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Celebrating African Excellence

Roshan Jainath | Author

Patrice Motsepe is about to be crowned the Prince of African football.

I have heard about the Motsepe dynasty which is supposed to include the Ramaphosa and the Radebe families. I have heard countless stories which suggest dark conspiracies to be the reason why Africans succeed. Self denigration becomes a curse when we find it difficult to celebrate African successes. Perhaps the African mindset refuses to accept that successful African people or families exist because of exceptional talent. Perhaps the grand Apartheid plan has pockmarked Africans into feeling a disfigurement at most times.

Let us review the success of Cyril Ramaphosa. He was the (SG) Secretary General at the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) in its finest hour. He was a credible United Democratic Front (UDF) leader and a constitutional negotiator at the Convention for a Democratic South Africa (CODESA).
He was the critical center of the project to deliver a democratic dispensation in SA.

Yet, many define him after he was deployed into Anglo American by the ANC itself.

Most of the narrative which suggest that Ramaphosa represents white monopoly capital emerge from Africans.
So until this successful man exits the stage he will be deciminated by commentary which is unkind to a president tasked with undoing state capture and managing the upheaval of Covid 19.

Patrice Motsepe did not come from a political dynasty. His company was an enterprise which rose from the ashes of Apartheid to be best placed to accelerate growth after 1994.

He had no politilal connections when he first emerged as a serious entrepreneur. .
It is Africans who attribute Ramaphosa's success to Motsepe and Motsepes success to a sitting president since only 2018. This illogical suggestion is derived from Ramaphosa marrying the sister of the business mogul. Yet history demonstrates timeliness which indicates that neither depended on the other to succeed. With Jeff Radebe marrying the other sister this family is a powerful family indeed.

African people sometimes do not believe that real greatness exists among Africans. They refuse to be inspired. Instead they doubt and defile. Some are pseudo intellectuals whilst some are good people who hate their own race to the point of being racist, inspite of how ridiculous this may sound.

The model of colonial inspired business success stories are more respected. An acceptance that colonial masters are still our masters even 25 years after liberation.

Never mind that European wealth is based on the pillaging of African natural resources and the destruction of an Indian civilisation in the East who were the strongest traders and cultural inspiration of centuries gone by. The actions of pillaging came with the destruction of lives and the dignity of nations. The British, Dutch and Americans are the summation of European and American colonialism in Africa and India. Still, many Africans refuse to believe that these distinguished business people are capable of doing wrong.

Apartheid remains alive in the minds of African people Yes, racism exists in many forms but self hate dominates.

If we are to succeed as a continent we need to awake from the slumber of denial. We can no longer afford to deny our greatness as an African continent. As Africans it remains a critical part of our ubuntu to fight corruption. We cannot defile our Africaness by making Africa synonymous with corruption when in fact Africa is the greatest victim of western corruption. The west own our natural resources because of the western colonial grip on Africa. They insist that Apartheid and Colonialism cannot be viewed in the past tense. Yet they continue to profit in the present tense. We are advised to look forward and accept AID from wealth which is derived from Africa on condition that we accept their lie and admit to being uncivilised, barbaric and corrupt.

This systemic corruption is the heart of capitalism. Its greatest weapon which works for this western dynasty is our broken souls and our captured minds.

Can we really emerge from the carnage of colonial self hate?

98 comments on “Celebrating African Excellence”

  28. Thank you for your sharing. I am worried that I lack creative ideas. It is your article that makes me full of hope. Thank you. But, I have a question, can you help me?

    Reply

  61. Thank you for your sharing. I am worried that I lack creative ideas. It is your article that makes me full of hope. Thank you. But, I have a question, can you help me?

    Reply

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