Sipho Pityana is van Riebeck's puppet

Exactly 365 years ago, on 6 April 1652, Jan van Riebeck, a settler from Nederland, arrived in South Africa. This arrival was the beginning of a sustained process to steal our land, our minerals, and, more painfully, our minds. This process is simply called colonization.

The Africans were colonized through plain deception. In some instances they would be lied to, using religion and other opiums. In most cases, whites did not colonize Africans directly, using the opiums mentioned above, money and resources, etc., they recruited indigenous chiefs, kings, rainmakers etc., to colonize the entire community.

It was only in instances where a community was united, when guns were used to steal land and the minds of the people. But in most cases, blacks were willingly colonized because most of their leaders loved money, resources, power and were easily distracted.

Whilst in 1994 the ANC attempted to push back the frontiers of colonization, the effects of our past live with us as if they are permanent marks on our skins.

Multination corporations, working through their governments, are slowly creeping in to enforce neo-colonization. Seeing that its political party DA, was slow in delivering regime change, the neo-colonial agenda has resorted to new methods. These methods are the dame ones used by van Riebeck and others to colonize.

While in those days the colonizers recruited royalty and other influential people, these days they recruit mostly educated blacks, and often those with struggle credentials. They also recruit bitter and desperate youths, to advance the colonization project.

While in the early years they used mirrors and the bible to recruit these foot soldiers, these days they use money, boardroom positions and the profusely propaganda-laden media to consolidate their agenda.

In 2011, one of these recruits of colonialists, Nedbank Chairperson Reuel Khoza warned that our democracy was under threat from a "strange breed of political leader".  The bank whose Board Khoza chaired was established in Nederland (note the "Ned" in Nedbank), and is owned by Old Mutual, a company listed on the London Stock Exchange.

In 1997, a government-commissioned study found that the Reserve Bank gave Nedbank an illegal "gift" of more than R100 million in 1985. If interest is added, Nedbank owes the people of SA more than R500 million. A puppet he is, Reuel was only happy to criticize government, rather than ask his handlers about the R500 million. And because he is rented, Reuel has failed to questions his handlers, both Nedbank and Old Mutual, as to why the never protested against Apartheid or colonization. This is because he is colonized.

The other puppet of colonialists is Sipho Pityana. This one is the worst puppet because added to him selling his mind to the enemy, he is also a blatant tribalist. The Boers used this weakness to sew divisions amongst Africans and steal while we were fighting each other, and while we were trying to prove which tribe was better than the other.

The colonizers are awake. They have regrouped. They come at a time almost similar to 1652, where we are divided, and have consumed propaganda from their textbooks, media and elsewhere. They regroup at a time when the state of consciousness among our people is at the lowest. They seek to divide us so that they continue to steal our land, gold, diamonds, platinum, coal etc., while we are fighting each other.

The Save South Africa March is nothing but a ploy to keep us busy while money leaves our land and is sent to Europe, America and elsewhere.

I pray that we have a strong socialist party to further conscientize our people. I wish we had a powerful trade union movement to teach our people on the shop floor that their struggles must ne against capital, and that they must unite. Wake up Africa!!!

Makhele is an ANC member and Spokesperson to Free State Premier Hon. Ace Magashule. He writes in his personal capacity