In this blog I will be looking back at my first few days in America, expressing the thoughts and emotions that were going through my head and heart on my arrival in the United States, as well as my thoughts about the American people and the American culture.

We arrived in the United States of America on Thursday morning on June 14^th 2012 around 9am after an 18 hour long flight. One would expect a person to be tired after such a long flight, but not the SAWIPers, the excitement was just too much for any of us to be tired. For some of us, it was the first time to be on the American soil and to others like myself, the first time leaving the African soil. As you can imagine, from exiting the flight, I was already busy looking around trying to familiarise myself with the American infrastructure, trying to compare whether it is as good looking in reality as it is on the television screen. I can safely say, I was not disappointed.

When we arrived at the airport, our host families were already waiting for us. We have heard they are very nice people and we could also pick that up from interacting with them via email. We were welcomed with the most humble and highest hospitality. I met my host mother, Joyce Scwartz, at the airport, her smile alone ensured me that I was welcomed not only in her country but also in her home. I have always viewed the people of South Africa as the nicest people in the world even though I have never been in any other country before, however after spending a month and a half in America I have come to realise that South Africa has a competition as far as hospitality and Ubuntu is concerned.

The SAWIP management team set the tone very high from the first day; we hit the ground running when we arrived In Washington, on our first day, without any proper rest we were taken on a five hour tour around DC. This made me realise that there was a lot of work to be done in so little time. I personally enjoyed the tour as I got an opportunity to learn more about the history of America and got to see the White House beyond the television screen. I got lost on my way home from the tour as I was still unfamiliar with the transportation system, I think getting lost was not an unexpected event given the fact that I had only been in Washington for only 4hours. I was fortunate enough to receive some assistance from people around the streets of Washington, the keenness to help me from the people came as a shock to me because they showed me “Ubuntu” something that i thought didn’t exist anywhere in the world but South Africa, it made me realise how much we often think we are different as people but the actual truth is that we are all the same. As Nelson Mandela puts it “deep down in every human heart there is gratitude and caring”.

The kindness that I was showed by strangers in America, people who were willing to assist me find my way home and to work whenever I was lost made me realise that before I am an African, a South African and a Xhosa, I am a human being. Similarly, before the people of America were Americans and before they were white or black, they were human beings. This made me think of our inter-connectedness as human beings, as much as we are so different and unique, we are also the same. Spending a month and a half with an American family, people I did not know, total strangers to my eyes, on top of that, it was a white family and it was my first time staying with a white family. I thought to myself, I do not know these people, they are white and I am black and therefore we will never understand each other, how am I going to survive this? As if things were not complicated enough for me, there were also other students one from Ireland and two from the Middle East staying with the Schwartz. The power of my imagination failed to paint a picture of how such a diverse group were going to survive together in the same household for a full month and a half.

After only a day spent with the Schwarz, I was shocked to discover how wrong I was. They were the most welcoming and loving people I have ever met, after only a week with them, I found myself forgetting about my biological parents for a moment, who I left back home in South Africa because the love and care I received from the Schwarz, made me feel at home, they made me feel like their own child. After spending a few days getting to know my two host sisters, Sheila and Or( from Ireland and Israel respectively) and my host brother Dia from Palestine, I could not believe how much we had in common, coming from four different countries and raised in totally different environments, we still found ourselves having so much in common. Why? The answer is because we are all human beings. I also came to realise that, regardless of where you come from, there are three universal values that all human beings posses and are raised with. The first is love, second is respect and the third value is care. As human beings, these are the values that we all possess, values based on our inborn human qualities.

The family life that I was exposed to in America is one of the elements that made my SAWIP experience a memorable one. I also had the privilege of enjoying the American Independence day on July 4^th; the day was spent through what is known as a braai in South Africa, but termed a “barbeque” in America. The day was spent at one of the host family’s homes; there was the Washington Ireland Program, and the New Story Leadership students spending the day with us. We had the honour of reading the declaration of Independence in our diverse accents with the American people present on the day. This was one of my highlights of the SAWIP experience; I sat there observing how happy everyone was and how wonderful they were interacting with each other in their diversity. I knew right there at that very moment that Ubuntu is not only a South African value, but is a value that exists in each one of us by virtue of being human and it is not something that we need to dig deep down to find, it is always there.

The family of diversity

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Ubuntu exists all over the world and I have the images to prove it

If these images do not paint a picture vivid enough to express and illustrate our inter-connectedness as human beings, then I do not know what does.

Every year in South Africa, the Nation takes time to remember, acknowledge, appreciate and educate the people of this country about the legacy of the former president of the Republic of South Africa. This is done through the Nelson Mandela Annual lecture that is given by distinguishable world leaders such as the likes of the honourable Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Bill Clinton and this year it was delivered by Marry Robinson. I had the privilege of being one of this years guests to the Nelson Mandela`s 10th Annual Lecturer.

Nelson Mandela once said “Memory is a vital force in society which can help unite or divide societies. The history of our country is characterised by too much forgetting. The youth of this country ought to know where we come from and how we overcame oppression”. It is because of this reason that it is important not to forget about our history and hold these lecturers so that our generation can learn about our past because one day the country is going to be on their hands, and for them to have direction on where to drive it to, they need to know where it comes from.

In her speech, Marry Robertson touched on the current issues facing our young democracy. We are only eighteen years into our democracy; however, there are some basic changes that we ought to have achieved within that eighteen year period that we somehow have failed to achieve. We need to ask ourselves; why do we still have schools in South Africa without desks and books after so many years of democracy? Why are the illiteracy rates so high in our country, education is given as a basic right in our constitution but yet, some citizens do not have access to it. What is a purpose of having one of the best constitutions in the world when everything it promises and guarantees is not being provided, or at least means to those guarantees provided. Martin Luther King ones said “Democracy transferred from thin paper to thick action is the best form of democracy on earth”. Therefore, as long as democracy is only on paper and no action taken to practice that democracy, it is no true democracy.

In her speech she goes on to criticize the South African society for being so complacent with issues of governance, she questions how we remain so passive as citizens about the manner in which our lives are run. We need to take action and participate in government issues instead of standing by and being spectators when government squanders the possibilities of our time. The leaders that we elect every five years reflect who we are as a country and what we believe in. We need to blame ourselves for our leaders for they are what we enable them to become. This is a call to all South Africans to take voting seriously and also to take action and hold accountable for whoever we vote for. The time of voting based on history and skin colour is long gone. We are now a democratic country, a non racial country where we should no longer judge each other on the basis of our skin colour but on the content of our character.

As South Africans, we are often praised by the global community on how we overcame Apartheid in South Africa, that has become the defining factor of what South Africa is, but I beg to take a different view. I believe that what defines a country is not how it overcomes oppression but what it does with freedom once they have it. What defines us is what we do with the day once the nightmare is over; it’s not about what we do with the night but what we do with the long years of sunlight. This is a challenge that we face as a new democracy, we need to come out of the dark and do something about the sunlit day. We have done well in achieving our freedom; the time has come where we do something with that freedom that we had so long prayed for.

