Asithandile Gxumisa's Public Diary

" I am not a saint, unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying. " These wise and truthful words could only have been said by a man of advanced years, who had lived through the ennobling fire of sorrow and had tasted of the bitterness of human moral frailty even as he bravely strove for that nearly unattainable pinnacle of virtue. Thus did Nelson Rholihlahla Mandela honestly testify about himself in his twilight years. Today marks the 30th anniversary of Mr Mandela's release from prison on the 11th of February, 1990. That historical event marked the beginning of a " New Dawn " for South Africa even as George H. W. Bush would later, in that same year, memorably announce the advent of a " New World Order ". It was no coincidence. Apartheid was slowly unraveling and communism in the East was sinking into the abyss of memory. Indeed, of all the men who stood tall during the trying days of white minority rule Mr Mandela had a ...

   Quite like the seasons, men come and go. And quite like the lonely, fleeting wisp of cloud across the sky the length of their lives is woefully miniscule. Often, as the Biblical Job once lamented while in the grip of deathly sorrow, they are also " full of trouble ". Robert Gabriel Mugabe, who was no stranger to trouble and whose familiar voice shall never again be heard, went the way of all flesh on the 6th of September, in a Singaporean hospital, at the age 95. Death, be it of a cold murderer or a delightful friend, is always a sad affair. Judging by the shock and the countless words of condolences proffered to the family of Mugabe, it is clear that his own death did strike a chord with great multitudes. However, his legacy as both the leader of the struggle against British colonial rule in the former Rhodesia and as the leader of postcolonial Zimbabwe has come under sharp scrutiny over the last few days. As it often is with men of his historic stature, there exist...

Once more the Republic of South Africa finds herself relapsing into her chronic malady: xenophobia. The country's major cities and towns have recently become infernal pits of horror and death for foreign nationals. Many shops believed to be owned by foreigners have been torched to the ground, and many others have been either vandalized or looted by violent and opportunistic criminals. The Salajee family in Malvern, Johannesburg, was brought to tears when they learned in the early hours of Monday that their car dealership had been burned down. All that was left were ashy frames of cars whose value was reportedly in the millions. Since the violence began on the 1st of September, about 10 people have lost their lives, the majority of whom were actually South African nationals.  Commentators have thus warned about how the country is at risk of descending into the gory xenophobic savagery of 2008. The attacks of that year left well over 60 people dead. I do not wish to descr...

" Of all the lands there are for dismal scenery, Palestine must be the prince. The hills are barren...Nazareth is [absolutely] forlorn....Jericho...accursed...Jerusalem...a pauper village...Palestine is desolate and unlovely ." So did Mark Twain, author of the classic  The Adventures of Tom Sawyer , write about Palestine in 1867. Clearly, the land that we were once told by our elders was  running with milk and honey did not at all appeal to the celebrated American skeptic humorist. However, despite the bleak and dreary ambience of this mysterious land that Tom Sawyer observed with apparent disfavour, I do not think it would be a stretch to argue that it has been a magnet for all kinds of ugly, dark and fiery passions like no other land ever has. The Christian once claims it for his own, for his Lord was crucified upon its craggy heights. The Jew claims it for his own, for God gave it as an eternal inheritance to Abraham. And still the Muslim claims it for his o...