Nothing to commemorate on June 16 under the Government of National Unity.
The government of national unity has been on every South African lip lately, some with jubilation while others with deepest sadness and a sense of feeling the thick knife stuck on their back by the former ruling party, the ANC.
#2024ISOUR1994 was one of the trending hashtags leading to last month’s elections. This hashtag was by young people who were desperate to see things change for the better and had hoped that their vote would bring about the change they envisaged; a couple of hours of systems blackout at the Election Result Counting Centre changed everything.
During the two-hour system blackout, a tasteless concoction was brewed by the powers that be, or, let me be politically correct, “the markets” cooked up a storm.
During the two-hour blackout and the countless vote riggings at various voting stations, millions of South Africans’ voices were silenced. This is the democracy we were given in 1994 by the powers in question. Our fathers did not have the power to expose corrupt agreements like we do today. Therefore, they accepted and celebrated the manipulation by the oppressive white establishment.
Nelson Mandela became the antidote to the pain suffered by black people. Our fathers looked at him, hoping that he would deliver what Okhokho Bethu were killed for!
Those who look at 1994 with an ignorant eye call it a miracle transition of power, when in reality it became a watershed moment for black people in South Africa. 1994 should be recorded in history as the final stamp to ensure that black people remain third-class citizens. Apartheid did not end; it was fine-tuned, and Nelson Mandela and the ANC helped dress the wolves with sheepskin.
While many black voters grieved over the new dispensation called the Government of National Unity, the ANC caucus in parliament celebrated. The DA paraded their victory in our faces, flexing their power and showcasing their white supremacy. The wolf has been “un-sheeped.”
The real losers here are Solomon Mahlangu, Hector Pietersen, Sobukwe, Biko, Hani, and many other freedom fighters, along with all those who identify with their ideologies today.
The real capture of the state happened live before your very eyes, and there is nothing you can do about it because you never had a government in the first place. Your vote is immaterial; what matters is that the markets have never had space for a black child.
So what now?
No one will ever hand you freedom; there are no free lunches here. You, young people, must stop asking for permission to get your freedom. You have to get up and take it by any means necessary! We have been tamed for too long; for this long, we have played by their rules and failed every time.
We have an incredible weapon in our hands: social media. The mainstream media, which belongs to the establishment, can no longer manipulate the information.
I call this moment a clutch moment. We have a substantial number of young black people in that parliament. They will need us to back them up through several activism activities on our streets and corners of influence. A begging youth will always get crumbs from this economy. It is about to get worse under the government of national unity.
Here are the basics that we need to cover:
- Be driven and governed by the spirit of Ubuntu. The spirit of Ubuntu is our strength and weakness at the same time. Our forefathers welcomed a people who came with pure evil intent in 1652, and to this day we are still dealing with their recklessness. But by no means should at any point dismiss the spirit of Ubuntu. Let it guide us to form a stronger unit of progressive and resilient young people who will infiltrate the system, learn the ropes, and deliver the deliverables. In simple terms, I am saying let us be in rooms where the highest decisions are made and remain true to the course to make this nation a better economic space for the marginalised.
- DO NOT SELL OUT: The ANC has been nothing but a sell-out experience for the black youth. We cannot afford to continuously have this experience going forward. Allow yourself to feel something for your brother and sister living in poverty.
- Let’s do it ourselves: there is no government of national unity coming for you, so let us partner in various spheres to change each other’s lives. We have the means; we have the power; we just don’t know it yet. We are all we have! The brother next to you right now is all you have. The sister next to you right now is all you have. Let us do away with reliance on the government and start investing in each other. Why not consciously trade among ourselves instead of giving the little money that we have to the same markets that don’t give a glorified fart about you!
- Stop protesting. Listen, when you go out to the streets to burn up things and create havoc, it can bring you short-term results and keep these government officials at their jobs. Let us be a generation of solutions. Let’s find solutions to our problems.
- Lastly, learn how to dodge tax legally. If you are a young person earning a taxable salary or owning a company, there are ways to divert your money from going to the government of national unity straight to the people who need your help. There are credible NPOs that are run by young people, give your money to them rather.
June 16, 2024, is meaningless under the government of national unity!