On Tuesday we brought you the story of a young man from Tshipise Tshasagole-Niani village in Venda, who has spent the past three years building a makeshift car from scrap metal.
Like many young boys growing up in villages or townships, 21-year-old Mukundi Malovhele spent his days making wire toy cars. In 2017, he began to collect scrap material and took a shot at making a structure in the image of his favourite luxury brand, a Lamborghini.
It turned out to be an awesome piece of amateur work, showing the creative potential this young man possesses. But living off the proceeds of his father’s vegetable garden in a remote Limpopo village, Mukundi’s prospects of exploring this field of expertise is minimal.
His story is a simple yet profound indication of one of SA’s biggest crises. Our country is not short of skill or talent. But by virtue of who they are or where they come from, too many young people whose natural abilities could otherwise see them thrive do not have the opportunity to realise their potential.
Such is the tragedy of our inequality. It robs young black people of access to tools and connections they need to better their lives.
Today, President Cyril Ramaphosa will make his State of the Nation Address. You may want to lower any expectations of grand plans in the pipeline. Expect no announcements of Wakanda-like smart cities or bullet trains.
Unlike at the time of his famous Thuma Mina moment, our bank balance is even thinner and the political terrain a lot rougher. Nonetheless, today Ramaphosa will attempt to inspire hope that the government is at work to help us recover from the ravaging impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
But the credibility of his words will be undermined by the reality that our state machinery is firmly in clutches of a never-ending, mindless party political brawl that has come to define the very existence of the ANC.
As a result of such a weakened and visionless state machinery, young bright minds like Mukundi are condemned to the fringes of development, robbing our country of what it could truly be.
Such is the sorry state of our nation.
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