The Incarceration of the Mind

By Mgcini Mlangeni

In my career journey I have engaged myself on diverse placements! One of the major personal tasks I have embarked myself on was when I joined the Roman Catholic Church as an aspiring future priest, and this formation process lasted a period of four years (studying philosophy, sociology, anthropology, psychology, politics, and theology etc. I was awarded with a diploma in Philosophy and an advance English Certificate by UNISA). Complimenting my training as a future priest was also involved on a variety of projects and events with the diversified communities of Pretoria, Johannesburg, Durban, and Pinetown simultaneously. This passion to serve as an aspirant priest, and to make a positive change within my circle of influence and beyond led to the formation of my non-profit organization called Young Generational Thinkers. In principle one of the objectives, goals, and mission of this organization going forward is to:

create sustainable poverty alleviation projects, and
to make provision of bursaries to the illiterate and those who are from the disadvantaged backgrounds.
Create an environment of safety and healthy living, by
formulating support groups, small, medium, and micro enterprises, reintroduce strong farming teams, and formulating self-sufficient entrepreneurial businesses, and thus
create a space for job opportunities and well-functioning and self-sufficient community development projects.

It is an undeniable fact that without education and necessary skills of entrepreneurship, the global advocacy issues facing the youth in areas of crime, drug abuse, unemployment, poverty, shortages of necessary skills, and fatal diseases would remain the struggle for survival for the entire international community. With major emphasis on education, entrepreneurship, and skills development by the individuals, in particular the youth, fewer and fewer cases of delinquency would be reported. Mentorship programmes in place and good governance of all stakeholders involved would lead to the success of the international community.

In my line of duty I have worked with a variety of public and private sector structures like the South African Department of Sports and Recreation, eThekwini Municipality Safer City Programme, Department of Community Participation, Department of Skills Development, Youth Commission, South African Red Cross, Durban Chamber of Commerce, South African Police Service, and Non-profit organizations like Right to Care, Love Life, Future leaders, National Youth Development agency just to mention a few. I was also involved on numerous national and international level on development and sustainable projects and events. With this in mind, I am optimistic that this manuscript would be embraced beyond measure, as I am a born philanthropist who is less motivated by money and prestige. To the contrary, I am motivated by making a difference, and making this world a better place for our generations generation to come.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris UK
• Release date: Sep 8, 2010
• ISBN: 9781453547731

Mgcini Mlangeni

In my career journey I have engaged myself on diverse placements! One of the major personal tasks I have embarked myself on was when I joined the Roman Catholic Church as an aspiring future priest, and this formation process lasted a period of four years (studying philosophy, sociology, anthropology, psychology, politics, and theology etc. I was awarded with a diploma in Philosophy and an advance English Certificate by UNISA). Complimenting my training as a future priest was also involved on a variety of projects and events with the diversified communities of Pretoria, Johannesburg, Durban, and Pinetown simultaneously. This passion to serve as an aspirant priest, and to make a positive change within my circle of influence and beyond led to the formation of my non-profit organization called Young Generational Thinkers. In principle – one of the objectives, goals, and mission of this organization going forward is to: • create sustainable poverty alleviation projects, and • to make provision of bursaries to the illiterate and those who are from the disadvantaged backgrounds. • Create an environment of safety and healthy living, by • formulating support groups, small, medium, and micro enterprises, reintroduce strong farming teams, and formulating self-sufficient entrepreneurial businesses, and thus • create a space for job opportunities and well-functioning and self-sufficient community development projects. It is an undeniable fact that without education and necessary skills of entrepreneurship, the global advocacy issues facing the youth in areas of crime, drug abuse, unemployment, poverty, shortages of necessary skills, and fatal diseases would remain the struggle for survival for the entire international community. With major emphasis on education, entrepreneurship, and skills development by the individuals, in particular the youth, fewer and fewer cases of delinquency would be reported. Mentorship programmes in place and good governance of all stakeholders involved would lead to the success of the international community. In my line of duty I have worked with a variety of public and private sector structures like the South African Department of Sports and Recreation, eThekwini Municipality – Safer City Programme, Department of Community Participation, Department of Skills Development, Youth Commission, South African Red Cross, Durban Chamber of Commerce, South African Police Service, and Non-profit organizations like Right to Care, Love Life, Future leaders, National Youth Development agency just to mention a few. I was also involved on numerous national and international level on development and sustainable projects and events. With this in mind, I am optimistic that this manuscript would be embraced beyond measure, as I am a born philanthropist who is less motivated by money and prestige. To the contrary, I am motivated by making a difference, and making this world a better place for our generation’s generation to come.

