How ironic! On 20th anniversary of Mandela's release,a new right wing prejudice-racist organisation launches on Stellenbosch Campus! What a sad day. The rest of South Africa is celebrating the 20 year anniversary of Mandela's release which is so symbolic of our own freedom from our own ignorant racism. The day Madiba walked out of Victor Verster Prison we were forced to examine our ideologies, and given the grace by a forgiving downtrodden people to change (without recrimination for our hatred.) Sadly, on the 20th anniversary, a group of right wing afrikaaners in Stellenbosch University are launching a society that isolates them even more from the spirit of South Africa.
Written in 1955 the freedom charter declared that "South Africa belongs to all who live in it", that Education should be "universal and equal" and that higher education be "opened to all". The narrow minded few quote the part of The Bill of Rights that declares that "Everyone has the right to receive education in a language of their choice" but they selectively chose to leave out the proviso that this be a right only when "reasonably practicable", taking into account "equity, and the need to redress the results of past racially discriminatory laws and practices."
What man would attempt to defend the exceptional and superfluous rights of 3 million previously advantaged at the expense of the basic human rights of 45 million people who previously shared in none of the opportunity to educate themselves and their children. What a sad day it would be to entertain the demands of the advantaged.
The vocal minority 'reminds' us that the birthplace of apartheid is an "Afrikaan's University built with Afrikaan's money" ....
Will we count the cost of the blood of so many, and the sweat and tears of those enslaved as so cheap as not to challenge them... Who will remind them that it is first a South Africa University, paid for with priceless South African blood, and each brick laid by torn enslaved South African hands. Cry out the cry of 1955: "South Africa belongs to all who live in it"
So while the reasonable man remembers the powerful change of our universal consciousness in South Africa 20 years ago.... And while we gladly embrace the ideal that "South Africa belongs to all who live in it" in a common cry of celebration with the enslaved masses of 1955... Keep in mind that the battle remains simmering in parts of this grace filled land. That there are those who would once again choose to attempt to entrench as 'THEIRS' what people died to establish as 'OURS'.
Sent via my BlackBerry from Vodacom - let your email find you!
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