06/01/2026
The recent post on AmityPoint reflects on a powerful story from Diepsloot titled āThe Shop on the Corner: Why We Must Choose Ubuntu Over Fear,ā written by . It follows the lives of two neighbours, Thabo and Mamadou, whose friendship and shared resilience were slowly undone when fear and blame began to take hold in their community. What was lost was not only a small shop, but trust, dignity and the sense of belonging that once tied people together.
This reflection reminds us that when inequality, unemployment and broken systems go unanswered, fear becomes the loudest voice in the room. People begin to turn against one another, not because they lack humanity, but because hardship is redirected toward the most visible targets.
Beline invites us to look deeper than the headlines and confront the real roots of social division. She calls us to rebuild connection through empathy, honest dialogue, shared opportunities and a renewed commitment to Ubuntu, the belief that my humanity is intertwined with yours.
At AmityPoint, we believe that peacebuilding begins in everyday relationships, in the small choices people make to choose compassion rather than suspicion and in communities that refuse to let fear define who they are.
Read the full piece here: https://amitypointinstitute.org/2026/01/02/the-shop-on-the-corner-why-we-must-choose-ubuntu-over-fear/