A friend recently posted rare footage of Steve Biko in an interview on German TV on his blog. The week of the 35th anniversary of Biko’s murder was a difficult one for South Africa. In a hard-hitting op-ed for the Mail&Guardian, Andile Mngxitama argues that we are not talking about a dream deferred, but a dream defiled. In Mngxitama’s words “blacks have no sense of themselves as a majority in power” (Mail&Guardian, 14-20 September 2012: 18).
The irony of the German interviewer’s questions in the video clip is hard to miss. The journalist asks whether Biko’s vision of a non-racial South Africa can ever be realised, given that black South African thoughts would presumably turn to revenge in a free South Africa. There is nothing new about white fears of revenge in post-apartheid South Africa. These fears were voiced often enough.
The irony of this interview is that we seem to have come full circle. It is the poorest of the poor who have faced the wrath of state violence in our post-liberation era: forceful evictions of landless people, the ill-treatment of African foreigners, a failing healthcare system in townships, poorly managed schools and, to crown it all, the Marikana massacre – along with the deployment of the army in the neighbourhood surrounding Lonmin mine. We now hear keywords that we assumed died with apartheid; words like “illegal gathering”.
What can Biko teach us in these difficult times – a time in which many of our civil liberties are being eroded by a state that is willing to deploy the army in the township against its own people when the sovereignty of the country is not under threat, a time when the state has made attempts to restrict media freedoms, a time in which failures of the state are often met with personal attacks against its critics and the key issues are not addressed constructively?
I am reminded of a line by Tumi and the Volume: “My black president does me wrong / He wears the mask of Fanon.” Ironically, Tumi performed this verse when Thabo Mbeki was the president of South Africa. When you watch this clip, what should be abundantly clear is that the non-racial South Africa that Biko was working towards has not been realised. What does a non-racial South Africa look like? One in which race no longer matters, you might say. When will race no longer matter? One response to this question is that race will no longer matter when the notion of race, as a social construct, has been taken apart. But, in order for this construct to be taken apart, you need to produce a society that does not feed off racialised class inequalities – a society that does not perpetuate the exploitative, racist practices of the apartheid state.
The prevailing black and white elite interests that have been threatened by the lengthy mine strike is a reminder that the ruling black elite has really just been positioned to protect elite, minority interests and that we have not seen an equitable distribution of wealth and resources in our democratic dispensation. To paraphrase Frantz Fanon, the new black elites have become the servants of big capital at the expense of its people.
When the ANC was engaged in negotiations during the late 1980s and early 1990s, it did not make use of its moral high ground and “Madiba magic” to push for a corporate TRC (Truth and Reconciliation Commission). It did not push corporations to answer for their sins and so these sins continue, unchecked.
If Archbishop Desmond Tutu could prompt Winnie Mandela to offer an apology, why could we not expect an apology from De Beers, Anglo American, SAB and countless other corporate players who profited from apartheid on a large scale? Why could we not place the moral imperative on them to make amends? We need a corporate TRC.
* An earlier version of this op-ed appeared on www.staticphlow.com.
Adam: You’re mad if you think that these companies will do anything of the sort. If they do, then they’re effectively admitting guilt and they’d have to cough up. The current elite won’t force them to because they owe their recently-found wealth to these companies.
I do not know much about “Biko’s vision of a non-racial South Africa” but I certainly have not experienced a lot of “non-racial” happenings around me over the last twenty years. I do experience the practice of all the BEE and AA actions as racist more than as transformation. Most have had a negative impact on the socio economic make-up of the SA society. None have contributed to the “non racial” vision of the celebrated Steve Biko.
I will indeed need to read up on Biko’s works to find out of the 35 year memorial were serious or just lip service to the international community.
Personnaly, I do not care much about the official apologies you refer to. The corporates can send out official apologies at almost no costs. Corporates could have offered their staff (and families) proper housing, schooling and other facilities at a lower direct income. One cannot feed the hungry with apologies.
Spot on. I enjoyed reading this very neat analysis of the current situation-and rather disturbing trends that are clearly emerging. Perhaps one may suggest an additional paragraph that questions why the masses of poor people continue to vote for a party that does not care a jot for them? In other words, the antagonists tend to swap places depending on the situation e.g. hard-core communists who are also waBenzi, trade unionist lawyers now part-owners of mining companies, self-appointed spokespeople for the toiling proletariat wearing Breitling and drinking Blue Label…I grew up under apartheid, but apartheid wasn’t the problem. Greed was, and ‘separate development’ was the vehicle for it. Fear greased its wheels. All that’s changed is the team in charge.
While I agree with much of the general point you’re making about the elite being the beneficiaries of the post-apartheid transition, and the (black) poor being it’s victims, I just wish to correct a factual mistake. There was a corporate TRC, which I remember well because I had to cover it for my first job.
