Be very afraid of the Tokoloshi
Posted by Rich...! under Uncategorized on January 25 2007 at 4:04 PM
A while back I wrote a post titled Blacks Only, it addressed the issue of the counter-racism that’s prevalint in our society today.
The post sparked off a debate that was often a mud-slinging match. Every now and then I get another comment that adds to it. Some are rational, but some, like the one I just received from Tokoloshi80 highlight a far bigger problem that exists for us if we want to move on as a nation.
| It’s funny how every white person I meet these days makes it a point to tell me that they were an anti-apertheid activist in some way or other. Now if all of you were so actively against apartheid then why did it take so long to fall. SA was on the brink of full on civil war b4 negotiations with ANC began. I saw a comment on this page that we’ve had democracy for 13 years now “how much more must we(whites) give you(blacks)” Believe me when I say that BEE and AA haven’t done nearly enough to redress past injustices. Mandela and the ANC let you off way too easily with that TRC complete disclosure and Amnesty bullshit! People please don’t kid yourselves by thinking you(whites) are being generous by reluctantly complying with BEE and AA requirements you are only giving back what is rightfully ours and in the past 13yrs you haven’t even begun to make a dent in the interest thats accrued let alone scratch the surfice of the capital debt thats owing. When I look for a job it’s still a white man I’m trying to impress(and this is africa aint that weird) were it not for BEE or AA white employers(who are the majority) would still feel more comfortable hiring one of their own instead of a black man regardless whether black man is highly educated from the so called top institutions. I think our government should embark on Zimbabwean style asset repossessions. ITS THE ONLY WAY |
The only way? Bullshit.
Yeah, we were shits, big shits.
Yeah, you had it rough, very rough (or at least your parents did – there’s a difference).
But that’s history bro, and I don’t just mean that in the sense of “put it behind you”, I mean that history is full of stories of injustice, you’re not really a unique group there. The happy endings however are created by the people who stopped using the past as an excuse and started worrying about the future. If revenge and theft is the “only way” you can see things working, then you are part of the reason that racism exists (and thus part of the problem, not the solution).
Travel a little, the world uses SA as a case study in diversity. We’re the fucking success story. Stop being so impatient, true change only happens one retirement party at a time. So yeah, there are still some really idiotic old-school types (on both sides). That’s fine though, they’re a dying breed. What is a sin is for the youth of today to want to poison another generation, the wheel will just keep turning and the hate will continue.
We need one generation to think about the next, there’s no instant gratification for us anyway you look at it, but a bit of patience and an attitude adjustment on both sides will make this a wicked-cool place for our kids to thrive.
A short-sighted approach will only create a long term fuck up…!
January 25th, 2007 at 5:44 pm
Well said Rich!
January 25th, 2007 at 6:29 pm
What a wonderful place Zimbabwe is now, Bob has really improved things since he murdered thousands of Matabele and nationalised thousands of farms to give away to his buddies.
January 26th, 2007 at 7:05 am
Democracy has been around for 13years.
What about the recent school-leavers who had NOTHING to do with apartheid, who can’t even remember it because they were tiny tots – must they also get affected by the job situation of AA/BEE and my statements like Tokoloshi’s?
To them, apartheid is just in the history books and from the stories older relatives might tell them.
I think it’s unfair to condemn them just because they have a different colour – they weren’t around when most of the atrocities occurred. Yet they will be judged on that aspect.
Going backward like Zimbabwe is no solution.
That country is in turmoil. Do we really want to be like them? With an economy so low…and where normal, regular people are suffering everyday. Where women…normal black women can’t even buy sanitary products for themselves. They can’t even buy cotton wool! They have to use grass/bark/etc to help themselves.
We can’t afford to go backwards and hurt so many people. The new generation knows nothing about apartheid, so why should they have to suffer for the injustices of the past? Create hate..breed hate…etc. It has no positive effect on anything.
Well said Rich. Great retaliation.
January 26th, 2007 at 9:55 am
It certainly is sad that a topic like this cannot be discussed without some form of insult being thrown around.
