Racism and its Impact in Society.pdf - Kara.co.za

Racism and its Impact in Society
By
Prof. Mathole Motshekga
Executive Director: Kara Heritage Institute
Motto: “Self Knowledge shall set you free”
Memorial Lecture Paper delivered at the Matjhabeng Local Municipality
Date: 24 April 2008
Venue: Ernest Oppenheimer Theatre
Welkom
FREESTATE PROVINCE
Kara Heritage Institute
No. 70 Ga-Motlhe Building
Cnr Potgieter & Church Streets
Pretoria
0001
Tel: (012) 328 5028
Fax: (012) 328 5037
E-mail: admin@kara.co.za
Website: www.kara.co.za
P.O. Box 2442
Pretoria
0001

Introduction
The democratic breakthrough of 1994 has offered us the real opportunity to address
challenges which have faced us for centuries. Chief amongst these is racism, gender,
class and underdevelopment. In 1900 W.E.B Du Bois said that the color line will be the
greatest problem of the 20 th century.
We are now in the 21 st century that we call the African Century. However, the legacy of
Apartheid is still with us. The well known incident that took place at the University of
Free State and the article by David Bullard in the Sunday times are symptoms of the
underlying challenges of racism and ignorance in our beloved country.
This Legacy of racism and ignorance cannot be addressed by the exchange of insults and
endless campaigns because they are subtle and intangible. They can only be rooted out
by a systematic practical programme of historical contextual human rights education.
It is heartening to know that the Hon. Major of Matjhabeng and her council are already
making tangible progress in reaching out to the poor and vulnerable of all communities,
both black and white, and that the white community in this town has already began to
reach out to the black townships. It is also heartening to know that the major and her
team takes seriously the heritage of all communities and appreciates the role of our
diverse cultures in building the character of the youth.
In our celebration of Freedom Day 2008 we need to pause and reflect on the historical
factors that created and nurtures racism. It is often easy to simply blame colonialism and
apartheid and sometimes the defunct National Party for this inhuman attitude of racism.
Racism is rooted deeply in the history of humankind and it’s linked with the falsification
of human history and its perpetuation by some religious and educational institutions. The
basis of racism is that African people are a subhuman race, who are inherently inferior to
white people and have not contributed to the development of human civilisation.
In this Memorial Lecture:-
• We deal with the image of the African people in antiquity
• The contribution of African people to the development of human civilisation
• The destruction of African civilisation by the slave trade and colonialism
• The rebirth of African Civilisation and in particular, a revolutionary, moral vision
which guided the founders of our democracy.
• The challenges of class, gender and racism after the 1994 democratic
breakthrough and the possible strategies for addressing these challenges
• The revolutionary task of working together, both black and white, to build a
caring society.
African people know a lot about whites, their culture and religion and try to imitate them
all the time. Whites know blacks as their drawers of water and hewers of wood. It is this
2

ignorance that natures racism. In 2012 the ANC, organizer and leader of South African
people will be celebrating its centenary while racism is still alive.
Let this well organized memorial Lecture mark the beginning of a systematic and
practical programme for the total eradication of racism.
The African Image in Antiquity
Greeks were the first Europeans to come into contact with and about indegeneous African
people. The early Greeks called these Africans the blameless Ethiopians. According
Homer, the Ethiopians were so pious that the gods attended their annual banquets and
dined with them. The Olympian Gods also visited Ethiopia to dine with the African God
and people.
After the decline of the Egyptian New Kingdom under the Ramesside dynasty the
Ethiopians evaded Egypt, expelled the Libyan rulers and established the Ethiopian (or
25 th ) dynasty which ruled Egypt far more than 100 years. The Ethiopians revived the
Egyptian Civilisation and in particular the sacred knowledge (Gnosis) which the
Ethiopian founders of Egypt had introduced into this country at the beginning of dynastic
Egypt. Among the sacred literature published by the Ethiopians was the Sabaka Stone
which contained the African account of creation of the universe and humanity. The
Sabaka Stone contains the Memphite theology which says Ptah, the indegeneous African
creator God, created the universe and humanity through his Mind and Word. The African
Sage, Khem or ThauThau-Harama (Greek Thoth-Hermes), wrote in the corpus Hermetica
that the Mind (Atum) is the father and the Word (Ham/Cham) of Ptah is the son.
The Mind (Atum) of Ptah appeared in the form of the Divine Light (Kara/Hara) whilst
the Word (Ham/Cham) appeared in the form of Sound or the Voice of Light (Mbekara) or
the Sun (Mbire). Thus in African theology God is perceived as Light (Ramasedi) or
Sound (Lentswi).
Greek Scholars visited Egypt during the reign of the Ethiopian (or 25 th ) dynasty and
learned about African sacred knowledge (Gnosis). The Ethiopian dynasty of Egypt was
overthrown by the Assyrian who ruled for a short while before they were overthrown by
the Native Saite dynasty led by Pharaoh Amasis who inherited the Ethiopian legacy.
In his war against the Assyrians Amasis employed Greek Mercenaries. After the war
Amasis allowed the Greek traders to settle in Egypt, build their town of Naucratis and
temples. This settlement gave the Greeks a unique opportunity to learn African sacred
knowledge. Early Greek scholars including Thales, Pythagoras, Solon, the Greek
lawgiver, studied in Egypt. Later Saite dynasty was overthrown by the Persians who
were, in turn overthrown by Alexander the Great, founder of the Graeco-Macedonian
dynasty. Alexander was succeeded by Ptalamu Meri-Amun Satare (Greek Ptolemy
Maryam Soter) 1, Alexander’s trusted general of African origins.
3

