Born and raised in South Africa šæš¦ | Moved West for safety & opportunity | MSc Business | Pharmaceutical R&D specialist | Inventor | Truth teller |
As a European writing this with complete sincerity and from the heart, I want to speak directly to youānot as a representative of any āside,ā but as one human being to another. I truly believe we need more honest, vulnerable conversations across our differences, and Iām asking you to hear me out with the same openness Iām trying to bring.
We Europeans have built societies that, through innovation, exploration, and sheer drive, created things like widespread electricity, modern medicine that saves millions of lives every year, the internet that connects the entire planet, cell phones in almost every hand, airplanes, vaccines, clean water systems on a massive scale, and some of the most advanced civilizations in recorded history. These arenāt small giftsātheyāve transformed how humanity lives, survives, and dreams. Weāve proven ourselves capable of extraordinary system-building, invention, and a relentless pursuit of progress that has lifted standards of living for billions, including many in Africa and the diaspora.
At the same time, I can look at Black peopleāyour peopleāand without hesitation say: you are incredible. The speed, power, and grace of Black athletes in running, jumping, and dominating sports like sprinting or basketball is something the world marvels at. Itās not just talent; itās a testament to resilience, discipline, and raw human excellence that commands respect. We Europeans notice and celebrate that openly. We cheer for it, study it, and honor it.
So hereās my gentle, earnest plea: Could you take a step backājust for a momentāand consider extending the same recognition in the other direction? Could you see our race, our cultures, and the heritage tied to them as something equally incredible? Something worth appreciating for the breakthroughs it has brought to the world, even if imperfectly or at great cost to others? Something worth wanting to preserve, not erase or diminish, because those linked heritagesāart, philosophy, science, engineering, music, literatureāhave shaped the modern world we all share.
Iām not asking you to ignore historyās paināthe exploitation, the violence, the stolen lives and lands, the deep wounds inflicted during conquests and colonialism. That suffering is real, it was wrong, and it must never be forgotten or excused. I feel deep sorrow for what was done in the name of āprogress,ā and I know many Europeans do too.
But hereās the wider truth I hope we can both hold: every single race and people on this planet has, at some point in history, caused pain, waged wars, conquered, enslaved, and exploited others. The Mongols swept across continents leaving devastation; African kingdoms waged wars of conquest and participated in the slave trade; the Ottoman Empire expanded through military campaigns; the Aztecs and Incas built empires through subjugation; Arab traders and empires were deeply involved in centuries of trans-Saharan and Indian Ocean slave routes; Asian dynasties fought brutal wars of domination. No group has clean hands. Human history is soaked in conquest endeavors from every corner of the globeānot just from Europeans.
That doesnāt excuse what happened under European colonialism. It doesnāt lessen the specific pain it caused Black people, Indigenous peoples, and others. But it does mean weāre all part of the same flawed human story. No race gets to claim moral perfection; weāve all inflicted and suffered.
So Iām begging for mutual empathy here. If we can admire Black excellence without resentment, perhaps you can admire European contributions without seeing them only as debt or domination. We share this planet now. The technologies, medicines, and comforts arenāt āoursā anymoreāthey belong to humanity. But the cultures and peoples behind them deserve recognition and preservation from everyone.
I just want us to look at each other and say, āYou are remarkable too,ā without it feeling like a competition or a threat.
What do you think? #rsa #eu @elonmusk
How the Admission System Allows Entry with āLowerā Marks
Wits uses a Composite Index (CI) score or similar weighted system for MBChB selection (updated over time, but core principles remain from reforms around 2014 onward):
⢠40% of places go to the top academic performers overall (pure merit, based on matric results + National Benchmark Tests/NBTs). These are often from better-resourced schools, and marks are very high (e.g., 80ā90%+ averages).
⢠60% of places are allocated to categories targeting previously disadvantaged applicants (this is the key part for the students you mentioned). Within this:
⢠Top performers from quintile 1ā2 schools (poorest, most under-resourced government schoolsāoften in townships or rural areas).
⢠Top performers from rural areas.
⢠Top performers from African and Coloured applicants (or historically disadvantaged groups more broadly).
⢠Other factors: Socioeconomic background (e.g., low family income), first-generation university students, etc.
In these targeted categories, applicants compete only against others in the same disadvantaged groupānot the entire pool. So, a student with an APS of 35ā40 (or even lower in some cases) from a quintile 1 rural school could rank very highly in their category and get in, while someone with higher marks from a well-resourced school might miss out if they donāt qualify in the merit pool.
@tsiko_the_nomad@magattew So 60% just got in for being black. You have NO idea how fucked you are when you get a black doctor in sa. Turn in the tv. See your politicians layers see their doctors. You may get a shock.
Just grok it then: Equity/redress admissions: Wits uses a weighted selection process to increase access for previously disadvantaged groups (including black, coloured, Indian, and rural/low-income students).
⢠A significant portion of places (historically around 60%) is allocated to categories like top performers from rural areas, poor schools/quintile 1ā3 schools, and disadvantaged backgrounds.
⢠This replaced older race-based quotas with disadvantage-focused criteria (e.g., family income, schooling quality, rural origin) to promote inclusivity.
⢠The policy has evolved to balance merit with redressāe.g., 40% merit-based, with the rest targeted at underrepresented/disadvantaged applicants.
@tsiko_the_nomad@magattew You do get admitted into med with poor marks if you are black. Fucking hell. I asked them and they literally said ā they were the best failsā on the GEMP entry exams. Meaning they got pushed in cause of race⦠yohhh you have NO idea
@mack_sand Were you in this picture ? Itās like all you have. If you didnāt have Apartied I guess who would you blame for you shit life ? Yourself your lack of work ethic your low IQ and you shit government ? Must be nice to hide behind Apartied and colonialism
@DrLifesgud Hey @grok since BEE was introduced in South Africa did the inequality gap get worse ? Would free capitalism and removing it be better for the economy and thus create more jobs ?
France š«š· š¤ Japanese nationalists are sharing a recent clip inside Paris, France.
They're warning Japanese people ~ "This is what happens when you welcome millions of Africans. They turn your cities into Africa."
@Vhonan1M@Rahul_AJ_1990 You think these low class āboetsā can afford to live in Steyn city lol. They were visitors if you read the news. Typical bantu mentality. Every white is a rich one hey