South African radio and television personality Gareth Cliff has penned an open letter to Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma.
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Controversial radio personality, Gareth started off by explaining how he decided to give Minister some respect before pointing fingers or jumping to conclusions.
“I watched your NCCC briefing today. I decided at the outset to give you the respect due to you – as an elder. Without the usual judgement that we’re all prone to, I listened not to get angry or find fault, but with an open mind.” – Gareth Cliff wrote
He went on to say:”Minister, I see a woman who is directly in the vulnerable age group and who has put herself on the front-line, not someone commanding from a safe distance – most people your age are retired and relaxing at home. I see someone who appears to me to be trying her level best to navigate uncharted territory, just like all of us. You said yourself that government has made mistakes and asked for our patience and support – and that isn’t asking much. I see someone who has overcome a great deal of adversity and male chauvinism, not to mention nastiness from a public who like to cast you as the villain. I feel it is time for us to find ways to be less destructive and more collaborative.
Because we’re all feeling threatened and the future is uncertain, the best and worst in all of us has come to the fore. On social media I see friends turning on each other, people saying unbelievably mean and callous things about those they disagree with, even when they’re disagreeing about minor things. It almost seems like we have forgotten how to be civil to each other. That will undoubtedly make things worse, and nobody wants us to emerge from this crisis morally poorer as well as having lost loved ones and jobs. At least we have a choice about our attitudes.”
Read the full letter here.
Dear @DlaminiZuma https://t.co/jcNxoawaz2
— Gareth Cliff (@GarethCliff) May 29, 2020
Image Courtesy: quickread.co.za