Race and reconciliation at Ahmed Kathrada Auditorium

AUCKLAND PARK – The Ahmed Kathrada Foundation together with the Auwal Socio-Economic Research Institute (Asri) hosted a seminar on reflections on race and reconciliation.

The seminar took place at the Mancosa’s Auckland Park campus, at the Ahmed Kathrada Auditorium. There were over 50 attendees at the seminar, eager to hear what the panellists had to say.

The first panellist to speak was Elnari Potgieter, senior project leader at the South African Reconciliation Barometer. Her main aim was to define the term reconciliation.

She said that inequality is the primary source that separates us and that reconciliation cannot be achieved if we don’t overcome inequality. “More than 40 per cent of South Africans want reconciliation and they remain open to interracial interaction. Work, study and social spaces are spaces where people experience the most racism. People who see the big gap between rich and poor have less interest in interracial interaction.”

Former MEC for finance and now deputy chairperson for Ahmed Kathrada Foundation board of trustees, Mandla Nkomfe was also one of the panellists. “Political parties play a role in causing fear between races.

“Faith-based leadership has become very weak in our country and looking back to where we come from, that’s when people were very responsive because people believe so much in their religions, that if a leader believed in it too it became easier for people. There is also a lack of trust due to so much corruption we have faced in our country.”

Research associate for Asri, Ntombovuyo Linda said, “We are a post-conflict society. We need to realise that apartheid was more than just an era for history books, it was a war against dignity.

“Before we reconcile, we need to acknowledge that we are a post-conflict society, we have hidden trauma that we don’t talk about. One of our biggest problems is that we accept that violence is a way to solve a conflict.”

Last to speak at the seminar was Professor Rajen Govender, senior research fellow at the Institute of Justice and Reconciliation. He said that discrimination in South Africa is multi-faceted occurring across gender, age and religion. “Personal and interpersonal discrimination is big but systemic discrimination is the big problem in our country. The state and public institutions are the biggest discriminators.”

He made an example with the Life Esidimeni-incident and said that the problem is the lack of proper health services to the elderly and the disabled. “South Africans worry too much about policies and creating them, but we forget the implementation of the policies.”

“Yes we can focus on the horizontal reconciliation between us citizens of the country, but more focus is needed on the vertical reconciliation between us the citizens and the higher powers like the state and public institutions.”

ALSO READ: Ahmed Kathrada Foundation launches anti-racism app