Dear Ntsiki

I have read your post and given it much consideration. I should perhaps start by saying that I am a white male who was born and raised in Durban. My heritage is non-Afrikaans, but I am not sure that that makes me ‘English’. I am however English speaking. There are a few issues raised that I would like to share my view on.

It is true that that I am of European descent. My ancestors (mostly in 1820) arrived in South Africa and committed atrocities against black people; enslavement, Apartheid, etc. I was born in the early 1990’s into a privileged life. I will never be able to understand fully what the people of this country went through, the oppression and the humiliation. You will always have my sympathies for what happened.

I would like to talk about identity. I believe that I am African. I might not…

Owing to this concept of Braai Day, I am forced to have this honest and somewhat uncomfortable conversation with you. I had hoped that since you have grown white people, they would teach you better…but they have not.

Let’s start at the beginning……my dear white people, you are not descendants of this land called Afrika. Afrika has its own children that it has birthed and nurtures.

It is written in the history books (which your people wrote) that you came from Holland, France, Britain, Spain…..all these are European countries.

The moral of the story is….You are descendants of Europe.

You are the children of Elizabeth, Hitler, Bismarck and others that built their legacy on stealing lands and making people slaves.

Indeed this is not necessarily a history one would be proud of, but it is what it is, and you are now in a position to ‘Do Right.’