Book preview

Copyright © 2010 by Mgcini Mlangeni.

Library of Congress Control Number:    2010913512

ISBN:   Hardcover   978-1-4535-4772-4

ISBN:   Softcover   978-1-4535-4771-7

ISBN:   Ebook   978-1-4535-4773-1

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

0-800-644-6988

www.xlibrispublishing.co.uk

[e-mail]

300695

Freedom of Expression

A long walk to economic freedom, remains an African dream

Acknowledgements

To know where we are going ought to know

where we come from.

(An English maxim)

The credit ought to be given to the self, my ultimate friend, to my son Nkanyiso Mafa Mlangeni and her beautiful mom Phumzile Dlamini for her critiques, to my publisher Xlibris Corporation, and to the outstanding man and woman who have made me to be what I am today.

To the late Mr Cosmas Miya and Mrs Mavis Miya, Mr and Mrs Hlophe (Samela Stores), Mrs Happy Ndlovu (Granny) and family, Mr and Mrs Gwacela and their daughter Bongekile Gwacela. To Mr and Mrs Maphumulo (Wyebank), Nhloso Hlophe, and her whole family, Ms Veronica Pieterson and Mrs Lindi Mogemi, Mrs Mkhize and her daughter Pearl Buhle Mkhize and Andile, Mr and Mrs Nonto Mbatha and family, Smanga Gcwabaza and family, Miya’s extended family, Mr Z. and Mrs B. Mngadi and family. To the diocese of Mariannhill clergyman, seminarians, and laity. To the late Fr M. F. Khambule for his prediction of the future. To the people of St Wendolin’s, in particular church choir members and Ikhwezi lokusa, the St Wendolin’s Municipality Library staff, the South African Virgin Active total staff, my cousins and close relatives, and all those who are deceased (may your souls rest in peace), and those who have made my life what it is today. This is my way of giving back big time.

And last but not least, I thank you for purchasing this book. And I thank you all!

Executive Summary

Seminars, workshops and training, motivational talks, spiritual

direction, career guidance, mentorship, recollections and retreats,

and psycho-spirituality are provided. For bookings and more info,

contact [e-mail] & on facebook

Contents

Foreword

Autobiography

A Tribute to St Wendelin’s

Introduction

Chapter 1.    The Life Journey

Chapter 2.    The Philosophical Understanding of Life

Chapter 3.    The Religious Understanding of Life

Chapter 4.    The Humanitarian Understanding of Life

Chapter 5.    The Principles of Life

Chapter 6.    The Internal Motives

Chapter 7.    The Morality of Motives

Chapter 8.    The External Behaviour

Chapter 9.    Creating a Personal Brand

Chapter 10.    A Rightful Incumbent

Chapter 11.    A Success Journey

Chapter 12.    The Rough Patches of Life

Chapter 13.    The Fruits of Life

Chapter 14.    The Reminisce of Self

Chapter 15.    The Economic Slavery

Chapter 16.    Leading a Double Life Syndrome

Chapter 17.    The Power of Love

Chapter 18.    The Battle Ahead of Us All

References and Notes

Glossary

Foreword

A gentle tongue is a tree of life,

but perseverance in it breaks the spirit.

