'Ubuntu', the inherent goodness of blacks and (d)evil whites

If you grew up in dominantly black circumstances, like me, populated by oppressed Africans, especially in the townships or rural areas, then no doubt you will have heard many mythological stories about the inherent goodness and morality of blacks called “ubuntu”.

Perhaps we should make one thing clear about MY definition or understanding of the concept. Ubuntu is supposedly an intrinsic and uniquely African moral philosophy or characteristic that makes it easier for those who were born or brought up as blacks to distinguish between right and wrong or good from evil.

Also, we should distinguish between Abantu, who are black people to be contrasted with a separate and different group of Abelungu, who are white people.

Depending on who I am with and where I am, I have previously found myself putting up a spirited defence and philosophical rationalisation for the innate goodness of black people that is unblemished by the darkness of the soul of the human being.

Yet the development of goodness or conscience is not something that you are born with simply because you are black and were oppressed over many centuries. During the years of “the struggle”, blacks had convinced themselves that they could do no evil deed. They are good because of inherent “ubuntu”, that elusive goodness in black people.

But is it true that a person knows right or wrong because they are black? Are blacks good people with white hearts and pure souls who cannot commit sin? I am raising this because we have to throw this poor black self-defence out of the tub before it taints the morality of the new South Africa.

Black people need to acknowledge that they do have bad people among them, despite the fact that they have been the worst victims of colonialism and apartheid. Yes, black people can be bad, immoral people who act like they have no conscience — just like a white family that would pay their servant R1 500 per month while they rake in multimillions in pay and perks for simply being white.

Whether it is the granting of state tenders to pals; hijacking and killing a motorist because he is white; blocking opportunities for non-blacks because they are “the wrong race”; sexually abusing young school girls because you own a BMW; or the notion that blacks are entitled to be Number One, it soon becomes clear that black people need to work and train themselves on what constitutes good and ethical personal conduct.

It has nothing to do with the fact that once born black, you know good from bad, right from wrong.

We can grant that colonialism and apartheid have inflicted great damage on the black psyche. But this does not mean that black people are angels with an inherent goodness or consumed by an overwhelming spirit of “ubuntu”. Of course, this “ubuntu” thing does not mean that black people have more of a moral high ground than whites.

We must move to a time where black people ask themselves, especially among whites, whether it is true or false, indeed, that blacks inherently have ubuntu, and whether this makes them naturally good people.

It is common to hear some shallow-thinking but patriotic blacks shout at the top of their voices: “We have ubuntu and would never have created apartheid. In fact, we blacks are naturally good and moral people.” If you were to ask who is good between a black and a white person, a black person is likely to answer without thinking that it is the former. What does this mean? Blacks are good people simply because they are blacks who are born with ubuntu!

The Moral Regeneration Programme is a cornerstone of the government’s agenda not only to build a new nation but also to nurture a new spirit of identity and social cohesion. It does not matter that its founder, symbol and leader was ANC president Jacob Zuma. What we need to understand is that this government is grounded and guided by a vision of goodness, and high ethical and moral standards. You can hate the sin but not the black sinners in government.

You would think that a former black comrade who spent countless years in exile in the Soviet Union or Africa would know the difference between right and wrong; the unethical conduct in siphoning state contracts towards friends; the abuse of government resources to live a luxurious lifestyle. Of course, these good blacks who liberated us are supposed to be good people who stand for righteous goodness. But some of them are the ones who have compromised and corrupted the black sense of morality and goodness.

I am not going to be able to explain why blacks who were dehumanised under colonialism and apartheid think that is a good enough reason to make them good people. There are more than enough blacks who consider themselves good people with ubuntu simply because of their skin colour.

Yet we know that, just like the darkness of the soul, human goodness is a universal human quality that is not the prerogative of black people who suffered under colonialism and apartheid. Black people must begin to grapple with serious issues, especially in their own souls, to explain why the moral centre cannot hold and why evil in their communities has been unleashed upon their dreams for a better society.

Firstly, when given a chance, most blacks are likely to excuse black insensitivity and immoral acts when it is perpetrated by one of their own, for instance. There is this amazing ability to glorify a filthy rich black who does not plough back to his own community, and to see him or her as a role model. What justifies their obsession with material wealth and success is their skin colour, which is a good enough excuse not to do anything to address the legacy of apartheid.

On the other side, and this is the biggest problem, no whites — irrespective of their material condition — will be allowed not to do something good to improve the ugly situation of poverty and unemployment of a black person. This is a case of double standards, I think.

The problem with ubuntu — or the philosophy of the inherent goodness and moral uprightness of black people — is that it is a myth. Black people who think they are born good because of their skin colour are self-delusional. We cannot afford to have this type of thinking go on for a minute longer. Otherwise, this explains why a black multimillionaire will leave his parents to wallow in the squalor, dirt and sub-human condition of a township match-box house while he spends R1 000 on a bottle of whiskey or drives around in a car worth R1-million.

The problem with this black morality or standard of goodness is that it makes the leadership — especially so-called role models — suffer from myopia and illusions of inherent goodness.

Many black leaders in religion, business, academia and politics, for instance, think that they will be taken seriously — irrespective of their filthy rich status and wealth — simply because they are black. The blind emotional reasoning is: a rich black is a good black. They are fooling themselves by believing in this self-delusional goodness of black people determined by mere skin colour.

Of course, we have heard far too many leaders tell us that black people should look up to money and material success — and not moral conduct — as the yardstick for good and moral standards. Thus black success is material based.

In fact, blacks have been told that they must not be ashamed to be “filthy rich”. Some prominent spokespersons are on record as saying: “I did not struggle to be poor!” Nobody is saying: “I am good because of my moral standards.” Nobody is being reminded to plough back into their communities. This has resulted in black not only suffering reputation damage and losing the moral high ground, but also being murdered by their own sons for the type of car they drive.

Even an illiterate mineworker who has not set foot at Fort Hare University should know that being a good black has got nothing to do with being the first multibillionaire to be listed in Forbes magazine or to live in a R56-million home. The pursuit or worship of money and goodness has got absolutely nothing to do with each other.

So, why is it that black people in institutional leadership, especially those with huge salaries, think that they can perpetuate an evil economic system and not promote good ethical behaviour that sets an example? The black community is paying a very big price for this mistake of thinking that ubuntu is an inherent character trait of every black person. Being black does not give an automatic goodness status.

Think about it for a moment. Far too many blacks are keeping quiet in the face of spreading black evil simply because they have been misled to believe that ubuntu is an inherent black quality. They are in denial and rationalise black evil.

Is it fair to have different standards to measure goodness or moral conduct between black and whites? It is the answer to this question that will help us chart a new path together towards building a South Africa that is a home for all.

The blacks are eroding the moral fibre of a new nation before the end of the second decade of freedom. The greatest threat to this democracy and freedom is those black people who want to use relative standards for what is good for whites and blacks.

At some point in our development, we have to break with these double standards. We have been called upon by history to take a moral stand to say: “Enough and no more.” The goodness of a person has absolutely nothing to do with skin colour. There are many bad blacks as there are good whites.

So, go now and look at yourself in the mirror. Do you think a person is good or bad because of the colour of his or her skin? Who is a good man between Nelson Mandela and FW de Klerk?

I am supposed to be black. Am I a good person for writing this?