We’re all part of tribes in a nation

Apartheid is dead. Long live tribalism. The Zulu, Xhosa, Bapedi (North Sotho), Ndebele, Basotho (South Sotho), Venda, Tsonga, Swazi and Batswana, all of which predominantly speak indigenous Southern African languages. They are al11ive and well.

And you can’t exclude the white tribes. English- and Afrikaans-speaking South Africans, born and bred. And each tribe has its unique language, culture, tradition and belief.

And in that sense we live apart.

In our homes we put into practice the way we are.

Politically we all have the vote – that’s the only common denominator that is supposed to make us one nation. For the rest, we each stick to our tribal ways.

Religion, too, plays a large part of our makeup. Churches, synagogues, mosques and cathedrals are structures separating each from the other. Rightly or wrongly, they operate apart from each other.

It can’t be denied that we are a diverse community. We think and act differently. Our philosophies differ. Oh, and our skins too, have different hues.

And if you really want a good example of our diversity, just check out our politicians. President Cyril Ramaphosa is Venda, former president Jacob Zuma is Zulu. And it’s obvious battle lines have been drawn between the two, each having their own support group – reminiscent of the recorded historic tribal wars, albeit not in a physical sense.

However, in KZN, Zuma’s territory, political murders, tribal in essence, are still taking place.

Given these factors, we shouldn’t expect a perfect world. The only hope we have to survive is to practice tolerance.

Sadly, or ironically, it’s the one element lacking, and it’s our collective downfall. We dream of Utopia in which all live in peace. But it remains a dream as long as we refuse to accept each other’s diversity, points of view, failures and foibles.

Okay, having waxed philosophical, there is one thing all tribes must not tolerate: a corrupt and incompetent government.

One way to show our intolerance is to make sure we’re on the voter’s roll and to annihilate the ANC through the ballot box.

So let’s bury the hatchet – even if just on election day. Let us make tolerance part of all cultures.

Cliff Buchler.For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.