the choice and commitment to being south african

A couple of weeks ago I saw a headline during the evening news that read ‘South Africa’s very own Elon Musk is now the richest person in the world.’ Our one sided relationship with Elon Musk who clearly has no interest in South Africa is embarrassing. Is he ‘South Africa’s own’? Why claim someone who doesn’t want to be claimed? Why be proud of someone who has not earned our pride through any work related to improving the conditions of our country? The only thing that ties us to Elon Musk is the technicality of the location of his birth which affords one the status citizenship but not necessarily love for one’s country of birth or its people. Elon Musk left South Africa at 17 years old to escape conscription into the apartheid army which is a legitimate reason to leave. Musk never looked back. He cut his ties. So why should we celebrate him as ‘South Africa’s own’? Yes, we can look up to him because he is a dreamer who achieved success of unbelievable proportion. But let’s not feign any connections to him because of the commonality of birthplace. Being South African is not merely where you were born, it’s a choice and a commitment. Musk’s choices and his non commitment to South Africa tells me he is America’s own, not ours.

I must confess that Musk’s desertion of his roots does sting if you can’t tell from the tone of this column. I often think how powerful it would be if he brought his skills back to South Africa. What if he established a flagship office in South Africa? What if he created jobs, cultivated innovation and inspired us to envision beyond our own imaginations?

I think of all we have lost to immigration. Not just the immigration of white people but young black people who are enticed by what a world outside of South Africa promises. Research has established that migrants come home different than when they left. They are wealthier, multilingual and more educated than most in their home countries. But some do not come back and nor do they invest and that is the tragedy. I have read about so many immigrant billionaires in the US who, unlike Musk, have invested back to their continents and countries of their origin.

I remember a while ago during the most destructive point of Zuma’s presidency, a white middle aged woman turned to me as she read the headline and said ‘you are young enough to immigrate.’ I was startled by her assumption that because I am a young South African I desire to live anywhere but here. She could not fathom why I would still choose to be South African even at a moment of such upheaval. My answer to her was ‘no, I have no desire to immigrate, I am going down with this ship.’ I said this more in defiance of her statement rather than from a belief that our fate is to sink.

I read that Pretoria Boys High School, Musk’s alma mater, allegedly asked him for a grant. Elon Musk allegedly said he would give the School R1 million on the condition that they leave him alone. Who wants to accept a grant on such conditions? Yes, it is reported that his time at Pretoria Boys was not the best but in that case he should simply say no to their request. Contrast that to another famous export, Trevor Noah, who I do look up to as someone who has achieved his dreams in the US but still comes home often, invests in his people and shares his success with us. Trevor is South Africa’s own. I have studied in the US and could not imagine settling there. Maybe one day I will explore the world further but I accept that I will forever be tethered to South Africa, and not with reluctance but with pride. When the ship is sinking I hope to grab a bucket and get to work.