Do Something About It

Is it possible that South Africa is at war? Can it be that our over exposure to death has made us callous to the daily violence that threatens to rip our very country apart? Have we been blinded by our government, our hearts and our hope? Have we lost this battle?

South Africa has been tormented by farm murders for many years now and yet, they are more brutal and more plentiful than ever. Farmers are being tortured, beaten and killed by farm workers who feel they have been treated unjustly. Yet who is at fault in this scenario? Does looking after your own families needs take preference over another man’s life? Well, the truth is that we shouldn’t even have to ask that question.

Children growing up in townships are being raped and killed by gangs of huge men. Men who have so much power in the community that these rapes go unnoticed, unreported and these beautiful children have their dignity shredded apart as each day they cross paths with their attackers and as they pluck up the courage to meet his gaze they notice the horrible smirk of a man who has broken and got away with it.

Yet, here I sit at one of the best universities in the world, in a fancy room with fancy computers and the luxury of the fastest internet in South Africa. I wear jewellery, shoes and warm clothes. I spent money on extras; accessories, belts and scarves. My nails are painted, my skin is moist and a spent still more to have a facial the other day. Am I not a South African? I do not suffer. I do not bleed. I am not broken.

The police force is a mess, the government is a joke, and our army is a laughing stock. Our departments of Home Affairs, Traffic and Licensing and the like are overworked and underpaid and in those seats behind the glass screen sit woman who, for the first time ever, are in a position of power and they will NOT let you forget it. Petty crimes are policed regularly and yet rape and murder case dockets disappear.

What am I doing about it? Well I’m complaining to my friends over a cup of tea and cake; I’m phoning home to tell mom how long it took to get my passport sorted and I’m not reporting my stolen wallet because I have assumed that they will not do anything about it, not that I have ever stepped into the Stellenbosch police department to see what it’s like. Yes, I am doing what every other South African is doing, NOTHING!

I am assuming that because I am not in power, I have no say. I am assuming that if I wrote a letter to the president it would go unnoticed. I am assuming that I am just some spoilt white girl who has no right to complain. So why did we fight for a democracy, if we only use it once every five years to vote?

Yes, we have failed ourselves, we have failed our country, our peers, our friends, and it is high time that we got up and fought for what we believe in! The leading party cannot possibly know that there is a problem, regardless of which party it is, if we do not report the problem.

We have been childish and stupid and I’ve had enough. If you want something done, do something about it. Next time someone asks you to sign a petition, sign it. Next time you have a problem, phone someone who can fix it. These structures are in place, they just need to be used.