South Africa has made to many mistakes in the past, the greater the mistake, the greater the lesson. We have certainly made enough mistakes in this country to learn from. The time has come for South Africa to become what it truly is and most importantly what it can truly become. Lets leave the past behind, for our future is far greater than our past.

In this blog I aim to illustrate how rights protected in the constitution are not absolute and how such rights can be limited by the same constitution that guarantees protection and promotes them. I am going to be focusing on two particular rights, namely section 16, the right to freedom of expression and section 10,the right to human dignity and also make reference to the Spear of The Nation painting, exposing Jacob Zuma`s private parts which is one of the most talked about issues in South Africa currently, regarding these two conflicting rights. To justify my findings I am going to use the case of S v Makwanyane as authority for my conclusion.

In section 2 the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, it is provided that the constitution of the Republic is the supreme law of the land and any law or conduct that is contradictory to the objectives of the constitution is regarded as invalid.^[1] Chapter two of the Constitution contains the Bill of Rights which is regarded as the cornerstone or the foundation of democracy in the Republic. The Bill of Rights ensures that all South Africans enjoy equal rights and freedoms and it affirms the democratic values of human dignity, equality and freedom^[2]. The state has a duty to respect and uplift the purport of the Bill of Rights. The rights enshrined in the Constitution are however not absolute.

All such rights are subject to limitation provided there is compliance with the limitation clause contained in section 36 of the Constitution. Section 36 provides that these rights may only be limited in terms of law of general application, this means that the limitation must be authorised by law. If no law can be identified that authorises a particular limitation, the limitation is unconstitutional and there is no need to investigate whether the limitation is justifiable in an open and democratic society based on human dignity, equality and freedom.^[3] Law of general application basically means laws that apply to everybody, not laws targeted at specific subjects, single or unique circumstances.

Section 36(1) also provides that the limitation must be reasonable and justifiable in an open and democratic society based on human dignity, equality and freedom taking into account all relevant factors; this means that there must be a balance between the limitation and the purpose of the limitation. The balance referred to it must be a balance that one would normally find in a particular kind of society, namely “in an open and democratic society based on human dignity, equality and freedom”, and not in a closed, undemocratic society in which the human dignity, freedom and equality of people are not cherished. The factors that are taken into account to determine the reasonableness and justifiability of a limitation are listed in section 36(1) as the nature of the right, the importance of the purpose of the limitation, the nature and extent of the limitation, the relation between the limitation and its purpose, and less restrictive means to achieve the purpose.^[4] These factors were adopted from the proportionality test as used in the Makwanyane case in 1993 before the establishment of the final Constitution of the republic in 1996.

Nature of the Rights

In the case of S V Makwanyane the court used a proportionality test to distinguish the reasonableness and justifiability of the limitation of the right to life and the right to human dignity. This test entails weighing up of the competing values and ultimately an assessment based on proportionality.^[5] The first thing the Court made an enquiry on was the nature of the rights being infringed, to distinguish the nature of the right requires one to establish what is being protected by the right, how important is the right and the way in which it is being exercised in an open and democratic society. In the circumstances of the Makwanyane case it was the right to life and human dignity that was in question. These rights were found by the court to be of fundamental importance in an open and democratic society as they are the foundation of many of the other rights that are specifically entrenched in chapter 3 of the Interim Constitution.^[6] Section 10 of the constitution provides that everyone has inherent dignity and has the right to have his or her dignity respected and protected. This section protects our intrinsic worth as human beings, an intrinsic worth that is based on our inborn human qualities. Therefore, no one may be treated less of a human than they are or treated as a mere object.

In light of the painting portraying President Zuma`s private parts, the content of the picture is an infringement on the right to human dignity of Mr Zuma, as mentioned above, this is the most fundamental right of all, all other rights flow from this right. The argument raised by the artist who painted thee picture is that he was exercising his right to freedom of expression as also protected and promoted by the constitution in section 16. The question that takes residence in my head is, to what extent should one express their right to freedom of expression, should they do so to the extent that they impair another`s fundamental right to human dignity? In order to answer this question, one must move on to consider the following factors of the limitation clause as discussed in S v Makwanyane.

The importance of the purpose of the limitation

The Court further looked at what the purpose of the limitation was and how important was this limitation in an open and democratic society. In the Makwanyane case the importance of the purpose of the limitation was to ensure that criminals who take people`s lives receive a punishment that was equivalent to their crime and that was to give them the death punishment and limit their right to life and human dignity. The court decided that this limitation was very important, however mechanisms used to achieve the purpose was a violation of the objectives of the Interim Constitution and was not desirable in an open and democratic society and was an infringement on the right to life and right to human dignity. In light of the painting the importance of the purpose of the limitation is to ensure that people of this country should have the freedom to express themselves through various means, including art, without any fear of hindrance or reprisal.

Nature and extent of the limitation and its purpose

Furthermore, the court looked at the nature and extent of the limitation and its purpose. In other words how does the limitation impact the rights in the Constitution?^[7] In the Makwanyane case the limitation violated the right to life and the right to human dignity, it required that the life of a human being be taken by the law in circumstances where a criminal broke a law recognised as being equivalent to the punishment of a death penalty, and in the process their dignity is being violated, their essence of being human is ignored.^[8] The court recognised that even criminals have the right to life and the right to human dignity and that violating their rights to life and human dignity for the purpose of punishment for violating the same rights of someone else was not justifiable and unconstitutional. In this scenario the limitation of the right to human dignity serves the purpose of allowing artists and people to express themselves freely regarding any subject matter and without fearing that dignity will be used as a defence against freedom of expression. This limitation however infringes on the right to human dignity of human beings as it opens flaws for artists and people to express themselves in a manner that violates the dignity of others.

Relationship between the limitation and its purpose

The Court further looked at the relationship between the limitation and its purpose, It is important that there be a relationship between the two otherwise the limitation will not be necessary or justifiable.^[9] In the Makanyane case the relationship between the purpose and limitation was that the right to life was limited for the purpose of preventing murderers from causing more deaths. It was argued that even when murderers are imprisoned they will still put the lives of wardens and other prisoners in danger. In the present scenario, the relationship is that the limitation aims at limiting the right to dignity so as to encourage artists to express themselves freely through their art.

