THE BURDEN OF MIDDLE CLASS PRIVILEGE

Privilege is an extensive issue and I speak a lot about it because I know what it is to not have it. This week , however, I want to write about the privilege I do have – it annoys me that I have it only because it distinguishes me and my particular set of problems from those of those in a lower class than mine. I hate the world guys, I honestly am just tired of the boxes we found existing which we are seemingly intent on keeping there as well.
First of all I don’t know what it is to go without. I grew up in a home where my dad always made sure we had food to eat, my mom made sure we had clothes to wear and unless I was visiting my grandparents in the rural areas of the kingdom I have always accessed water through taps in the house. So when news of the drought began to dominate the news I was distractedly concerned. SWSC has always been my water provider I have never had to go directly to a river for water unless this was recreational and a way to experience rural life. Now please understand me well, I don’t say these things to prove a senseless superiority I say them to show how hardly hit I was by seeing the DPM wiping his tears at the gravity of the water shortage in the kingdom. I have family who live in rural Swaziland, who only see running water when they visit the cities or more developed parts of the country so when rivers dry up I stand to lose people who matter to me.
Growing up in my father’s house there was always water in 25 litre containers because he is a ‘prepare for the worst case scenario’ type of man and that is something I do even in my own home. I do it out of habit more than necessity. My point is being middle class gives you options.

As much as I appreciate SWSC deploying water tankers to affected parts of the kingdom I am also concerned that this water is only being availed to people with water meters. This provision leaves out those who are probably hardest hit by this situation. You see, it’s not SWSC’s fault that they operate the way they do, obviously its clients are priority but where then is government intervention to offer aid to the places SWSC cannot service?

Here in the middle class circles we talk about internet being a basic human right, students in tertiary institutions have, at one time or another, stopped attending classes and protested over it. Where does access to water come in with regards to being necessary for survival. On Maslow’s hierarchy of needs ‘physiology’ forms the base of the pyramid with ‘safety’ coming in second – safety includes things like job security and access to amenities, these are things which are important for human survival, or so the theory goes. I am frustrated at watching this apathy from government and not because I am the sort of person who constantly looks to any government for intervention but our government almost always seems to be under prepared for things which they warn us against.

If it isn’t ‘tighten your belts there is an economic crisis looming’ then you see a new fleet of government vehicles being purchased and promotions which results in higher pay grades being made it is ‘sell your cattle a drought is coming’ and then they have no actual intervention strategies in place to help people when that drought comes. I’m so stressed out I am typing run on sentences.

You see the burden of middle class privilege is that I have space to air my views and know that they will reach diverse audiences all over the kingdom. What my middle class privilege also grants me is the false sense of having achieved something by writing this alone and expressing my indignant stance. People are still thirsty. About 12 000 cows have still died. The rains have still not come but along with access to running water, electricity and audiences to address, middle class privilege allows me to be panicked by the statistics but not overly so because the burden of water provision is not my own it belongs to SWSC – conversations I have been having throughout the week have had these exact sentiments expressed to me. ‘kani baholelani masengite emanti?’ (what are they getting paid for if I don’t get water). Another middle class burden; passing the buck, almost no accountability and far too little ‘get up and do for myself’.

This water crisis is a national concern, unless we all play our part in being resourceful with our water usage we will indeed begin to lose relatives. Worst case scenario; the crisis comes straight to your middle class life, claiming you’re your comfortable middle class trimmings because some issues are bigger than the privilege we claim.