The Chosen Ones

The chosen ones

 

And when we saw a black woman at the helm, we got excited, we felt represented. We thought, finally, our lives would matter too.

You would expect a woman to understand rape. So many of us are unwilling victims, we carry a wound we didn’t sign up for. It’s hard to imagine a man understanding rape(and they do) but when it comes to women….. We women know rape. South African Women know rape VERY well. Whether it’s the uncle in the back room who ‘played ‘ with you, an intimate partner violation or even a gang rape somewhere. We know rape.

South Africa has a problem. A problem of a people who have enabled rapists. A problem of a people who fear rapists. A problem of a people who coddle the emotions of rapists. South Africans are more afraid of accusing someone of rape, than they are of living amongst rapists.

South Africans are very invested in not hurting alleged ‘abusers/rapists’ feelings. When someone they love is accused of a horrific crime they would rather be in a ‘pick me’ competition. We have a tendency to ignore the glaring truth in favor of a false narrative. We find comfort in lies.

Two interesting situations are playing out in the country at the moment.

1. An entire Vice Chancellor at arguably the most prestigious University in South Africa victimized an alleged rape victim on Twitter.

After an anonymous Twitter handle blew the lid on an alleged sexual assault at UCT, by a professor, the VC posted a statement from UCT, which in my opinion was poorly written. She further went on to tweet that the alleged victim had ‘an agenda. ‘ The community was upset and called her out on the tweet, and she refused to take down the post, even the following day. After being forced by the SRC to retract and apologize, she put out an apology that many felt was insincere and hollow. Most important to note was that there was no mention of the accused professor or what had happened to him. The anonymous Twitter account alleged that the professor continued to work at UCT even after the university knew of the case… even after. There was no uproar from the media, even after students outed up to eleven sex offenders on campus. When we have women leaders protecting the wrong people, who must little girls trust?

 

2. The editor of True Love Magazine (also a formidable brand) is often in dialogue and speaking loudly about GBV and sexual violence in South Africa and yet here we are. Whether we love him or hate him, the truth of the matter is that Somizi has a sexual offence record. This is not something we can mize and pretend does not exist. We have a sexual offender on tv, on billboards and on magazine covers. Are we vele verifying that sexual crimes are okay in South Africa? Are we saying that you can be charged with a sexual crime and still continue to be celebrated on mainstream platforms? Are sex crimes not that serious? Is that why maybe we are the rape capital of the world? Because we don’t take consent seriously? We allow the powerful to do as they please? We are currently watching the media sanitize him as they involve themselves in his personal life. Where does the media draw the line? And who are these women our white handlers are choosing that allow men to get away with so much?

 

Who are these chosen women that turn a blind eye to social ills?  Who are these women that talk and perform the loudest but in their real lives, enable the behavior they claim to hate. Who are these women we are celebrating, when they do not put us first?

These Chosen women put their salaries before community values.