Ignorant Society by Lucky Maisanye

Living in a society that is ignorant is hard to organise. A lot is taking place before our eyes without us acting, we live in an environment which is highly polluted and we are neighbors of open cast coal mines. Vibrations from mine blasting and inhaling of dust is our daily experience and the majority has taken it as normal and that that’s how we suppose to live. We live above soil which is rich of coal and export electricity to SADC region while we fail to have access to electricity 24/7 in 365 days a year, it is a blasphemy. Our town have different mineral resources underneath like coal, chrome, vanadium etc. and coal fired power stations which should create employment opportunities but we find high rate of unemployment amongst young people who live in frustrations. Poverty is the result as many people move in our town for employment; we become squatterd in the ghettos that make it highly impossible for the local municipality to deliver services for all as illegal dumpings increases daily, waste water leakages forms streams and illegal connections of electricity gets worse.

It is a blasphemy for those who were born and bred in this town as they are unemployable for most permanent positions in many industries because they fail medical fitness tests to work in the mines or industries. This is caused by the same mines and industries by emitting their toxic gases into our lungs and refusing to employ us or compensate us from damaging our environment and also our piece of pie. The constitution of country says ‘’it’s our right living in an environment that is not harmful to our health and to have the environment that is protected from capitalists greed investments’’. In achieving this one of human basic right, more collective effort is needed.

By Lucky Maisanye