Less restrictive means

Lastly, the court enquired whether there were no other less restrictive means that could be applied to rectify the matter. In other words, were there no better approaches that could be applied to achieve the same purpose without the infringement on any other person`s rights.^[10] The court in S v Makwanyane found that there were other less restrictive mechanisms that could have been applied or used in the situation to achieve the same purpose. The court provided that instead of the death penalty a criminal can be imprisoned for life without parole.^[11] As in the Makwanyane case, in the present scenario there are other less restrictive means that could be used to achieve the same purpose. The artist could have exercised his right to freedom of expression through painting a picture of the president of a different content, a picture that is more respectable and appealing to the public. To further illustrate the point I am trying to make is that, the picture was exposed to the whole nation and was also available online, which makes it more accessible to children who are not of age to be exposed to such a subject matter. In my view, the painting goes beyond violating the dignity of Mr Zuma, to painting a negative picture of our morals as South Africans and stains the office of the president and violates our dignity as a country.

To conclude the matter, I am also not a fan of the president, but please do not judge me based on this and do no make the mistake of assuming the political party of my choice. Looking at the issue not only from a legal view, but from a moral view, the president is a 70 year old man, a father to his children and a husband to his wives. To paint a picture of him of such a nature is very disrespectful not only to him, but to his whole family. This issue makes me question our priorities as people of the present generation. We laugh about the issue and shout “he deserves it”, does he really? Is there a 70 year old person who deserves to be humiliated in such a way? Where are our morals? Is this what we stand for as the new generation of this country, is this what we wish to be remembered for? These are the questions we need to ask ourselves in order for us to restore the morals that we are so beginning to lose.

It is part of the SAWIP tradition for every class in each year of their SAWIP experience before they graduate to do a community project where they give back to the societies that breed young leaders such as ourselves. By default, as the class of 2012 we were also tasked with this great responsibility. We answered to this call with great pride and high level of readiness as we embarked towards our own legacy, what we as the class of 2012 would like to be remembered for. We started planning for our community project prior to our journey to DC; I have to say that deciding on what we were going to do for the community service was harder than anyone of us had anticipated. By virtue of being graced with a wonderful and intelligent team, there were a number of great ideas proposed on the table, we were spoilt for choice, usually having too many choices to choose from makes things easier, however because of the nature of the proposals before us, we couldn`t choose from neither. Since we couldn’t decide on any of them, we decided that the easiest thing to do was to merge the different proposals into one project. That is a decision that seemed to put a smile on all the SAWIPers faces.

The merger of the different proposed ideas meant that our project was going to consist of different elements which made it of a very unique nature. We decided that we were going to do our community project at Marion Girls High school which was situated in a community faced by many different difficult challenges. The name of the community is Bishop Lavis, it is a community with one of the highest crime rates in South Africa, consisting of all forms of crimes and substance abuse by young people of the community. It is because of this that we decided that our community project should have a secular purpose, not only focusing on the school and the students but on the community as a whole because they are all adversely affected by these challenges. Our community project therefore consisted of a skills workshop focusing but not limited to the students of Marion High school, the purpose of this workshop was to teach the students how to draft CV`s, write business plans, and how to apply to universities and also exposing them on the admission policies of all the universities and colleges of the Western Cape. The project also consisted of a session where we invited the Ward Councillor of the community and created a platform where residence of the community will have a sort of a Question and Answers and dialogue session with her. Lastly, we also refurbished a library at the school. The school has been without a library for years but had an empty room which we felt could be turned into a library for the school. This is the element of the community project of which I was more involved in and I will go into further detail with regards to the library initiation.

Our vision for the refurbishment and official unveiling of the library is to provide a conducive learning environment for students where learning materials are easily accessible to them. We envision the school library as a vital instrument in the education process, not as a separate entity isolated from the school program, but involved in the teaching process. We aim at creating a place where students will gain, circulate the knowledge stream and create a learning culture in their school. We aim at encouraging a learning culture in the school by providing all the necessary textbooks including novels in order to encourage students to get into the habit of reading which is of fundamental importance to the development of a student. We believe that school libraries have a powerful influence on stimulating interest in reading and strengthening research and critical thinking.

Schools in previously disadvantaged communities are under resourced and often don`t have libraries and thus students are required to travel to their community libraries or libraries in Towns, as the SAWIP class of 2012 we feel it should not be this way. I, too came from a school that had no library and I know what effects of not having a library can have on the students. There is a lack of a reading culture at these schools; students have no places where they can spend their time reading and learning. By bringing the library to this school, we are positive that students will establish a culture of learning and reading at this school. The library will be a resource they use to acquire information for exam preparation; this would then contribute to improving the academic performance of the students at this school.

As far as sustainability of the project is concerned, we are going to leave the school in charge of the library facilities like books etc. We will however establish a relationship with the school and try and donate as much books as possible in the future.

Our funding model were donations made by organisations and some authors, we also had a few books donated by a SAWIP board member. Through the hard work and dedication of our library team, motivated by our cliché motto of “Keep Moving Forward (KMF) we managed to have a few boxes of books donated towards the project. The whole project was conducted in one day on the 8^th September from 9:00am till 2:30pm.

I am proud to say that the whole project was a major success, the SAWIP class of 2012 displayed the spirit of significance, we were selfless, and we gave our best towards a very worthy cause which is empowering our communities. This is an element missing in this country, using the elite few young people in our country to empower and develop the communities that they so come from. I was very happy when I looked into the eyes of the students on the day, they were so happy and the smile on their faces told a thousand positive stories. The feeling and self-fulfilment I received from doing what we did for that community is a feeling that I wouldn’t give away for anything in this world, it was a priceless moment.

It took a trip to the US for me to realise just how truly blessed we are as South Africans and how much potential we have in terms of development. Ever since I came back from the United Sates of America, I started looking at my country from different lenses, lenses of untold possibilities of a far better future than I could possibly have imagined. The SAWIP experience in the US really broaden my horizon, it got me thinking about a lot of things, questioning a lot of things, including my thoughts and views.

During my time in Washington, I saw my country from a different perspective, I saw my country through the eyes of an outsider and I realised just how far we have come to be where we are, and the fruition of our past is an indication of the potential we posses going forward. I realised that sometimes being in South Africa and being overwhelmed by the problems facing our country can blind one from seeing the beautiful things that we have given birth to and consequently end up complaining and losing the South African pride. I realised that sometimes we need to take a moment to reflect and look around us so we can realise what an amazing environment we have in this nation.

Ever since I came back from the US, besides being asked by my peers and family whether I met Obama, people are more eager to know about the lesson I learnt from the trip and what contributions am I going to make to my society. My response to them is that while in America I have learnt that the American people are politically informed and that citizens are collectively involved in the betterment of their country. The people in the United States do not stand by and wait for the government to do things for them, they stand up and make things happen for themselves and that the role of the government is to support the people in their endeavours to make America better, and that is the secret behind their success. The communities are the ones that drive the country, it is young individuals who are empowered, encouraged and supported by the Government to come up with innovative ideas to develop the country economically and socially. It is the citizens that are encouraged and supported to educate themselves so that all will have the skills necessary to better the nation. The concept of the American dream is still alive and all work towards achieving it, the citizens are proud of their country and one sees the American flag proudly waving outside at almost every household in America and that symbolises the pride of the American people. Government accountability is at the heart of the nation, the government is conscience of the fact that it works for society and that society deserves to know what the government does at all times, for almost every decision made by government affects the people, one way or another.

