Today, more than 60 million South Africans and our government are being defined by a small, highly vocal group. This is not accidental. This is a carefully planned, systematically rolled-out strategy.

It is easy to forget who we are, especially when the hate, greed and fear of oppressive systems permeates our hearts, minds and bodies.

Yet we are fortunate that there are living embodiments of love all around us - in the millions who use their low wages and social grants to keep alive family, friends and neighbours, who would otherwise be dead; in the people working every day against the local impact of a global system built on unemployment and precarious employment, corporate greed and bureaucratic corruption, and which commodifies rights. We are fortunate that there are those who work every day on rights to land, housing, education, health, food, water, transport, safety, work and economic policy that upholds life instead of destroying it in the interest of a handful.

May we be inspired by the love, courage and insubordination to injustice of those who paid the highest price, from Victoria Mxenge, assassinated by apartheid agents in 1985, to Fikile Ntshangase in 2020, assassinated while involved in legal proceedings against a mining corporation. South Africa has youth, women, trade unions, political and community-based movements and religious organisations, elected public representatives and even government bureaucrats, who work hard to uphold humanity....