I write this a few days after Vicky Momberg, a racist real estate agent (we seem to have a lot of those in South Africa), was sentenced to a 3 year prison sentence for her racist rants against the South African Police Service. Vicky Momberg hurled racial slurs at the very people who were there to help her, repeating the word 43 times in a short period of time.
She was arrested, denied bail and sentenced. In the words of Kim Kardashian, “she got what she deserved”.
So...why are so many people defending this repulsive human being’s actions? Why are we suddenly concerned with harsh prison sentences? Why are we actively discussing this supposed injustice? I hate to break it to you, this country is racist as fuck.
Vicky Momberg is a white woman. Usually when we think of white supremacy, we think of Klan members, Nazis, the National Party Government etc...the images we see are most commonly men.
White supremacy is patriarchal in nature, along with believing that their pasty skin makes them superior, they also believe that their genitals do. It is unsurprising that racism and sexism go hand-in-hand, as they are both based on fundamentalist beliefs and views.
However, it is ignorant to assume that white supremacy is a male dominated battle. No, white women exist in this space too. From the women who would capture Jewish people in Nazi Germany to the Klanswomen who broadcasted their message over radio, white women have always (and I mean always) been part of the problem.
Yes, yes, I know - “ not all white people”, I am a white person! It’s okay! The only reason you would get defensive is because you know it applies to you. Anyway, for the longest period of time, white women have simply allowed their male counterparts to participate in their racist actions.
It is uncomfortable for us to acknowledge that white women can be racist too, on the basis of their gender discrimination that is present in society. For example, in 2016, many white women, undeterred by Donald Trump’s misogynistic viewpoints, voted for him anyway. This is because in the view of the racist white woman, her racial group trumps her gender.
It is difficult for us to accept that Vicky Momberg, who is not a bakkie driving bald Afrikaans man, can be just as racist because well, she looks like us. White women have been hiding their racism behind their gender oppression for years, so when someone like Ms Momberg comes along, they don’t know what to do. So they settle with defending her, which is highly problematic and if anything, simply confirms how discriminatory they are.
We speak about her long prison sentence yet ignore the mass incarceration of people of colour. We say it is free speech then get upset when people scoff and say “white people”. We, as a collective, need to address these issues.
I applaud the members of the court who sentenced Vicky Momberg, even though it is not entirely my place. So I pass the mic onto the people of colour who were affected by her words.
However, while I am here I want to address the white people reading this. For literally the whole of history, white people have enslaved, brutalised, gentrified and assimilated people of colour. In our country, people who did so with a political motive, were offered amnesty. You are upset with Vicky Momberg getting three years in prison but you are okay with Apartheid criminals roaming free. This is a landmark case, you have a chance to be on the right side of history, take the opportunity to grow from this.
And as for Vicky Momberg, I speak freely to you here. You got what you deserved, as a relic of the past, you deserve to be left in the past. You were denied bail because your words are dangerous, making you inherently dangerous. Have a good time in incarceration, let’s see where your melanin deficient skin gets you. And, when you do get out - I hope you are reformed. I hope that you think twice before you ever use that disgusting inflammatory word again. And if you do, you will be right back where you started.
White women, let’s check ourselves. As a group of people who have experienced oppression, let us align ourselves with those whose oppression is far greater than our own. Pass the mic and move forward. History has its eyes on you.
-Mila Brkic