Personally I was too young to even know about the struggle. I was in no way responsible for Apartheid, nor claim to be a freedom fighter. Quite correctly the injustices of the past must be undone; however there are both right and wrong ways to do this.
Errant allocation of capital can only be to the detriment of growth, the key ingredient necessary to take us from a developing into a fully developed nation and to reduce the poverty line and create sustainable development. It is imperative we follow suite from those who have experienced these issues before us and learnt from the mistakes made (most notably from our neighbors to the North). Having a company and land allocated to you, whether or not you are a Harvard MBA or a Std 8 drop and can run it, is irrelevant and it cannot grow in a flailing economy of lawlessness, hyperinflation and destructive infrastructure.
It’s time we stop moaning about the past, the generation responsible is nearly gone. It is up to us to concentrate on the future, the entire world’s eyes are on us. Rich an excellent response.
January 26th, 2007 at 12:09 pm
People like this are looking for attention, if they receive the attention, they have reason to carry on with their insulting, ignorant, idiotic and just plain childish comments.
So, here’s to SA and the diversity it portrays to us PROUD South Africans.
And, up yours to the negative nancy’s, no matter what your colour.
January 26th, 2007 at 12:20 pm
You Know people it’s easy to say everything is all in the past but to this day we can still feel the results. Whites are still benefiting from those old policies and blacks still suffer. Have you ever seen an informal settlement of whites? But you see new black informal settlements of blacks popping up everyday. Thats a legecy that will continue to haunt us for generations to come. The majority of black south africans live in shit holes and its only a select few who go to private schools varsity etc. You can’t talk about equality and leveling the playing fields when you’ve had generations worth of a head start. To put us on an equal footing you have to be slowed down otherwise true equality will remain just a dream. I agree we don’t want a the same situation as you would see in Zimbabwe but I still feel actions of a similar nature are in order for SA.
January 26th, 2007 at 2:24 pm
There’s an issue probably worth noting here. White kids who were born after apartheid don’t see themselves as being advantaged.
This is because white people assume that it’s their cultural and historical right to comfortable living, education and prosperity.
I mean, if a white boy wasn’t born here in S.A., then he would’ve been born in America, Britain or Australia and would still enjoy all the comforts of a modern lifestyle!
So white people in SA look at developed countries, to their peers, and say “hey – I’m no more advantaged than I would be in any of those countries!” And thus, there is a belief that if you were born after apartheid ended, there is no advantage.
What is important is that it’s not that white people had the advantage, but that blacks were deliberately held back and were thus at a disadvantage. That is where the inequality lies.
Racism? Rubbish?
AA and BBBEE are vital in restoring this country. Just imagine there was no emerging black middle class, the communists would’ve taken over six years ago and turned SA into a real disaster. Everyone is better off with AA! It’s just a matter of “if” it’ll ever stop…
January 26th, 2007 at 3:21 pm
I look forward to the day when employment is based on brains, drive and determination. Subscibing to the past is reactive and short-sighted. I’m excited about my future in the best country in the world. There is nowhere I’d rather be.
January 26th, 2007 at 10:43 pm
I can’t believe that anyone in this country would want what is happening in Zim to happen here. I think with a negative attitude like you have, you will find it very difficult to find employment with anyone black or white. It is difficult getting started in the working world and it is more difficult for the blacks as there are just so many more, by the same token for every one white person applying for a position there are 25 blacks
I think that no matter the colour if you are positive and show enthusiasim and have the right education for the position you are applying for you stand as much chance as the next. Remember that when applying for a position no one owes you anything you have to prove yourself. Our country is only 13 years old and we have come a long way and we have a long way to go we have a great government(as governments go) they are trying to keep everyone happy. AA will only stop when the balance is correct. I think maybe you owe yourself a trip to Zim and you might see your country in a different light. You seem like and intellegent chap put that energy and education to looking forward and being positive and things will sort themselves out. I agree with Misha there is no where in the world I would rather be
January 27th, 2007 at 12:25 pm
Ok… So he is angry, he has a right to be angry, it is afer all the “whites” fault that he is lazy, young and ignorant due to the fact that he still has to impress “white bosses”. It is not his fault that he is uneducated due to there only being 13 years since the transformation, and that the fact that there is only 12 million rands+ per annum available for education and bursaries, please whites be reasonable to this fact. On behalf of all us whites that are still oppressing people like him I would like to apologise. I suggest that all the whites contribute to send him to Zimbabwe, so that he can truly soak up the offerings of Utopia. Furthermore we promise to stop abusing people in his position and therefore offer my huge vast tracts of land to his cause… after all I was raised with a golden spoon and never had to work a single day in my life, as everthing was offered to me purely cause I am white…
January 27th, 2007 at 1:21 pm
Interesting discussion. I wonder how many people are saying what they really think when any subject that could be remotely construed as being an issue of race is discussed. Wouldn’t it be great if we could have an intelligent conversation – in the open – without mindless bigotry or a Pavlovian urge to be perceived as positive, liberal, enlightened or nice.
