No more 'first black' stories

Last week was a good/bad week for “first blacks”. The media made a big fuss over the appointment of South Africa’s first black Springbok rugby coach. And, of course, we have had all the troubles related to South Africa’s first black police commissioner.

But the “first black” story that was the icing on the cake, or the milk in the tea, for me was about Hlengiwe Gcabashe, “the first black female tea taster in Southern Africa”. This story was prominently displayed in the Sunday Times Lifestyle magazine.

I normally switch off when I see “first black” stories. If the newsworthy angle is that the person is black, then it is probably not newsworthy at all. After all, news is something that is new and what is new about being black in a country of more than 40-million black people?

I admit that, at some point, it was probably important to note when blacks were making inroads into terrain that was traditionally dominated by whites. This was especially so taking into consideration our country’s history and the fact that blacks were excluded from so many activities in our society.

So it becomes important when our national rugby bosses decide to appoint a black person to coach a team that has always been coached by white men. In the same way it was important when Jackie Selebi was appointed police commissioner to note that he was the first black man to assume responsibility for an organ of state that was traditionally white-dominated.

But at what point does the race of a person appointed to whatever position no longer become important?

When I was appointed editor of the Cape Times, most of the media who reported on my appointment made the point that I was the second black editor of the paper, following on Moegsien Williams.

For me this was not important, but obviously it was important for some of my colleagues in the media. Thankfully by the time Tyrone August became editor of the Cape Times, he was no longer referred to as the XXXth black editor of the Cape Times.

Obviously with every “first black” appointment, there will always be the question of whether the person has been appointed on merit. This is why Pieter de Villiers’s statement, that he is the coach of South African rugby, not the “black” coach, is so important.

De Villiers was making a statement that he is competent to hold the position and that his race should not be considered to be the main reason he was appointed to the post.

Which brings me back to the story of the “first black female tea taster in Southern Africa”. Despite my better judgment, I actually read the story and found Gcabashe to be a very interesting person, and an interesting story could have been written about her without mentioning the “first black” bit.

Maybe the journalist who wrote the story was subliminally trying to raise concerns about her competence?

I think that 14 years into our democracy, we should be able to write stories without making the “first black” angle the most important part of the story. We should be able to focus on other things that make people interesting.

In fact, let me become the first black to say: no more “first black” stories, please.