Musings on Mzansi

Written by tha - bang from the blog blah blah on 29 Jan 2009
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Morbid thoughts on this Thursday,hopefully you guys will shine some light. As we stand as a country and as a people what do you think we will be remembred for? What heritage are we passing onto future children and people of Mzansi? Is it a heritage of freedom, respect for the law, moral and ethical behaviour or is it that of empowering the poor, helping your fellowman and of a sense of what it is to be a real South African or rather that of crime, corruption, poverty and the love of the high life in a country full of poverty?

Some will say our great heritage is 1994, thats what our generation will be remembered for? But with rampant corruption, greed,crime and love of glamour being prevalent in almost every sphere of life.I believe we shall be remembered for the not so pleasant stuff. If you look at our politics, government, civil society, communities even private business three things run through all of them corruption, the high life and amorality. You look at Arthur brown and the fidentia scandal, Schabir and the arms deal, Jackie Selebi and the kebble - Aggliotti scandal , our brothers in the corners who hijack our parents; its all about trying to get money. Whatever way possible , it does not matter that you steal from old peoples pension, or you dishonour public office by accepting bribes or that you kill for the money.

As long as you look rich, smell rich and walk rich, thats all that matters. This is what the rainbow nation is becoming; a bunch of people out to get rich no matter what. This I believe is the legacy will lve for the little ones,what a pity from the great choices we have of freedom, tolerance, non racialism, nationalism, respect for the law, fratenity that we should make such poor choices. If i'm wrong please elaborate on your alternative heritage that we as a country right now are leaving?

5 Comments

tha - bang
29 Jan 2009 15:19

any takers

nice
29 Jan 2009 16:30

Thabang it is a difficult question that you have raised, and it made me look at the kind of lifestyle that we are currently living and what would be left once I am gone.

We are the generation that was born into abundance, the 80's when there was finally hope for freedom for the black people and our country's economy was growing very fast, because these were all new and having material posessions was something that most black people were not familiar with it became priority number one hence people started looking out for themselves and were pushed by greed to achieve riches at whatever cost. In that way the poor uneducated folks grew poorer, and the few elite grew richer. From the metro-cops to directors everything was about material things and we lost the values that matters most and we sold our souls for money, how sad!

At the same time there are good things, women gained their independence and were no longer housewifes, black people are given an opportunity to pursue any kind of career they are interested in without limitation, even though the salary survey has shocking findings, and we are slowly but surely tasting freedom in most aspects of life and are given the choice, even with morality and ethics.

In time there will be an adjustment and hope that people will learn to save more, be more charitable and emphasize integrity. Have you seen how many successful black diamonds are flocking churches, it is a way for our society to regain their integrity and be a better generation.........................but it will take time, and lets hope that will happen before it is too late.

nice
29 Jan 2009 16:34

sorry for an article within an article, there is just so much to say about the subject!

tha - bang
29 Jan 2009 17:08

no problem , i appreciate your thoughts nice. i do the same sometimes. i hear what you are saying about equity,espicially on the gender front. I just wish we could get to a point were things are balanced out and we are not teetering to one extreme to the other.
but ur right there are some good achievements we can pass down,hopefully they wont be overshadowed by the bad

Green.arrow
22 Oct 2009 00:46

Wow..what a beautifull article, it represents my thoughts especially this "season".

I feel that our parents went through a culture shock of their own,with the idea of western alcohol,drugs,shebeens,pop culture etc etc so that most of us grew up without fathers as they abused or were blinded by those staff. And so i believe that currently (plus all current trends which are not all positive) young men do atleast stay in their children's lives. Although a hafety price has been payed for fathers leaving their children,so many people are broken as a result.

Similarly i feel we are going through some shock of sort. I gree with nice,...we are a generation living in times of abundance (possiblilities and otherwise), but because its such a new phenomena we dont quite know how to handle it all. The freedom,all the possibilities,the resources.

But I am encouraged when i see people who are thinking about leaving a good legacy,whether in terms of education, business skills, ethics/morals with emphasis on this like chaeity and intergrity like nice says.
One name comes to my mind....Zibusiso Mkhwanazi.

He is a founder of Csonke holdings and ceo of krazyboyzdigital.
And he recently opened an academy: Mkhwanazi Academy for Christian Entrepreneurship (MACE)
"A non-profit institution based in Vosloorus that seeks to make a meaningful change to South Africa’s disadvantaged communities by developing and supporting young entrepreneurs in a Christian-based business program"

Im not marketing him,i have only ever read about him and luckily i got to see his interviews on telly. But he epitomises what i feel should be happening in order to lay a better foundation for tomorrow. Intergrating education,business with morals (God in this case).

It is what it is now sadly, but the solution has to start somewhere,somehow,with someone. And again, the black diamonds going to church or being more concious is something nje ngoba nice says. And certainly people like Mr Mkhwanazi are needed to plant the kind of seed he is planting in the young ones so that the cicle can be broken.

Once again....lovely piece Thabang.....questions very close to my heart.

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