To get us started consider why 99.9% of violent crime (rape, murder etc) in South Africa is committed by black people. HINT: The answer is not cos they are hungry cos the Nasty National Party wouldn’t let them vote or they couldn’t get a lucrative job as an accountant cos they were forced to learn their five times tables in Afrikaans. Desperate people will steal to avoid hunger and that is understandable but they will not coldly execute frail old people or rape children.
January 28th, 2007 at 11:29 am
I’ve been in the situation where I’ve had everything in life (in SA) & also lost everything in life – also in SA. I didn’t sit around bitching, neither did I rape, murder or steal from anyone. I got off my arse & suffered a low paying, soul destroying job, just to put food on the table. I get so pissed off from the supposedly ‘historically disadvantaged’ twats who superglue the chips to their shoulders.
Great retort Rich – keep ‘em coming mate!
January 29th, 2007 at 9:45 am
And good for you too Jayne.
January 29th, 2007 at 11:30 am
What are you saying Cynical? It’s in our (I am black) DNA to rape children and extort the old and frail? Is that what you are saying? We’re the murderers and the rapist but who EVER makes mention of the crazed boeremag? No, they just make up 0,1%, huh? If you believe black people are designed to be malicious attackers, pack your bags buddy. Africa is obviously a continent where your wife, kids, and parents are in grave danger. Your comment has honestly fucked up my day.
Tokoloshi’s comment upset me a whole bunch but fucksakes, some people who are commenting on that very comment are no better.
Maybe all of you should read Primo’s comment and attempt to make head and tail of it before your next move because the last thing I want is for this blog to becoming a stomping ground for white people to vent their anger and this sudden (albeit admittingly drastic) transition. Nor do I want it to be a stomping ground for people like Tokoloshi to run their mouths with extremist garbage.
Sometimes I wonder if people actually understand the extent of what happened in the past…
January 29th, 2007 at 4:18 pm
Ja- apartheid was kak. I apologise fully for not doing more as an 8 year old child all those years ago to end it Tok’s my boy.
I’ll bet you did a ton yourself to end it hey? Or are you now just reaping the rewards of your parents toil????
So- even though neither you nor I ever contributed to Apartheid, we bother suffer the consequences of it. Except that I don’t fall into the BEE category.
And when you consider that so many of the major companies in SA are actually global operations, it’s not wholly surprising that many of the head honchos are white. You see, the rest of the world looks after their own interests first and as such they employ the BEST person. You and your rants are a tiny, insignificant blip on the radar of big business.
It has to be said though, maybe you’d have more luck when you “look for a job” if you’d learn how to spell. As much as I’m sure you’d like it to be the case, not everything is based on the colour of your skin pal.
January 29th, 2007 at 5:11 pm
Primo,
So your solution is to create a class of poor, white folk in order to amend past inequalities?
There are plenty of intelligent, educated black folk who have worked hard in the last 13 years to make something of themselves and who are more than capable of competing on a level pegging.
The point is that government policies create an “us and them” situation.
Believe me, if the young white folk in SA today could change the past, they would. But we can’t- so we have the classic “sins of the father being visited on the son” scenario.
