Penny Sparrow: The wounds are far from healed

As we rolled over into the new year, many of us read and reeled over a Facebook post in which one South African woman belittled so many of her countrymen and women. Penny Sparrow quickly became the most disdained woman in South Africa.

Sparrow dominated headlines at a time of the year when most of us normally avoids the news cycle in favour of enjoying the festive season. But her post rippled across social media. South Africans, still tormented by a dark and unresolved history, took to their Twitter and Facebook accounts to spell their rage at Sparrow. While there was no public rebuke on my part, I must admit that the conversation about how angry I was at Sparrow, was had privately on more than one occasion.

This says more about me than about Penny Sparrow. I fall prey to racists, far too easily.