Don't just vote...rise up!

By Judy Sikuza

Is it just human nature that we need dramatic events to occur before we change? How long will we sit and listen to the woman next door being beaten up and say it is not our business to intervene? Until she is lying in her own blood? When it is too late? How long will one party keep getting the majority vote based on struggle loyalties and when voters get slapped in the face with corruption and unfulfilled promises? When will we as South Africans fully show up in our daily practices to ensure that the Constitution of South Africa, with all its ideals, becomes the living DNA of this nation? We cry out, complaining loudly about the state of our country while we sit back and watch injustices all round us. Perhaps, we say to ourselves, we will be moved to bring meaningful change when Nelson Mandela passes away, because his death will surely bring us together and remind us of what a “great rainbow nation” we are. Nonsense!

One of the main contributors to the injustices in our country is our habit of blaming others for the problems that exist. Indeed, there are many things that other people are doing that add to the injustices and this is deplorable. But is it not easier to point the finger at the other, instead of asking how I or we may be responsible for perpetuating the situation? This is a question I was challenged to engage with when my best friend encouraged me to register to vote for the upcoming municipal elections. I was very resistant to this because I felt like there was no point in voting when I saw no significant changes. But by voting I earn the right to challenge the powers that be when they do not deliver. Just like the seven schools in the Eastern Cape that took the education department to court to force it to spend R8 billion doing what it should be doing in the first place, we too can challenge those who perpetuate the injustices of our country. It does not mean that we all have to be activists, although those roleplayers are vital. It just means that we actively play our role in whatever capacity we can.

For a truly just nation to exist, a radical mindshift needs to happen where we as citizens are not apathetic to the injustices we encounter in our everyday lives. This mindshift will require black people, for example, to fully acknowledge that there are other groups that were or are also being marginalised such as coloureds, homosexuals, people with disabilities, the elderly etc and stop using the sympathy card for being black at every opportunity. This mindshift will require white people, for example, to fully acknowledge that the injustices left over from the British invasion and apartheid have had an adverse effect on the majority of the people in this country and that it is equally their role to reduce these inequalities through the powerful positions that most still hold in this country. I could go on and on about how each race, each religious group, each gender etc should own up to the part it plays in keeping us a divided nation still brimful with injustices, but I think you get my point.

Once we have undergone the mindshift that my brothers’ and sisters’ struggles affect me and are therefore my struggles too, then we will be moved to act in our daily lives and not need a dramatic event such as the death of an icon or the next revolution to inspire us into battle. We all know that such catalytic events and even their impact are fleeting and we will soon revert to our comfortable old habits of apathy, self-focus and separatism. One need only look at the 2010 World Cup as an example. Although we were all united during the World Cup, once the international visitors were gone, and the cameras left our stage, the euphoria quickly wore off. Two examples that come to mind are the xenophobic attacks that ensued shortly thereafter, and the train situation in Cape Town. Where was the mindshift that should have allowed all races to continue riding together on the trains even after the events? Why didn’t all Capetonians come together to demand and ensure that trains ran a high-quality public transport service for all people to use? But you will say: come on now Judy, you cannot expect us to actually shift out of our comfort zones. We all know that we could only ride together when there were police around ensuring our safety. We cannot just trust that things would have truly changed for the better.

So, how long will we sit and listen to the woman next door being beaten up and say it is not our business to intervene? How long will one party keep getting the majority vote based on struggle loyalties? How long will we as South Africans wait until we challenge ourselves to undergo the mindshift which recognises that our issues affect us all and require a unified effort? Well Judy, perhaps when Nelson Mandela dies, or the abused woman is lying in her own blood, or when the next fad inspires me to temporary action.

The South Africa I want to live in is one where each of us chooses, every day, to do what we can to stand against injustice. To start seeing when we use history as an excuse, when we patronise and look down upon others, when we are intolerant and abusive, when we fail to be a positive part of the nation’s story. I want a South Africa where I no longer look around me and see people, of all races, classes and genders, waiting for someone else to take responsibility for our shared future. South Africans, all of us, rise up!

Judy is an organisational development consultant who is passionate about contributing to South Africa through developing change-management programmes, leadership, team building and diversity initiatives.