Ptolemy Maryam established the Ptolemaic dynasty that translated the writings of the
African Sage, Khem or Thoth-Hermes, into Greek to make them accessible to the
multicultural society of Alexandria. He also elevated African religion to an imperial
religion. To this end Ptolemy commissioned Manetho, a High Priest of Annu (Hebrew
On i.e the city of the Sun) to translate the Khemetic or Hermetic writings into Greek and
thus passed African Sacred Knowledge (Gnosis) or indegeneous knowledge systems as
Greek or Hellenic, arts, sciences and philosophy. Ptolomy also commissioned Manetho
to assist him to introduce the African astral (Sabian) religion as the imperial religion.
This religion was based on the Solar (Kara) trinity consisting of the spiritual father
(Osiris) mother (Isis) and son (Horus) who were symbolized by the Solar [ ]
Monogram. The spiritual father (Osiris) was also symbolized by the Bull
(Apis) of Heaven who held together the four quarters of the earth. Thus Osiris was called
Usar-Apa (Greek Serapis).
The temples of these African Gods were at Abydos (Osiris), Edfu (Horus) and Philae
(Osiris and Isis). The city of Philae (Phalaka i.e. the city of the sun was situated in
Ethiopia near the first cataract). From Greek to Roman times the colonial rulers of Egypt
came to worship indegeneous African Gods in Ancient Ethiopia. The Romans who
overthrew the Greeks, therefore, inherited African sacred knowledge (Gnosis) and
religion which they later adapted to establish the Roman Catholic Christianity.
When the Ethiopian (or 25 th ) dynasty was overthrown by the Assyrians they withdrew to
the Ethiopian Holy City of Napata, the seat of the African God Amen. During the first
century AD the Ethiopian and Romans fought protracted battles over the boundaries. The
Romans wanted to incorporate the Northern part of Ethiopia which included the Holy
Island of Phalaka (Greek Philae) where Ethiopians worshipped their Gods Osiris and Isis.
The Ethiopians lost their battle and retreated further South and established their Capital
their ancient City of Meroe, also known as Saba. Thus ancient Ethiopians were also
known as Sabians.
In the year 350 AD the Ethiopian Capital of Meroe was destroyed by King Ezana of
Axum, later known as Abyssinia. Later Abyssinia came to be known as Ethiopia taking
the name of ancient Ethiopia which was much larger than Modern Ethiopia. In early
times Axum or Abyssinia (formerly known as Zindji or Zandj) was a province of ancient
Ethiopia.
The Ethiopian Empire of Meroe was later succeeded by the kingdoms of Dongola, Alwa
and Makuria which was later destroyed by the Arabs, forcing Africans to migrate to west
central and southern Africa. Those who did not migrate were assimilated, producing the
present day hybrid population of the Sudan and Egypt.
Africans from Egypt and Ethiopia migrated with their knowledge systems and skills and
established New Kingdoms and Empires. The Mali, Ghana, Benin, Songhay in West
Africa and the Bakongo, Ngola, Zandj, Maphugubwe, Zimbabwe and Mongale in Central
4

