The ANC’s plans to destabilise and distract Helen Zille from fulfilling her duties as premier shows the contempt that our ruling party has for democracy.
After several years of the ANC’s chaotic mismanagement and paltry delivery, the Western Cape’s voters decisively elected the DA to run the province. In moves startlingly reminiscent to its repeated attempts to topple the DA-led Cape Town council, it is clear that the ANC simply cannot accept that its totalitarian agenda has been thwarted by Zille.
The ANC clearly isn’t interested in creating “a better life for all” as its slogan cynically claims. This is because the planned attempts to disrupt Zille’s administration will hurt the poor hardest. Zille has emphasised that service delivery and the practical obligations of her party’s much vaunted “open opportunity society” are her key priorities. Should she be prevented by the ANC from fulfilling this, then the poor — who would be the most significantly affected by her programme of action — will suffer.
Blinded by its elite’s relentless pursuit for power and privilege, the ANC’s track record in local and provincial government — especially in strongholds like the Eastern Cape — has been that of abysmal incompetence and corruption, with the poor remaining shackled by apartheid’s legacy. Little wonder that the party cannot bear to be shown up by a principled, effective white woman who gets things done and actually genuinely cares about the plight of the impoverished.
When the MK Veterans Association threatened to make the Western Cape ungovernable after Helen Zille dared to exercise her right to free speech (even if she displayed unseemly insensitivity in the process), there was not even a whisper of condemnation from the ANC for this brazen, illegal incitement to violence. Making a province ungovernable is tantamount to rejecting the rule of law, and the Constitution that underpins it. But this implicit endorsement of violent intolerance is not surprising. As we shall doubtless see in the months to come, the ANC will use its attack dogs — whether they be a youth league or washed-up war veterans — to brutally undermine any opposition that stands in the way of its bid for perpetual rule.
Just wait for the tediously well-prepared excuse from the ANC for this one…
http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/Politics/0,,2-7-12_2520866,00.html
By hanging on to their “perpetual” power, what you really mean is the re-emergence of the old National Party in CT symbolized by Zilles country club cabinet and the marginalization of blacks in the WC, don’t you?
hear hear.
I’m afraid you are right, Alex. The combination of Zille-baiting by the ANCYL/MK and the blatant sabotage executed by Lynne Brown in appropriating Provincial land and secretly ‘transferring’ it to federal ‘ownership’ bode very ill for the future. The ANC’s ruthlessness is more evident every day. Very scary.
All I can say is that continue to buttress your Zille and your DA and demonise ANC in the name of freedom of speech and democracy. It’s going to last and for those that don’t get it, it’s not yet uhuru and the phse we have entered has no reserve gear…
Dear Alex,
Zille and the DA have always encouraged South Africans to strengthen the opposition. The ANC has been in opposition from 1912 until 1994. The ANC and its partners is doing its duty to strenghen the opposition in the Western Cape. Afterall, this is good for democracy.
The DA is in govt in the Western Cape. Zille and the DA should take it like they have been givng it to the ANC. No cry babies. A govt without opposition is corrupt and applies cronyism like deploying farmers to run health. There is nothing wrong with the MK version of the, “Stop Zille Campaign”.
Afterall, Zille and the DA are implementing Verwoerdian policies informed by the white male supremacy and their belief that there are no skilled women and blacks in the Western Cape to be in cabinet. Opportunities are reserved for pale males in WC. DA’s diversity only exist in the DA’s election posters.
Cosatu is well within its rights to oppose the reincarnation of Verwoerdian ideas. Take all Verwoerd’s speeches and replace the words black with ANC. Furthermore, replace the words white with merit and bantu with poor. The result will be the same speeches that Verwoerd gave in the 60′s and Zille gives half a century later.
The result will be the same apartheid hierarchy of being. 1 White male; 2 White women; 3 Coloured male; 4 Coloured female; 5 Indians and lastly blacks. Service delivery follows this pattern with DA at the helm.
