As an Afrikaner male I feel disappointed by the statements our Government made under the name of Lulu Xingwana. And yes, I do blame Government as she was appointed as a representative.
Firstly: I grew up as Protestant and not Calvinist. Secondly, and this is the important one: I grew up in a home where I was taught that women are to be respected. Never was a taught that anyone belongs to me and I can do as I please with them.
But this article is not about me, how I grew-up or about religion. Xingwana’s comments for me shows yet again that our beloved Government does NOT strive for integration and are unable to take responsibility for their actions.
We live in a country where abuse against women and children are amongst the highest in the world, yet a fraction of the population (the Afrikaans white male) gets blamed. In order to be part of that statistic we clearly need participation from the nation as a whole, and not just a single digit percentage.
Sounds all too similar to the old ‘Apartheid Song’ still being sung: blame the white man, it is not my fault.
Where I do agree is that the problem starts with the upbringing of a person. But that is not exclusive to any group as abuse happens across the board in every race, gender and nationality.
Abuse in any form is a problem that needs to be addressed. But in our current state of affairs I don’t think South Africa will make a dent in the situation. If the Minister of the portfolio can’t even identify the real problem, how can it be eradicated?
Not to mention the example our beloved President sets with his many wives. He clearly has no respect for a woman as they are being treated as objects and possessions. And if the Head of State shows no respect, how can they expect the rest of the population to do so?
I don’t know whether Xingwana’s motivation was to get on the OP bandwagon or if she is that inapt that she looks at one symptom and think she is treating the cause, but just firing her won’t solve the problem. How can a segregationist like that be appointed in the first place?
Perhaps if our dear President relooks how he hires people, he will have to do less firing in the future.
Our leaders need to start being just that. They need to take responsibility for what is happening in the country. Only then will things start to change. The pointing of fingers need to stop and they need to address the real issues. Get the community involved instead of alienating them.
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