It was one of many institutional hearings held by the TRC, which were admittedly less dramatic and less covered in the media than the individual hearings, but this is the nature of any institutional process. You can read the Commission’s final report here: http://www.justice.gov.za/trc/report/finalreport/Volume%204.pdf. There is a transcript of the sessions here, under “Business Hearings”: http://www.justice.gov.za/trc/special/index.htm#bh
There were also dozens of submissions at the time, totaling many thousands of pages, which might be available through your local university’s library (it was pre-Google, imagine that!). I’m pretty sure they included submissions by De Beers, Anglo and SAB.
Make of this process what you will, but it occurred. Not sure that doing it again would have any different outcome.
“It is permissible to develop any resources if the labour is forthcoming. But it is not permissible to develop any resource if they can be developed only at the cost of the labour. It is not permissible to mine any gold, or manufacture any product, or cultivate any land, if such mining and manufacture and cultivation depend for their success on a policy of keeping labour poor. It is not permissible to add to one’s possessions if these things can only be done at the cost of other men. Some development has only one true name, and that is exploitation.” – Allan Paton, Cry the Beloved Country, 1948
“The prevailing black and white elite interests that have been threatened by the lengthy mine strike is a reminder that the ruling black elite has really just been positioned to protect elite, minority interests”
You clearly do not understand the difference between capitalism and racism.
Your comment about capitalism is completely racist.
“We have not seen an equitable distribution of wealth and resources in our democratic dispensation” is what this article has to say. How do we do that? You cannot take from those who have and give to those who do not have as we will end up with no one having anything at all. Whatever the mines of yesteryear may or may not have done cannot be made to pay for the millions who have nothing – (not even a decent education). We have to ‘build’ a future as there can be no future in dismantling the past to pay for past ‘sins’. Who would qualify if this was done? Imagine the fuss from the youth if and when all those older than 20 off years of age got a payout but they got nothing and then, why should they?
The new youth have been deprived by their own ANC, not the mines or big business of yesteryear. Build not retribution is the way forward but that, of course will not happen as the ANC take whatever they can for themselves, leaving very little for the building of a nation, education, health and jobs. Even jobs need to have competent people applying for them but with the now racial basis we have where only blacks need apply, and the fact that employers cannot fire incompetent or corrupt blacks – guess what? Yes that’s right there are no jobs to be had in this one sided country where workers have all the rights and employers have none! Build and advance on what we have because ‘redistribution is a pipe dream!
‘the new black elites have become the servants of big capital at the expense of its people’
Indeed. Decolonisation in Africa has mostly been about the former colonial powers outsourcing exploitation and oppression to indigenous elites.
I do think many of our SA leaders actually want real change – unfortunately, they’re completely soaked in the ideology of growth-led, trickle-down development, and so can’t see the alternatives to the status quo. Two centre-right political parties and a centre-right media (yes, even the M&G) doesn’t help.
I certainly didn’t vote “YES” for the present kind of change in 1991 (not sure of the year). Also the continuing tribal system is an insult to a democratic system. How can we have unelected heredity kings and chiefs, ruling over a large portion of the countries population and paid for by the state.
I certainly don’t like voting for a faceless party. I want to vote for a person and if I don’t like their performance to boot them out.
It suits the ruling party to keep people uneducated, to maintain racial tension between white, black, coloured, haves and have-nots, employed and unemployed. In that way there a plenty of scapegoats to blame for their own short comings.
To paraphrase Frantz Fanon, the new black elites have become the servants of big capital at the expense of its people.
Is money white?
are white elites … become the servants of big capital at the expense of its people. ?
does money have a race ?
An interesting Thought and to me it shows that while racial classification is still in the author’s mind he is being forced to consider that the colour of skin of the foot on your neck is not important. It’s the foot that is doing the damage. In other words, there is little or no difference whether you have a white boss or a black boss (or leader); it’s the quality, integrity, competence and honesty (or lack thereof) of the leader that counts.
The “white elite” etc etc is just a looters (oe Malema’s) smokescreen.
I understand Biko’s emphasis on race but I do not believe that he was wedded to skin colour. It just so happened that he lived in a time when a majority was ruled by a minority differentiated by skin colour. I think he wanted what is best for the majority of South Africa’s citizens and for them to be proud of their achievements, attained mainly on their own. This is the very opposite of what the ANC and its fellow travellers want. They are here for the loot, even if it means selling the country to the Chinese; bugger the people. Ask the Marikana miners.
