Download PDFWhen a six-year-old grade one
school-going age
falls into a school pit latrine
the doors of learning have shut down
in the faces of children
Da’s kak in die land
When textbooks are fed to crocodiles
in Limpopo rivers knowing they never had teachers
faeces start flying all over the faces
of politicians
Da’s kak in die land
When teachers’ unions throw tantrums
in protection of members who sell teaching posts
and align themselves with the ruling elite for protection
Da’s kak in die land
And when exam papers
leak like porous borders
for illegal immigrants
And no one takes the fall
Ek sê jou
Da’s kak in die land
Maishe Maponya was one of the foremost voices in South African theatre and poetry. He called his theatre Theatre of Resistance, setting out to raise the consciousness of Black people during Apartheid. Maponya passed away on 29 July after a long battle against cancer at the age of 69.
This poem was originally published in Maishe Maponye’s book “Truth Be Told: Da’s Kak in Die Land” (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2018). You may republish it, so long as you credit the authors, and do not change the text. Please include a link back to the original article (https://karibu.org.za/das-kak-in-die-land/).
