R2K Western Cape: silent vigil against government secrecy
This article first appeared on People’s Assembly (pa.org.za)
With the lead up to elections, representatives of the Right2Know (R2K) social movement campaign marched through the streets of Cape Town on Friday, May 2, in silent protest for freedom and the public’s right to know about various political issues such as political party funding, and the secrecy and corruption behind Marikana and Nkandla. Many members of the public from young to old contributed by joining in the peaceful rally in the fight for social justice. Placards with expressions such as ‘Stop Secrecy’, ‘Remember Marikana’ and ‘Nkandla: Silence Screams the truth’, were a few amongst many that served as a reminder of where the current government stands today. Khaya Xintolo, a representative for the Right2Know movement, says the rally is used for the people of the public to express their views on the government’s failure to address certain issues.
“Today is a silent march. We just wanted to show our government is silent as they don’t give us more information and freedom of expression in terms of expressing ourselves on how we feel… [This is] what government needs to do because they don’t really respond to the feelings of the people, especially many of us in the crowd”, says Xintolo.
The campaign also created a “talking circle” where members of the public could express their concerns regarding issues that affected them. The primary issues of concern were about the meaning of “democracy” and the significance of “freedom” in the current political climate. One speaker addressed the notion of the stark inequality that exists in a society where freedoms lived by one culture are completely extinct for another.
“The thing that causes me a lot of pain and discomfort is the idea that the constitution that our society envisages, is the society I live in. All of the freedoms that it guarantees are the freedoms that I am born into. If I open the tap, I have clean water. I live in a house that is probably twice the size of Pupa’s house and my family is half as small. The police force that he talks about is a gang of thugs. I am the kind that the police services, they keep me safe. And it gives me a lot of discomfort to realise that the society that the constitution envisages is my paradise but for many other people it is a nightmare…and why is it that I enjoy those freedoms and other people don’t? So what is my role then? Do I reject that society, or do I close my eyes and enjoy it? It is very difficult to not enjoy those freedoms even while you are not the person being affected by them. I see that many people are living through hell but at the same time I’ll be honest, it is impossible not to enjoy these comforts.”
With Election Day approaching (7 May), it can only be hoped that the cries of our nation will be addressed.
