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Transformation and reconciliation: monumental tasks

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Mmusi Maimane is leader of Build One SA.

Now that the statue of Cecil John Rhodes has been taken down, the real work begins. Not only for those in government, but those who are protesting. Transformation and reconciliation remain tasks that are not for the faint-hearted.

When young people stand up, and take a stand, there is something beautiful and powerful about it. They send the message that nothing will be done in their name or for them, without their involvement – “Nothing about us without as”, as the old war cry states. Furthermore, it sends a message to those of us in politics that young people are growing tired of the slow pace of transformation in society. Transformation in all its forms, which includes the economy, human settlements, poverty, inequality and education.

As Parliament 2015 enters its second term, as parliamentarians we will have to reflect on the Rhodes Must Fall movement, the defacing of other statues across the country and the role of symbols in building a transformed and reconciled society.

Events of the last month have illustrated that so-called born frees do not feel free and that the legacy of Apartheid still haunts them 21 years later. So the idea that Apartheid is behind us, and today’s youth are unaffected, is simply untrue, and it needs to be addressed.

The road towards transformation and reconciliation was never going to be easy. A whole 21 years later we are still, as a nation, grappling with these issues, and it is unlikely that we will put them to bed any time soon. But that is no excuse not to have the difficult dialogues and examine the societal status quo. Just look at the United States of America, which still battles with race, transformation, reconciliation and symbols.

With just over two decades of democracy, we cannot shy away from the fact that it is black youth, in the main, who have been the victims of the slow pace of transformation in society. From education to economic opportunities, much of society remains untransformed, while those in power focus their attention on amassing wealth by looting the state coffers, with which citizens have trusted them.

The removal of the Cecil John Rhodes statue, at the University of Cape Town, will not remove the legacy of Apartheid, but I feel it has set South Africa on a path towards having conversations and finding solutions for building a new South Africa and a new heritage. Essentially building the South Africa that was fought for and a South Africa that we dreamed of in 1994.

This needs to be a consultative process, where all South Africans take ownership of the country’s heritage.

We must now work towards building and establishing new symbols, rather than breaking down existing ones. We live in a constitutional democracy, which gives citizens channels to follow when they feel aggrieved by symbols that cause offence. This is the same process that goes into the renaming of streets and the commissioning of new statues.

While the history of South Africa is emotive and an offensive one, we cannot forget it and we should not, because it forms the basis on which we build a new history. We need to have a sober reflection of how we are going to move forward as a united people, black and white.

I am not here to dictate to South Africans, across racial and socioeconomic lines, how to feel and how to react, but I will say that we need to talk and listen, which is not happening, we seem to be talking around each other.

We have a monumental task ahead of us to ensure that all South Africans feel at home and included in the project of building a new South Africa. The task is not easy, but it is one we need to take up.

Our job as South Africans should be to build and not break down. DM

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