Reggae Star Lucky Dube Killed by Carjackers

I was appalled to learn that South African Reggae superstar Lucky Dube was murdered by a group of carjackers in his native land. He was murdered in front of his son and daughter yesterday evening in Rosettenville, Johannesburg. He was born in the northeastern province of Mpumalanga on August 3, 1964. His mother considered him a blessing because she had suffered a few miscarriages prior to his conception. When he was born, she named him Lucky because she considered his birth fortunate because he was in poor health. Lucky Dube loved Jamaica's Bob Marley and sought to emulate his music. He released his first reggae album in 1984. He began his career performing the urbanized Zulu music called Mbaqanga, but also recorded albums in Afrikaans. His first Reggae album "Rastas Never Die" was banned by the apartheid government in the mid-1980s. He toured with Maxi Priest, Sinead O'Connor, Peter Gabriel, Michael Jackson, Seal, Ziggy Marley, Celine Dion, Sting and many others. He won over 20 local and international awards for his music and videos. Among his musical hits are Taxman, Prisoner, The Way It Is, Trinity and many others. It is, indeed, a real shame that crime has cost the life of a rising and conscious reggae star. He survived apartheid, only to die at the hands of barbaric criminals. It is a stark reminder that all nations that are besieged by high crime rates must find a way to fix that problem.

Dube was a cultural activist and musical visionary who was focused on using reggae as an instrument to highlight the plight of the oppressed and repeatedly called for transformation. He saw the plight of his people and wanted a better life for all. South Africa has one of the highest murder rates in the world, with nearly 20,000 homicides last year. Many of the murders occur during robberies and hijackings. These are common in a country were half of the population lives on less then $2 per day. The pervasive crime has raised some deep concerns about the country hosting the 2010 Soccer World Cup. Most of the victims of crime in South Africa are poor and black, but violent crimes including home invasions and carjackings are common in largely white areas. About 70 percent of whites living in big cities there have told pollsters that crime had gotten significantly worse.

In March, there were massive demonstrations reminiscent of the struggle against apartheid, but this time the protesters were targeting the African National Congress (ANC), which was credited with bringing down apartheid. Millions of black South African workers were challenging the ANC government's rule. For most people, even government statistics show that the socioeconomic standards have gotten progressively worse. Unemployment, basic cost of living, disconnection of municipal services, degeneration of the health and education sector, as well as continued inequality, have increased. There is a widening gulf between South Africa's rich and poor.

The country's economy has expanded rapidly since the ANC took power in 1994, however, statistics have shown that unemployment has nearly doubled from 16 to 29 percent with total joblessness hovering around 40 percent. President Thabo Mbeki and his supporters have stressed the emergence of a new black middle class, but today nearly 50 percent of South Africans live below the poverty line. According to the Washington-based nonprofit Economic Policy Institute, "The economic and social inequality that was inherent in the apartheid regime has continued, and even increased, since majority rule was instituted in 1994." Many have felt that South Africa's utopian post-apartheid moment has indeed soured very quickly. Since the ANC took power, many of its top leaders have seemingly abandoned the promise of racial and economic justice. It is quite evident that South Africa's economic crisis exists largely by design, due to the predictable result of Mbeki's decision to follow a pro-business economic model at the expense of the poor and working classes. The government had cut corporate taxes from 48 percent in 1994 to 30 percent by 1999, slashed state spending and privatized public resources such as water, electricity, telecommunications and airlines. This led to massive price hikes to the citizens, with many losing their water supply due to the inability to pay the bill. The ANC is not only to blame for this. The economists of the World Bank in the mid-1990s helped to design the ANC's economy strategy and the IMF gave the country's post-apartheid transitional government a $850 million loan in December 1993 on the condition that it slash workers' wages across the board. This occurred in the context of a crippling foreign debt of more than $20 billion, according to news reports. To make matters worse, the foreign powers refused to forgive these loans.

It seems as though the South African government has abandoned its goal of undoing apartheid's legacy and returning power to the people. It has, in fact, created another monster-high crime rates, massive unemployment and a dejected poor and working class. Lucky Dube's death, though untimely, may actually spur the government to tackle the problems that have created such high crime rates. South Africa, it is time to make Lucky's dream a reality. This is surely not the South Africa Nelson Mandela fought for. It is time to move towards a truly FREE South Africa. Lucky says in his song House of Exile:

"Sun went down on the mountain
Birds flew back to their hiding places
Leaving him standing there like a telephone pole
In the still of the night
You and I dream
Dreaming of Romeo & Juliet
All he dreams about is the freedom of the nation
When every man will be equal In the eyes of the law
As he closes his eyes
For the last time he said again
I'm still here in the house of exile
For the love of the nation...."