OPINION: Is Moeletsi Mbeki right about racism?
As South Africans, we were never going to start this year quietly. So the bang came...and the fights were fought on Twitter.
It's been one whirlwind start to 2016 in South Africa and welcome to it.
As South Africans we were never going to start this year quietly. So the bang came...and the fights were fought on Twitter.
Our main bugbear though remains the same - racism. The debates were never going to be settled via social media because we like talking, discussing, arguing, debating and debunking everywhere we go.
So it continues.
On the JacarandaFM Complimentary Breakfast show this morning, political analyst Moeletsi Mbeki threw a spanner in the works when he said that he doesn't believe the country has a race problem. He qualified this by saying the country, in fact, has a myriad of other problems - at the heart of it all - unemployment, poverty and the struggling economy.
Many, like me, will disagree with this view, and in fact we have on various platforms - some of the comments pointing out that Mbeki speaks from a perspective of privilege. I disagree with Mbeki because I think there's nothing exaggerated about action taken against those who've spewed racist views on social media. I don't think the hurt that people felt and continue to feel can be exaggerated. And I think as a country we should continue speaking out against racism - wherever it is encountered.
But with my background in education reporting, it was his views on the #FeesMustFall campaign that I was particularly interested in.
Mbeki believes government must identify its priorities and spend money on it. Easier said than done. I doubt anyone can deny that education is a major priority. In fact the lion's share of the national budget is spent on it. But it's still not enough.
The demand for education is growing... and it should and must be met. So where are we losing the plot? Why is education still not free as per the Freedom Charter? And right here we land on the political will argument.
Is there a lack of political will to solve the problem? I would argue that there is indeed a lack of political will and leadership. Without strong leadership in the Eastern Cape for instance, pupils will underperform each and every year in the matric exams - the amount of money you hand to the province will not make any difference.
So, as we start this year - an important one with local government elections coming up - these issues will drive those in the voting queue. What political parties will promise will not make a significant difference this time around I suspect, because haven't we heard it all before? South Africans are hungry for change - and analyses that validates what they are going through and feeling… not views that downplay it.
Written by Faith Daniels, Head of News: Kagiso Media
(File photo: Gallo Images)