In response to Thabile Mange’s letter Statues symbolise white power in the 24 April issue of the News.
Does the founder of a town or city not deserve the right of at least a statue in his honour? The removal of the statues is an issue, not because it is (apparently) removing a symbol of white power, but because you are entirely disregarding what these men did not only for white people, but also for black people. How can people be so disrespectful towards history? These men created the very homes, roads, entire cities and towns where you are residing right now. Whether they were white or black is insignificant. They are our founders; and they are worthy of respect. Why be against equality, and wipe out everything colonialism did for us all?
For some reason you regard colonialism negatively, but you completely forget what it gave you. Would you give back your modern clothes, your cellphones and electricity, the internet, everything you have? The bricks and tar with which the cities were built from – even the alphabet you use to write? Would you really have had even a taste of any of this, if colonialism had never happened?
And do you really think there are so few black professors appointed at UCT as a cause of racism? At a university it is obviously of great importance to be qualified adequately. A university is not like Eskom, where doing your job is rare and continuous blackouts are acceptable. Universities are at constant war with each other; and since they are highly competitive in the academic field, having unqualified professors teaching students is totally ridiculous. Suggesting that the university should get rid of most white professors to appoint someone just because he is black is even more ridiculous.
You even suggest that the country’s wealth still lies in the white minority’s hands. Have some insight. Almost all of the country’s wealth belongs to the government. I guess a poor man’s mind is easy to manipulate by his rich, fat leader; who keeps feeding you this trash of the rich minority so you wouldn’t dare look in his direction.
In everyone’s attempt somehow to forget the past, they are repeating it. We can move forward only once we accept history – simply ignoring it or trying to take a massive (and unnecessary) stand against the past only will lead us further to our doom.
We are entering an era of reverse apartheid. Why not enforce equality? Why don’t we all just take a step back, evaluate our surroundings, and realise that things are taking a turn for the worse?
As a result of everyone’s ignorance and total absence of humanity, Zimbabwe is our future.