This is what is lacking in South Africa, people are not politically involved, people are not active citizens of their country and people always look upon government for solutions and they do not take the initiative to come up with solutions themselves. I came to realise that in South Africa we have what I will term “The parent and child relationship” where the state is the parent and the citizens the children, we are always looking upon the parent to come up with answers for everything and we don’t dare question the parent when they are squandering the family assets. I think the time has come where we need to inform ourselves of what is going on in our country, for if we do not know what the problems are, it becomes difficult to act.

On June 16, we as the SAWIP family spent the day at the South African Ambassador to the US, Mr Rasool`s residence to celebrate one of the most historic and symbolic days of our history, the youth day. On this day we had a lot of non South African guests; it came as a shock to me to find out how much about South Africa they knew, some knew more about South Africa than I did. I started questioning myself particularly my knowledge about my country. How can I make a positive difference if I am unaware of some of the current issues in South Africa? Since being back, I gave myself the challenge of keeping myself well informed about the challenges facing South Africa and the potential solutions proposed by government and any other relevant information. In order to be an active citizen, we ought to be aware of what is happening in our country, for an active citizen is an informed citizen.

Through exposure, interaction and dialogue, I have consumed a lot of knowledge in America and I am going to share everything I learnt with as many young people as possible, encourage them to be informed about their country and develop a positive attitude towards development in South Africa. I have already shared a lot with my peers and they now sound eager to take the initiative to make this country one to be proud of.

I know that we are not Americans and we should never try to be Americans. However, there remains a lot to be learnt from them as a developed country. My call to all South Africans is that we should take the time to inform ourselves, from there, the concept of being active will be activated. Its time for us to realise that we are our only hope and that no God is going to appear out of no where and make things better, God grants us the ability to make change, we ought to develop the will ourselves. These are our challenges; it is up to us to come up with solutions for them. I have come to realise that no one is going to give us the destiny that our bones so crave for, we need to give it to ourselves.

I TOO HAVE A DREAM……..

I dream that one day I will carry the strength to lead my nation out of the valley of darkness into the glimmering sunlight of true democracy.

I dream that one day the people of South Africa will no longer be kicked about by the brutal feet of poverty.

I dream of a day where the image of Africa will no longer be portrayed negatively as a jungle of poverty, a symbol of indecency with nothing civilized.

I dream of a united Africa that works together to come up with African solutions for African problems. A Africa that no longer feels inferior, inadequate or helpless.

I too have a dream

I dream that we no longer perceive our past as a chain that is holding us backwards, our history as a prison keeping us confined, but as a lesson that should never be repeated and as a blessing that ought to be embraced..

I dream that one day we will courageously overcome the inner divisions that still separate our beautiful nation.

I dream of a Africa that appreciates and respects our most precious resource, a women. A Africa that champions education amongs the young and acknowledges education as the fundamental tool to call upone positive change in a nation so in need.

I dream of an African youth that realizes the vaults of opportunities that lay await on the African soil and walk together towards the sunlit path of the Promised Land.

I dream that we no longer feel paralyzed and crippled by the legacy of the Apartheid, but united and healed by the realization of the beauty of our diversity.

I dream of a day where the beautiful colors of the rainbow nation shines so bright as do the stars on the sky of a beautiful African summer night….

Oh!! I too have a dream.

I dream that one day when I walk down the streets of Cape Town I no longer here the echoing sounds of cries of hungry homeless children and the hymns of unemployed protesters.

I dream of an African leadership structure that realizes that there is no duty that weighs more heavily on us than to provide all people with a reasonable life.

I dream of a nation where citizens are not constantly cast away of their dignity but granted serenity.

I dream that one day South Africa will stand on top of the mountain, collectively and echo the beautiful sound of “Ubuntu”. Humanity.

I dream of society that wastes not its energy on the maintenance of the barriers of hatred and terror. But on the architecture of rooms of love, hope and and positive dreams.

I too have a dream.....it is an African dream rooted in the core of the African values of love, respect, integrity and Ubuntu.

Racism is still an issue,The tables have turned-it doesn’t matter if you are black or white.

Generally, when we speak of racism and discrimination in South Africa, the first thing that comes to mind is a white person discriminating against a black person. Our first impression, our first thought, what we expect when we hear about the topic of racism is that it is a white person who is racist. This seems to be acceptable in our country when we point our fingers towards white people whenever the topic arises. Is this because of the history of our country?

From my experiences as a young black South African, I have come to discover that when it comes to the debate of racism, black people are not angels. I have encountered on numerous occasions white people being discriminated against by black people, for some strange reason I get the feeling that black people feel the entitlement to do this because of the history of our country.

I remember two years ago when I was in my final year of high school coming from school on a Thursday afternoon after a torturing after school math class with my math teacher, Mr. Nieuwoudt. I was in taxi on my way home to Hout Bay. In the taxi there was a young white young man sitting on the right side of the taxi on a seat in front of me. He looked like a nice young fellow, although I never got a chance to have a conversation with him. The other passengers in the taxi were a group of workers and a few High School students coming from the areas of Wynberg and Constantia. The young man sitting on the sit in front of me was the only white person in the taxi.

As we drove past Constantia on our way to Hout Bay, there came a time when the passengers had to pay the driver. As usual we did so with pleasure, however the young white man discovered that he did not have the money to pay the driver because little did he know that he had lost his wallet before he got into the taxi. When he told the driver this, the driver got really furious, which in his case is understandable, because like many of the workers in the taxi, he was also on his working duty in order to support his family?

What I did not understand however is the way in which he expressed his frustration. He began to throw racial comments to the young white man, calling him with racial names in Zulu and English. A few seconds later, the passengers in the taxi joined in on the verbal attack of the white man. When I looked in the eyes of the man, I could see how frightened he was, I could see that he was afraid for his life, he thought he was going to be attacked. I offered to pay the R7, 00 taxi fare but even after paying the money, the verbal attacks continued.

I remember hearing verbal attacks such as “Have you no shame you bloody red neck, have you not taken enough from us?” Some of these comments were made in Zulu and Xhosa and the white man did not understand them, but he could see the way in which the passengers pointed at him, the way they shouted at him. He looked very scared; he was scared that he did not feel safe amongst his own fellow South Africans only because of the color of his skin. I must say, as a young black South African in the new democratic South Africa, I was ashamed of the black community, I felt embarrassed by the behavior of my fellow citizens, for a moment I felt ashamed of being black. I asked myself, is this what we stand for as the black community of South Africa? Is this behavior that we portray the same vision black leaders went to prison and died for? Is this the ideal that they had envisioned for a new democratic South Africa?

