An Open Letter to the highest moral, religious, juridical, political and business authorities of South Africa
by Jacques Depelchin
This letter should have been written a long time ago because there have been too many instances when I remained silent when speaking up in solidarity with AbahlaliBaseMjondolo was what my conscience was telling me to do. The excuses for the silence are the usual ones: nowadays it is impossible to respond to calls for solidarity coming from too many members of humanity, worldwide, being threatened, assaulted, criminalized, killed for simply saying they must be treated with respect, dignity, justice. Most of the facts regarding this particular issue can be found on the following site: www.abahlali.org. What has triggered this response can be found here: [Abahlali] Nqobile Nzuza is Dead & She was Killed by the Police in a So-Called Democracy
That announcement began as follows:
“Nqobile Nzuza, a 17 Year Old School Girl, Shot Dead with Live Ammunition by
the Cato Manor SAPS
Nqobile Nzuza a 17 year old girl, a grade 9 learner at Bonella High School and
an Abahlali baseMjondolo supporter was gunned down at around 5:00 a.m. this
morning. Nqobile was shot twice from behind with live ammunition. Luleka
Makhwenkwana was also shot in her arm with live ammunition and she in King
Edward Hospital. Thulisile Zide fainted and went unconscious, she is also in
hospital.”
I have been following with growing dismay how police and Durban City authorities have been waging a war against South African citizens fighting for their rights to a peaceful life, to having a living space, to having access to water, electricity, to being respected as human beings.
Like many Africans, during the apartheid days, I have participated actively in solidarity campaigns for the end of apartheid. As a historian I have taught African history in a way that is respectful to all of those who made it possible for apartheid to be abolished.
Fighting against apartheid, or fighting against the war in Vietnam, or fighting for the end of Portuguese colonial rule was rooted in the same kind of conscience that led us to also fight for the end of racial discrimination in places like the United States, Western Europe, India, Palestine.
It is from the same kind of commitment to one’s conscience that people in places like Haiti and Cuba, put an end to slavery and colonization by mafia profiteers from casinos and prostitution. The emergence of conscience as a moral guide for humanity, however, has a much longer history than the recent centuries of capitalist predation on humanity.
The current times make one wonder whether one should not listen to voices coming from the times of Ancient Egypt when one learns of the despair of a Man disputing his Ba (his spirit, soul), asking himself whether it would not be better to end his own life, given the miseries he is facing. For those who are interested, the full text is available online at
If I were a member of AbahlaliBaseMjondolo anywhere in South Africa, I might ask you as that person back from Ancient Egyptian 12th dynasty (between 1990-1785 BC), in desperation, and in the face of screaming injustices that seem to have become acceptable norm among some of those who fought against apartheid.
To Whom Shall I Speak Today
Police kill citizens
Instead of protecting them
To Whom Shall I speak Today
Political authorities stay silent
Instead of speaking out loud against injustices
To Whom Shall I speak Today
Religious and moral authorities shy away
From defending the poor, the weak
To Whom Shall I speak Today
Business people care more about competition to death
Than promoting solidarity as a way of living
To whom Shall I speak Today
The constitutional Court is too far away
From those who need it the most
To Whom Shall I speak today
The powerful caring only for their own
Giving charity to the poor
Taking their houses away
Refusing them access to water and electricity
To Whom Shall I speak Today
When housing is traded for votes
Life taken away from Shackdwellers
Who are fighting for the right to be treated with respect, justice and dignity
To Whom Shall I speak Today
When humanity is being replaced with insanity
In the name of power is only power when exercised with impunity
To whom Shall I speak Today
When healing thoughts
Have been replaced by the urge to liquidate
The weakest members of humanity, be they old, jobless, poor, handicapped
To Whom Shall I Speak Today
The Marikana Commission to investigate the assassination
Of 34 miners asking for a decent wages
Prefers to steer away from seeking justice
To accommodate the wishes of the powerful
To Whom Shall I Speak Today
I thought apartheid practices had gone away
Power with impunity have won the day
The full text of The Dispute of a Man With His Ba can also be found in Miriam Lichtheim’s Ancient Egyptian Literature (vol 1: The Old and Middle Kingdom), London, Los Angeles: University of California press, 1973.