Friday 2 October 2009

Racism in SA today - could this be reason for some farm attacks rather than some "anti-Boer genocide"?

Sudmitted by Black C.

RACIST reality: When farmers like Derrick Steyn beat up their workers, the acts are primarily motivated by racism and should be treated as such if there’s a serious intent to eliminate the scourge.

Anti-black acts are far from over

BEING South African and black (yes I regard myself as being black not because I am obsessed with race but because of my past and recent experiences).

Last year my daughter and I had to be reminded of our blackness when several white-owned jewellery shops refused her an opportunity to spend some time with their designers.
This was one of the requirements she had to meet as part of her preparation to study jewellery design and manufacturing.

It was only after her white teacher intervened and asked a jeweller she knew to help that my daughter was eventually afforded the opportunity.

Week in and week out I receive press statements from Cosatu complaining about the treatment of black farmworkers by white farmers in areas such as KwaZulu-Natal and North West.
The Human Rights Commission has through its public hearings on racism in the farmland revealed harrowing tales of how white farmers shoot and maim farmworkers and get away with it.

Hardly a month passes without the media reporting a case in which a powerless farmworker has been attacked by a white farmer whose case has been postponed indefinitely.

I remember how, during my childhood, my mother – who was a community nurse – had to treat farmworkers who were severely beaten up by their “baas”.

In most cases the perpetrators never faced the wrath of the law simply because they were white or because they were friends with or related to law enforcement agents.

Only this week Cosatu released a statement condemning the continuing attacks on farmworkers by farmers, particularly in the areas of Swartruggens and Lichtenburg in North West.
Cosatu condemned the continuation of attacks, shooting and assaults by farmers on farmworkers and dwellers .

“At Swartruggens a pregnant farmworker was assaulted by a farmer on Monday after having an argument with the supervisor and now she is in a bad condition,” Cosatu said in a statement.
“The Swartruggens police station refused to register the case, and opted for a peacemaking approach, which has created a situation of constructive dismissal of a worker, Martha Modisane, who is currently at home.”

Those who refuse to face the reality that racism still exists in this country will probably explain these incidents as either “ordinary acts of criminality ” or acts by “a lunatic fringe”.
This unfortunately equals burying one’s head in the sand.

The reality of the situation is that these attacks are racist-related.

They are racist because, despite the advent of democracy in 1994, farmworkers continue to be treated in an inhumane manner .

The reason why the farmers continue to be racist is that, as late Black Consciousness leader Steve Biko would have explained, “they still have the power to subjugate”.

Despite the new political dispensation the power relations between farmer and farmworker have not changed.

The power that the farmers continue to have over the farmworkers is simply that they continue to be members of a group that still wields economic power in this country.

They then use that power to express their inherent feelings of superiority over the black workers.

What these incidents are also saying is that despite what happened in 1994, the economic superstructure in this country continues to be anti-black.

And it is in this context that the world remains anti-black and the lives of black farmworkers remain worthless.

Refusing to acknowledge the fact that some of these attacks are racist can only leave the farmworkers – whose livelihood depends on those perpetrating these racists acts – in a dire situation.

Unless these matters are tackled head-on the change that other South Africans speak about will remain a mirage for farmworkers – while they continue to live under the yoke of racism and poverty.

Disclaimer : If you murder , fuck you ! This is not intended to defend murderers but to open a debate as to how some behaviours by certain farmers does a lot to kick up and fuel anti farmer sentiment.

7 comments:

FanonPoqoChimurenga said...

Thanks for posting. Of course, neither www.zasucks.com nor http://iluvsa.blogspot.com have posted this.

Anonymous said...

Sounds more like assault to me. People treat each other like shit everyday but this does not mean it's racism.
You just have to look at the black on black crime rate to see that violence has more than one motivator. It's almost as if the author expects black on white relations to mimic the Brady Bunch dialog while violent inter race relations continue unabated with not one reference to phenotypical generalizations (unless it's the apartheied fallout reference).

In regards to the jewelry store episode, I don't think that it's common practice to give unknown persons access to high value merchandise. Say I wanted to become a bank teller, would it be racist of the bank to decline my offer to look after the loot for a week?

What is racist is looking at the white skin on your fellow South African and using that facts to manipulate an outcome (IS IT BECAUSE I'M BLACK).

Anonymous said...

Farm labor does not always respond well to logical deliberative discussion. An unfathomable perspective from my Cordwain leather sofa.

Anonymous said...

"In regards to the jewelry store episode, I don't think that it's common practice to give unknown persons access to high value merchandise.'

The student concerned didn't want access to anyone's merchandise, she wanted and needed to, meet up with a designer presumably to get some kind of training.

With regard to the farm brutality, white farmers regularly have sex with black female workers as part of these workers' "duties". It's called "boeresports" in case you can't remember.

Anonymous said...

"With regard to the farm brutality, white farmers regularly have sex with black female workers as part of these workers' "duties". It's called "boeresports" in case you can't remember."

Been involved in the farming community since 1991 and can't say I have heard of an occurrence of this "boresports" so in my opinion it's not as regular as you would like to make out. I'm sure that it happens but again it's a case of preying on the ignorant and vulnerable and not a race issue. I think you just don't understand the sickness of the human condition. It's not because they/you are blackkk!!!!!! .... get it / get a clue. It's because a percentage of us (all of us) are fucking monsters. Don't you read the fucking news? Why don't you fucking get it? Can't you fucking rejects put two and two together? Leave the "White" part out of it, exposed these motherfuckers and get on with your sad little lives.

In fact, take a flying fuck at a rolling doughnut you fucking Artard and take your misconstrued generalizations with you ... IN CASE YOU CAN'T REMEMBER!!


"The student concerned didn't want access to any one's merchandise, she wanted and needed to, meet up with a designer presumably to get some kind of training."

...and what are they going to practice on, fools gold? Maybe the people she met up with are a bunch of raving KKK members, who knows. The part I take exception to is the fact that you automatically assume that they are racist. Maybe they just can't be bothered with some silly little girls school project. Did you ever thing of that? During my electrical engineering degree I was turned down by 22 electrical contractors for work experience (yes, I wanted to work for free) and I can tell you now that most of them were white. So, what's going on here..... I'm white....shouldn't the world just embrace me in all my magnificence? Fuck me, I should be Chief Executive by now. No fuckers, this is the real world. The days of hand outs and free sardine sandwiches with a mug of Oros are over. Welcome to real life where variations of Social Darwinism run rife and getting ahead normally requires giving an arm and a leg.
Put aside your petty racial squabbling and stop trying to make me feel guilty by referencing every deplorable act with the adjective of "White".

Anonymous said...

Rooster? You make no comment about the vid on youtube?

Anonymous said...

What a load of utter bull shit. Have you worked on a farm Roostard? These farmer workers kill the stock, refuse to leave the premises when they get another job, bring their entire families to live on the farm etc etc.

And shame, your poor daughter could not get someone to help her because she is black? What a load of steaming BS.

Wake up and smell the coffee. It's not only blacks that suffer from racism. To believe that is beyond naive.

Your blog does no good, it only spurs hatred even more. Grats. You have proven to the SA community that you are in fact a racist yourself.