South Africa - a dream deferred

I love South Africa

And I love our beauty, our collective magic, whenever we remember to cross our historic divides and do things together, be it celebrating our sports teams, athletes in global competitions, artists and others who do well at home and in the global arena. We do it so effortlessly and with so much colour!

And there are countless South Africans, also of all backgrounds, who support children from poorer neighborhoods. Some pay their school fees and provide clothing, books and other needed equipment and do a whole lot more. They do this quietly, far from media cameras, because it's their way of saying "I am because you are".

Just recall (Google can help you with that) the story of how our current Chief Justice - Raymond Zondo - got his studies funded by a total stranger - yet a good South African - and you will know what I'm talking about. His story is not a unique South African one. There are others remaining to be told... and a lot more that we shall never hear about because the acts of generosity that fueled them were not carried out for public/media consumption.

I absolutely love it when people take time to travel to the airport to welcome South Africans who have excelled in all forms of international endeavors when they return home; the colours, the music, the dances.

I also love it when South Africans of all backgrounds call into radio talk shows to offer assistance in support for the weak and downtrodden who have called in to share their pain.

Often, someone would gather the courage to call into a radio show, after trying everything else, to share the pain of not being able to buy a laptop for a child who needs it for their studies, or lacking money to fix a broken sewing machine they need to make a living, or another who calls in in tears, frustrated that despite having the right qualifications and having applied for countless positions, they struggle to find employment; or another who, having lost a job for refusing to support corrupt acts, has been blacklisted and rendered untouchable by potential employers.

There are countless "whistle-blowers" and others who fearlessly speak truth to power who are trapped in this dreaded state - a socio-economic no man's land of sorts. Many have even left the country they love for their own safety.

The acts of South Africans who call in to offer assistance always bring tears to my eyes. They soften my heart and strengthen my love for our country, as well as my undying resolve to never stop looking the beast in the eyes to force it to look into the mirror.

We have an amazing magic, a light we must never lose, in our diversity but - thanks to the proliferation of negative, divisive, and misplaced, yet loud, slogans - we tend to allow ourselves to forget our magic and to doubt our capacity and power as a unique African nation. The opportunity cost of the tens of trillions of public funds stolen through state capture and other continuing forms of corruption is generation staggering!

Just like children and others who have been subjected to emotional abuse over many years, whose resolve has been broken bit by bit, we have unintentionally allowed the negativity to overwhelm us and to forget who we are, and who we can still be.

We are South African, irrespective of whether we reside in South Africa or in the vast diaspora around the world.

We love our country, even when we appear angry - for good reason - much of the time. I know, because I feel it too, that we're not angry out of hatred. We're angry out of disappointment and love, knowing deep within that we have allowed ourselves to be robbed of our collective potential.

We must stop letting them to this to us. We must stop doing this to ourselves.

Only we, the united South Africa people, can stand up and push back against the madness. It is not the criminal cabal that has taken over and that imprisons us. It is our self-doubt and our weakened resolve that keep us imprisoned.

For as long as we remain weak, feeling sorry for ourselves, and resorting only to sharing negative news after negative news on social media - me included - they win and we lose.

We cannot stand up again and take back what is ours if we let negativity continue to dampen our winning spirit and potential as a country, united in our diversity.

I needed to say this.