Simply Philile

In a previous column I remember suggesting that people of my generation ought to have had ‘Step Parenting’ as part of their schooling syllabus; to prepare us for the reality we now face as middle-aged adults.  Clearly, I was jumping the gun. Judging from the response to Pastor Bakhe Dlamini’s publicized photographs of him piggy-backing his child. It’s clear that we ought to have had just simple “Parenting” and “Leadership” as schooling subjects. I mean...what Stone Age era is this that would have people discredit another for going about his parenting duties? I’m genuinely and thoroughly gobsmacked at the negative comments directed at Pastor Bakhe. Firstly, because I honestly and truly never imagined that anyone would fault such a responsible act. All this has left me wondering what we are as humans. What is so wrong about a person demonstrating Ubuntu towards another – his children and wife? As this Times of Swaziland newspaper clip shows; Pastor Bakhe received some

April 12, 1973 – I was yet to be born in Swaziland. This is the day recorded as the day King Sobhuza II, announced he was repealing the country’s 1968 Constitution which freed Swaziland from colonial rule.   April 12, 2017, I’m 37 years old, walking down Church Street, Pretoria, South Africa, headed to the Union Building lawns. Here, I’m joining thousands of South Africans delivering birthday wishes to Jacob Zuma – a wish to have him step down as President of the country.  It’s this short walk to the lawns that opens me up to reflections of living the contrasting truths of these two historic dates of my lifetime. Avoiding eye contact, I walk past the South African police neatly littered throughout Church Street and the Union Buildings entrance.  I also pass a group of young men sitting on the pavement. I don’t know what makes it obvious to them that I’m headed for the march because I’m not wearing any political party garb…yet…but one asks, “Are you a Fighter? uyiEFF?”