When I got home I immediately shared with my father what I had witnessed that day. I asked my father what does he think is the cause of such behavior by black people after 16 years of democracy?

My father`s response was rather shocking and surprising to me. He said “ Son, you were not there when we were segregated by the Apartheid laws, you were never discriminated against in your life, you grow up in a world swimming on an ocean of opportunities for all young people, but you must remember, we too wanted to be doctors and lawyers like you, but we were never granted those opportunities because of the color of our skin, therefore we still resent white people for the atrocities of the past because the results of those atrocities are still present even after the 16 years of the democracy you are talking about. Even today we are still leaving the same lives as we did in the early 60`s, a black man is still leaving in his own community and is still working for low income wages for a white man, we are still being oppressed in a way. The only difference today is that there are no longer laws in place that segregate us, there are no longer laws that strip us off our citizenship and human dignity, however our living conditions still do strip us off our dignity”

My father and I entered into a heated debate about the whole issue, which did not end on a positive note because of the difference of our views about the issue. I could see the anger in my father`s eyes as we went deeper into the debate, he told me things that he has never told ne before. His closing remarks were “Son, I do not want you to be racist, I only wish the best for you. You were born in a new South Africa, you have always felt like an African who belongs to his society, but you must understand that for our generation things were different, we were born Africans who were not regarded as Africans, we were treated like immigrants in our own country by people who migrated to our country from their own countries to take everything we had, including our dignity. Zola, you grew up being schooled by me and your education system to be blind to color and be objective to issues you face on a daily basis, but I was thought the opposite”

I understood where my father’s views and feelings were coming from. I stood there listening to my father, a lot he said made sense I thought to myself, but does it justify black people for being racist because of the doings of the past. I felt like the tables have turned, it is now the black communities that are starting to be racist. Everything in our country is so color orientated, even our politics, I thought to myself. African National Congress (ANC) is known as the party for blacks and the Democratic Alliance (DA) a party for whites. I come to think of it, will we ever have another white president in South Africa or within the ANC? Or will a white person who deserves the office be deprived of it because of the color of their skin? These questions have taken residence in my head until today.

It occurs to me that there are still millions of black South Africans who still haven’t left the past in the past, who are walking around with a heart heavy with hatred towards white people. When Nelson Mandela was released from prison in 1990 after years of imprisonment for standing up against injustice, he said, and I quote “ As I walked out of my prison cell in Robben Island, I knew that I had to forgive and leave all the hatred and resentment behind, otherwise I would always be in prison” Why can`t all South Africans do the same, black or white?

I often ask myself how can this be solved? What can I do to make this different? I figured the first step is realizing and acknowledging that racism is still an issue in South Africa, the only difference now is that the tables have turned, it is the other side that has racial tendencies, as Julius Malema likes to term it. After having the debate/conversation with my father that day I knew that I had to become a leader of my country and fight to advocate a classless society of non racism and non-discrimination from neither white or black people. Societies where people are granted equal opportunities so that they no longer look at each other as superiors and inferiors. I knew that it was up to me to educate our young generation in South Africa not to carry the same views as our elders, it us up to us young people to change these perceptions. I know that it would be a daunting task to try and shift my father`s mentality, but there is hope for my younger brothers and sisters to share the ideal of Nelson Mandela of a classless and non racist and non-discriminatory society.

I know this two will be a challenge, as there are millions of young black South Africans who share the same views as our elders because of the lack of education about these issues, and a lack of education in general. I believe it starts with educating the young, though it is a scary reality that in South Africa there are still teenagers who can neither read nor right, which makes it a difficult but not an impossible task to educate them about these issues. I understand these frustrations. I pray that South Africa will make it a priority to champion education in our country one day, this is the only way we can break this mentality, the only way we can close the gap between rich and poor, the only way we can destroy a “black community and a white community” and just have a people`s community where blacks and whites leave together in harmony in the same neighborhoods characterized by love, ubuntu and brotherhood without any hidden feelings of resentment and vengeance.

Like Nelson Mandela, this is an ideal of a society of which I hope to live for, and to see realized, but if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die for.

I had the privilege to give a speech in the presents of one of the greatest people to have grace the earth, a hero, a legend, an inspiration, a life changer, an icon known as Mr ( Congressman) John Robert Lewis. This is a person who worked hand in hand with the likes of Dr Martin Luther King jnr and Malcolm X to end segregation in America and fought for civil rights to ensure equal rights and opportunities for all Americans. Meeting congressman in person and shaking his hands and giving him a hug was just one of those moments in my life. What he thought me on this day is something that many people spend their life times trying to learn. I learned today on the 10^th of July 2012 on how to live, what it means to stand up for the truth even if it`s unpopular and not to be afraid to be thrown with stones for standing up for justice. He says don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid……Today I am not afraid.

This is what I had to share in my speech:

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. My name is Zola Mcaciso, Ndaba, Bhadela, Mntungwa, Nonunu noGhubela. I am a member of the SAWIP Class of 2012 and I am a proud South African. I was born under the African skies, raised with the African values of love, respect, integrity and Ubuntu.

I stand before you today representing the youth of Africa, and I want to share with you today a little bit about myself. My story has helped me build a vision for myself, my country, my continent and our world.

I grew up in a small village in the Eastern Cape where I started attending school in grade 1. I was living with my grandfather, an uneducated man; although he remains the wisest man I have ever known. I lived in a village where there was no electricity, no running water and no proper schools for the youth of the village to attend.

From age six, I used to spend hours walking to and from school everyday because there was only one school in the village and it was situated far away from where I lived. Winter months brought rain- enough rain to make rivers overflow and keep schoolchildren, including me, at home for months because we could not cross the rivers to get to school.

My grandfather was very pleased when I stayed at home for those months because he was not a very big fan of education. He believed that education was a tool used by white people to indoctrinate black people with their theories and beliefs so that they could have the power to control them. I was very young at this stage so I believed what I was told.

When my grandfather passed away in 1998, I had an opportunity to go to Cape Town and live with my parents. It was only then that I started proper schooling. I attended a primary school in my community that was only a 15 minute walk from my home. It was not the most beautiful school in the world as it had no library and had a dusty playground for the children, but to my eyes it was the most beautiful school I had ever seen. For the first time in my life I could sit at a desk in a classroom, instead of sitting on the floor; I was in a classroom with children’s books, a proper chalkboard and electricity. I couldn’t have been happier.

As I grew older and progressed to high school, I learned about the history of our country. I learned about freedom, democracy and what it means for South Africa and its people. I learned that my grandfather`s views about education and white people were not true. I started questioning things because as I became more knowledgeable, a lot of things that I witnessed around me did not make sense.

