IT HAS been frustrating week and a bit for South Africans. We were on a high after the Blitzbokke won the World Sevens series in Dubai and Zozibini Tunzi won the Miss Universe title. Even those who normally show no interest in rugby or who oppose beauty pageants joined in the excitement of our country winning at international level.
Everybody, it seems, except Eskom, who appeared determined to make sure that South Africans would have a black Christmas in the way that only they can: by switching off our lights.
But December is meant to be a month when we celebrate and, despite Eskom’s best (or worst) attempts, we remain determined to celebrate.
In celebrating, it is important to always remember how far we have come as a country and how far we still have to go. No one said democracy was going to be easy. We only hoped it would be.
This week we said farewell to two people who made a huge contribution to our democracy and, before that, the Struggle for freedom. Professor Ben Turok and Susan de Villiers were both very involved in the ANC but became disillusioned with the direction the movement was taking in recent years. Their contribution, however, can never be questioned. Turok, in particular, helped to mould my mind as a youth activist when we read his book, Revolutionary Thoughts in the 20th Century, which contained a collection of writings by some of the greatest freedom fighters in history.
Amid all of this, I decided that I wanted to focus in this column on two celebrations – both happening today – because of the significant impact they had on my life.
The first is the 25th birthday of the District Six Museum, which is happening at the City Hall at noon. The museum has played an important role in keeping alive the memory of what was once one of Cape Town’s most integrated and vibrant spaces.
It would have been so easy for the apartheid government, and our democratic government, mind you, to wipe out the memory of District Six – which was declared a white group area in 1966, followed by forced removals to the Cape Flats for most of the residents – but the work done by the museum helps to keep this memory alive.
Even when the people eventually move back to the area, we will never be able to replicate what existed, but, thanks to the work of the museum, we will always be able to remember what used to be.
This evening, Molo Songololo will be hosting a Summer Food Fair in Observatory as part of celebrating 40 years of working to protect children.
In the Struggle years, Molo Songololo played an important role in teaching young children about the injustices of apartheid. In recent years, they have helped to alert children to the many dangers in our society. They continue to help children in various ways, including by collecting useful things like sanitary pads which are necessary for young girls.
Unlike many people and organisations who pay lip service to fancy terms like “youth empowerment” Molo Songololo has through the years focused on working with young people, hoping to give them the best chance of success in life.
Both the District Six Museum and Molo Songololo get very little support from government.
South Africa is a country with amazing potential, and I believe that opportunity is the key to success in most cases. Apartheid was built on depriving the majority of opportunities, so the successes we see nowadays would not have happened if we did not transition to a democracy.
Sometimes, when I celebrate the achievements of South Africans, I get angry when I think about what could have been if we did not have 50 years of apartheid and 300 years of colonialism.
Despite Eskom, corruption and a dithering government, we will celebrate more successes this festive season, as we remember those who led the way. We owe it to those who went before, and those who are still to come, to make the most of our democracy.
(First published as a Thinking Allowed column in the Weekend Argus on Saturday, 14 December 2019)
