Silly to destroy what we toiled hard to build in communities

A structure that took years to build can be brought down in a moment. In similar vein, building a reputation takes effort, grit and sacrifice while a lapse of judgement can put paid to such. Building and bequeathing a positive legacy to the next generation is what preoccupies most progressive communities and organisations.

It is therefore disheartening to observe the propensity for violence and destruction displayed in the main by black people to express their disaffection. There have been several incidents where places of learning have been burnt by communities to express their rage for reasons such as municipal demarcations or during so-called service delivery protests.

As to how burning a school would hasten the pace of service delivery, the mind boggles. During these protests, violence and destruction of property becomes the order of the day. Roads are blocked with rocks and other debris to the extent that people are impeded from going to work and from other daily routines. Tyres are burnt with the quality of our roads compromised as a result. During the ubiquitous electricity outages, traffic lights are destroyed, creating a traffic nightmare in the process.

There is a misguided belief that authorities are quick to respond to demands when these are reinforced with violence and destruction. The more extreme the violence, the quicker the response, seems to be the operational mindset. Currently, Eskom is owed in excess of R20bn in unpaid electricity bills by Soweto residents. Surprisingly, when there are power cuts, they see red and vent their frustration through violence.

The culture of entitlement is so entrenched that the obligation to pay for services such as electricity provision, is considered an unwelcome encroachment. In black societies, ubuntu is extolled as a virtue though closer scrutiny reveals a contradictory element to this aspect.

To illustrate this point, in a typical township school with an enrolment of 1,000 pupil, it would be considered an achievement to have 100 parents attending a parents' meeting. However, when the principal or any other member of staff is accused of any wrongdoing, the parents and other “members of the community” will fill the school hall to demand the removal of the offending staff member. This shows the alacrity to react to crisis situations than to create something meaningful and that can leave a lasting legacy for our children.

Not only do we burn schools, we also burn libraries and clinics to express our “rage". It was the German writer and literary critic, Heinrich Heine who said, “Whenever they burn books, in the end they will also burn people.” SA has had its share of the macabre burning of people as witnessed during the “necklacing” of suspected “impimpis” during the Struggle and the xenophobic violence in 2008.

During the time when trains used to operate, when they were delayed, commuters set them on fire to express their frustration. Highways are blocked and trucks burnt to protest against the hiring of foreigners in the trucking industry. This is done without any consideration for the harm this causes to the economy and the country’s international image. When there is a perception that a certain councillor does not represent the community well, his or her house is burnt. During the so-called “Fees must fall” protests, university property estimated at close to R1bn was destroyed. With such destructive mentalities from those supposed to take the baton from the current leaders, what hope do we have for the future of our country? A change in mind-set is necessary to arrest this decline to calamity.

The entitlement mentality so prevalent in black society should be replaced with a diligence to work for the betterment of society. There is a need to develop self-reliance where communities forge a unity geared towards addressing its needs and challenges. The notion that it pays to be violent should be rejected as it is delusional and dangerous.

Let the focus be on building than on destroying to ensure a better future for our children.