As thousands of South Africans gathered to celebrate 30 years of freedom, a 31-year-old Yonela Dlamini says there was nothing to celebrate as she characterised this three decades as being messy.
Dlamini says the country has been faced with nothing but chaos after chaos, mentioning issues of Gauteng water “shedding” to load shedding.
“Nothing seems to be working for your typical ordinary citizens, we are losing jobs, our economy is not doing well, there’s load shedding.
“Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying the government has done nothing, but all I am saying is that some of us who don’t have parents who are influential or in politics don’t see any of those good things the government has done in 30 years,” she said.
Dlamini said she hoped the next government would do better, as there was a potential to make the country great.
“Thirty years is a long time for our leaders to keep on blaming the apartheid regime, for their lack of progress and supplying the necessary services to us as citizens.
“Yes, people were colonised for the past 100 years, but when they assumed power, I believe they had plans on how to take the country forward, so the argument of can’t compete with the 100 years rule is neither here nor there!” she exclaimed.
Speaking to “The Star”, a former Robben Island prisoner and member of Umkhonto WeSizwe’s military wing, Pat Matosa, said the April 27 democratic breakthrough had introduced huge tactical shifts in the country, and some of the shifts were irreversible and permanent.
Matosa said one of the significant gains was the abolishment of the cruel, crude and cold barbaric racism which according to him shall never be return.
“The dignity of the indigenous black African people is partially restored through a number of interventions and achievements. The South African Constitution is also a significant achievement.
“Houses (and not property) have been constructed to partially restore the dignity of the indigenous black African people in both the villages and the townships of our country. Partial comfort has been created. A number of meaningful interventions were made, which included a variety of social grants,” added the former Robben Islander.
These strides, Matosa said, had partially alleviated the pain, humiliation and poverty of the indigenous black African people.
He, however, acknowledged that the strategic defeat of the indigenous black African people had not been dealt with and reversed in the 30 years of freedom. Poverty, inequality and unemployment, among others, have all been hugely consolidated, and have overwhelmingly affected the indigenous black African people in the country, Matosa further said.
“Property relations and production relations of colonialism and apartheid remain intact. The face of poverty, inequality and unemployment is still the indigenous black African people.
“The legacy of colonialism and apartheid remains as it was created by the Caucasian colonial settler community and maintained by their descendants.
“The townships and villages of the RSA are still reserves of the supply of cheap labour and areas of job seekers. The houses of the townships and villages are still dead capital and can't be converted into capital for intergenerational wealth creation and accumulation.
“Townships and villages are still areas of mass poverty, unemployment and Inequality. As it were before, there are no industries and manufacturing areas in all the villages and townships of the RSA.”
He concluded by saying the black indigenous African people have won freedom without becoming free.
“The old is refusing to die, and the new is refusing to be born. We are in the long and prolonged interregnum,” said Matosa.
The Star