A white man is accused of killing a black man and the people of Cullinan are taking sides.
In Cullinan, a small mining town outside Pretoria, a black man was attacked and beaten to death as he walked home with a friend, late one Saturday night.
Two days later a white man was arrested and a notice appeared, posted by the African National Congress, that read: ”On the 20th April one of our black brothers was killed by a white businessman. From the 25th April we boycott all white business.”
Almost two weeks after the incident, the Sowetan reported the murder on its front page. The headline screamed ”Lynched”, and it told the story of a man killed for walking in a ”whites-only area”. It reported that racial attacks were frequent in the town.
While the crime has been universally condemned as horrific, the police say no witness statements suggest that the killing was racially motivated. All the same, it has tapped a nerve deep in the community – among both blacks and whites.
Most blacks say they are pleased about the Sowetan‘s take on the murder; most whites roll their eyes at it.
Obed Maila, executive mayor of Metswedding district, wants to work towards harmony between black and white, achieved through education. He says: ”I was more than happy with the article in the Sowetan. It challenges us and says where are we?”
A friend of the suspect says it was rubbish: ”What about all the farm killings? Why don’t you people go and write about that?”
The Sowetan reported that assaults in Cullinan are a ”regular event”. The police say they hear of allegations of racial intolerance, but insist that there have been no official complaints of race attacks in the urban area.
Allegations abound: two black girls, Maggie and Charity, both in their 20s, say they are scared, particularly at night. They claim they have been refused service at a restaurant – that the owner told them ”no blacks allowed”. They couldn’t remember the name of the restaurant and the Mail & Guardian was unable to verify their allegations.
A friend of the suspect suggests that whites are the victims. He grew angry and told the M&G that ”only last week” a white farm owner had been killed by blacks in the area. Police say no farm attacks have been reported since last year.
The suspect owns Diggers Pub and a group of black prison wardens talked about how ”black men can never go to Diggers Pub. They will kick you to death.” The perception of the wardens is: ”Most white people are racist.”
On the afternoon that the M&G visited Diggers Pub there was a black man sitting at the bar, chatting to the bartender.
The suspect has a number of previous assault cases pending. The Sowetan reported that ”sources” had told it that these assaults were against blacks. But the Cullinan police said that the alleged attacks were on white and black victims. The suspect is alleged to have attacked the disabled child of a white business owner in the town. The father of the child says the matter has been cleared up and he is adamant that the suspect was not responsible for the killing. There were ”other guys involved”, he says. ”They carried out the attack.”
The black community has no faith in the police system claiming that racism is endemic, the police are ineffective and they do not serve the black community. They accuse the police of serving their own racist interests. Cases brought by black people are ignored, they allege.
The police defend themselves. They say it’s a tricky area. If the owner of a pub denies you access because of a ”private party”, as the law stands, it is difficult to pin that to a prosecutable race crime.
After the arrest of the suspect pressure from the black community mounted and the case was moved from Cullinan to Mamelodi. They argued that the police are racist and will not take the case seriously.
Cullinan police say it was ”unnecessary to move the case. An arrest had already been made.” They say the crime has been politicised – wrongly.
Cullinan’s main street is lined with tea gardens, craft shops and bed and breakfasts. A logo has been designed for the town, a penny-farthing bicycle with the motto: ”Cycle back in time.” The town is being sold as a quaint, old-time antidote to the frenzy of city life, and the business community – both black and white – is working towards a lucrative tourism industry. An ugly, alcohol-fuelled murder is the last thing they want.
Maila says the boycott of white businesses was organised as a ”litmus test”. The black community wanted to see how receptive the white community was to allegations of racial injustice. Four hours after the boycott began, a statement was signed by the business forum that distanced it from the attack. The boycott was cancelled.
Patrick Nkotoe and Tsepo Monaledi are both employees of Premier Mine in Cullinan. They have been actively involved in mobilising the town – they want to see something positive come out of the attack. Monaledi says they want to ”arrest people’s anger and challenge constructively what happened”. He continues: ”The police need to assure the black community that they are being protected.”
A march has been organised by the ANC Youth League on May 24. They will bus people in from the surrounding area and expect 700 people to march on the police station and the magistrate’s court to deliver a memorandum. Their manifesto states that the police and the judiciary are in- effective and commandoes on farms are undermining human rights.
There is evidence of racism in the town, and there is evidence of a handful of whites with far right views. But nothing suggests racist violence is widespread. It’s convenient for the media to force a meaning on a crime perpetrated against a black person – and it’s convenient for people to believe it. But the event, and ensuing allegations, highlight a grey area of misunderstanding and deceit, on both sides of the colour divide, and it’s impossible to give any clear answers.
Nkotoe, commenting on the Sowetan‘s piece says: ”If you throw a blanket over the issue, you kill the generation you are trying to build.”
Maila speaks of ”pockets of complaints” of racial intolerance, a comment that gives a tamer picture than that painted by the Sowetan. While he expresses the need for a change in attitude, he also spoke of his optimism. Maila worked in the mines for 17 years and has seen a dramatic change in people’s attitudes and this, he says, gives him hope that even the most dyed-in-the-wool racists can, and will, change.