and Southern Africa. These kingdoms and empires were destroyed by the slave trade and
colonialism. These inhuman systems interrupted African development and destroyed
African Civilisations.
The African Renaissance
The millions of African slaves died in transit to the Middle East, Europe and the
Americas on arrival some escaped and farmed maroon (i.e. independent) communities,
others fled from their slave masters while others bought their freedom. The free slaves
attended white churches that discriminated against them on the basis of race and color.
These slaves withdrew from the white churches and established independent African
American Churches such as the African Methodists Episcopal (AME) Church.
In the bible the former slaves learnt about ancient Ethiopia which inspired them to fight
for civil rights. In particular, they were inspired by the prophesy which says “Princesses
shall come out of Egypt and Ethiopia shall again stretch her hands towards God. They
were also inspired by other biblical texts which say that God chosen the Kushites
(Another name for Ethiopians). The prophet Isaiah (19:21) went even further to say that
when the Egyptians (who included the Ethiopians) were oppressed God would sent a
Messiah to liberate them. These Biblical texts formed the basis for an Ethiopian (i.e.
indegeneous African) theology of liberation which found it’s definite and emphatic in
Marcus Garvey.
The former African slaves also found inspiration in the Masonic Lodges which derived
the arts, sciences and philosophy from the Khemetic or Hermetic literature from ancient
Ethiopia and Egypt. Prince Hall and fourteen other African Americans were introduced
into the Masonic order Massachusetts. Prince Hall and his colleagues were forced by
racially discriminatory practices to establish African Lodges which later came to be
known as Prince Hall Lodges.
The Ethiopian (i.e. independent African American) churches and Prince Hall Lodges
shared the infrastructure and worked together for the development of African Americans.
Prince Hall teachings profoundly influenced early Pan African leaders including W.E.B
Du Bois, Booker T Washington and Marcus Garvey, the founder of UNIA which was
structured along Masonic Lines. Thus Ethiopianism and Hermetism provided the basis
for Pan Africanism of the 20 th Century.
The Ethiopian Christians and Pan African Leaders of the 20 th Century were inspired by
the glory of ancient Ethiopian and Egyptian Civilisation. The Ethiopian Christian
Movement in Africa, like in the Americas, was born out of racism in both church and
state institutions. For instance, in the Eastern Cape Nehemia Tile seceded from the
Wesleyan Church and established the Thembu National Church because of racism and
suppression of the African Cultural Heritage. In Pretoria Mangena Mokone and his
colleagues withdrew from the Wesleyan Church, for the same reasons, and established
the Ethiopian Church of South Africa.
5

The ties between the AME Church and the Ethiopian Church of South Africa enabled
South African Youth to study in African American Colleges and returned to South Africa
to swell the ranks of anti-colonial forces including traditional leaders and healers,
peasants and workers, professionals, women and youth.
Sylvester Henry Williams, of the Pan African Association, convened the first Pan African
Conference in London in 1900. The Conference took place during the Anglo-Boer war
(1899-1902) in South Africa. In his keynote address W.E.B Du Bois proclaimed that the
color line would be the biggest problem of the 20 th Century.
African people fought on both sides of the Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902) hoping that
whoever won who restore the Land, cultural institutions and civil rights. But both sides
used Africans as canon fodder, forcing the Pan African Conference to condemn the
astrocities committed against African people during this war at the end of the war the
English and the Boer concluded the Treaty of Vereeniging (1902) which reconciled the
two parties and made the color line the official policy of the four colonies of Natal, Cape
Colony, Free State and the Transvaal which later formed the Union of South Africa
(1910).
The Architect of Racism in South Africa was Cecil John Rhodes, a Master Mason who
built his financial empire on the basis of the Kimberley Diamonds and African Cheap
Labour. Cecil John Rhodes and his British imperialist supporters used the proceeds of
the Kimberley diamonds to build the British Empire. Thus South Africa provided the
resources for the empire. Cecil John Rhodes was a self-confessed racist who proclaimed
that his mission was to conquer and add to the British Empire, African and other third
world countries. To consolidate his South African base he imported the youth from
Oxford University who were initiated into his racist ideology, to come and help in the
building of a racist South Africa. After his death this youth worked with Lord Milner,
another racist, and his successors to unite the four colonies into the Union of South Africa
on the basis of racist constitution that excluded African, colored and Indian people from
the cultural social and economic life of South Africa.
Black people (Including Africans, colored and Indians) rejected white racist supremacy
and racially discriminatory practices. They established their own civic and political
organizations and began to develop an alternative vision of society.
The Evolution of a Revolutionary Moral Vision General
The fraternal organizations and Ethiopian Christian Churches in the Americans and
Africa embraced African values of human Solidarity i.e. the inclination of people to
associate with each other and work together for mutual benefit. This humanist
philosophy promoted the fullest development of the human personality to enable every
member of society to contribute to the collective good or well being of society.
Africans therefore espoused a holistic philosophy which required the holistic (i.e.
spiritual and material) development of the human personality for the collective good. As
6

