The content on this page is not written by Polity.org.za, but is supplied by third parties. This content does not constitute news reporting by Polity.org.za.

Dear friends and fellow South Africans,

In this time between Palm Sunday and Easter, my mind is drawn to the
extraordinary capacity of man to both love and hate. It seems so
contradictory that the masses could welcome Christ with adulation and
praise, and within seven days be spitting the venom of murderous intent.

But such extremes of the human heart are expressed from moment to moment in
popular culture today. Mass media has created a fickle following where today's
media darling is tomorrow's whipping boy. I myself have been awarded
"Newsmaker of the Year" by the South African Society of Journalists and "Man
of the Year" by the Financial Mail, and yet still suffer the invectives of
some journalists.

Of course it is the business of the media to evoke strong emotion, because
sensationalism sells. Thus every lapse of judgment on the part of Julius
Malema must be reported on, just as every cross-cultural adoption by a
Hollywood A-Lister must be debated.

What is "newsworthy" is largely determined by how much righteous anger,
fear, jealousy, compassion, bitterness or satisfaction it will generate. But
we have come to rely so heavily on our media to tell us what is important,
that we doubt the significance of anything that is not published.

Take for instance the minor earth tremor that was felt in the Boland on
Monday. Unsure about the veracity of their experience, people scoured the
newspapers the next morning, calling in to radio stations to confirm this
somewhat insignificant event. One station announced that it hadn't made the
news. However, an Afrikaans daily did report it.

One might conclude that what is significant to one community may not be
newsworthy to another. In a couple of weeks time, the Jewish community will
mark Yom HaShoah, a commemoration of the Holocaust of World War II that saw
six million Jewish lives swept away in the whirlwind of an evil ideology. It
is unlikely that Yom HaShoah will make headline news in all our papers.

Nevertheless, the Holocaust brings us back to a contemplation of the
capacity of man for hatred. We find it difficult to attribute such
unspeakable malevolence to human nature, preferring to focus it on one man.
For if the potential for evil lies within us all, we must face this capacity
in ourselves. It is easier to believe that only some are born with the seed
of evil, awaiting the outcome of nature and nurture.

Throughout history, man has displayed such animal savagery that the theory
of evolution is given a boost. One would be forgiven for thinking that the
distinction between man and animal is a matter of scale. For instance, faced
with an inaccessible termite hill, a Chimpanzee can use a stick as a tool,
enhancing the design by adding saliva. But only human beings could develop a
tool that can keep a heart rhythmic. Any number of animals adapt to hostile
environments, but only human beings can move into a desert and create Las
Vegas. It is a matter of magnitude and scale.

We see cruelty in nature; death and savagery. But nature could not come up
with a Holocaust. And while one species may instinctively dislike another,
there is no collective memory of a specific event that causes division even
generations down the line.

One characteristic exclusive to man is symbolism. The Magpie collects shiny
objects to decorate its nest, which may even convey its status. But nowhere
in the animal kingdom do we see such intense value and significance
conferred on objects, images or symbols as we do among humans.

Our collective consciousness enables us to recognize the concept of romance
when we see a rose, or peace when we see a dove. There are symbols
inimitable to cultures and peoples, even to families. There is perhaps no
greater example than family crests and national flags. These are emblems of
identity for which man will live, die and even kill.

We identify strongly with symbols that denote where we belong in the social
structure. There is something vastly more significant about cultural
identity than simply the survival of the fittest. Stags may lock horns and
battle for superiority of the herd. But man fights not only for survival or
status, but for the right to hold certain values, ideologies and beliefs.

The struggle of the Zulu Nation for recognition of the monarchy and
individuation has spanned generations, and will continue into the future for
as long as anyone identifies with the Zulu heritage. As a Zulu, I was proud
to participate in the official opening of the 10th International Convention
of the Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) on Sunday,
knowing that the Indian community has also struggled for recognition.

Similarly, the struggle of the Afrikaner to have his cultural identity
acknowledged, respected and protected will go on. It is more than ignorance
that births the problems we are facing right now with the "Kill the Boer"
song. It is deep-seated hatred and division that could cost us all dearly.
But I suspect there is something more.

It is quite extraordinary that the ruling Party has declared that it is
taking on appeal the decision of the High Court that singing this song
constitutes hate speech. Where has all the fuss about the so-called Rainbow
Nation gone? What contribution does such a song make to our reconciliation
as a nation?

For someone that falls back on the accusation of racism nine times out of
ten, Mr Malema personifies the racism that still exists in enclaves of our
society. Speaking at the GOPIO Convention, I pointed out that the friendship
and fellowship that used to exist between young blacks and young Indians
during apartheid just doesn't seem evident today. This alone isn't racism;
but it provides a fertile breeding ground for division to grow.

There is no denying the historical fact that apartheid used the age-old
military tactic of divide and conquer, exploiting our different cultural
identities to drive a wedge between us. The Washington Afro-American of 19
August 1986 quotes these words, allegedly penned by the then President PW
Botha: "The point now is that there must be hatred between those two nations
(meaning coloureds and Indians) and black South Africans so that they will
fight among themselves and keep their minds off the whites."

Thank God that is all in the past. But then one must ask for what purpose
the ANC Youth League is now employing the tactic of social division. The
surface suggests simple hatred and racism. But what lies beneath? What is
this grandstanding trying to "keep our minds off"?

I do not wish to add suspicion to the delicate social discourse of the
present. But I do think it worthwhile to dig deeper and try to understand
what value division brings to its wielders. The dangers of allowing social
division to run its course may be more varied than we think.

What are we ignoring while we focus on Malema?

Yours in the Service of the Nation,