Clever Blacks — Unpacking the historical and social connotations

The South Western Townships (Soweto) of Johannesburg provided an invaluable tutelage. The townships served as some kind of “university of the streets” to many black people. Soweto consisted of all sorts of people, cultures, religions and ideologies. There was a glimpse and a taste of everything, making those who grew up in their surroundings global in a way. There were Hippies, a dominant culture of the sixties which started in the United States (US). Hippies were characterised by their Afro hair, carefree spirit and liberal politics which embraced non racialism. The Ivy League another sub culture which started in the US was very popular in Johannesburg, like the Hippies it was influenced by the elite culture of the US universities. However the majority of young men during apartheid wanted to be part of a sub-culture which was largely driven by a certain fashion sense and sophistication known as AboClever or Clevers. There isn’t much written about these cultures therefore this article will draw a lot from the author’s personal experiences in Soweto.

AboClever were amongst the many sub-cultures in Johannesburg, which dominated the male population during apartheid. Historically people who resided in the cities particularly Johannesburg and its surroundings where regarded as AboClever, a slang for the alert and sophisticated. Those who came from the rural areas of South Africa particularly what is now known as Kwa-Zulu Natal (KZN) were regarded as Amabhari, the unsophisticated rural people. Most of the migrant workers came from the KZN therefore it was natural that most of AmaBhari of Johannesburg were from KZN. Although the word AmaBhari was commonly used very few in Johannesburg understood its literal meaning. It was an imposed identity by AboClever to those who they regarded unsophisticated. AmaBhari never accepted to be called by that name. AboClever sub-culture on the other hand was simple to understand, it derived its meaning from the word clever. AboClever was a homegrown way of life, a combination of local and exotic cultures. It started in Johannesburg and later spread to other major cities and towns of South Africa. AboClever were sophisticated men, they spoke a unique lingua, a concoction of vernacular, Afrikaans and English. They were smart dressers and had a unique swagger when they walked. AboClever were also known for their rough and tumble manners and for their harassments of Amabhari often robbing them of their possessions.

This background is important in an attempt to understand the undertones of President Jacob Zuma’s speech regarding the clever blacks. Most of Amabhari shunned this description as mentioned earlier, to an extent that some people paid with their lives for calling others Amabhari. Over the past couple of months the debate over the term clever blacks has dominated South African political discourse. This follows a speech by Jacob Zuma in which he suggested that the political dissent within the blacks was instigated by the clever blacks. The debate which ensued after these remarks failed to take into consideration the historical context of this term. The media and those who analysed the speech of Jacob Zuma went totally off the mark in their analyses. Zuma was referring to something totally different, that which still lingers in the psyche of many Amabhari. The struggle for the liberation drew people from different parts of South Africa, AboClever and AmaBhari joined the struggle to liberate the country. The schism between the two was also more defined amongst South Africans even in exile. The animosity in some cases worsened and threatened the unity within the liberation movements particularly within the ANC. Joe Modise a fierce fighter and a well-known part of AboClever from Johannesburg continued to act and behave like AboClever on his return from exile. His actions drew ridicule and amusement from many old AboClever who regarded him as old fashioned. The condemnation of clever blacks by Jacob Zuma is the manifestation of an old grudge, Zuma qualified as what the AboClever would call Amabhari. Zuma’s clever blacks remarks cannot be understood in isolation. The political dissent within the ANC led by the ANC Gauteng and the historical schism between AmaBhari and AboClever must be taken into consideration in understanding Zuma’s clever blacks remarks. Jacob Zuma’s outburst was not directed at the educated black people. It will be foolhardy to think that Jacob Zuma will use this broad-brush description, after all, educated blacks are represented across the spectrum and many of them support Jacob Zuma.