a result African people discouraged individualism and promoted communalism or
collectivism. This humanist and people centred philosophy informed the struggles of
black peoples which ensued at the beginning of the 20 th Century.
John Langalibalele Dube, a protégé, of Booker T. Washington of the Tuskgee Institute
was the first South African to articulate the Revolutionary Moral Vision in his 1892
speech entitled Upon My Native Land. Dube envisaged a free, spiritual, humane
prosperous and caring Africa. The influence of Pan African Leaders from the Caribbean
and the US reached other African leaders through students who studied in the US,
notably, Kwame Nkrumah (Ghana), Mnandi Azikiwe (Nigeria), Jomo Kennyatta (Kenya)
and Xuma (South Africa).
South Africa was fortunate to receive the Ethiopian Christian and Pan African Influence.
At the end of the Pan African Conference (1900) some delegates namely, Sylvester
Henry Williams – the father of the Pan Africanism, and Peregrino a Ghanaian lawyer
came to Cape Town, settled among the colored community and propagated the Pan
African Ideal. These Pan African leaders were reinforced by the officials of the AME
Church, lead by Coppin, who settled among the colored community and propagated
Ethiopianism which had a spiritual and political dimension. From the Cape the Ethiopian
Christians and Pan African leaders took the African renascent ideal to the interior of
South Africa. These leaders kindled the Pan African Spirit which reinforced the growth
of the civic and political movements.
The Birth of the Congress Movement
The first congress organization to be formed was the Natal Indian Congress (1892)
followed by the African Peoples Organisation (APO) formed by Abdularan. These
organizations were followed by several native congresses which were profoundly
influenced by both African Cultural Heritage and Ethiopian Christianity. The Ethiopian
Christians also participated in wars of resistance such as the Bambatha rebellion.
The Milner racist administration appointed the Lodgen Native Commission which
developed the concept of black peril (Swart Gevaar) which polarized black and white
people. Hence forth successive colonial governments and white people regarded blacks
and general Africans particular as a threat to the white racist Union of South Africa.
Thus perception grew by leaps and bounds in 1912 when the South African Native
National Congress (SANNC) was formed.
The convener of the founding conference of SANNC was Pixley Isaka ka Seme, a law
graduate from Columbia University. In 1905 Seme delivered a speech at the university
entitled “The Regeneration of Africa”. In this Speech Seme not only proclaimed that he
is an African, but also recalled the glories of ancient Ethiopia and Egypt and reclaimed
them as the African contribution to human civilisation. Seme echoed Dube’s values of a
free African continent based on spiritual humane, prosperous and caring society. These
values became the bedrock of the revolutionary Moral Vision that guided the founders of
SANNC which was renamed the African National Congress (the “ANC”) in 1923.
7

Informed by the glory of Ancient Ethiopia and Egypt Seme proclaimed that he was an
African and called for a new and unique civilisation for Africa and Africans. In his
opening address to the founding Congress of the ANC Seme called for African Unity and
Co-operation.
The Revolutionary Moral Vision of the ANC was shared by the Clergy, traditional
leaders, workers, women and the youth. This Vision united African people in action and
inculcated the culture of self-help and a sense of progress and development.
Development and Politics
The founders of our democracy realized at an early stage that politics without
development cannot succeed. They established newspapers to propagate their
revolutionary Moral Vision and the Culture of Self-help and self reliance.
The founding President of the ANC, John Langalibalele Dube, established Ohlange
Institute for industrial education. The Institute was modeled on the Tuskgee Institute of
Booker T. Washington. Dr Pixley Isaka ka Seme engaged in farming and encouraged
African people to do the same. These African farmers were so successful that white
farmers felt threatened. They called on their racist government to take away land from
Africans to force them to work on white farms, mines and homes. This was effected
through the Land Act of 1913 which allocated only 7 percent of the total surface of South
Africa to Africans leaving 93 percent to white people. The resulting Land Hunger and
overcrowding in the reserves created by the 1913 Land Act forced the government to
increase the land for African Occupation to 13 percent.
The reduction of African livestock in the reserves harsh conditions faced by domestic,
industrial and mine workers forced Africans to form trade Unions to defend workers
rights. Charlotte Makgomo Mannya, the founder of the Bantu Womens League (1918),
worked with Msimana and Kadalie to form Trade Unions. Between 1914 and 1917,
however, African resistance against racist rule was interrupted by the First World War II.
African people participated in the war hoping that the event of victory, civil and political
rights will be extended to them. This did not happen. Instead, as President Z.R.
Mahabane observed in 1921, Africans suffered from Landlessness, hopelessness,
votelessness, degradation and dehumanization. They were robbed of their humanity by a
white racist regime.
Institutionalisation of the Revolutionary Moral Vision
At the ANC National Conference in 1923, Rev. Z.R. Mahabane the president of the
ANC, recalled the degradation and dehumanization of African people and table a
8

