CAPE TOWN - I am writing this week as saddened man. It is not unusual for Zimbabweans to be confronted by death, but it still hurts the same every time. This past week in two unrelated incidents I heard of the passing away of 25-year-old Thulani Harvey and the death of a 1-year-old child.
Thulani Harvey has been a friend of mine for about nine years. He was a talented artist/designer who schooled at Saint Georges College and finished his education in Cape Town at UCT. His friends and family might not know that, despite his privileged background, he attended several small gatherings in the Cape Townships with desperate Zimbabwean asylum seekers. The gatherings moved him and warmed his heart and willed him to confront the injustice. I now regret that I failed to involve him more and that we never saw each other enough. Thulani Harvey was an extremely talented man, who played rugby for Zimbabwe at school level, was great a sprinter and a notorious super model. It was Thulani who designed PASSOPs logo and I wish to take advantage of this column to salute him and congratulate his family for the love they embedded in him.
The second death, sadly a result of the unacceptable conditions inside the camp for the displaced Zimbabweans in De Doorns, was one that should anger any human rights activist. It angers me because it was the result of great negligence and the deliberate efforts of the municipal authorities who seem hell bent on creating unliveable conditions. They think that if the conditions are bad, people will leave, but they fail to recognise that our Zimbabweans never chose to be in the camp and have no where else to go. It appears that the death of Aisha is a loss, but one of struggle and we shall forever remember her as a martyr. Sadly I can only attend one of the two Nhamos (funerals) because they are at the same time.
We dont have so much time left. Let us make sure that we live our lives the way we want to be remembered.
Post published in: Politics