Racism+in+the+motoring+industry,+Steve+Dlamini-Kabini,+C+Press

City Press, Johannesburg, 03/03/2007 16:42 - (SA)
=Racism keeps popping up in the motoring industry=


 * Steve Dlamini-Kabini**

IT SEEMS racism just won’t go away. Thirteen years into democracy some fairer-skinned members of society still want to treat black people like second-class citizens.

This was the humiliation I had to go through last weekend at the A1 Grand Prix held in eThekwini.

I was crucified by A1 GP press officer Peter Burroughes for asking why City Press was excluded from invitation lists of the media that attend the A1 GP.

A group of journalists has been invited several times to the international A1 GP event, but City Press has never been invited and no one seems to have answers.

At the media centre the liaison officer treated me like a garden boy, shouting in full view of local and international motoring journalists. Hey, even garden boys have rights.

I found it quite disturbing that Burroughes yelled at me in that fashion, saying that I was an embarrassment to motoring journalism, making me look bad in front of his white comrades.

Is it wrong to raise a concern when one is not invited to a motoring event? Did he behave like that because a black journalist questioned him?

The A1 GP was supposed to be a race for the people, yet the organisers didn’t even make sure that black publications are part of it in terms of coverage.

It shows how far off the mark they are in terms of reaching the masses, particularly the youngsters in townships and black communities countrywide.

There are four drivers in the A1 GP SA team and it is disappointing that none of them is black. Are we suggesting that there are no capable black drivers in the country? It makes me wonder.

The motor industry is slow to transform or to appreciate the cultural differences and diverse perceptions of SA communities.

A quick glance at the motoring companies based locally reveals that senior management posts are held by previously and currently advantaged individuals.

No matter how qualified, intelligent, astute or knowledgeable, it seems that black professionals will always be regarded by some as inferior.

I am not surprised. Racism keeps on popping up in this booming industry. Some whites call us (black journalists) bobbejaantjies (little baboons) behind our backs.

This happened last year when two white public relations officers referred to a black female motoring journalist as a “bobbejaantjie” in an email that was accidentally copied to her by a technologically challenged sender.

Black colleagues have always warned of racism in the industry but I thought they were exaggerating as I hadn’t experience it first-hand until last weekend, when it stared me in the face.

This was a sign that not only SA Rugby has to transform, but all sectors.

There was recently an investigation into racism in the media and frankly, I think the same has to apply to the entire automotive industry.

There is no transformation, and when some argue it does exist, it is probably at a snail’s pace.

Motoring journalism isn’t any better. Most of the people who are supposed to be on retirement (and are white) found a luxury old-age home in motoring journalism.

I was quite shocked to hear a white colleague saying to me that crime only affected whites in the country.

He further uttered a reckless statement that to white people crime was a problem and to black people it’s okay.

The old man, who is not even South African by birth, wrapped up his comments by saying: “We are white and we don’t have to be apologetic about it.”

It seems we need to arrange counselling for some South Africans as apartheid has destroyed them psychologically.

Only time will tell how long it will take for everyone in this country to acknowledge that all South Africans are equal.


 * Dlamini-Kabini is City Press motoring editor


 * From: http://www.news24.com/City_Press/Columnists/0,7515,186-1695_2078029,00.html**

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