If the protests in the United States and elsewhere are about systemic racial oppression, then South Africa’s experience is that unless toxic concentrations of political power are addressed, deep structural changes are unlikely to occur
Posts published by “David Pittaway”
David Pittaway holds a PhD in philosophy from the University of the Free State, South Africa. He lectured philosophy at the Nelson Mandela University for several years before venturing into a post-doctoral role there. Before that, he lived and lectured in the UK for four years, and participated in the Occupy Movement there. David returned to his beloved home country in 2012 to engage in relatively rustic and low-tech lifestyle solutions.
Although the protests in the United States are clearly aimed at deep-seated systemic racism, there is a broader backdrop to the protests. What we are seeing is likely a sign of things to come
President Cyril Ramaphosa has consistently stated that the extreme measures of South Africa’s lockdown have saved lives, despite it being entirely unclear, and even unlikely, that his claim is true when one considers broader aspects of the pandemic
Some corporates, some philanthropists, and some governments, the United States in particular, have a vested interest in a global pandemic — and the stats of infection rates and deaths are useful to them.