esolution which sought to address this Subhuman African Condition. The resolution
introduced the first Bill of Rights in South Africa.
In its opening paragraph the 1923 Bill of Rights reclaimed and recaptured the humanity
(Botho/Ubuntu) of African people, their inborn and inalienable right to freedom and
equality. The Bill also demanded the right of African people to participate in the
economic life of the country. Meanwhile the formation of the Communist Party of South
Africa (CPSA) in 1921 served to sharpen the revolutionary focus of the peasants and the
workers.
In its 1919 constitution the ANC described itself as a Pan African Organisation. This Pan
African Vision was reinforced by the arrival of Garveyism in South Africa. So Tshekiso
Plaatjie, the founding secretary of the ANC, was the first South African leader to come
under the influence of Marcus Garvey’s Vision of Pan Africanism Garvey amplified the
revolutionary Moral Vision of the founders of our democracy.
He viewed every human being a divine spark that emanated from the great spirit that is
called God. These divine sparks not only provided the basis of human dignity but also
the common humanity of all. Garvey formed the UNIA, a political organisation that
mobilized and unified Africans the world over to defend the common humanity and
liberate Africa for the Africans.
In South Africa Garveyism was reinforced by Gumede’s ideal of a Native Republic.
Gumede, the President of the ANC embraced this ideal after a visit to the Soviet Union.
This Vision later cost him his job as the conservatives in the ANC sought a less militant
path to the resolution of the racial problem in South Africa.
During the interior years 1917 to 1939 African people were radicalized not only by
Garveyism and communism but the racist and fascist Italian aggression against Abyssinia
(Modern Ethiopia). In 1930 Charlotte Makgomo Mannya claimed that Women’s Rights
were also human rights. In 1936 William Nkomo told a Women’s Conference that
Africans are not a subhuman race and that they too desire the right to decide their own
future.
In 1937 Mnandi Azikiwe, the first President of Nigeria and a student of Marcus Garvey
delivered a speech in Ghana entitled Renascent Africa. Azikiwe, like Dr Pixley Isaka ka
Seme, recalled the glory of Ancient Africa and expressed the hope that Africa would be
born again.
During World War II Africans again fought on the side of the Allied forces hoping that in
the event of victory their right to self-determination. But in 1941 Roosevelt and
Churchill adopted the Atlantic Charter which limited the right of self-determination to
white people. This forced Kwame Nkrumah to declare that after the war Africans will
demand nothing less than their right of self-determination.
9

In South Africa the ANC responded to the Atlantic Charter by adopting the African
Claims, a Bill of Rights which asserted the right of African people to self determination.
It is important to note that South Africa adopted two progressive Bills of Rights before
the adoption of the United Nations Charter (1946) and the universal Declaration of
Human Rights. The UN Charter recognized the right of peoples and nations to self
determination and independence while the universal declaration recognized human rights
which African people developed in struggle.
The people are their own Liberators
In 1945 African leaders held the 5 th Pan African Conference which not only demanded
the right of African peoples to self determination and human rights but also called
workers, professionals, intellectuals, women and the youth to unite in struggle for the
realization of these rights. These leaders had long realized that charters of human rights
alone cannot liberate people. It is necessary for the people to launch campaign and
engage in struggle to achieve the goal.
The Pan African leaders were vindicated by the ascension of the Nationalist Party to
power on the platform of Apartheid (1948) soon after the adoption of the UN Charter and
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The ANC responded by adopting the 1949
Programme of Action which laid the foundation for the resistance campaigns of the first
half of the fifties. These campaigns were accompanied by consultations with the people,
leading to the development of a post Apartheid South Africa contained in the Freedom
Charter.
The Birth of the National Democratic State
The Freedom Charter was adopted during the presidency of Chief Albert Luthuli and
reflected the vision of the united, non-racial, non-sexist and prosperous South Africa born
in struggle. The Freedom Charter also reflected the unity of people both black and white
developed in action.
The authors of the Freedom Charter, however, did not loose sight of the fact that their
strategic objective would not be achieved without the recovery of the humanity
(Ubuntu/Botho) of all, especially African people who were degraded and dehumanized.
Thus when the congress movement elaborated their vision of the National Democratic
Society they sought to build. They kept in mind the need to affirm black people in
general and Africans in particular.
The 1994 Democratic Breakthrough
The armed conflict of the 1960’s, 1970’s, and 1980’s did not erode the revolutionary
morality that guided the founders of our democracy. This was evident in the 1993
Interim Constitution which fore grounded Ubuntu/Botho as the cornerstone of the post
Apartheid Constitutional policy.
10

