A young family poses during the record attempt by 67 Blankets for Nelson Mandela Day to create the largest hand-knitted blanket worldwide at Nelson Mandela square on Saturday. Picture: Neil McCartney
If you have ever watched an episode of Please Step In on the Mzansi channel then you have to admit that the family situation in South Africa is a sad state of affairs.
I mean, have you heard some of the sad stories – some so sad that it sounds like they had to be scripted.
The more you watch the show as the seasons unfold, the more you can relate the stories to someone you know personally or professionally. It all seems unbelievable until you remember the real-life situations and real-life problems people face from day to day.
I know of a young girl who had to prostitute herself in order to feed her family, including her able-bodied mother.
I know a family where a grown man would cheat on his wife, leaving her for months at a time to be with his mistress, while she was raising a stepdaughter.
I have seen a father seek help because he has eight children with eight different women and wonders why his house is divided. What are the causes of this very sad state of affairs? It could be drugs or gangs. It could be our failing government or even the legacy of apartheid.
It could be so many things, but as a family, going through an unending cycle of dysfunction, as a society going through the consequences of failed families, when do we say: enough is enough?
When do we decide that it’s time for us to rebuild our families, our schools and communites, ultimately remodelling our country into a nation of great potential?
Even the members of affluent society – from politicians to musicians – have skeletons in their cupboards.
It should scare us that these are role models whose lives are on display for children to emulate and think that it is acceptable. South Africa needs to work, and work hard, on refocusing on the family. Not all of the many children on the streets are orphans. Some have run away from either negligent homes or abusive situations.
If the family was intact, we could have fewer children begging to fill their hungry tummies.
Ultimately, society is made up of families. Let yours be a shining example and one the greater community wants to emulate.
Kekeletso Nakeli-Dhliwayo
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