• Home
  • About
  • ONLINE COURSES
  • Try Jesus
  • SEMINARS
  • Research
    • Tech
    • Publications
    • Research Tools
    • PhD
  • Books
  craigblewett.com

My South Africa...

3/24/2011

18 Comments

 
My South Africa by Jonathan Jansen
Wednesday, 09 February 2011

My South Africa is the working-class man who called from the airport to return my wallet without a cent missing. It is the white woman who put all three of her domestic worker's children through the same school that her own child attended. It is the politician in one of our rural provinces, Mpumalanga, who returned his salary to the government as a statement that standing with the poor had to be more than just a few words. It is the teacher who worked after school hours every day during the public sector strike to ensure her children did not miss out on learning. 

My South Africa is the first-year university student in Bloemfontein who took all the gifts she received for her birthday and donated them - with the permission of the givers - to a home for children in an Aids village. It is the people hurt by racist acts who find it in their hearts to publicly forgive the perpetrators. It is the group of farmers in Paarl who started a top school for the children of farm workers to ensure they got the best education possible while their parents toiled in the vineyards. It is the farmer's wife in Viljoenskroon who created an education and training centre for the wives of farm labourers so that they could gain the advanced skills required to operate accredited early-learning centers for their own and other children. 

My South Africa is that little white boy at a decent school in the Eastern Cape who decided to teach the black boys in the community to play cricket, and to fit them all out with the togs required to play the gentleman’s game. It is the two black street children in Durban, caught on camera, who put their spare change in the condensed milk tin of a white beggar. It is the Johannesburg pastor who opened up his church as a place of shelter for illegal immigrants. It is the Afrikaner woman from Boksburg who nailed the white guy who shot and killed one of South Africa's greatest freedom fighters outside his home. 

My South Africa is the man who went to prison for 27 years and came out embracing his captors, thereby releasing them from their impending misery. It is the activist priest who dived into a crowd of angry people to rescue a woman from a sure necklacing. It is the former police chief who fell to his knees to wash the feet of Mamelodi women whose sons disappeared on his watch; it is the women who forgave him in his act of contrition. It is the Cape Town university psychologist who interviewed the 'Prime Evil' in Pretoria Centre and came away with emotional attachment, even empathy, for the human being who did such terrible things under apartheid. 

My South Africa is the quiet, dignified, determined township mother from Langa who straightened her back during the years of oppression and decided that her struggle was to raise decent children, insist that they learn, and ensure that they not succumb to bitterness or defeat in the face of overwhelming odds. It is the two young girls who walked 20kms to school every day, even through their matric years, and passed well enough to be accepted into university studies. It is the student who takes on three jobs, during the evenings and on weekends, to find ways of paying for his university studies. 

My South Africa is the teenager in a wheelchair who works in townships serving the poor. It is the pastor of a Kenilworth church whose parishioners were slaughtered, who visits the killers and asks them for forgiveness because he was a beneficiary of apartheid. It is the politician who resigns on conscientious grounds, giving up status and salary because of an objection in principle to a social policy of her political party. It is the young lawman who decides to dedicate his life to representing those who cannot afford to pay for legal services. 

My South Africa is not the angry, corrupt, violent country those deeds fill the front pages of newspapers and the lead-in items on the seven-o'-clock news. It is the South Africa often unseen, yet powered by the remarkable lives of ordinary people. It is the citizens who keep the country together through millions of acts of daily kindness.

18 Comments
thesis statements for research papers link
9/19/2012 04:57:48 pm

You are a blogger and now my inspiration. I just love the blog post. Its very informative, interactive and quality content. I wish you all good luck for your coming blogs and posts. Keep sharing!

Reply
term-paper.me link
9/29/2012 11:21:37 pm

I am very much pleased with the contents you have mentioned about south Africa. I wanted to thank you for this great article. I enjoyed every little bit part of it and I will be waiting for the new updates. keep it up and keep on posting...

Reply
www.24hrfitnessdeals.com link
5/23/2013 04:15:10 pm

Successful weight loss is achievable quite simply by finding a diet plan attuned to your particular body type and lifestyle needs.

Reply
www.outletshoppingguru.com link
5/23/2013 04:15:48 pm

WS6 blog is shopping blog that provide information about all shopping topics with related blogs and general topics blog. WS6 blog also offers useful & FREE information about shopping, latest news & updates, latest trends in fashion,and shopping

Reply
www.lowinterestcreditcardusa.com link
5/23/2013 04:16:14 pm

The present code of conduct will be seen as flawed and as a result reforms will be forced upon members which could include a past business review.

Reply
www.photogrphyblog.eu link
5/23/2013 04:16:42 pm

I'll explore it, and see how to work it out. If you get there before me, give me a buzz.

Reply
www.videogamesmagazine.eu link
5/23/2013 04:17:14 pm

The gaming industry has magazines available as well, and a small market for writers wanting to write for them. To break into this niche of writing, you have to have good working knowledge of video games, their applications, operating systems, and new or upcoming games as well as popular playlists.

Reply
research paper thesis link
10/11/2012 08:04:48 pm

I have you bookmarked your web site to look at the latest stuff you post...its always give pleasure to read your article...Thanks to you!!!!

Reply
mba application resume link
12/30/2012 01:30:01 pm

The name of the service stems from the colloquial name for the book given to students at the start of the academic year by some university administrations in the United States to help students get to know each other. Thanks.

Reply
for details link
5/28/2013 07:19:47 pm

South Africa got freedom from the British a few decades back. That is why, we can see a lot of foreign culture influence there. But from your writing it is known that, there are persons who really love their land and culture. Thank you.

Reply
pmp boot camp link
6/23/2013 06:01:18 pm

That was very inspiring one. I love that kind of attitude towards to those people who needs help.

Reply
Goku
4/13/2016 09:37:43 pm

NIce

Reply
college essay to buy link
4/13/2016 09:40:43 pm

Guideline incorporates together the instructing and learning of statistics, specific ways, and fastidious expertise. It next focuses on the headway of aptitudes, trades or reasons for living, besides mental, moral and tasteful expansion.

Reply
Vitiligo Michael Jackson link
6/17/2016 03:20:04 am

Hello, Nice post... I am using Monobenzone and my face and legs clear now.

Reply
slimming tea and weight loss tea link
6/22/2016 05:02:27 am

Enjoyment of a hot cup of tea and health benefits bundled into one bag is slimming tea and weight loss tea.

Reply
Halloween Costumes Canada link
9/19/2016 06:10:23 am

Thanks for sharing such a great article and it’s very helpful for everyone.

Reply
Medicare Insurance Agency link
10/20/2016 06:01:53 am

The medicare insurance agency is one group that stands for betterment of people and caring for their well-being at affordable prices.

Reply
Honda City Aspire 1.5 link
12/15/2016 09:27:00 pm

Honda City Aspire Prosmatec 1.5 i-VTEC Price, Specs, Features and model grils. Complete information about Honda City Aspire Prosmatec.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Welcome to my blog, where I share all things interesting from education to health to research to life to God...to just the plain fun! I hope you enjoy the posts, and I look forward to your comments - Craig

    Picture

    Enter your email address to get new blog posts delivered fresh to your email:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

    Categories

    All
    2010
    Add
    Addhd
    Adt
    Attention Deficit Disorder
    Attention Deficit Trait
    Blame
    Cloud
    Common Sense
    Creative
    Direct Marketing
    Discipline
    Dropbox
    E-learning
    Fifa World Cup
    Google Drive
    Logos
    Microblogs
    MOOC
    Moocs
    Rights
    Ritalin

    RSS Feed

Site created by OUT THERE SITES - Getting your message out there