SA Rocks

A while back I blogged about not being embarrassed to be South African. This was a post written in response to the xenophobic attacks that took place in South Africa. I stand by my post and am very glad to see that my sentiments have been echoed by action.

It seems as though the community in Paarl has come together and found good out of the bad. They refused to let the violence spread to their area and actively sought out positive change. And succeeded.

By the end of May, after a concentrated effort by local officials and community leaders, 430 foreign nationals that had fled their homes were peacefully returned to their communities. Just 20 people remain at a camp set up in the nearby town of Wellington, waiting for documents that will allow them to return to their native Zimbabwe.

Paarl had a number of factors in its favour: The events in Johannesburg had served as a warning to police in the area, and – like many other parts of the Western Cape – most of the people who fled Mbekweni were displaced by the fear of violence rather than actual attacks.

Many in Paarl also credit the swift work by the police and creative community-based solutions for keeping a lid on the crisis, which simmered on for two months in other parts of the Western Cape.

Fantastic stuff, they even credit the police for sterling work. That is community building for the better. That is Positive Action.

The police identified potential “hotspots” where violence was most likely to erupt but, according to Tommy Matthee, executive director of community services in the municipality, no one thought it would actually happen.

Months after Meda’s attack, a large sign in the Mbekweni police station still instructs officers to report all xenophobic incidents to a specially established hotline. Both Meda and his co-worker, Clements Kabamba, originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, say they could see that the police had made stemming the violence a priority, and their quick reaction was one of the reasons the two chose not to flee Mbekweni.

Within four hours of the first attacks on 23 May, those sheltering at police stations had been moved into tents set up in a park in nearby Wellington. By early the next morning, the displaced had electricity, blankets, a hot meal and an onsite health clinic. According to Matthee, providing immediate relief was easy compared with trying to figure out the next step: how to return 450 terrified people to their communities.

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I received an email yesterday from an SA Rocks reader. She seems pretty upset that people moan and don’t offer solutions. This is what she had to say:

A post for SARocks

Yes we have a crisis, yes we have unacceptable levels of crime, and yes the majority of us will suffer. Do we wail, weep, gnash our teeth, pack for Perth, or do we actively seek to be part of the solution instead of part of the problem?

We are still mostly a nation that complains bitterly about our respective lots in life, but expect the problems to be solved by others. We are way behind our European counterparts in this area. And yes, I do believe that each individual no matter our position in life or current role we play can make a difference. If we are each one of us putting positive thoughts and energies out there, we will turn the tide of negativism, and actually help to change things around us!

Can one individual make a difference? The answer is a resounding YES! History shows us that since time immemorial much change has been wrought or instigated by one person or small group challenging or inspiring others.

To quote the words of His Holiness the Dalai Lama:

“If the individual acts, society is changed. Society is a combination of individuals. To change, whether right or wrong, good or bad, the start point, the initiative, must come from the individual. So it is good what you do. It is very important. Sometimes people feel a problem is a huge problem and even though you see something wrong, something that need change – then, they think, too huge. One person can make a difference. It is very important.”

If you yourself are at a loss, go to the following sites ( Some of thousands on the net about how one person or can start to make a difference) and learn more:

http://www.angelfire.com/ne/1canmakeadifference/

http://www.cac.co.za/modules.php?name=Sectpolice

www.timesurl.at/1ce2fa

www.timesurl.at/46ce74

www.timesurl.at/b1135a

http://www.ngo.grida.no/soesa/nsoer/general/watucndo.htm

http://www.audubon.org/globalWarming/BePartSolution.php

http://www.hmd.org.uk/files/1149796207-18.pdf

www.timesurl.at/b1135a

http://www.rootsandshoots.org/aboutus/getinvolved

http://www.theosophy-nw.org/theosnw/truth/tr-sbd3.htm

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/25984

Be informed, be observant, be involved, most of all be connected!

I would like to quote Margaret Mead:

Never doubt that a small, group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.

And in closing repeat the story of the starfish, which most of us have heard before:

The Inspiration of Starfish®, adapted from the story “The Star Thrower” by Loren Eiseley:

An old man had a habit of early morning walks on the beach.One day, as he looked along the shore, he saw a human figure moving like a dancer. As he came closer he saw that it was a young woman and she was not dancing but was reaching down to the sand, picking up starfish and very gently throwing them into the ocean. “Young lady”, he asked, “Why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?” “The sun is up, and the tide is going out, and if I do not throw them in they will die.” “But young lady, do you not realise that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it? You cannot possibly make a difference.” The young woman listened politely, paused and then bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the sea, past the breaking waves, saying: “It made a difference for that one.”

African Rose

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