Crossroads in South Africa

Crossroads in South Africa.

Travelling in my car, I hear on radio the official statement that Thabo Mbeki has been recalled by the ANC as the president of our country, South Africa.   Mbeki has announced that he will comply, once all the constitutional procedures have been implemented.

This news makes me reflect that once again South Africa stands at a crossroad.  Crossroad is an appropriate word as my travels are forcing me to stop at traffic lights and stare at the actual crossroads in my line of vision. 

Stopping at an intersection on a South African road can be an interesting experience.  Red is where most of the action takes place at this point in time.

In built-up, busy, commercial areas, one is confronted with a host of sights and has to remember to keep an eye on the lights so as not to forget to pull away when they change to green.

First of all, there are the street vendors (sometimes up to six or seven of them at one intersection), all with their various wares.  These range from coat hangers to handbags, from toys to perfumes, from classroom maps to fake DVDs.  The sellers are friendly and very convincing, depicting the spirit of entrepreneurship so evident in the country at the moment.  One vendor I came across the other morning was particularly fascinating.  He was selling steering wheel covers, catapults and wooden rosaries!

Many of these people are unable to find employment and are attempting in their own way to make ends meet.  Unlike them, there are many others who simply stand at an intersection all day, holding a cardboard sign stating that they are unable to find work, have a family to feed and are therefore begging for money.

Amongst the youth there are various trends.  Many simply beg, others pretend to be crippled in one way or another, others hold empty plastic bags and offer to take the refuse from your car for a small tip, others try to wash your windscreen before you have the chance to say no, while others have taken to painting their faces and doing the latest dances while you wait.

There are also many blind people accompanied by adults holding collection cups, and I was informed recently that many of these people have come from neighbouring countries where healthcare is very poor, to find a better life in South Africa.

And then there are the cars which have stopped in front of you, behind you or next to you.  Some of them are what we call “bakkies” – small, open pick-ups, filled with sometimes more than twenty workers squashed into this small space.  Others are really upmarket automobile brands, and once again one is confronted by the diversity present in this country, and the contrast of lifestyles.

Crossroads in South Africa depict the value systems mosaic developed by Don Beck in a very visual way.

The mix makes the country a fascinating place to live, but one which also holds it challenges. 

The gap between the rich and the poor is often reflected in an upsurge of violence.   Crossroads become places where one has to be extremely vigilant.  Amidst all that is taking place there, there is also the threat of a car window being broken so that a handbag or mobile phone can be stolen.

As can be seen from Beck’s diagram, South Africa, at this point in time, is battling to find a blue centre of gravity.  Morals and values are sadly lacking in many areas, the education system is being challenged and the health system is facing a crisis.

And despite all this I have hope.  The shining beacon of Nelson Mandela and all he stands for; the incredible magnitude of heart shown by so many, during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission led by Desmond Tutu, to the perpetrators of apartheid atrocities; the willingness of everyday people to become a rainbow nation; the smiling faces of the vendors on the street corners;  .......... the lights will eventually turn green and then the journey will continue.