Great people have a few distinguishing features one of which is their ability to turn something negative into something positive. Mahatma Gandhi did so when he converted the negativity of colonialism into independence. And, a few decades later, Nelson Mandela transformed the negativity of Apartheid into something positive – reconciliation. This week a similar transformation happened in Newcastle – a small town in Northern KwaZulu-Natal. But the impact will be felt around the country. A month ago the mayor of Newcastle, Afzul Rehman, took offence when a traffic official referred to him as a “Gupta”. At the time Rehman was renewing his driver’s license. For Zwakele Mbatha it was nothing more than a joke. But Rehman was not amused. He lodged an official and wrote a letter to the KZN MEC for Transport, Community Safety and Liaison, Willies Mchunu. He also consulted with an attorney to claim damages as well as refer the matter to the Equality Court and the Human Rights Commission. The incident was seized upon by extremists and widely discussed on social network platforms like Facebook, Black Berry Messenger and sms. The result was that an issue that was really between two men became an issue between two race groups. By reconciling, Rehman and Mbatha have claimed back their space from the extremists and must be congratulated. They’ve stopped a debate that was highly destructive to the future of our country. Their reconciliation will also go a long way to calming the many fears that have been expressed in the last few weeks. Rehman and Mbatha have proved that any problem can be solved peacefully and amicably. It was a lesson we learnt in the run up to 1994 but one that is too often forgotten. This incident has also highlighted the fact that the dream of a non racial South Africa has not yet been achieved. We have to work harder to make it a reality. Rehman and Mbatha have already reached out to one another. But to forge unity we need many more Rehmans and Mbathas to do the same. It starts with treating one another with respects –about building and not breaking. Editorial in the post newspaper
Posted on: Sat, 08 Jun 2013 10:38:10 +0000