(Proverbs 15: 4)

The Incarceration of the Mind is motivated by my own personal observations of how stereotypes, misconceptions, and myths have changed the world. In context, how ‘social ills’ have cost us a great deal: And these social ills are made possible through our social, political, and economic systems which have marked ‘indelible intuitional scar’ amongst all people, in particular the black-skinned African people—people who are associated with stupidity, gadgets, mimic orientation, and irresponsible spending. One cannot neglect the pessimistic impact the slavery and colonisation have cost us as black-skinned Africans. To rubber-stamp our total downfall by the West, civilisation was made our eternal manifesto of doom, and this continue to have a negative impact on the African Continent till today, with its original citizenry the ‘black-skinned Africans’ remaining incarcerated mentally. Economically, the African Continent is the richest continent of them all. This is because it’s only in this continent that all natural resources such as gold, copper, bronze, diamonds, crude oil, coal, water, animals, and other preservatives are found. All these resources are managed and mandated by the European or Western ‘white-skinned Caucasians’. The same is said of black-skinned Africans. They are the ones who dictate how we should run and do things as Africans. They bail us out of our miseries. They settle our disputes whilst they secretly burn the fuel of such disputes to persist (by supplying ammunition). For them (whites) sanctions are their macroeconomic policy of dealing with the African Continent and the black-skinned Africans.

The struggle remains, therefore, for all black-skinned Africans to set themselves free from this bondage of ‘the incarceration of the mind’. For we will remain a Dark Continent marked with abject poverty, HIV-Aids, and other fatal diseases; economically, socially, and politically we would remain deprived. If we do not free ourselves from these shackles of backwardness and pitfalls, all our dilemmas as the African Continent will persist, even though we claim to be independent and free from the West. Therefore, this struggle of setting the record straight remains every black-skinned African’s responsibility, for we cannot preach to others without preaching to ‘our own selves’ first. We cannot criticise others without being our own critics first. We cannot judge others without being our own judge first. Demons are demons, and people are people. Demons can’t be people. But people can be demons. Only when we set our minds free from imprisonment we will know the difference. Therefore, we must be prepared to crawl before walk, and walk before run.

Autobiography

Our pedigrees make who we are in essence. It was out of this reason only that I opted to narrate my personal profile. My pedigree mainstream emanates from self; my name is Mgcini Mlangeni (born in 1984, May 1). I am the only son of the late Mr Christopher Fana Mlangeni and Yintombi Mngadi. Given the unknown lineage of my mother’s side had decided to narrate and emanate from my father’s known lineage.

My family roots are at Ladysmith, normally known as Mnambithi. The immigration of my grandfather Snquthu Mlangeni from Ladysmith to Durban, hunting for a job, marked a new horizon for my future-to-be ‘family’. Having obtained a mediocre job, a time came for him to meet the woman of his life—Anna Busisiwe Shabalala, with whom, after tying the knot, he had two daughters and a son. A time came in the history of these offsprings to have a life of their own. And so it was. The firstborn lady was Busi, who gave birth to a daughter (Mrs Nobesuthu Patricia Busane) and a son (Sunnyboy M. Dlamini).

The second child, also a daughter (Mrs Thokozile Mavis Miya), got married to Cosmas Miya. The two had eleven children, nine of whom are still alive. Being the offspring of the ‘last-born son’ of my grandfather and grandmother—Christopher Fana Mlangeni, I came to know little about most of my family background, as my father, my two aunts, and some of my cousins have gone to rest. Thus, enculturation was not exercised to its potential.

It’s worth mentioning that the real home of my grandfather was at Kwanqetho, whilst, another one was in Clermont and Hammersdale. My mother, after she gave birth to me, encountered tensions with my father and decided to abandon me with my grandmother (my father’s mother) after my grandfather had long been dead. I was about three weeks old, and that was the last I saw of my mother. And I grew up living with my grandmother until the age of five. When my grandmother became terminally ill and later died, my aunt (Mrs Thokozile Mavis Miya) adopted me. On the same year my father also ‘died a questionable death’. I started schooling at Kwadabeka Lower Primary School and later joined the then St Wendolin’s Lower Primary School right until I was promoted to Nonopha Higher Primary School, which is also situated at St Wendolin’s. Finally, a time came for me to resume my secondary education at Isizinda Secondary School (Isizinda Solova), which is also in St Wendolin’s.

