They call our homeland hell. People here, all they know what to do is kill, rape, steal and harm. But to me, to me it’s still home. I was born and raised in South Africa, the crime capital of the world. Dewani (allegedly) came here, bought a few thugs to have his wife murdered, of all the places he could have done it, he knew that in SA, no one would notice. But did I mention, to me, this is home.
Oscar (allegedly) murdered his girlfriend on Valentines Day and whether the truth is that he did it, or whether he thought it was a burglar and he was protecting himself, my beloved home is still to blame. If he murdered her, that’s what South Africans do, they’re all savages. If it was an accident and he thought she was a burglar, well he had every right. SA is the most dangerous country to live in in the world.
But, call it what you will, to me it’s still home. At 27 years of age, I’ve woken up to more than 10 000 mornings in this ‘hell’, I have made friends, lived, loved, laughed, cried, failed and succeeded in my beautiful and beloved home. South Africa is my home. It’s not a black versus white thing, it’s not a rich versus poor thing, it’s not a ‘thing’ it’s my home.
Vusi Mahlasela has a powerful song which depicts how, from the outside, people can fear what they do not know. Titled: It wasn’t roaring it was weeping. The song talks about how a lion, viewed from the outside can be viewed as a ruthless, cruel beast. But the moment you start to get closer, see its pain and understand its suffering, you realise that when you thought it was roaring, it was actually weeping. What you see may not always reflect the truth. As a nation, collectively we’ve been through a lot of a lot of a lot. Our weeping is born of an ocean of pain.
For all our faults, South Africans have the incredible capacity to see beyond racial lines to what is true. As a nation, today we’re all (once again) bowing in shame at how the actions of the few have come to represent all of us. We are more than what you fear/despise/ judge, we are South Africa. When you cut us, we bleed the same crimson blood, and when you cut into the precious fibre of our rainbow nation, our pain is identical. We all worked so hard to make the transition from apartheid to peaceful reconciliation and the new South Africa. We all have to live daily with the reality of our limitations, we really do have a long way to go. But one thing we’ve always had, is a sense of unity that surpasses whatever challenges the day brings.
South Africa is a melting pot of numerous cultures, but beneath that is a beating heart of more than 50 million heartbeats, all saying, I believe in us. We have many flaws, of which you can write a thousand stories. But to us, to all of us (black, white, Indian, Coloured) this is home. We believe in the inherent goodness of our people, we will defend our own, no matter what colour they are, we are a family.
Rest in peace Reeva, may God be with you Oscar.
Sincerely
South Africa