I did not understand why young people in my village have to learn in classrooms with no chairs, no desks and no books? Were they not part of the democracy of our country? Was democracy only meant for those people living in the cities of South Africa? These are the questions that I constantly asked myself.

One of my teammates in the SAWIP team of 2012, Mr Phiwe Ndinisa, once said that democracy means nothing if you are not sharing it with others. True democracy is when a country’s wealth and opportunities are used for the benefit of all its citizens.

I am not asking for a perfect country, but I am merely hoping for a country where platforms are created for all who live in that country to realise their own freedom. In South Africa there are currently four million young people who are not only unemployed but also unemployable. They are too unskilled to find any form of employment. The root of many problems is that there are not enough opportunities created for young people to empower themselves.

I believe that each and every child, no matter who they are and where they are born is as equally as important as the other. Therefore we need to create platforms for the young people of South Africa to realise their purpose in life. I believe the best way to empower the youth is through education.

For many young people living in poverty, education is their only hope to changing not only their lives, but also the lives of their families. I am one of those young people. Coming from a very poor family, being the son of a gardener and a domestic worker, being looked down upon by so called friends and society because I had NOTHING!!, I knew that through education I can give myself SOMETHING!! Education created more opportunities for me. It opened doors that I thought would never open. Being the only person to have graduated from high school in my family, education has added value to my life and that of my family. It has changed my living circumstances. I only wish for the same for all young people in South Africa.

My call to the people of Africa is to ensure that they educate their young people because they are the future of the continent.

We need a broadly educated population in South Africa, so that everyone will be able to come up with innovative ideas that will contribute to the economic growth of our Country.

Some people might think that this may not be possible in Africa. But people also doubted Mandela when he fought to unite black and white people in our country and encouraged them to see beyond each others skin colour and become one nation. But it happened.

When Congressman John Lewis fought for civil rights in the 1960`s to ensure that all citizens of America have equal rights, many thought it would never be possible. But they were wrong.

When Martin Luther King Jr. told the world that he had a dream, some people thought it was just that, a dream and would never materialise into reality. But today America is living that dream. This is the legacy left behind by some of the greatest individuals the world has seen.

Ladies and gentleman, I stand before you today with a dream of my own, and that is to see a broadly educated South African population. Where people have the skill to fight and eradicate poverty and other challenges they might face in their daily lives.

At a Youth Day celebration in 1995, Nelson Mandela reminded South Africa that “overcoming poverty is not a task of charity, it is an act of justice. Like slavery and Apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man made and can be overcome and eradicated by actions of human beings. Sometimes it falls on a generation to be great. You can be that great generation. Let your greatness blossom”.

So my question to the present generation is: what legacy are we going to leave behind?

THANK YOU!!!

On July 26^th at the Woodrow Wilson International Centre IN Washington DC, United States of America, we as the SAWIP family hosted a conference. The purpose of the conference was focusing on Transforming the tomorrow of South Africa as well as looking at the Legacy of the former president of the Republic of South Africa, Tata Nelson Rholihlahla Mandela. Thanks to technology, we had the privilege of having Rev. Frank Chikane joining us on our discussion on the topic of Transforming Tomorrow via satellite as he was in South Africa. We also had an incredible panellists on our discussion, such as John Carlin who is the author of the book Playing the enemy: Nelson Mandela and the game that changed a nation and also our own SAWIP team member Kgotsi Chikane and team manager and alumni of SAWIP 2011, Dinika Govender gracing us with their views as young South Africans on the legacy of Tata uMandela.

I consider this day as one of the most amazing days of my life, I was so inspired by the discussions and peoples views. I was once again reminded by the legacy of Nelson Mandela what it truly means to be a South African. The event itself was so perfectly organised. Our management team never fail to show us how great they are, they organisation and management skills was proven that day to be second to none. Not to mention my fellow team mates who spoke that day, Saif Islam, Daniel Hagan and Makhosazana Sika stood up proudly on the stage and shared their stories and hopes for South Africa as well as the role that they are playing as young South Africans into bettering South Africa`s tomorrow.

We also had the honour of having our South African ambassador to the United States Mr Ibrahim Rasool speaking at our conference. He was one of my favourite speakers of the day. He talked about South Africa needing to move from transition to transformation. He said that since South Africa shifted from Apartheid to Democracy in 1994 a lot of change has took place in our country. He further continues to say that the Government has done a great job into ensuring that young people of South Africa have access to education. However, it is about time that we transform as a country and shift from transition to transformation. The greatest challenge that we have now is quality, we require transformation in the education system. He highlights that we have a very strong economy but yet our neighbouring countries that have weaker economies have a far better education system then ours, their students are doing far better than ours although they are studying and living in worst conditions. It is because of this that we need to ensure that we provide a better quality of education for our youth; we need transformation in the education system. His closing words that touched me were that “South Africa needs a broadly educated population that will contribute collectively to the growth of our country and to the success of our people”.

Mr Chikane`s comments on the current status of South Africa was that, eighteen years ago when South Africa became a democratic country, people of South Africa were promised better living conditions. For years our citizens remain patient waiting for those better living conditions but yet nothing has happened, things remain the same for many citizens, they are still living in poverty. He says that, there are limits to every patience, people are soon going to get tired of being patient and are going to demand answers. The reverend further provides that it would be good if America and South Africa could collaborate in economic integration. We need young people with skills and knowledge, young entrepreneurs that will contribute to the development of our country, he says. He further states that South Africa needs commitment from those who have the means to invest in the economic growth of our country to do so.

On the topic of Nelson Mandela`s legacy, Kgotsi Chikane shared with us what Madiba`s legacy meant to him as a young South African. We also watched a clip from the movie Invictus which tells the story of how Nelson Mandela united the nation and the role that sports played, particularly rugby in uniting South Africans. The writer of the movie as part of our Panelists for the day explained to the room the process he went through when making the movie and his experiences when interviewing the players of the springbok rugby national team. He jokingly says that he had never seen strong man such as those of our national rugby team, crying during an interview. When I was watching the clip, I was probably watching it for the fourth time but I still couldn’t stop my tears from running down my cheeks. Those were not tears of anger but tears of pride and joy that I have for my country and its people. I remember Kgotsi saying that when he gets back to South Africa, he is going to buy a big South African flag and putt it outside his house, just to simbolise how proud he is to be a young South African. I found myself thinking the same thing. There was just something special about that day, I could feel Madiba magic in the conference room. When I looked around the conference room after watching the clip of the movie, I saw people who knew little or less about the South African history crying, that is how significant Madiba`s legacy is.

