EVITA BEZUIDENHOUT: Old, damaged rainbow for sale, Ts&Cs apply
The former ambassador to Bapetikosweti tracks the nation’s miracle birth under Mandela’s rainbow, right up to the capture of the pot of gold at the end of it
I loved the idea of being part of a Rainbow Nation since 1991. During the Codesa talks there were whispers coming from both sides. The National Party kept hiding the words "terrorist" and "communist", even though those Ts&Cs still applied. And the ANC was uncomfortably swallowing its accusations of "racist" and "fascist", while the inebriated Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging were outside the locked door of our World Trade Centre in Joburg singing and dancing, and in my mind’s eye all they needed were red berets to bring me back to the future.
On the edge of a cliff at the height of a blustery storm, a rainbow could solve everything with those primary colours that allowed shades of choice. The fact that black and white were not part of the rainbow also boded well for a democratic future. Besides, a rainbow always ended in a pot of gold and maybe that was the one focus that everyone shared...
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