THE PULSATING VANGUARD OF CHANGE

By OMOSEYE BOLAJI

“We must acknowledge the fact – pimps, whores – are the familiar vanguard of the army of change. When the moment arrives a woman like Iriyise becomes for the people a Chantal, a Deborah, torch and standard bearer, super-mistress of universal insurgence. To abandon such a potential weapon in any struggle is to admit to a lack of foresight…”

- Wole Soyinka, in Season of Anomy


Dateline: 19th April, 2010


The hordes of people gathered at the Magistrates Court in Bloemfontein City picketed with élan. They protested lustily and ventilated their grievances for hours. And to boot, it was a “lawful” gathering as permission had been granted for them to get into their stride!

Some passers-by commented that those picketing were a “rabble” or some sort of trouble makers; but as they got closer they realized that this was a serious protest. Documents were in fact given to some of the passers-by touching on the root cause of the picketing. Others muttered that “Oh, we’ve read about this matter in the papers” and joined those protesting in the purlieus of the court.

Actually, most if not all of those picketing were decent people who had made a name for themselves. Many of them were “cultural activists” comprising dramatists, poets, musicians, painters – the whole gamut. They were all here in unison to protest what had been heralded as a “racist” killing – as a group of white men allegedly brutally beat a very talented young black man to death.

The facts briefly are as follows:

Sideku Gareth Wotshela (36) a black man was allegedly killed by a group of white men, with the main attacker being Marius van Niekerk who has been charged with the murder of Wotshela. Subsequently, controversial bail was granted to Niekerk – after Wotshela was viciously attacked by a group of white men at the Bloemfontein pub last year.

The deceased, Wotshela, was training as a manager for Metcash at the Trade Centre in Bloemfontein, and at the time of the attack he was on a business outing with colleagues and a client when he was allegedly attacked by a group of white men. “Sadly he passed on, dying on the spot; but shockingly the main attacker Van Niekerk was released within 24 hours of his arrest on bail hearing.” a family spokesperson said.

Race relations in South Africa, with so many disparate peoples and cultures, and the unseemly legacy of apartheid, have always been fragile and tenuous. The recent murder of a long-standing white supremacist leader, Eugene Tereblanche had not helped matters with many whites incensed at the brutal murder of the (now) ageing white man. In matters like this opinions are often polarized along colour lines, and the “Wotshela” matter was hardly different.

Now the gathering at the court premises included a plethora of well known “artists” One of them was renowned poet and public performer, Raselebeli Khotseng; Ntate Botsime, author, and musician who was in fine fettle with his guitar! ; Hector Kunene, writer, poet, columnist, and pungent literary activist; Mpikeleni Duma, journalist extraordinaire who over the years has strutted his stuff for a wide medley of publications nationally and internationally; F Qoopane and Co; these gentlemen seemed to be in the vanguard of the protest.

Mpikeleni Duma said: “I feel very strongly about this matter for many reasons. For one thing, I knew the late Wotshela personally and cutting such a talented gentleman down in his prime is completely unacceptable. For donkey’s years I fought against the scourge of apartheid, starting from a very young age and like the late Denis Brutus, the scars are embedded in me. I have no doubt in my mind that this (Wotshela) killing was racially inspired; and with others, no stone shall be left unturned in ensuring justice is done”

Oh, by the way, this columnist also knew the late Sideku Gareth Wotshela fairly well too, and he was a splendid journalist. To spout the usual banality - which seems so trite and inadequate under the circumstances - may his soul rest in peace.