For me as a young South African the legacy of Tata is one of those things that inspire me to go on doing positive things for my country no matter how tough it is. His legacy has taught me about the importance of forgiveness. I remember Madiba saying “I knew that the moment I left prison, I must leave all anger and hatred behind or else I will always be in prison”. Those words have stuck with me and are words that I use to motivate myself to forgive. Nelson Mandela Is the greatest person I know, they call him a genius in politics, but I call him the genius of life in general. His legacy lives on and will continue for years to come.

Proudly South African!!! Keyona!!........AMANDLA!!!

South Africa comes from a past that has been characterised by a great deal of struggle against inequality, oppression and discrimination. Many South Africans suffered from the injustices of the National Party. When the new Democratic Government came into power, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was established with the aim of promoting National Unity. The Promotion of National Unity and Reconciliation Act (PNURA) 34 of 1995 and the Interim Constitution of 1993 were also established in order to provide a historical bridge between the past of a deeply divided South Africa and a future founded on the recognition of human rights and ensuring equality amongst all. The TRC encouraged perpetrators to come forward and make a full disclosure of all the political motivated atrocities they committed during the period of 1 March 1960 to the cut off date contemplated in the Interim Constitution. In this essay I am going to argue whether perpetrators of gross human violation including those granted amnesty should be prosecuted by the National Prosecuting Authority.

Is the way in which The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) went about to achieve equality in South Africa the correct, moral and justified way? How can it ever be right for someone who has committed the most horrible acts to others be allowed to go free, without any type of punishment? Critics argue that some of these people who were granted amnesty were killers. They have taken people`s lives, broken families, took people`s fathers, brothers and children away from them but yet they are not prosecuted. Where is the law? Where is justice? What do victims achieve from this so called TRC that our democratic government has established? The Legislative Government failed to realise that only victims can or should forgive and that no Law can be enforced to make people forgive.

The narrow focus on Gross human rights violation denied some perpetrators the chance to come forward with their stories and be heard. The TRC only focused on certain human rights violation. What about other forms of gross human rights violation such as being deprived employment and education because of the colour of your skin ? Other victims and perpetrator`s side of the story will never be heard. Clearly the TRC only focused on certain individuals and not on the country as a whole. As a result those victims whose side of the story was never heard were never compensated. Why didn`t our Government adopt the Amnesia approach in order to seek for peace in our Country. That approach worked perfectly for Germany and surely it could have worked for us too.

On the positive side it is also important to note that if the focus of the TRC was to hold every perpetrator liable than the country would in all probability find every white person guilty of gross human right violation. This would then destroy the aims of the TRC as well as the objectives of the Interim Constitution and the Promotion of National Unity and Reconciliation Act no 34 of 1995.The country would never achieve National unity by using this approach, infect we would experience a civil war or genocide between white people and black people in South Africa. From the positive approach that the TRC followed victims have received healing which they would have never received in prosecuting the perpetrators. Some victims who were lost in doubt to what truly happened to their loved ones were now able to know what happened in order to find peace in their lives.

The reason why the Amnsty approach was not used in South Africa as was used in Germany is that it only works in a country where it was the majority who suffered and has the right to forgive. It did not work for countries where it was the minority that had suffered. In the case of South Africa it was the powerful force (majority) that caused the suffering of others. This is the reason why Amnesty was the preferred approach in our Country.Because of the TRC victims received all the answers to their questions and heartaches, the truth came out and people were healed and thanks to the TRC for that. People managed to find closure from disclosure. It is rather important to know the truth than to know nothing at all. If we do not know the truth than it becomes impossible to act, and if we can’t act than we can’t move forward.

To be continued……….

Education you are powerful, you minimize poverty, and you are a subtraction of problems and provide multiple solutions. Education you gave me a voice, for once I uttered and people listened. Education you put food on my table and knowledge in my head.

Education I am glad I met you.

You saved my life, you opened my eyes, you defeated my challenges and you broke my barriers. You showed me the way when I was lost and you gave me hope when all was lost. Education you empower and inspire. Education you created peace and reconciliation. Education you are the answer to all problems.

Education I’m glad I met you.

Before we met I was blind, but now I see, I was deaf but now I can hear, I couldn`t speak but today I have a voice, finally I can be heard…all thanks to you my dear friend.

Education I am glad I met you.

You created equality, you created peace and you invented technology. Some say you are important, but I say you are everything. You are the light at the end of the tunnel, you hold the key to better days and you unite nations. Education you are my pillar of strength, my savior, my beginning, my ending, my future and my hope. Education, you are incomparable to none. Your doors are always open and your wisdom never far away.

Education I am glad I met you.

I remember days where I sat throughout the night under candle light trying to understand you better. I remember days where I spent hours walking every day, sometimes in stormy weather so that I could have access to you, it never mattered how far away you were, those were the sacrifices I was willing to make for our sacred friendship.

I remember days when I took our friendship seriously, some of my friends criticized me and said I was wasting my time with you, they called me names, a nerd, “ihlanya”, they said I was poor and black to last with you, they thought I was crazy, but deep down I always knew that you will provide me with the answers to all my problems and the master key to all different designs of locks. I knew that you were colour blind and it never mattered who I was and where I come from, as long as I wanted to be friends with you, you were willing to reach out your hands and take me under your wings.

Oh, yes I remember clearly! I remember seeing the sad look in my parent`s eyes when they sent me to school every morning with nothing in my lunch box but only the hope that my friends would share the little they had with me so that I can go by through the day, the look in my mother`s eyes I could not bear. At times I had to be the stronger one and tell my mother that “ungakhali mama, ngenye imini kuzolunga” (don’t cry mother, one day it will all be ok)

Yes, our journey was rough!! I remember days at school when I would stay inside the classroom with you during lunch time because I had no food for lunch, you would come to me and putt your warm arms around me and tell me to hold on for better days will come and hunger and anger at the world will soon subside and joy will finally take its place. For all you said were true, because today joy has taken its place and the anger I had at the world for its injustices is long gone.

Education I am glad I met you.

Many people died so that I could have a relationship with you, for that I thank them. Thank you for turning me into a proud young man, thank you for opening the doors that I thought will never open. Today I know my own strength; I have learned to realize my true capabilities and dreams. Thank you for giving me a purpose in life and a better and brighter future.

Education I am glad I met you.

My dream is to one day introduce you to all the young children of Africa for your goodnes requires you to be a friend to be shared. My concern is that many African children will never know you, not enough is being done by our leaders to introduce you to these children. I hope that one day in Africa; you will become the center of attention, not money, Politics or power. My dream is to champion you in Africa and to ensure that you become friends with every young person; after all you are our own Superman, Spiderman and our own Batman. You are our hero as children of Africa, our only chance to greener grounds. He, who is ignorant towards you, is doomed to remain in darkness.

Education I love you, for your love in me will never vanish and our journey together will never be forgotten. For the pride you instilled in me will never deteriorate.

Education I am glad I met you.

