The day I witnessed the soul and Ubuntu of a black man fade away

By Giyani Baloi

I run a small project using my old truck. You know old cars. You keep fixing this and that. Worse, a truck that carries heavy stuff, you are bound to keep fixing. It can be stressful sometimes. But I am able to support my family, and I thank God for that.  

Being an observant person by trade and nature, I keep learning. 

The first lesson is that what does not kill you makes you stronger.

More than that, I also observe, especially in Alexandra township, where I mostly park my truck, Alexandra is a place that has a stronghold of, alcoholism, crimes, prostitution and destituteness.

If you can make a mistake and bump a gate, a car, or a person, people will quickly surround you and bay for your blood. 

You buy a bottle of beer, everyone will become your friend. 

One day, I got to my truck, where I sometimes park it in Alexandra. It was very early in the morning. The battery had some issues, and it couldn’t start the truck. We tried to push the truck so that I could kick-start it. I work with three guys. So they were pushing, and I was directing the truck. It’s a six ton truck. A bit too heavy for three guys to push.  

I can tell you, I got a shock of my life. People just watched us struggling to push a six ton truck. Some guys, who were playing cards on the side of the road that early, even said to us, “Hey, be careful. If you dare bump us with your scrap truck, you will know us. ” Luckly, the truck eventually started. And I said, to myself, where is the soul of a black person.  

This other day, the same thing happened, and we had to push the truck again so that I could kick-start it. But on this day, there was this other white guy in the sea of black people in Alexandra. He looked dirty with his clothes covered all over by oil. I thought he was a drug junkie. But on inquiring, I was told that he helps to fix cars and scooters on another farm, which seemed “hijacked.”

But, when this white man saw my three guys pushing the truck, he didn’t say a word. He just joined in and started helping us push the truck. Suddenly, all the back people who were just standing by, came to join in and helped us to push the truck.

Again, I wondered. “What’s wrong with a black man, only knowing or seeing what is good from a white man?”

It’s something that you will never fully grasp. You are likely to be helped by young children than adults.