Community members hold weapons as they stand at a road block in Phoenix Township, North Durban, on 15 July 2021 to prevent looters from reaching the community. Picture: GUILLEM SARTORIO/AFP
DURBAN – Racial tensions have increased in KwaZulu-Natal after a video of Indian people burning a shack in Phoenix, north of Durban, circulated on social media. However, Police Minister Bheki Cele downplayed the racial tensions in Phoenix.
“To blame racism would be to excuse the criminality. Indeed, many people from Zwelisha died but they have been very much comrades in stealing,” said Cele.
On Friday, Salaamedia’s Inayat Wadee spoke to Anti-apartheid activist and president of the Pan African Psychology Union, Dr. Saths Cooper on the racial tension that is going on in KwaZulu-Natal.
“Our spatial geography is still that of apartheid. We have working class, poor and the below middle class that used to exist in the apartheid era and we have not gotten rid of the race-based way of looking at each other and [we] have not created a nation of South Africans where we are not against one another,” said Dr. Cooper.
With disbelief, Dr. Cooper reacts to the video that was shared on social media by saying “what kind of mentality does this and think that it won’t add to the tension?”
“We don’t have a commission on racism. It seems that this government has failed us and has failed to tackle racism head on and remove it from our mentality,” said Dr. Cooper. He said that, as a new nation, have not experienced people from different races coming together across multitudes to unite.
Dr. Cooper thinks that the race classification Act should be removed from the “Apartheid legislation” and it should rather be made voluntary for people to identify themselves.
Instead of cherishing the real diversity that we have we have found ways to divide ourselves – Dr. Saths Cooper – Anti-apartheid activist and president of the Pan African Psychology Union
Speaking to Newzroom Afrika, Dr. Cooper said, “we are not a nation – we are this geography entity with these nine provinces carved out, almost ethnic lines and we have not done anything to transition from apartheid. It is them-and-us divide and rule [instead of] creating a better togetherness to understand that we are in this together.”
Watch the full discussion here:
