I too, would like to join the world in mourning the senseless, cowardly and brutal killing of budding musician, Thoriso Themane. I also call for the harshest form of justice to be unleashed on his assailants.
The story of Thoriso, a young African killed by another young (read little) African, for nothing more than fun, is not new in our society. In fact, for many of us who are exposed to life in the townships, there are far more horrendous acts of blacks upon blacks, which many would not even cope to watch.
Had it not been of the social media fanfare, dubbed the #JusticeForThoriso, the young man would have joined thousand others who each day in our townships, rural areas and elsewhere. For the residents of Caleb Motshabi in Mangaung, Botshabelo, Rammulutsi and other areas, which have turned into little war zones, this is nothing but a daily bread, and unfortunately there are no #hashtags.
There are a number of issues which I think are highlighted by these scary scenes. I will spend some time thereto.
1. Liberalisation and Westernisation of parenting among Blacks
Africans, especially those from South Africa, are generally natural copycats. Many are prepared to even change how they eat chewing gum, and how they walk, just to get approval stamps from their European counterparts. This copycat culture has creeped into the general life of Africans, to an extent that they have even adopted liberal and Western parenting methods, and rejected their own.
Originally, Africans treated parenting as a collective societal responsibility. As compared to their European neighbours, African parents unleashed discipline to children irrespective of who gave birth to them. It is this noble, sacred custom which led to Africans in previous generations being able to observe discipline, in general terms.
After the birth of democracy, African parents saw a need to reject their ways, including African parenting. Some parents would go to the extent of having lifelong clashes with those who tried to discipline their children. The consequence of this is that children often attempt to be disciplined in front of their biological parents alone, and cannot do the same to other elders, including teachers, leaders, etc.
2. Blacks and self-hatred
Following the killing of Steve Biko by white racists in 1977, there has been a dearth of influential leaders encouraging blacks to love themselves. In fact, the anti-black culture has erupted like a plantation of mushrooms, leading to a highly backward black nation.
The boys who have allegedly killed Thoriso have done so for fun, and nothing else. This is not an isolated incident. It is a societal problem. In general, when blacks see each other, especially where they are meeting in large numbers, they always try to find ways to harm each other, either through scamming each other, robbing each other, stealing each other, or killing each other. This is part of our national psyche, and is supported by facts.
According to official crime statistics, 20 336 South Africans were murdered between March 2017 and April 2018. On average, 57 people were murdered each day, 46 of which are men, eight women and two children. Out of all those who are murdered each year, a shocking 80% are African males, followed by coloured males (14%). This is no less than a civil war, of blacks against blacks...
According to these statistics, a male African like Thoriso has an 80% chance of being murdered, as compared to his counterparts. These statistics paint a clear picture of blacks and self-hatred. No nation can kill each other in this fashion.
3. Poverty, inequality and unemployment
According to a report by the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation, our country is country is exposed to high levels of violence as a result of various factors. Amongst the factors responsible for our high levels of violence, the report cites poverty, inequality, unemployment, social exclusion and marginalisation.
A cursory look at crime hotspots, or sites of murder, will always show a correlation between poverty, unemployment and violent crime, including murder. High levels of inequality also increase relative poverty, and has a relationship with violent crime.
The boys who have allegedly murdered Thoriso are not from poor backgrounds. In fact, they mirror the millions of spoilt, ill-disciplined and arrogant kids from the suburbs, whose middle income parents are often the guiltiest with liberal and Westernised parenting. But despite their apparent wealth and good lives, these kids and their parents often suffer from the worst forms of social exclusion and marginalisation.
Because of an economy dominated by white monopoly capital, all Blacks are marginalized from the economic wellbeing of society, including those regarded as millionaires. They are on an incessant struggle to fit in with the white club, often going to the extent of speaking English only in their homes, and rejecting their own traditions and cultures. Despite these efforts, they remain rejected and marginalized, because of the colour of their skins.
Conclusion
The murder of Thoriso is a betrayal of the cause of our country. His death has robbed us of a young, energetic young man, who could have contributed positively to society. There are many who have died like Thoriso, for no good reason. Blacks must reject self-hate. They must begin a culture to murder white monopoly capital, which is the foremost collective enemy. We must use the death of Thoriso to remind ourselves that we emerge from one womb, bana ba thari e ntsho!
Makhele is an African Marxist and a member of the ANC in Mangaung Region, Free State. He writes in his personal capacity.
