PARTY

The Manyi controversy: "Coloureds", social identities, material interests and the Other

None of the recent commentators on the issue of the statements made by Jimmy Manyi and Kuli Roberts have raised that fact that these unpalatable utterances are not isolated social phenomena. They arise in the context of other similar challenges - racial attacks, xenophobia, misogyny and homophobia. I am sure we can throw anti-semitism, anti-Islam and general religious intolerance, including the intolerance of atheism, into that witches brew as well.

Jimmy Manyi's shocking statement and Kuli Roberts crude brand of "humour" have the virtue of making sure that we do not continue to avoid the fact that we are a nation of racists, bigots and discriminators. As in many countries, but sharpened by 350 years of colonialism and 50 years of apartheid, South Africans are fascinated with, and are experts on "race", "ethnicity", skin colour, tightness of the curls of hair, who is a foreigner and where do they come from, gender traits and sexuality.

We have names for everyone who is different from "us"; from "darkie" to "honky", "bruin ou" to "makwerekwere", from "moffie" to "cow". We are all guilty of these generalisations - its part of the national discourse. This in itself would not be so worrying if it were not for the lack of clarity and the dearth of leadership on this issue by our political leaders, thought leaders and social commentators.

Admittedly, we can sometimes spend too much time being politically correct and being offended by what are petty things. We do have our own brand of ironic humour that expresses the lived reality of our racial and other identities in a way that releases tension, is therapeutic and is non-offensive. The sting is not always in the name, but is undoubtedly in the effect of it.

These names are a reminder of the real social differences that arise primarily out of historically constructed categories that are a function of the accumulation and ownership and control of material wealth and crucially the social power that determines this. I don't think most "Black" people are that bothered by those "Whites" who don't like them, for whatever backward reason.

The real issue, as with "gays" and "straights", men and women and any other category is not the prejudice expressed, but are the material and psychological consequences of being defined as the Other. These socially constructed identities typically are constructed as negative - the Black Other, the Gay Other, the Foreign Other and all Others are usually negative.

Being a woman at work usually means lower pay for doing the same work as a man. Being Black usually means being poor, landless and unemployed. Being Gay often means being beaten up for it. I could go on, but the point is made.

Manyi expressed a view that is common currency in taverns, at dinner tables and on the factory floor. As common are those discussion about "the Blacks", Muslims, Gays and Lesbians, Nigerians, Congolese people and anyone else you care to mention who are variously defined as being responsible for job losses, crime, the sexual abuse of children, illness, witchcraft and any other social ill that you can mention.

Colonialism and apartheid created all of our identities save for a few that arose before these terrible experiences were visited on our part of the sub-continent and those that have arisen after 1994. The identities of people who are defined as the descendants of the indigenous people of our country have also been socially constructed. What we need to debate as a nation in the making is what the practical use and social value of the categories we have inherited are.

I am convinced that the people we call Indians do not, for the most part, want to live in India. They are South Africans first. There is no such thing as "the" Coloured people. There are people who have diverse backgrounds, who are the descendants of diverse people. Apartheid created the category Coloured. Those who are described as African are no more so than any White, Coloured or Indian person born on this soil.

This is not to say that the historical injustice that these people and their descendants suffered is any the lesser. But neither is that suffered by those defined as Coloured, Indian, those suffered by woman, people who are differently-abled. Black people cannot be racists, I agree. But they can be bigots, xenophobes, homophobes and anti-semites, for example.

Manyi suffers from something that arises from prejudice and not racism. Like others in the petite bourgeoisie, he wants to make an economic claim that is premised on defining a hierarchy of oppression. In this worldview, "Africans" were more exploited and oppressed than "Coloureds" and them more than "Indians" and then differently-abled people, women and youth or some similar order.

This runs counter to everything that generations of South Africans have fought for. We cannot build non-racialism by running away from the fact that claims to identities are linked to claims to resources and power. The petite bourgeoisie are always the most vocal on these issues, as they are positioned to gain the most.

Manyi is at fault, but most of the leaders of our government and political parties are even more so. Trevor Manuel rightly condemned him, perhaps procedurally incorrectly, but that is an internal matter for the ANC. The fact that this became the issue rather than what Manyi said is a sign of how insensitive our leaders are to the reality of most South Africans.

We have seen this in relation to their failure to deal with poverty, underdevelopment and corruption. Should they fail to appreciate just how thin all our skins are, we will all regret it for generations to come.

The question we are not asking, the proverbial elephant in the room is; why are these issues arising now, 20 years after apartheid was finally defeated and 17 years after democracy? It is clear that these issues have their roots in the struggle for resources and arise out of this competition.

The primary responsibility we have is to remove the material differences of wealth and power that divide us into those who have - money, power security - from those who do not. We as South Africans need to collectively ensure that we define ourselves, all of us, as Africans first, and our differences as being inconsequential for economic purposes, save for historical redress for all those previously disadvantaged and currently structurally discriminated against, that is all Black people, all women, all differently-abled people and to a lesser extent but perhaps even moresignificantly for the future, our youth. All South Africans need to be given courses in citizenship and its responsibilities and in diversity awareness and management.

Let us not accept Manyi's terms of debate. We are all Africans. We are all Coloureds. If he wants to go down the road he has chosen, then we must put in place new race classification legislation to decide who is "purely" indigenous (I bet they will be a minority!), who is "Coloured" and who is "White". Of course the "Indians" will be easy to identify and ship back to their "homeland".

Such fascism can never be tolerated. Let's ensure that it is not. The Government must fire Manyi. The ANC must fire its latent fascists, even if they occupy the highest offices in the land.

Phillip Dexter MP is COPE's Head of Communications

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