My fellow South Africans,

Allow me to introduce myself, I am a young student of this country and my heart is bleeding for South Africa.  I have thought long and hard about what I want to tell you, this might be a regular letter or a once off, depending on the impact it has. Maybe it only reaches one person, maybe it reaches thousands. 

Nevertheless, I have to say this.

A week ago I was very negative about how things are currently going in South Africa. I contemplated whether it is worth it to stay in this country and start my life here as a young person. As a proud and patriotic South African, that have always defended this land and its people, this was incredibly painful thoughts to have. For the next few days I walked around campus and I went to classes, despite my despair. I was in classes, but I also wasn’t really in classes. It was like the spear of a very dangerous person that struck right through my heart. I was thinking, I should get out of here, I should take my family and just go, like thousands of other South African family’s already did. 

I asked myself: “How did we get here?” How can we care so little for each other that we shout on each other, we assault each other, we destroy each other’s humanity and we take everything we can from an individual that may be a threat to us.

 We have lost our ability to be human, we have lost our dignity and most importantly we have lost the love for each other that millions fought for. We lost it, and we are not walking the path towards getting it back. This is the sad reality of South Africa today, we have nothing left for each other, we are divided on various issues, and its not healthy. It is not normal for young South Africans like myself to be unsure and to be scared of what our future will be in this country. We all are living physically, but in reality we are dead. We are walking this land as corpses, this is what South Africa has become. How is it possible, that an 18 year old boy cries about the future of this country, how did this happen?

I am not writing this letter to tell you what’s wrong currently and what can be done to fix it, I am not writing this letter to express my political views or to give critic to politicians. I thoroughly believe, that as South Africans, we have had enough of politics, we know everything we need to know. There is nothing another politician can tell us. We all know in our hearts what needs to be done. So I’m not engaging in that conversation today, because that is all we talk about and we don’t seem to be making progress at all. We, the people of this land are the beating heart that pumps blood through every single ounce of this land, nothing can survive without a heart. Take away the heart, and the life is terminated too. We have the power and we have the right to exercise our power. That is the most beautiful thing of our democracy, that we are all for one, and one for all. At least, that is how it is supposed to be.  This is off course my humble opinion.

We have had a very unfortunate past, but I strongly believe that the Apartheid chapter is behind us and that we must stop bringing it up. Yes, the effects of Apartheid is still visible today and we can’t dare to look past it, that is like buying a book only for the pictures, but not for the text. We must work as a collective to address the injustices of this cruel system, but if we are just going to shout at each other, we are never going to get anywhere, if we are going throw each other with stones and attack each other, we will never, ever fully address the cruel injustices of Apartheid. Together we are better, it has been proven over and over. So let’s stop blaming today's problems on Apartheid, I am not saying we mustn’t blame problems of today that was caused because of Apartheid, on Apartheid. Off course we should, no South African can live an honest and meaningful life without acknowledging the effects of this cruel system. 

All I’m saying is that we, the people must start moving forward and we will never be able to, unless we decide to work together, without infringing on anyone’s human rights or dignity. Please let’s never take away each other’s dignity, that is like taking someone’s heart. A person that lost it’s dignity is merely a lost soul that lost their humanity in the cruelest way possible, by someone else taking it without any conscience. We all know that’s what the Apartheid government did, we know how cruel it is, yet we are killing each other in the exact same way, people this is not what our Nelson Mandela fought for, this is not what thousands fought for in the struggle and this certainly is not the country for which many payed for with the highest price, their blood.

I am very proud of the young people of this country that is finding their voice, that is standing up for something they were promised. This is the beauty of our democracy, that we are able to speak up if something bothers us. So I applaud the many students across this country for their brave acts. Well done, on picking the fruits of our democracy tree with pride. Now, I must say this too, the way in which you are attempting to fight for your rights is inhuman and nothing too be proud of. You do exactly what the apartheid government did, you take away people’s dignity and you do not care what you have to do to get it, the only difference between you and the Apartheid government is that you are fighting for something good and constructive. I have to tell you though, that the way in which you are trying to achieve your goals is not okay, its really not and I am ashamed to be associated with you, being a young student and a member of this country’s youth.

Believe me I am not saying you must not protest, because we all were promised something and we don’t have it. So you have all right to protest, but you have no right to do it at the cost of peoples souls. This brings me to the quote that has been quoted many, many times: “I see humans, but no humanity”. So please continue exercising your right, but please keep other people in mind. White, black, coloured, any race in this beautiful country, you must take hands and work towards a better South Africa, that is the only way.

I see fellow South Africans that is drowning in their desire to be heard, lets not beat each other up, because our government did not deliver. I love you my fellow South Africans, my brothers and my sisters, I will defend you with my life, but not if you act in the wrong way and hurt your own species.  I love you always, you are my brothers and sisters. 

From the pen of a concerned and pained member of South Africa’s youth,

Love is the cure,

Be blessed,

xxx