One of the significant moments that I would love to share was my high school level, for it was in 1997, when I was in grade 9, that I started to be involved in human developmental activities. One of my activities to highlight was basketball; I could recall that I became so involved in the game that my name became Martin 2 (after my coach). The same year I started getting involved in Church activities. However, at that time it was just one of those things, as there was no deeper understanding of things. Got me right, I was just twelve years old! Most of the so many things I was doing I wasn’t matured enough to comprehend. The same year I became a member of the SARCS—South African Red Cross Society, on top of attending school. This continued until I joined the seminary. One thing that was so surprising was that I took part in all these important activities through my late friend Delani Mngadi. Although he was old enough to be my elder brother, we were indeed friends. One of the significant scenarios of my life was when I had to endure each day knowing very well that I don’t have a mother or a father to cry out loud to, not to mention a sister or a brother. Yet in all things I was more than vigilant to head on with life, although at times I had to learn to live with the idea that come December I had no one to buy me clothes for Christmas (whilst, it’s a norm for every kid on festive season to receive gifts or new clothing—mostly in black townships). I call to mind the year 1997/8, when I had to frequently go to church. Sadly, many a times I couldn’t go to church, for I didn’t have enough clothes to wear. Once, a neighbour lent me his navy trousers, for I had to join the Ikhwezi Lokusa (the uniform being black/navy trousers and white shirt). I had no proper shoes to wear. At times I used to wear a pair of shoes that were not identical. Many a times I was given clothes to wear by so many men and women who were willing to share all that they had got for my well-being. Yes, at times there were so many acts of kindness and love from my cousins and my aunt. Yet I cannot shy away from the fact that there were moments when I felt that if I had had my parents next to me, every step of the way, my life would not have been a difficult journey to endure. Life became so hard in 2001, when I was doing my matriculate, that had it not been for God’s gift and love, I would have continued with the idea of killing myself, for everything in my life was falling apart, and nothing seemed to make sense or bear intended fruits. Ironically, I was spiritually and emotionally motivated to live each day as if it were my first day, only day, and my last day. By the way, in 2001 I was doing my metric or grade 12. Amazingly though, I did pass my matriculate, and the door to my future was halfway opened.

Having finished matriculate in 2001, I met another ordeal in my life—the sudden passing away of my aunt (Mrs Mavis Miya). And that very same year, her husband (Cosmas Miya) also died; it was 2002. I recall a moment in my life when I was about to resume my priestly formation studies in 2003, in Verulam at St Kizito Orientation Seminary. I received love that was beyond measure from my acquaintances, colleagues, and friends of St Wendolin’s. I recall how I was given gifts—important things like clothing, accessories, and money—that filled my cousin’s car to the full. All these were acts of love by my people of St Wendolin’s. I recognise their valid contributions in my life. To top it all, I was given a king’s farewell by these people. To seal the deal, three different braais or barbecues were organised for my sake, from the day the announcement was made, till the last day, when I had to finally depart to start my formation process the next day (7 February 2003). I could not measure the words of support and encouragement given by my people of St Wendolin’s. Till this day, I still receive their unbelievable and enormous support. Had it not been for them, my life definitely might have become a thing of the past by now or, if not, not as it is today.

Having underwent all the necessities of formation, and about to finish that year (2003), I lost two prominent figures of my life: my half-sister Mrs Nobesuthu Patricia Busane and Fr M. F. Khambule. Although life was never the same for me from then onwards, I continued to live my life and my chosen vocation (the priesthood) until 2006, when I was disbanded from the priesthood ‘on the grounds of a poor family and Christian background’. This reason of poor family and Christian background hindered me from fulfilling my calling as a future priest. I was summoned by the church ‘to rectify my past, find a preferential job, and build one or two rooms’.

