TWO NATIONS
PALESA MORUDU: Helen Zille and her red herring debate
She has every right to freedom of speech, but she doesn’t have a right to an exclusive version of history and the truth
On the Sunday before Freedom Day, City Press ran an article “Freedom Day: an anatomy of privilege”. It describes a day in the life of two children — Tolga Gules, 9, and Thulisile Malinga, 7. Gules lives in Blairgowrie and travels a mere 1.4km to his primary school in his mother’s SUV, where he has access to a "sports field, swimming pool, courtyard, and a state-of-the-art learning facilities". The school is 55% black. At home, Gules easily connects to the internet. His life is enriched by overseas travel and spending time with university-educated grandparents, who assist him with math and "learning how to identify 25 different species of bird". Malinga lives in a shack in Katlehong with her father, who works at a funeral parlour where he makes R400 a week. Malinga’s parents don’t live together because her father hasn’t saved enough money to pay lobola for his girlfriend of nine years. Without lobola, his girlfriend’s parents will not allow them to live together.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.