, not willing to learn, regardless of who they are. Heck, even the DA leadership laments the colonial past.

You don’t agree.

Most white adults in South Africa have been here their entire lives and have not bothered to learn one South African language, instead they parade the word ‘Ubuntu’ all over the place.

Now you might be thinking to yourself, why am I complaining when I don’t have a solution to this? While your observation is true as I don’t have a remedy, this isn’t one of those situations where it’s up to us to find common ground.

White people must examine themselves.

Image: GCIS/TechCentral