Yes Mr President but what about "humanitarian racism"?

You’ve been reading the blog for a while now so by this time you know I am vehemently anti–racist — getting bombed by the left and the right for standing up for one group or another at different times. If I tell the whites to accept Skielik as racist I get pounded. If I tell the blacks that quotas are unnecessary in sport I’m a racist. If I tell everyone I support Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) and Affirmative Action (AA) as necessary to address the past imbalances, I get told I’m clinically insane.

Nevertheless that’s the way I feel – I’m a Derby County supporter entitled to be as looney as the best of ’em.

Addressing the national Freedom Day celebrations in Cape Town, the president spoke of dealing with the savagery of racism and the need for a “New South African” individual ie non-racist, non-sexist and non-xenophobic. Unequivocally you have my support, Mr President.

There is however, in my humble opinion, a far greater scourge which needs to be addressed — those who abuse “racism” as a means to an end.

Here I am not referring to the guy who doesn’t get promoted so he blames racism. I’m speaking of those who use racism as a defence — like a baseball bat — to prevent people calling attention to or intervening in their disgusting conduct.

Let’s start outside our borders. Every time someone has tried to tackle Robert Mugabe he screams racism. The act of stopping Mugabe and Zanu-PF murdering, torturing and intimidating the (overwhelmingly) black people of Zimbabwe is racist? Colonialism and racism? Why is trying to stop blacks killing blacks racism? Who is trying to colonise Zimbabwe out of America, Britain and Australia (apparently the main “racists”)?

Yet every time a western power or even the United Nations gets robust with an African despot or tyrant they are categorised as racist?

If that be so then in the interest of sparing black people from wholesale slaughter by black “leaders” – for want of a better word – we had better start tolerating this type of “racism” – style it humanitarian racism. Left to ourselves we have seen that intervention is frowned upon, indeed resisted by some sort of African leaders old boy’s club, who would rather tolerate these deaths than demand better from other heads of state.

I’m sure the people of Zimbabwe would have loved to have received humanitarian racism many years ago. Besides the millions who left rather than live under the “non-racist,” Mugabe those left have told him exactly what they think of him. Yet here we are on his doorstep allowing our black brothers from Zimbabwe to be butchered and beaten — even allowing arms to be imported to assist in this until our trade unions intervened.

Racism is savagery!

Using it as a defence to prevent world intervention in Zimbabwe is worse — it’s indefensible self-interest.

Zimbabwe is but one example of African leaders using racism as a method of avoiding outside intervention in their disgusting policies, used overwhelmingly against their black citizens. The sooner the world reclassifies this as humanitarian racism the safer those populations will be.

Turning to matters local — the neccessity of Affirmative Action and Black Economic Empowerment.

In my mind they are fundamental to addressing the past imbalances and leading the fight against poverty. To ignore their importance in this regard is selfish, and self interest overtaking common sense. Quotas in sport on the other hand simply occasion resentment. The proceeds of my book are going to clinics for the underprivileged as conducted by the South African Rugby Legends Association – we can each do something to uplift the grassroots. Demographics will sort this out if grassroots are uplifted — the money is there and then some.

No, my bugbear is the way in which AA and BEE are dealt with. Billions and billions finding their way to the same fat cats while millions of our people live below the breadline. The richer some get, the more BEE and AA appointments they are given, and the wider the gap between the haves and the have–nots becomes.

In feeding schemes in the Eastern Cape, Landbank allocations and even Eskom, we are seeing that the money is heading towards an elite few rather than being spread out accross a wider spectrum. We are witnessing children starving in the Eastern Cape while BEE groups squabble about the spoils. We see billions wasted on crap like name changes while the world food crisis is on the go.

BEE and AA need to be looked at by an independent, commercialy and socially astute group and thereafter adjusted – to ensure that the maximum amount of people benefit, and the biggest impact on poverty possible achieved. It might also help if we avoid interfering in areas where key technical skills are required. If those shut down we all suffer.

Unfortunately however whenever anyone suggests that the elite and fat cats’ pie be divided they are accused of?

Racism.

Just to be clear the readjustment of AA and BEE to ensure that the maximum amount of black people benefit, is only racist if you are following a policy of indefensible self-interest. The vast majority I’m sure would welcome the idea.

In essence I guess I agree with those who say that we are not truly free while racism exists. Racism in its true sense is a barbaric outrage delivered by mental midgets who need to be punished because they don’t know any better.

Racism as a defence to avoid intervention as in Zimbabwe – by parties seeking to ward off humanitarian disasters – on the other hand requires a trip to the criminal courts dealing with crimes against humanity. Using racism as means of keeping all the pie for oneself as in South Africa should be a red card offence. They should be made to sit out while everyone else gets a share.

Lets start to treat each South African life as if it was gold – not to be stolen or sullied by those who don’t care or care only for themselves.

This is written as a tribute to Archbishop Desmond Tutu — godfather to a nation.