A true and honest article…and its refreshing to see this been spoken and written about.
The revelation of the “WP Land Transfer” by the ANC on the DAY OF THE ELECTION !!..further highlights what you say.
A 100m piece of river seperates Zimbabwe/Mugabe/Zanupf .. from some of our borders.
I ask you..What makes any of us think and that yearn for : honest democracy,rule of law,upholding the constitution and truly..”a better life for all”..that the Zim/Mugabe/Zanupf logic and mentality is any different from our ANC thugs !!??
Certainly the ANC actions..dont indicate any difference at all!!
I just hope that the common electorate – wake up ,before we too, are a basket case.
@ Alex
There we go again!
“Zille has emphasised that service delivery and the practical obligations of her party’s much vaunted “open opportunity society” are her key priorities”: This was Zille’ promise to the voters, and then the question is WHY don’t you believe President Jacob Zuma when he said “We also intend to start a new chapter in relations between government and the opposition,”
“…the ANC will use its attack dogs — whether they be a youth league or washed-up war veterans”: The ANC rebuked the remarks of ANCYL against Zille and most,importantly ANC constitution and policy indicates that MK-veterans and ANCYL are autonomous organizations( similarly to COSATU & SACP)!
WHY do you go at length to write article full of speculations with NO sources at all?!
Or like most columnists your entitled to Media Freedom and Freedom of expression and yet immune to accountability?
How quickly the president changed his tune from the speech he made when he was sworn in. That pledge he made to work with the opposition.
Thank you for this excellent article!Well done for reporting exactly as the situation is at the moment…as unpopular or unacceptable as ANC supporters or any others might find it. Let’s see what happens in the future – the situation can get worse, stay the same or get better…what other options are there? Time for finding fault is a waste of time…let’s see what all the new political leaders can do – not only talk about! I hope goodness prevails – irrespective of skin colour!!
Something else to consider is why so many of the ANCs elite are prepared to fight tooth & nail to regain power. Many of them never knew “luxury” until the ANC came into power. Politicians in SA aren’t like those elsewhere in the world – many of them have nothing to return to. They aren’t doctors, lawyers, engineers or other professionals with business opportunities. Now that they aren’t, they’ve lost the income, and hence the lifestyle that goes with it. So, losing power is unacceptable to them because it means losing a very comfortable lifestyle. I doubt that many of them really care about those they serve; I suspect that many of them are only really interested in restoring the lifestyle they have lost.
I turned to other sources of non-fiction reading after I opted out of our politics.
What do I find ? Men risk dying to surive.
Nigeria has oil wealth. Is a vast chunk of Africa.
Huge farming potential.
Africa is indeed the dark continent in every possible way.
Too deep for a naive white mind to penetrate.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/5331608.stm#map
Africans fought and died to get RID of Colonialism.
WHY NOW – do their descendants risk dying, repeatedly, just to get away from black rule – back to the Colonialists White rule they died to kick out of their country ?
Why are they doing this ?
Civil wars only cause more dying for a lost cause- so they risk their lives to reach ‘white governed’ countries.
Colonialist democracy.
Zille is only human but is fighting a lost cause for the desperate people who voted for DA.
She is too honest and principled to win against a corrupt, regime with the intention to dominate and rule till……
doing whatever it takes.
No matter how inhumane it may turn out.
Let those traitors who voted DA be choked until defeated.
2009 was the last free and fair (according to world standards) election. African democracy at work.
It is amazing that the DA are sudden champions of the poor. Whenever, effective opposition against the discriminatory actions of the DA disguised under merit are challenged, it is because the ANC wants perpetual rule.
Your choice of adjectives and adverbs when it comes to the ANC vs the DA betrays any objectivity and are revealing.
ANC = “chaotic mismanagement and paltry delivery, isn’t interested in creating “a better life for all”;abysmal incompetence and corruption;the ANC will use its attack dogs”
DA = Zille has emphasised that service delivery and the practical obligations of her party’s much vaunted “open opportunity society” are her key priorities.
