This week I was thinking about something that I posted on twitter exactly a year ago (10-Mar-2021) regarding the fact that I was (and am) frustrated with South Africa… I also had a brief conversation with Koketso Sachane on Cape Talk, the following day, about the post.
I realise that some people might see this post as being somewhat anti-SA, which is understandable, but this was just an honest reflection on those events and the state of the country at the time.
“Something inside me broke today… I’m not sure what that something is or how to define it, but it’s some part of my relationship with this country, the country of my birth, the country I represented in international sporting competition in the 90s, the country that suddenly today feels less like “home”… and all this happened before that young man was killed in Braamfontein.
Some background… as my profile indicates, I’m a sociologist and lecturer. However, I arrived at this vocation later than some, because I obtained my honours, masters and doctoral degree after I’d already entered my 30s (later than many of my fellow academics).
More specifically, my scholarly, intellectual and research interests centred on the related areas of inequality, changing labour markets, segregation and social mobility, with higher education being pivotal for that last issue. Recently, I’d also been aware that, in addition to the challenges of living under lockdown and studying from home, some of my students were also stressed about the uncertainty surrounding the financial concerns affecting NSFAS.
So, when I read about police opening fire on protesting students in Johannesburg, I went numb on the inside. That word, “numb” is wholly inadequate and yet, I’m struggling to find another words that conveys that idea of feeling so much that you end up not feeling anything at all. I couldn’t help thinking back to both the #FeesMustFall protests of 2015 and beyond, but also of the overwhelming emotions I felt when I was eventually able to visit the Hector Pietersen Memorial in Soweto. Young people, wanting an education, trying to build a better future for themselves and their families… and yet they are met with state-sponsored violence.
Having also studied aspects of the changes in our labour market(s), I know all-too-well that the fastest growing occupations in our country are those that require the qualifications that these young people are so desperately trying to attain.
The second part of this “breaking” occurred when I read something about the Western Cape’s ruling party wanting certain restrictions lifted so that property owners can obtain eviction orders. We’re in the middle of a once-in-a-century global pandemic, where lives, incomes, jobs and more have been lost… yet, this is what that part chooses to prioritise. And, I happen to come across that story just moments after reading about a 4-year old who was shot, when caught in the crossfire of apparent gang violence in that same city.
Ultimately, what really finished me today was not just the senseless death of that young man just going about his life after leaving a medical clinic appointment, but also the way that it was reported on in the hours that followed. The way that some emphasised a causal link between the aforementioned protests and that death, while simultaneously barely mentioning the role of the police, pointed to the ways in which the poor, marginalised and/or those who have to fight (sometimes quite literally) to access their constitutional rights are framed as the instigators of violence and/or unrest, more often than not.
I’m not sure why I wrote this… or why I’m posting it. But, I needed to get this off my chest and if this seems disconnected, this is just how this poured out.
I was wrong… I started off by saying that something inside me “broke” today, but “shattered” (however dramatic that word might seem) could be a better word to use.
That’s all I’ve got to say for now…
Dr Jean-Paul “JP” Solomon
PS: These views are my own and do not reflect the opinions of my past/current employer(s) and/or former educational institutions.”
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