The current government don’t serve white people. They don’t serve coloured people and they don’t serve black people. THey serve only themselves. A bit like the madman north of the border who couldn’t give a stuff how many black zimbabweans starve to death, as long as he lives in comfort.
January 30th, 2007 at 7:00 am
Again without posturing. Consider a scientific question; Are we all equal? On average could east Asians have superior intellect to the rest of the world?
January 30th, 2007 at 7:05 am
Over reaction to a question Mo-T. Don’t take it personally. Again without posturing. Consider a scientific question; Are we all equal? On average could east Asians have superior intellect to the rest of the world? If we ARE all different maybe the first thing to do is acknowledge that and then design interventions to create equality.
January 30th, 2007 at 1:20 pm
Cynical thats a pretty doff assessment of things, (your 99.9% sweeping assumption) if whites make up 30 odd percent of the populas then chances are the person who mugs you will come from the 70%…its odds not colour
I do get fucked off with the gimme gimme attitude I run into back home, my liewe voorvaders did it, now my swaart gevaar chinas are at it but I dont actually base the problem on colour..yes the downtrodden will clasp at the anything to better their situation, even a corrupt government, the lazy will always find an excuse for being lazy and yes the greedy will see their next opportunity to make a killing but its not a colour issue by a long shot, greed is africa’s biggest overriding enemy and will be till the end of time.
Until everyone stops blaming each other for past issues based on colour and seeks to act on the real enemies of our country we’re effectively screwed, the blinkers are on mate and the longer shit politicians can play the colour trump card and subtly remind people of past wrongs by the white man the longer they stay in power and the more agitated the masses, the masses will gain nothing, no schools no jobs no healthcare but they will sleep happy in the knowledge the white man aint there….ala Zimbabwe
Wake up SA, the answer isn’t another short-sighted power hungry money grabber, and the root of our problems is NOT colour, ignorance maybe, greed definitely!!
January 30th, 2007 at 2:37 pm
This is something very close to my heart!! I recently turned 27, so that means that when I was 14 apartheid came to it’s close. Why then am I being punished for the indiscretions of a few men who had their ideals drummed into the heads of our parents and grandparents??
Don’t think i’ll ever understand it really, the company I work for was established in 1997, that’s right after apartheid died a wonderful death, we didn’t benefit from the apartheid system, yet as a “white” company we are being punished because we have no black partners.
I feel that where the government went wrong in South Africa is EDUCATION, the first thing they should have done was go into the poor township areas and educate poor black people so that they could get jobs, but instead they would rather spend money on stuff like name changing, building a freedom park and so forth.
January 30th, 2007 at 3:48 pm
Sad sad sad till this day white South Africans have not even begun to comprehend the shit that hit the fan and so I say Screw everyone who thinks blacks are bitter. There can never be equality in our society and so the witto’s will “suffer” while blacks rule but and vice versa thats the way the cookie crumbles baby life is not fair dont ever expect it to be. Zim bad idea sure but the witto’s that side are in check!!!
January 30th, 2007 at 3:51 pm
cynical is just plain cynical
January 30th, 2007 at 4:25 pm
very progressive thinking there Babe-ZN are you currently stoned?
January 31st, 2007 at 8:53 am
Shame
What you need to realize Pahleez is that more than anything black ppl know how to get a reaction from white ppl so while you are busy replying to all these comments the rest of us )(currently stoned progressively thinking blacks) are having the laugh of our lives witto’s need to stop doing this to themselves ask a black person to translate this for you
NISHAWA ISAZELA that will explain everything for you.
February 15th, 2007 at 12:47 am
Tokoloshi80, the reason it’s “still a white man” you’re “trying to impress” when you apply for a job is because so many of the blacks are running around like you spouting “whites owe us big, give give give” instead of actually just hunkering down and starting their own businesses. If you spent as much energy on starting your own business as you did on being angry at whites you’d probably already be the one doing the hiring (and whites would be trying to impress you). Everyone could be wealthy if everyone worked hard.
