Suid Afrika / South Africa – 'n Skrywer se blok
Ons woon tans in Suid Africa. Een van die mees gevaarlikste lande in die wêreld.
Ek kan gladnie onthou dat ek ooit veilig gevoel het in ons land nie. My heel eerste herinnering van ons land is hoef ons as 5jarige kleuters moes nood dril oefeninge uitvoer sodat indien daar ‘n bomdreigement of klippe na die skool gegooi word ons sal weet wat om te doen. Ek onthou die weermag wa wat daardie een dag by ons skool gestop het en ons agter in gelaai het. Ons het geleer van oorlog en ratpacks. Daarna onthou ek die lang verkiesingry in 1994. Dit was bloedig warm in Nelspruit en het ek as 7jarige dogtertjie saam my ouers in daardie ry gestaan. Ons pad na vrede en veiligheid…
Ek het nog nooit vrede of veiligheid in my 32 jaar in hierdie land ervaar nie. Survival of the fittest. Al wat ek ken is veiligheidshekke, alarmstelsels en heeltyd paraat wees wanneer jy dorp toe gaan.
Ons woon in ‘n tronk. Al die vensters en deure het een of ander form van beveiliging. Ons het hoë mure rondom ons huis en ook ‘beams’ vir die alarm wat dan elke aand om en by 17:00pm aangesit word. Ons kinders kan nie alleen buite speel nie, jy as ouer moet buite sit en kyk dat hul nie uit jou erf gesteel word nie. Plaasaanvalle en moorde neem daagliks toe. Jou keel kan afgesny word vir R50…
Ek was vandag na ‘n publieke toilet. Ek moes R1 betaal om in te gaan. Die venster se arm is gebreek en word dus oopgehou met ‘n leë toiletrolletjie.
Ons plaasmoord memorial…
Die gate in die paaie is soms so groot jy kan daarin swem.
Riots is nou ‘n alledaagse ding en skrik mens nie meer nie. Dit insigself is angwekkend. Is ons so gekondisioneer teen die wetteloosheid en die gevaar dat ons net verby hou?
Plakkerskampe is algemeen. Of jy nou wit, swart, pienk, groen of geel is, jy is nie te goed vir ‘n plakkerskamp nie. Meeste van ons lewe in ‘n bubble en ons vergeet van die werklikheid wat sommige mense daagliks in die gesig moet staar. Wees dankbaar vir wat jy het, jy kon minder gehad het.
Maar hierdie is OOK my Suid Afrika.
Kinders ken geen kleur nie.
Vir 24uur het ons land weer hoop gehad. Rugby is meer as net ‘n spel vir ons. Rugby gee ons hoop. Rugby bring ons saam. Rugby verskuif grense. Saam IS ons beter.
Ons asemrowende natuur. Geen ander plek in die wêreld sal jy hierdie tipe mooi natuur kry nie.
Hierdie is my Suid Afrika. Hier waar ek tans woon. Hier wat ek binnekort agter sal laat vir die plan van God op ons lewens. Hier waar my oudste op ‘n daaglikse basis die volkslied sing… Ja, die meertalige een…
Maar binnekort sal ons, ons Suid Afrika na die wêreld toe vat. Haar warm verwelkomende liefde. Haar vreugde al val alles om haar tot niks. Haar Afrikaans. Ja, ek gaan my nuwe vriende leer Afrikaans praat. 😜
Maar nou ja, tot dan stel ons onsself in om ‘n seën te wees vir die rondom ons. Vir die wat vir ons lief is. Ons maak herinneringe en leef asof ons nie weggaan nie. Ons leef vir nou, want môre is daar dalk nie.
We currently live in South Africa. One of the most dangerous countries in the world.
I can't remember ever feeling safe in our country. My very first memory of our country is that we, as 5-year-olds, had to perform emergency drill exercises so that if a bomb threat or stones were thrown to our school we would know what to do. I remember the army wagon that stopped at our school one day and loaded us in the back. We learned about war and Ratpacks. Then I remember the long election line in 1994. It was scorching hot in Nelspruit and as a 7 year old girl I stood with my parents in that row. Our road to peace and security ...
I have never experienced peace or security in my 32 years in this country. Survival of the fittest. All I know is security gates, alarm systems and being ready all the time when you go to town.
We live in a prison. All the windows and doors have some form of security. We have high walls around our house and also 'beams' for the alarm which is then set every night around 5pm. Our kids can't play outside alone, you as a parent have to sit outside and watch them not be stolen from your yard. Farm attacks and murders increase daily. Your throat can be cut off for R50 ...
I went to a public toilet today. I had to pay R1 to go in. The lock on the door was broken as well as the arm on the window.
Our farm murder memorial.
The potholes in the road are sometimes so big you can swim in them.
Riots are now an everyday thing and no longer scares you. That in itself is appalling. Are we so conditioned against the lawlessness and danger that we just keep passing by?
Squatter camps are common. Whether you are white, black, pink, green or yellow, you are not too good for a squatter camp. Most of us live in a bubble and we forget about the reality that some people have to face daily. Be grateful for what you have, you could have had less
BUT THIS IS ALSO MY SOUTH AFRICA
Children don't know the difference in skin color.
For 24 hours our country had hope again. Rugby is more than just a game for us. Rugby gives us hope. Rugby brings us together. Rugby is shifting boundaries. Together we are better.
Our breathtaking nature. Nowhere else in the world will you find this kind of beautiful nature.
This is my South Africa. Here where I currently live. This is what I'll leave behind soon for God's plan on our lives. Here where my oldest sings the national anthem on a daily basis ... Yes, the multilingual one ...
But soon, we will take our South Africa to the world. Her warm welcoming love. Her joy though everything around her falls to nothing. Her Afrikaans. Yes, I'm going to teach my new friends to speak Afrikaans. 😜
But now, until then, we set ourselves up to be a blessing to those around us. For those who love us. We make memories and live as if we are not going away. We are living for now, because tomorrow might not come.
4 thoughts on “Suid Afrika / South Africa”
November 22, 2019 at 11:10 vm
Ons Suid-Afrika….Moenie dink dat elke ander land op hierdie aarde nie maar ook positiewe en negatiewe aspekte bevat nie.
November 22, 2019 at 11:55 vm
Dit is absoluut die waarheid. Hierdie was maar om vir my oorsee se vriende te wys dat hoewel hulle baie slegte goed hoor van ons, daar ook die goeie deel is. ❤️
November 23, 2019 at 2:09 nm
Ons het darem die mooiste natuurskoon
De Wet Ferreira sê:
Desember 18, 2019 at 2:08 nm
n Baie interesante artikel! Ons RWC wen het ons land nader aan mekaar gebring, maar ons kan nie vergeet wat op ons plaase gebeur nie… Ek sal dit vreeslik wardeur as mevrou een of twee van my engelse kort verhale sou lees! 😊🙏 Hulle is egte Suid Afrikaanse stories, en Ek is seker mevrou sal een vind wat mevrou geniet..