Every democratic country is corrupt, with its ills such as inequalities, racism and self centered leaderships
Here’s what Biko had in mind, in his own words, taken from “I write what I like”:
An open society:
one man, one vote
no reference to colour
free participation in the economic, social societies by anybody equal opportunity and so on
[pages138-139] and
We are looking forward to a non-racial, just and egalitarian society in which colour, creed and race shall form no point of reference.
[page 158: Memorandum to US Senator Dick Clark]
He says the same thing in the interview:
“… there shall be no minority [i.e. whites, Indians, Coloureds], there shall be no majority [i.e. blacks], there shall just be people … it shall be a completely non-racial egalitarian society
o the irony:
“It is the poorest of the poor who have faced the wrath of state violence in our post-liberation era: forceful evictions of landless people, the ill-treatment of African foreigners, a failing healthcare system in townships, poorly managed schools and, to crown it all, the Marikana massacre – along with the deployment of the army in the neighbourhood surrounding Lonmin mine”
ask what these clowns have really done, with the resources at hand?
answer: nothing of lasting and sustainable value. even the houses fall down. electricity? free until when? water? raw sewerage rather. etc etc. its a joke, but no one thinks its funny anymore.
another question : how is it possible to search for a non racial south Africa when the anc are as racist as the NP. the only difference is that the Afrikaners actually made things work (and no im not an Afrikaner, but give credit where its due), while the anc is so far lost that all the crumbling of anything is still not even their fault according to them. sigh.
i still am astounded at the whole scene, yet know that tomorrow will spring another surprise.
“equitable distribution of wealth and resources ”
yeah mate, here is the five cents i owe you. now we are quits and as soon as i give the other 5 cents to all the other 40 million, or is it now 50 million, people we should all be covered, right?
ps. what im really saying is that you have no idea, just like the rest of the communist lot.
my family came from a communist country. they know poor.
you have only lived in a capitalist country. you don’t know poor.
and not poor from not being educated and coming from a family of 16 without a father. that will make anyone poor.
poor from a system that drags the essence and spirit out of you so that you become the lowest common denominator, even though you might be a phd.
“The prevailing black and white elite interests that have been threatened by the lengthy mine strike is a reminder that the ruling black elite has really just been positioned to protect elite, minority interests and that we have not seen an equitable distribution of wealth and resources in our democratic dispensation. To paraphrase Frantz Fanon, the new black elites have become the servants of big capital at the expense of its people”
That’s on point.
Indeed we now have new slave masters… And they are black! Outsourcing their slaves (for an elite fee!) to those in control of our economy under the auspices of representing them against the old slave masters.
“Black man you are on your own”… Wake up!
Here is the major issue: What exactly is “an equitable distribution of wealth and resources in our democratic dispensation”?
In my business, one of my best employees have increased her salary by 1000% over the last three years. But she deserves it. She is delivering work that truly justifies that reward. When my company offered to pay for her further studies, she grabbed the opportunity with both hands, and has since earned her diploma (SAQA 4 level).
On the other hand, another of my employee’s salary has only increased by about 60% in two years (still way above SA average), and he is complaining that he is not earning enough. Yet he does not do the work that he should (but is as smooth as a politician on promising to really “do better in the future” – which never happens), and just this week we had to send in another employee to sort out in one day what he could not fix in over two weeks.
So, it is clear what I think is “equitable” in this situation.
PS. For the still race-obsessed like Adam among you, I am white, and all employees mentioned are black (as are most of my employees). And yes, 1000% increase in just over three years.
And then we have poor myopic Sandile still lamenting that Capitalism “especially exploits blacks.” Money knows no colour. I reward my people – justly – on their valued contribution, and on that only – not on race, gender, age, etc.
Steve Biko: An open society: one man, one vote, no reference to colour!
As i understand it Steve Biko asserted [correctly in my view] that there is only ONE race… the Human Race.
Thus the idea that there should be a non-racial country seems to be a misnomer… and, as an idea, is inherently antithetical, to Steve Biko’s viewpoint, which forms a philosophic basis for my own work.
I presume he referred to achieving acceptance that we are a One-Racial society, an idea that for a range of possible reasons seems to have been converted into a contradiction.
Your intentions were good but the reference to Biko weak. Many died in trying reach the ideal. many expected that once the ANC assumed power that all would be fair and equal.
In truth we have too many ‘thinkers’ who refuse to sort the wheat from the chaff. They hang onto many false claims about apartheid i.e the thousands killed, perpetuating myths for the governing party knowing full well that their dream of a just and equal SA will be realised no matter how much is handed over on a plate.
In short the problems today have nothing to with corporate SA but the brainwashing and over emphasis of the wrongs and false promises by the ANC for the past five generations.
The question remains what have the ANC done for the people of SA besides the skewed employment laws, the vote and a million unqualified inexperienced people in government jobs. I say very little.
@ Hugh: Seems almost planned, wouldn’t you say?