18/04/2022
My Freedom
My heart bleeds as I pen down this piece. This is simply because of the realisation that our generation continue to struggle even in the era of the democratic government. The white supremacy policies of the apartheid government empowered the white minority who descended from both the Dutch and the British settlers, while disempowering the Black Majority South Africans. The ANC Government as the first and the only democratic government in South Africa, should have worked around the clock to reverse the economic imbalances created by the apartheid government. Our ancestors and forefathers fought a different struggle and oppression. They fought for abolishment of the pass laws, they fought to be freed from white oppression, and they fought to participate in free and fair election just to mention a few. One can deduce that their hope was that, if they vote in the government of their choice, the government will use policy to reverse the imbalances that was created by the apartheid government. That their descendants would enjoy the fruits of their struggles. Unfortunately, this was not the case. The Black Empowerment Policies which were meant to counter the White (Empowerment) Supremacy Policies, are only good on paper but fails to achieve that which they were intended achieve in practice. They fail to address the issues they were intended to address. In South Africa today, skin colour is still viewed and used as a qualification for certain job positions. A white person who holds just a matric certificate is given preference over a Black fellow who holds a university degree or even a master’s degree in certain instances. Job experience continues to be used as a barrier to keep the black child out of the job but the same is not true for a white child.
True freedom for me will never be realised, until we experience total Black Economic Emancipation. A state where people are employed on merits and qualification and not because of the colour of their skin. The South Africa where the trading ground is levelled for the black child and where White Supremacy and Privileges are abolished, not only in paper but also in practice. Where the government uses policy to advance the Economic Empowerment of Black People, the same way it was used by the apartheid government to oppress them and advance the empowerment of the minority White population.
Much of the population remain caged in the prison of Socio-Economic distress, while the minority who were enabled by the apartheid policies to inherit wealth continue to enjoy the benefits of such policies. Twenty-eight years down the line, the black child is still not free!
By Mpho Solomon Motsei
BMF Chairperson Limpopo & Board member of BMF and BMFi