February 17th, 2007 at 11:19 am
I agree with you completely David! I am at uni now. Im 20, I cant even remember how it was in Apartheid! Two of my mates from school who studied half year courses still havent found jobs. it has been 13 years. Why just not scrap BEE and AA now. Why should us young generation suffer for the mistakes made by our forefathers, most of who are dead now? Yes the Afrikaner nation where real assholes in the past (please note the emphasis on the PAST!) Racism has taken a hell of a beating. It seems that it might now be coming from the other side now. I had nothing to do with apartheid, why should I have my future crushed?
February 17th, 2007 at 11:21 pm
Shame to see that 13 yrs on still the same shit just a different generation with different motives but still hopping on about the same old topic Apartheid.What ever happend to Mandela’s request “its a time to forgive and forget” in order to move forward as a nation?
When will there be a time when I can safely return home with my family under the so called “rainbow nation” NEW SOUTH AFRIKA?
October 6th, 2007 at 11:50 pm
PRIMO : Informal settlement of whites? Why that would look strange… When my garden boy gets paid, he heads off to the nearest shabeen, drinks all his money out (R1500.00) and begs me for another loan the next week. When I get paid, I rush home to put my head in the books in order to improve my circumstances and provide for my family. I earn considerably more than him lets face it… the only difference is that I do not have drinking money.
On the other end of the scale, Zuma made it quite clear that he cannot get by on his salary and opted to accept a ‘loan’ from Shaik. No comment…
So no… I do not think you will see an informal settlement of ‘whites’ anytime soon.
You ask why? Because while July (The garden boy) sits drowning his sorrows… I am studying new techniques that would eventually convert into capital.
I am saving up for my retirement so I can enjoy a few drinks then
In the meantime, July has created his own misfortune, but I still pay him because he renders a service to me.
Now R1500.00 may not seem much.. because it isn’t much, but he could increase this figure if he puts his mind to it. This can be done by signing up with many of the Training Centres nationally in order to upgrade his skill set, or simply by going to the nearest book store and spending the money he uses on alcohol on a book rather. With an improved skill offering comes an improved wage.
I hope this has enlightened you.
October 7th, 2007 at 12:40 am
Tokoloshi:
The Robin Hood (Zimbabwe) approach I find rather humorous. It’s rather evident that it did not work, has not worked, and will never work.
What better way to combat apartheid by proving your intellectual capacity. Stealing does not necessarily provide you with better opportunities, because the type of person that is associated with stealing does not generally have the savvy to create income using sustainable business methodology.
This does not include race. If a white person has to tell me he cant make money, my answer would be the same.
Assess your skills, look at what you need to do to be regarded as a valuable asset, rather than a mediocre and improvise. The jobs will be offered to you on this basis, finding them would be irrelevant.
I do not have to phone around looking for work because I have skills that are useful and I let word of mouth do it’s job, even though there are thousands of people in SA doing the same work as myself. Grant it that this way does take longer, but the rewards are security. My studies continue, because I know 6 months down the line my skills are going to be challenged again.
I am an un-employed white person that has adapted to the circumstances and converted them into an ideal situation whereby if someone offered me a job, I would tell them to look for someone else because I am earning a good living and aiming the bar at the next level.
BEE / AA and all…
If a black person had to confront me and say I was privileged and gained my skills in the apartheid era (which has happened to me before by the way), I would laugh. The reason being, I am in the IT industry and whatever I learned 13 years ago has no bearing in today’s workplace. It is what I learn today that will set me apart tomorrow.
With respect, I wish to challenge the injustices that you refer to, in which you make remarks to the effect that us whites got off easy.
Fair enough, you had curfews, violent riots in which innocent civilians died as a result, the security police apparently committed horrendous crimes and the list goes on.
The black lives sacrificed in the hands of the apartheid regime is minuscule in relation to the farm murders and violent crime figures that are imminent at this stage, yet according to government this is not an issue.
Did white civilians break into your houses at night, rape your wife and kids, shoot to kill, torture you, ransack your house and steal your car? If so then I am not aware of this and would be interested in listening. Now, we deal with this on a daily basis but that isn’t an issue. I am quite sure you rested well, even in the apartheid era.