In 1996 Constitution embraced and amplified this constitutional policy. In its opening
paragraph the constitution not only adopts a reconciliatory and affirmative stance which
honors the fallen freedom fighters and victims of Apartheid Colonialism but also
envisages the creation of united, non-racial, non-sexiest and prosperous society. The
constitution also contains a Bill of Rights which protects of all South Africans, both black
and white.
The 1994 Democratic Breakthrough and its Bill of Rights in and by themselves cannot
address the problems of racism, Zenophia gender and class social exclusion.
Our democratic breakthrough gave birth to political, not economic kingdom which is an
able to elevate African people, especially women, farm and domestic workers, who were
kept at the lowest rungs of the social and economic ladder by apartheid colonialism.
A Practical Programme for the Recovery of the African Humanity
Some of the major challenges we face, for instance, racism, tribalism, Zenophobia,
Patriarchy, class and gender discrimination are caused by ignorance, on the part of both
black and white, of who we are where we come from and should bind us together as
human beings regardless of race, class, gender and country of origins. The democratic
government transformed the sizes and shapes of educational institutions without
addressing the Eurocentric curricula which perpetuates white supremacy and the sub
humanity of African people.
The recent incident at the Free State University and the racist article by David Bullard in
the Sunday Times are symbols of the underlying racism in our society which cannot be
addressed by exchange of insults and marches but by a systematic and practical
programme for the recovery of the African humanity and the decolonization of the minds
of all South Africans, both black and white.
The Subversion of the African past, identity, culture and their substitution languages,
religion with foreign ones and the economic subjugation and super exploitation of black
people and African in particular perpetuates perceptions of Africans as a subhuman race
that can be treated as others please.
South Africa needs an Educational System that will implant a revolutionary morality in
all young people, both black and white, and socio-economic order which will elevate the
historically disadvantaged people up the social and economic ladder. This can be
achieved if all of us can embrace the education and health campaign adopted by the 52 nd
National Conference of the ANC.
The degrading and dehumanizing socio-economic conditions under which the majority of
South Africans live, despite the current economic growth, can only be addressed by a
speech land redistribution, skilling of farmer workers and emerging African farmers and
introduction of co-operative and other forms of social ownership in a mixed economy.
11

Poverty illiteracy, degrading and subhuman conditions under which African people live
reinforces racist perceptions that Africans are inherently inferior and incapable of helping
themselves and relying on their own intellectual resources for progress and development.
This morning Lesedi FM reported that the school feeding schools have collapsed because
of High prices. In the Vhembe district of Limpopo a deceased person was kept in the
mortuary for 9 months because a white farmer refused the family permission to bury the
deceased on its ancestral Land. In the Mopani district of Limpopo Another Corpse has
been waiting for burial for 3 weeks because the white farmer refuses the family
permission to bury the deceased on its ancestral land. Both farms are under claim but
commission has not finalized claims which were lodged in 1998.
Some municipalities in Limpopo Province are full and traditional leaders refuse to make
land available to municipalities for new cemeteries. In some urban areas municipalities
are already calling on African people to cremate their dead because the private Land
Owners sit on their land or sell at exorbitant market prices in Limpopo Province are full
and traditional leaders refuse to make land available to municipalities for new cemeteries.
In some urban areas municipalities are already calling on African people to cremate their
dead because the private Land Owners sit on their land or sell at exorbitant market prices
which are not affordable to the municipalities.
Moral Degeneration
The challenges described above show the moral degeneration that has afflicted our
society. This Moral degeneration makes it difficult for us to care for the vulnerable e.g.
women, children and disabled persons in our society.
12