THE DOMPAS IS BACK: COURTESY THE SAPS
THE HATED DOMPAS OF AN ERSTWHILE ERA IS BACK
[this image was downloaded from the Internet]
Can you believe this lot?
The hated dompas is back courtesy the South African Police Servives. It is parading heavily disguised as a South African Identity Book. That is Professor Rabelani Dagada's experience. His story was published on News24 voices web on 5 July 2016; you will agree with me that News24's website is pretty powerful.
Professor Dagada writes, and you can read his whole story by clicking here:
"DURING the May 2008 xenophobic attacks in South Africa, I had to retreat to Rustenburg because of fear of being attacked. A lot of Vhavenda and Shangaans, who are actually South Africans, are regarded as “Makwerekwere” a derogatory term which black African foreigners are called by some people in South Africa, and thus they (Vhavenda and Shangaans) too suffered from the xenophobic attacks.
Even today, I cannot walk Joburg’s inner city streets without my identity book because otherwise I will be arrested due to my very dark complexion. I have never gone to the inner city and left without being asked for my passport."
I do remember how Black people were arrested and bundled into the back of the dreaded Black Maria's - that was how the police vans were called.
Well, let me return to the Professor's story line and remind you what these dompas really looked like:
This is a well used dompas. Why this one is cancelled, I don't know.
[image downloaded from the internet]
He tried speaking to the SAPS in English and even in IsiZulu but that is too bad and it might get him into further trouble; the police officers might think he is Zimbabwean. He resorts nowadays to his native Tshivenda. He further tells the story that it is "... it is only black African policemen who treat me like this." Is this racism? Black on black? It cannot be law enforcement. Maybe the Professor might have an answer to this question. In the meantime, please help me.
Look at this well used rubber stamp.
[image downloaded from the internet]
What can I as a whitey do about this lot? If you encounter such a incident on the street, you might try and reason with the policeman; I suggest that it would be at your own peril and you might regret it speedily. There was this story told to me about a similar incident. A white person witnessed a police officer being very aggressive towards another black person. Whitey stopped his vehicle, got out and inquired what the reasons were. He was informed that the civilian did not have his passport with him and that was the reason why the officer wants to arrest this man. Whitey offered his hands and said: "Please arrest me as well because I don't have my passport with me either." The police officer "warned" the other man and "... let him off the hook."
At the moment I am protesting against it and say to the Professor that I do hope that it will never happen again to him.
Government release a document called NATIONAL ACTION PLAN to COMBAT RACISM, RACIAL DISCRIMINATION, XENOPHOBIA AND RELATED INTOLERANCE. Government called for the public to react to this by no later than 30 June 2016. I submitted my views and recommendations. I will publish in a subsequent article.
