Tea

There’s nothing particularly black about Mandela, TM or Cupcake. All 3 are loved by those who would wish to wish away inconvenient blackness in the likes of Zuma or Malema. The 3 are diplomatic, eloquent and amicable. 

The times we’re in though, they call for something a little different. Mandela’s reconciliation is laughable as we realise how he was duped with the sunset clauses, Mbeki’s intellectual rhetoric is meaningless as we all realise how his poetry did nothing for the masses dying from AIDS, and no progress was made for the poor and disenfranchised. 

Ramaphosa did position himself as somewhat different. Already a billionaire, many thought he was the best option as he wouldn’t be greedy enough since he already had so much.

Sadly, we were so very wrong.

But then there was that revolutionary tweet. “We need to meet for tea, it’s urgent.”

So many of us saw our hopes for a black agenda resurrected. When a white man commented, Julius’s response further reassured us: “This is a meeting of black people if you don’t mind.”

Personally, I danced and ululated when I saw that. Finally! Finally we were done fighting each other and were recognising the real issue.

Maybe I’m too idealistic, maybe I’m naive. But it really is about time when we realised that the real issues are:

- Land

- Economic Emancipation 

- Black Emancipation 

- Media Freedom

Did I mention land?

Seriously though. The past 27 years have been a joke if we as Africans can’t claim our own land. The 3 tend to pacify us into submission but both Zuma and Malema are very frank. The goal is Land (listen to Zuma’s speech at Mandela’s funeral). 

Anyone who deviates from that, is not for us.