Memory is a Weapon

Let His-story Speak:

 I know about three events where there were celebrations of a mass scale in my township where young and old folk were running on the dusty streets, I remember running and singing through the night; hugging people and shaking hands with people queuing along the streets and ululating and clapping hands.

Here are the events in sequence:

1.  On the 29^th of October 1979 a nearly all-white crowd of about 89000 filled Loftus Verfeld Stadium to witness one of the great white Hope Gerrie Coetzee box against a 24 year old Afrikan from America for a WBA heavyweight title vacated by Mohamed Ali. The fight went the distance and it was won on point by Big John Tate unanimously.

Although I was still young at the time I still remember the main song that was sang that night…Mshaye John Tate uthatha amachanse (Beat him John Tate his is taking chances)…for Black afrika it was a moral and a political victory for all, he (John) became a champion for all the oppressed and dispossessed taking in view that our local athletes boxers included were denied opportunities to compete on the national stage as well as international stage.

The thought  of a White South Afrika  converging in their most sacred temple Loftus(the home of Rugby) to watch one of their own being defeated by one representing the marginalised further electrified the spirit of comradeship and instilled a sense of pride amongst Afrikans in the ghettos  and the diaspora.

 

1.  On Feb 11, 1990 Nelson Mandela was released from Victor-Verster Prison in Paarl at 16H14 local time - an hour late - with his wife Winnie Mandela. This will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest moments of our time; I will leave the kind of frenzy that happen on our streets to your imagination. What I can tell is that there was a certain kind of love escaping from the hearts of men and women who lost so much of themselves in the fire and smoke of the struggle for justice and equality.   

It was years later that I began to investigate what was all this excitement about and how did this event influence the struggle for freedom and self-determination of Black South Afrika, I went back to look at what the Man said shortly after he was released and this is what I found amongst other things.

“Today, I wish to report to you that my talks with the government have been aimed at normalising the political situation in the country. We have not as yet begun discussing the basic demands of the struggle. I wish to stress that I myself have at no time entered into negotiations about the future of our country except to insist on a meeting between the ANC and the government.” Nelson Mandela – address after release. Feb 11. 1990

 “…my talks with the government…” by the time he was in prison there were already talks between him and the government on behalf of the masses, “…we (the oppressor and I) have not yet begun discussing the basic demands…”  I don’t understand the difference between talking about the political situation and discussing the basic demands of the struggle. “…I myself have at no time entered into negotiations about the future of our country…”, All in all I find the paragraph very confusing to say the least; perhaps one day I will put my thoughts forth about this speech.

 

3. Feb 3. 1996 South Afrkan national team (Bafana Bafana conquered Afrika), after years of isolation South Afrika was re-admited to international and continental football. Unfortunately the chaos and the pandemonium that was in our community cannot be expressed fully on this page for now.

 

These events are still by now the mostly wildly celebrated events of my time, the memories will forever be imprinted on my memory canvas. I took to the streets running with a group of jubilant people, singing and saluting who ever I came across. People were running in all directions chanting all sorts of songs and hymns, a unity forged in spirituality bounded by one love; a love for ourselves as a people…