Man walks for peace in our time

The rhetoric in South Africa these days, and especially on local level, only deals with social change on a reactive instead of a proactive way.

Xenophobia, domestic violence and human trafficking, are but some of the reasons which inspired Pretoria based import/export entrepreneur, David Mabu (42), to put on his walking shoes and start the journey from the city to the Limpopo borderline town of Beitbridge.

The objective was to inspire fellow South Africans to embark on social change within their own communities.

The Post caught up with Mabu during a stop-over in Bela-Bela on Tuesday 3 December.

Mabu said his long journey started on Monday 2 December on the foregrounds of the Union Buildings in Pretoria, as an exercise to raise awareness about family values and broader social issues.
To rest his tired legs, Mabu spends his nights sleeping over at local police stations or filling stations. During the day the man takes a break hourly to rest and consume prescribed medication and water.

“The blisters have caught up with me, but the people along the way stop and ask me what it is that I am doing,” he said.

Mabu uses South Africa’s various sporting activities as motivation.

He said South Africans are a patriotic nation, who stand side-by-side on the grandstands whenever national teams compete.

At the final whistle, Mabu explained, compatriots start wondering about identity in terms of race and otherwise.

“I tell people that before you become a supporter of a sporting code, you are a brother and a sister to someone else, and what you do in your community today will bring change,” he said.

Mabu suggested that it is incumbent of the broader citizenry to teach children values such as the negative impact of xenophobia.

He said he is planning to reach Beitbridge within seven days, counting from Monday.

In Beitbridge Mabu will link up with a Zimbabwean national, with whom he will co-sign a memorandum to strengthen relations between the two countries, and to take a firm stance against xenophobia.

A football tournament will then be staged as the grand finale for the long journey.

“These are the type of messages we wish to share with anyone who shares the vision. People in rural and traditional areas are susceptible to abuse, and sometimes to have hope that things will change is not enough. It will take some time, but we just need to be more proactive than reactive, and start teaching our own children the right way,” he added.

People who want to get in touch with Mabu can phone him on 071 714 6477 or can follow him on his Facebook page, David Mcdee Mabu.