Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng has questioned why race remains such a problem in South Africa, TimesLive reported. Mogoeng delivered the 10 annual Bram Fischer Lecture at the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg on Thursday night.
According to TimesLive, Mogoeng questioned whether South Africans had forgotten Fischer's ideals of a nonracist society.
"Why is it that so many years after Bram Fischer had discovered this truth that there really isn't any fundamental difference between a black and a white man‚ a man and woman -- but colour and gender -- that we still find it possible to keep in our boots or the backseats of our vehicles cricket bats so that if a person of a particular race drives in a manner that I disapprove of‚ I can bash his or her head. Whether death ensues or madness ensues‚ is none of my business," he reportedly said.
According to News24, Mogoeng said there was enough wealth in South Africa to ensure that everyone was provided for.
"The wealth of South Africa is almost immeasurable," he reportedly said.
"Black people do not have to muzzle white people out of what they have in order to survive or thrive. And white people do not have to act as if they are yearning for the 'good old days' when racial exclusivity explains poverty and dignity."
Mogoeng reportedly urged South Africans to consider the selflessness of Bram Fischer.
"Where does your conscience, if you still have [one], point you to? Do you ever think about the multitudes that are homeless, the multitudes that still have bridges, street corners and, at best, shacks for accommodation? Or is it all about you and your family?
"Have you fallen so much in love with money –- or maybe I should not say 'you'. Have we fallen in love so much with money, power, positions, fame and prestige that human life and human suffering does not matter anymore?" said the Chief Justice.