All the team members of the SAWIP class of 2012 have the desire to inflict positive change in society. We are all dedicating our lives to becoming the catalyst of change we wish to see in the world. We all have a vision of transforming our society to be the best it can possibly be, however we are all passionate in changing, influencing and transforming society in different ways as some of us are dedicated and have the desire to improve the education system of South Africa and others are interested in improving and boosting the South African economy. And I, as a law student am aspiring to breach the inequalities in our society, both socially and economically, by ensuring equality through the application of law. The fact that we are all passionate about imposing a positive effect in our country in different ways is evidence of our diversity as a group.

As a member of the SAWIP 2012 class, I am honoured to be a part and parcel of a team of such a calibre, young South Africans who eat and breathe positivity. Coming from the township, I have always been surrounded by individuals with a negative attitude towards life because of their social circumstances but here at SAWIP, my mind is at ease because I have been assured that regardless of your circumstances and background, you can have a positive uplifting living, I found a place where young South Africans, despite our challenges as a country still look at life with positivity, young individuals who approach challenges as barriers that can be broken. I am excited to be part of this life changing journey of personal development, I have learnt so much from this diversified group already, and I am yet to accumulate a lot of knowledge and skill as we venture through this journey of self discovery and leadership.

I believe that my outlook of life has been very narrow, though it has always been negative and based on the belief that nothing is possible. Being part of SAWIP has taught me a lot about the world at large, because previously my focus was on South Africa. The mission of SAWIP to prepare, inspire and support a diverse new generation of South African leaders has kicked in. I was inspired by the vision of this programme at the selection camp already, before I was even a complete part of the programme. Being a complete part of this program has made me realise a lot of things about myself, it has pushed me to the extent that I realise my true capabilities, strengths and weaknesses. My objectives at the end of the program were to grow as a young leader and as an individual, to learn how to work properly in a team as i believe that the best knowledge resource when working as a team is one another, I have achieved these objectives in the first few months of being part of the program.

As the team of 2012 we have been prepared and stretched to discover our full potential by attending a number of discussions with some of the best professionals in their fields. A few months ago I felt prepared by a workshop/ discussion with the honourable Nigel Bailey, the workshop was about balanced leaderships in which we were taught to find a balance between being confident and caring and the difference between being a domineering leader and being a meek one. This workshop made me realise that as leaders we often mistaken confidence and arrogance as a result of that we tend to become domineering leaders. And sometimes we tend to be meek leaders when we fail to take charge when circumstances require us to do so. In his workshop I realise that finding balance between dominance and meekness is vital to a leader.

This is just one of hundreds of important things I have learned about leadership in this program. I have grown as an individual in only four months of my time with this program and my wonderful team mates. When I look at myself in the mirror these days, I truly believe that I can change the world; this is the effect that SAWIP has on all of us. I just pray that in the future there can be other programs of this nature in South Africa, or SAWIP can grow from taking fifteen students under their guidance to taking hundreds of students. The atmosphere and support in this program is hard to define, its just breath taking. The exposure and the amount of knowledge we receive is of a nature to leave one changed, if a person can go through the SAWIP experience and remain the same, there would definitely be something wrong with them. I consider myself as on of the most blessed young people of my generation just by being part of this program, that is how much this program means to me. I thank the SAWIP team for seeing the potential in me and providing me with the mechanisms and knowledge to grow without limits.

Thank you sawip for the wonderful experience thus far, I know I am yet to learn more from each and every person involved in this journey. To the 2012 team, you guys are amazing, let’s change the world. This is it!

The Black Economic Empowerment system is currently being criticized for repeating the injustices of the past by being discriminatory towards a certain racial group. This system is criticized for disadvantaging the previously advantaged and advantaging the previously disadvantaged. In my view, this system affords justice to no one but it continuously cripples our country in many ways than one. Businesses consider the social background of job applicants instead of considering the experience that the person has, the qualifications and the skill that a person has to offer the business. Consequently, South African businesses including some structures of government are managed and run by incompetent individuals who have no idea of what they are doing. And what does that do to our economy? What does that do to our country?

Mismanagement of South African Businesses and structures of government result in poor social development and it cripples our economy. Not to mention the brain drain crisis, where qualified white expertise leave the country to seek employment in areas where they would not be discriminated against on the basis of their colour. Some of the leaders of our country, people who were in the forefront in the fight against Apartheid are critics of the BEE system. Mr Mangosuthu Buthelezi (President of Inkatha Freedom Party) and Archbishop Desmond Tutu are also strong critics of this system. Mr Buthelezi provided that “the governments redress implementation of the affirmative action policy is forcing white people to leave the country in search of work, creating a skill shortage crisis in South Africa’. The honourable Desmond Tutu has also warned that South Africa is sitting on a “powder keg” because millions are living in “dehumanising poverty” stating that the BEE only serves an elite few.

Imagine if the Government can change their focus on breaching the gap between the rich and the poor by educating the youth of the previously disadvantaged group instead of focusing on economic empowering an elite few. Educating the youth of previously disadvantaged groups (blacks, coloureds, Indians and some Chinese) for free would benefit each and every person instead of benefiting an elite few. The BEE system is clearly not working, instead it creates more problems of racial discrimination and it encourages incompetency as now a person`s race and skin colour is often the determining factor in finding employment.

How about changing Black Economic Empowerment to Black Education Empowerment, where the focus is on educating the previously disadvantaged groups and affording them the opportunity to empower themselves so that they can acquire the skills necessary to compete in the work force. The education system in South Africa is very poor; the majority of students who make it to varsity each year are students from private schools. There are students in South Africa who still attend classes in class rooms that have no chairs, they sit on the floor. There are schools with no libraries, no electricity. Lets improve these conditions and give the youth of previously disadvantaged groups education that is of same quality of those in private schools. That way, no race or skin colour will be a factor in affording employment. Each and everyone will be treated equally and fairly in affording employment because everyone has been exposed to the same level and quality of education from an early age, everyone has been afforded the opportunities to make something with their lives from an early age, should they fail to make something of their lives when opportunities were available, they will have no one to blame but themselves. This way racism will be eliminated and so will the crisis of brain drain. The BEE only benefits certain class of people and it leaves the poor and uneducated people in the rural and township areas out in the cold. The question is: Were they not also previously disadvantaged?

The Black Education Empowerment will cater even for those in rural areas in the hidden parts of the Eastern Cape. Instead of forcing Businesses to employ people based on race, how about putting provisions in place that will create an obligation on them to give back and invest in the education system of South Africa. Imagine how the education level of South Africa could improve. I believe that education eliminates poverty and poverty eliminates crime because most criminals commit crime because of poverty, because of hunger and because of the pressure to feed their families. I believe that we all should play a role in the development of our nation, that way we can all say without any hesitation that South Africa is a land of opportunities.