SA Hear my Voice
But that is not the whole truth. Our economy may be falling, but we, as South Africans, still try to rise. There might be corruption, but we are not all corrupted.
“Disaster!”
“Rubbish!”
“Things were better in the old days!”
“We are so full of corruption!”
“I hate this country!”
Really? Is this what we have become? Is this what we want to say to our children? Has our pride downgraded with our economy? What have we become? Where have our love and appreciation for this majestic country gone?
In the past we shed blood, sweat and tears for this small piece of land on which we walk. Wars were fought where lovers’ eyes never met again. Parents worked themselves to the bone to give their children a slightly better future than what they had been promised. Friends mourned the loss of their own, their kin.
In the past we were divided. People were split to fulfil the nightmarish dreams of a disturbed government. Yet those same people who were pushed down to the depths of society, still had pride and hope that one day there would be a better future. Bombs exploded and people rioted because they wanted equality in their land! Equality that they now have! So why are we still not equal? Why do we still loathe one another?
But that is not the whole truth. Our economy may be falling, but we, as South Africans, still try to rise. There might be corruption, but we are not all corrupted.
We still have pride. We are still an extraordinary and diverse nation.
How do I know it?
I have seen it! I have seen it in the way we stand together in times of need. Picking each other up when our limbs are too weak or too sore. I have seen it in the Madiba dance that was inspired by the man who united our wonderful country… Nelson Mandela. In the way the dancers move with such delight.
I have seen it in the way our springbucks gallop over the marvellous South African veld. I have seen it when the morning sun rises and highlights the unique wonders that are scattered around our country: Table Mountain, Bourke’s Luck Potholes, the Karoo, the Drakensberg. All of them are our wonders. I have seen it in the colours of our flag waving proudly in the wind. I have seen it in the bright colours each of us wear in honour of our history and love.
By Nerine Richter