Having been forced to start afresh with life after losing the priesthood, I started searching for a possible job placement from the beginning of 2007 until 11 September 2007, when I got a job at Truworths and Identity Retail Store. I worked for eight full months right until 9 April 2008, when I resigned. I left the job, as I was at war with my inner self, at war with my career choice that didn’t suit my personality. I have been taking numerous exercises till this day to be in touch with my inner self. Thus, I continue with my true vocational search in life—the kind of search that will reveal my sincere calling in life (after the priesthood), the one that will blend with my expertise and my calibre. As for me and my life, I am now blessed with a child and his adorable mother who has proven to be my future wife. And as to what the future holds for me, it starts with you having to purchase and read this book for your own betterment, and taking your life as a possible reality to be unfolded by you and the self.

A Tribute to St Wendelin’s

The missionaries came to South Africa with an intention of preaching the good news; they were the Trappist monks that settled in Mariannhill (named after Virgin Mary and her mother St Anne) Monastery after they bought the land from the previous owners, the natives (black-skinned Africans) who belonged to the ‘Amanganga Tribe’, in 1882. Their coming marked interesting archaeological discoveries on the land they had just occupied. The missionaries started to dig for construction purposes. On their endeavours they unearthed stone implements, which were sent to Austria for identification. Some of the early Stone Age discoveries were the axes, cutting tools, and arrow heads, which were made by the African ancestors of the San Bushmen, who used to live a hunter—gather lifestyle up until 1800s. All these discoveries proved one ultimate truth: The area has been there occupied for over 100,000 years. Saint Wendelin is the name of a German Roman Catholic saint: Abbot Francis Wendelin Pfanner.

1.    The Naming of Native Land—1884

The etymological explanation of what a name is seems to depict a rather unprecedented couple of explanations. In context, the name is ‘what somebody or something is called: a word, term, or phrase by which somebody or something is known and distinguished from other people or things’ (Encarta® World English Dictionary © and (P) 1998-2005). It is a legacy for living and non-living things to be given names, whether for remembrance or distinction sake. The same legacy unfolded when Abbot Francis Wendelin Pfanner (a Trappist monk who was a missionary from Austria) gave his name to St Wendelin’s, which in Zulu was known as Kwasanti. The Trappists owned the land, and so inevitably they had the authority to give a new name to their territories.

2.    St Wendelin’s Church (1895/6)

The evangelisation and missionary work started to sow seeds for the Trappists. St Wendelin’s was recognised as the first mission outpost, and so, the conversion of natives to Christianity was rapid. On 10 April 1896, Abbot Francis gave permission to the St Wendelin’s Parish Council to build a church. This was the first instance where the Trappists’ notorious motto of ‘Ora et labora’,—which means ‘Pray and work’ was adopted by all. This motto was translated into many catechesis classes. Members of the first St Wendelin’s Parish Council included the chairman Mr Makhonjwa Ndokweni and Mrs Anselem Luthuli, Magnus Zungu, Philip Dodofana Gumede, Alois Mkhomazi Cele, Henry Muthwa, Ndandane Maphumulo, Sphongo William Hlophe, Petrus Makhaye, Johannes Maphumulo, and Magambu Ngcobo.

3.    The First Primary School (1904)

The Mariannhill Monastery was the hub of Christian development and civilisation. With that, Mariannhill had the first school. The pupils of the time had to travel a long distance from St Wendelin’s and the surrounding areas to Mariannhill to acquire knowledge. This led to the erection of St Wendelin’s Primary School in 1904. Francis Cele, Francisca Maphumulo, and Sophie Shozi were amongst the first pupils at the St Wendelin’s Primary School. The first teachers were the nuns from the order of the Sisters of the Precious Blood at Mariannhill. They included Sr Sylvia, Sr Acuta,