Home » “Caged Woman” in Back of Bakkie Sparks Important Conversation for South Africans

“Caged Woman” in Back of Bakkie Sparks Important Conversation for South Africans

A photo of a “caged woman” in the back of a bakkie has sparked an important conversation in South Africa… about kindness and racism, dignity and duty. It’s a photo that one wouldn’t see in most countries in the world. And it’s a photo that most nationalities would never equate with kindness. It’s a photo that for many […]

By SAPeople
20-01-17 13:25
in Eish!

A photo of a “caged woman” in the back of a bakkie has sparked an important conversation in South Africa… about kindness and racism, dignity and duty.

It’s a photo that one wouldn’t see in most countries in the world. And it’s a photo that most nationalities would never equate with kindness. It’s a photo that for many screams “master and slave”.

And yet – the farmer who gave this lady a lift was not her master or boss. She does not work for him. The act was voluntary on both sides. He gave her a lift which he didn’t need to… and which, as some have said, many non-racists in larni cars would perhaps not stop to do.

And in a video, filmed with the farmer’s wife, she says it was her decision to not only climb in the back (since that is what she is used to), but climb in the cage which is usually used for weighing lambs.

According to the video the farmer offered for her to sit up front but she said it was too hot and she preferred to feel the wind. (This is contrary to a Times Live report that “he said there was no space in the passenger seat for her”… and there have been some suspicions that she was coerced in the video. Please note: we do not know which version is the truth.)

So while some see “master and slave” others see a kind man who simply gave a pregnant woman a lift who wanted to sit in the back and chose the cage. They were each “willing” partners.

But this is where South Africa – because of its long apartheid history – is different to many parts of the world.

Although both people were “willing”, the roles of boss and subservient servant are so engrained that neither realises how complicit they are in perpetuating long-held values of oppression. In fact, in the video the woman – who, as mentioned, is apparently not employed by the farmer – still calls him ‘baas‘ (meaning master).

It is unlikely, for instance, that the farmer’s wife would’ve voluntarily got into the cage… or that the farmer would have allowed his wife to do so.

And that is the conversation many South Africans are having today. The need for more ‘mindfulness’ in facilitating change and equality – for treating ourselves and others with dignity and respect.

The photo was taken in the Eastern Cape. Johan Erasmus gave 27-year-old Linda Steenekamp (or Senekal, according to other reports) a lift from a farm, where he had just dropped off sheep, to Cradock where she had a clinic visit as she is apparently four months pregnant.

Giving lifts on the back of bakkies – to anybody, black or white – is normal in South Africa where there isn’t reliable public transport. Several social media commenters have said the backlash over this could lead to many bakkie owners being reluctant to offer rides to pedestrians in the future.

Erasmus told Eyewitness News that he has received threats that his house will be burnt and his bakkie stolen. The photo was first posted to Oos-Kaap Plaaswerkers Opstand, where workers speak out about injustices to labour on farms in the sector.

The ANC Women’s League (ANCWL) has condemned the farmer; and the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) is investigating the incident saying even if it was the woman’s choice to sit in the back, her rights may have been infringed.

Regardless of the legalities, the photo has raised an important conversation and level of consciousness for South Africans to help build a better future.

UPDATE: As has been pointed out by several South African expats, carrying people in the back of a bakkie is against the law in most countries because it is dangerous. As has also been pointed out, there are many people in SA who enjoy sitting in the back of a bakkie and do not regard it as demeaning. Some people enjoy “the elements” and the sense of freedom, and not having to make polite conversation in the front. The reason this photo went viral was not because she was sitting in the back of the bakkie, but because she was sitting in a cage in the back of the bakkie.

Linda Steenekamp on why she was on the back of a bakkie

https://youtu.be/M2s4dOZHNkQ

https://twitter.com/StormRider110/status/822369197326036992