As far as black vs white employers go, I think your comments are questionable and maybe there was an underlying reason for someone else being chosen. I certainly do not think race was the culprit. Nice try though. Do you have evidence of a white person being employed over and above a highly educated black person, and was this evidence investigated? If not then I would say the unfortunate candidate did a shoddy job in handling the matter, which again leaves question over the integrity of this poor soul.
I was asked to create a presentation which would introduce a plan to roll out a R6 million plumbing contract to government. The plumbing contract was awarded to an advertising agency.
My father was approached by a black friend of his who’s occupation is a teacher in the Eastern Cape, he had just landed a civil engineering contract and was hoping my father would assist in planning the project.
No comment… Any way to get back to the point, is there opportunity for black employment /empowerment? It certainly looks like it.
Stop complaining… your boat is bigger than mine.
October 23rd, 2007 at 5:46 pm
this is all terribly sad. ;(
again, why do white people need to be punished, for something which happened so long ago – more than a decade ago. Where this generation knew so little about and barely understood what was happening.
I can understand where my black brothers and sisters are comming from. About their struggles and other life issues.
But these issues will never be resolved by looking down at the next race and shifting blame. Unfortunately Mr Tokoloshis comment was very extreme. Perhaps he was really traumatised as a kid, but then again where so many white people. If the Zim regime were to come to SA. Many many people will suffer … including our non white communities.
Since the white population is smaller compared to our black brothers and sisters so many more will be affected. Then yet again, statistics will be brought in. The black people will unfortunately suffer yet again. This time not under white regime but under black regime. Then who will you have to blame.
Hate will not solve anything. Its like a cancer which will eat you up inside and one day you will find yourself to be an old man, and never found peace or true happiness. Lets try move on. Its up to us to let sleeping dogs lie. Easnt it funny when i have to go look for a job i too have to have interviews held by a black person. But that is ok.
Life is up to us to make a difference .. im not talking about doing crime either. Decide to be different. DECIDE NOT TO LET OUR PAST AS A NATION AFFECT YOUR LIFE AS AN IDIVIDUAL.
ONE THING IS FOR CERTAIN – WE ONLY LIVE ONCE
January 20th, 2008 at 10:53 am
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January 23rd, 2008 at 9:13 pm
Looking at the atrocious crimes against the jews I can see the similarities between apartheid injustice and the holocaust – however some nations buckle down and work their ass off to ensure they are better than their tormentors – and their children now benefit from it – funny that.
February 6th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
tokoloshi youve lost your head somewere along the way…i myself was born after the appartheid era and yet all i hear is appartheid this and appartheid that, and what gets me thinking is that all this bullshit of appartheid comes from the mouths of the black people, when i dismiss an employee i automatically get placed in a group of racism, discrimination and naturally appartheid.must we whites be punished for the mistakes of generations before us and if yes, why? why must i be punished for that when the very person who raised me, who changed my diapers and kooked me dinner was a black man who so coincidently changed his last name to that of my father, in saying that i believe that there are those people out there regardless of their skin colour who can co-exist with no hassels nor any racial issues and who work hard for what they have…but then there are rapists, murderers, thiefs and monsters out there who will willingly abort their own baby growing inside of them on any rubbish dump they can find and turn a blind eye, the reason most black people cant find a decent job and if they do, they get fired is because of the way they think, just like you buddy…so in conclusion id like to say that you should be mad and angry at your own people, the people who is as narrow minded as you for the poverty and low standards to which they place themselves in..if you want a country like zim, why dont you just immigrate, and if you do i garauntee you, old robert wont give a fuck more about you than he does his own people…
February 8th, 2008 at 6:52 am
Wipe the shit out of your eyes.
If your black brothers are so good then why is the country fucked.
The rand has never been so weak.
There wasn’t so much crime when the whites ran the country.
Its about time all you blacks realized that south africa is made up of blacks and whites we don’t come from overseas. We are just as much Africans as you are.