‘Uncle Bob’ se groot les
Die heengaan van oudpresident Robert Mugabe van Zimbabwe het die buurland se verlede en lot opnuut vierkantig in die internasionale kalklig geplaas.
Die legio lesse – goed en sleg – uit die bevryder, opheffer, tiran en uiteindelik onttroonde magslaaf se lewe sal vir eeue van anderkant die graf spreek.
Zimbabwe kon teen 2017 nie langer sy heerskappy oorleef nie.
Reaksies wissel van heldesange tot tweesnydende, meer gebalanseerde kommentaar en selfs verwerplike haatspraak.
Onkritiese lofsange moet beoordeel word teen die agtergrond van ‘n Suider-Afrika en groter vasteland wat meestal nooit bereid was om “Uncle Bob” openlik – en selfs agter die skerms – aan te vat nie.
Enigeen wat Mugabe al ooit in lewende lywe beleef het, moet sy mag as orator erken. Om “met die woord geslaan te wees”, was en is ongelukkig ‘n eienskap van baie openlike en verhulde diktators.
In Namibië moet ons, ondanks al ons probleme, weer besef hoekom ons nie ‘n Zimbabwe (onder ‘n Mugabe) is en dit hopenlik nooit sal wees nie.
Al is dit drie dekades sedert 1990 word die grondgesprek steeds deur groot verantwoordelikheid gekenmerk. Ons beleef nie georkestreerde staatsgeweld teen opponente en vervolging vir enige skewe woord en gedagte nie. Ons presidensiële gesag is reeds drie keer gewissel; iets wat teen 2025 weer sal plaasvind. Beslis is daar korrupsie, maar nie in die mate wat ‘n land totaal laat ontspoor nie.
Die grootste les is hoe stilswyende meekyk, wat aan aandadigheid kan grens, ‘n land kan vernietig. Om Mugabe te behaag, het SADC sy eie streekshof afgetakel.
Op eie bodem moet ons ewe bereid wees om iets soos dit, en Suid-Afrika se Zuptakrasie, vir altyd met alles te beveg.
In vandag se SMS’e sê ‘n leser ons moet die naam van Mugabe-rylaan in Windhoek tot die asblik verban. Of moet ons saam met die goeie altyd ook Afrika se eie foute pligsgetrou onthou?
So sê ander
9 September 2019
We’ll not submit to scum
South Africa was a difficult place to be in this week.
Again. Many of us felt defeated. It’s just too much.
But those who still had some fight left in them took to the streets and to social media. The outrage against violence – whether it’s labelled as femicide, xenophobia or anything else – was more than justified.
Yes this administration is relatively new. However, in the months that President Cyril Ramaphosa’s team has been in control, things seem to have been moving at a snail’s pace. People can’t – and won’t – be patient forever.
The answers don’t lie in politicking, name-throwing, bullets or arson. The fact is that we should be better.
There was a promise to direct money towards the problem. Who knows where it’s going to come from.
We can’t bring back these women whose lives have been taken away. Nor do we have the power to physically stop the violence.
What we can do is honour them and tell their stories; remember their faces. They won’t be the last ones whose stories we will tell. We don’t want there to be more. But there will be. And more after that.
We also cannot bring back those who have lost their lives and livelihoods due to xenophobic violence. But our outrage and disgust must not be doused.
The perpetrators of these deplorable crimes must always know that they are scum, and they must be fought against with every ounce of our energy. Let’s try not to feel defeated. Let’s try to defeat them.
• CITY PRESS
Die legio lesse – goed en sleg – uit die bevryder, opheffer, tiran en uiteindelik onttroonde magslaaf se lewe sal vir eeue van anderkant die graf spreek.
Zimbabwe kon teen 2017 nie langer sy heerskappy oorleef nie.
Reaksies wissel van heldesange tot tweesnydende, meer gebalanseerde kommentaar en selfs verwerplike haatspraak.
Onkritiese lofsange moet beoordeel word teen die agtergrond van ‘n Suider-Afrika en groter vasteland wat meestal nooit bereid was om “Uncle Bob” openlik – en selfs agter die skerms – aan te vat nie.
Enigeen wat Mugabe al ooit in lewende lywe beleef het, moet sy mag as orator erken. Om “met die woord geslaan te wees”, was en is ongelukkig ‘n eienskap van baie openlike en verhulde diktators.
In Namibië moet ons, ondanks al ons probleme, weer besef hoekom ons nie ‘n Zimbabwe (onder ‘n Mugabe) is en dit hopenlik nooit sal wees nie.
Al is dit drie dekades sedert 1990 word die grondgesprek steeds deur groot verantwoordelikheid gekenmerk. Ons beleef nie georkestreerde staatsgeweld teen opponente en vervolging vir enige skewe woord en gedagte nie. Ons presidensiële gesag is reeds drie keer gewissel; iets wat teen 2025 weer sal plaasvind. Beslis is daar korrupsie, maar nie in die mate wat ‘n land totaal laat ontspoor nie.
Die grootste les is hoe stilswyende meekyk, wat aan aandadigheid kan grens, ‘n land kan vernietig. Om Mugabe te behaag, het SADC sy eie streekshof afgetakel.
Op eie bodem moet ons ewe bereid wees om iets soos dit, en Suid-Afrika se Zuptakrasie, vir altyd met alles te beveg.
In vandag se SMS’e sê ‘n leser ons moet die naam van Mugabe-rylaan in Windhoek tot die asblik verban. Of moet ons saam met die goeie altyd ook Afrika se eie foute pligsgetrou onthou?
So sê ander
9 September 2019
We’ll not submit to scum
South Africa was a difficult place to be in this week.
Again. Many of us felt defeated. It’s just too much.
But those who still had some fight left in them took to the streets and to social media. The outrage against violence – whether it’s labelled as femicide, xenophobia or anything else – was more than justified.
Yes this administration is relatively new. However, in the months that President Cyril Ramaphosa’s team has been in control, things seem to have been moving at a snail’s pace. People can’t – and won’t – be patient forever.
The answers don’t lie in politicking, name-throwing, bullets or arson. The fact is that we should be better.
There was a promise to direct money towards the problem. Who knows where it’s going to come from.
We can’t bring back these women whose lives have been taken away. Nor do we have the power to physically stop the violence.
What we can do is honour them and tell their stories; remember their faces. They won’t be the last ones whose stories we will tell. We don’t want there to be more. But there will be. And more after that.
We also cannot bring back those who have lost their lives and livelihoods due to xenophobic violence. But our outrage and disgust must not be doused.
The perpetrators of these deplorable crimes must always know that they are scum, and they must be fought against with every ounce of our energy. Let’s try not to feel defeated. Let’s try to defeat them.
• CITY PRESS
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