If one understands that the ANC was voted into power by more than 11.5 million voters most of whom are black, women and poor. The DA only polled less than 3 million votes from mainly from middle class white and WC coloureds.
An average South African like myself do not feel comfortable with everything bad only associated with the ANC.Everything good to be presumed with the DA on no merit whatsoever.
Theuns Botha is a farmer with no health and medical experience. This is DA’s cronyism. Zille is doing worse than Mbeki’s appointment of Manto. Manto was atleast a doctor. Mbeki did not pretend to be making appointments on merit as the DA wants us to religiously believe.
The DA should not practice disguised racial bigotry and cling to whatever instrument(merit) to achieve discrimination. For Verwoerd it was melanin.
This is an understandable view but does not get to the bottom of the issue.
The issue is the irreconcilable contest between two opposed ideas. In the minds of some of the loudest elements among the African National Congress and its allies, ‘democracy’ means rule by the ANC. The historical reasons for this are obvious, but it involves intolerance. To a liberal – a misused and abused term, but there is still no other for it – ‘democracy’ has at its core an utterly contradictory set of values: pluralism, individualism, tolerance and choice; and as the basic insurance of these, the power of a free people not just to vote, but to change their government at the polls at constitutionally established intervals.
To the liberal, the ANC cannot at this stage be said to offer this: it offers one-party rule, a plebiscitary form of ‘democracy’. To the ANC and its more enthusiastic supporters, the liberals, be they white, black, pushy women or honest men, remain as they always were and will be – as Gwede Mantashe says, ‘the enemy’.
Great comment Paul Whelan – much as I admire the ANC for having made real strides in improving the lives of the poor – electricity, running water, houses and at least an attempt at improving access to education (although possibly a deliberate attempt to keep its quality low) – these are the outward signs of what appears to be a social democractic movement. The real test would be whether the ANC would willingly surrender power, as FW De Klerk’s National Party did in 1994. Unfortunately the prognosis is not good. If the ANC ever felt its grip on power slipping , I fear the ‘other face’ of the ANC would be shown, and it’s not pretty. Sad to say, the only way the ANC would ever relinquish power would probably be through foreign invasion or armed insurrection. An election isn’t going to do it, no matter what the results may be.
Hoo boy, the “swart gevaar” Nat tactics out in force. Comments say Alex is wrong but plunge into their own brand of mudslinging with no evidence at all. So we read of “country club cabinet” (loves that does Dave-wtf), “marginalisation of blacks”, “Verwoerdian tactics”, “racial bigotry” and a few threats thrown in.
Why can’t we move forward and get on with running the country. Bleak finacial times may lie ahead.
Paul Whelan is spot on. The overwhelming majority of the present ANC leadership are not liberal and dont understand democracy in the way most democrats do.For them democracy means their party being in power. They dont grasp the reality that corruption occurs when there is not a change of power every few years. It is good for any country, and no matter what party you support.
The encouraging aspect about Zuma however, is that he is not a racist, unlike many other people who contribute to these blogs. Hopefully things will improve.
When exactly did DA become champion of the poor? As I remember ANC also stressed that improved service delivery will be the priority this time around, but for some reason it seems like you chose to believe DA version for your one sided argument. If DA was genuine on their claim for improved service delivery for all I don’t think they would have chosen their current stance of “we will never work with ANC”. Anyway I suppose Zille and her DA have been send by God to save S.A from destroying itself. For some reason white South Africans seem to understand democracy better than anyone despite lack of evidence to support that notion. Bottom line is DA = Good while ANC = Evil
quentin
I agree with you on one fact – Zuma does not appear to be racist (although he is tribalist), any more than Mandela was. Mbeki was so blinded by hatred and racism he could see nothing else!
When…do you think, will Zuma repeal the poisonous, abhorrent & discriminatory Employment Equity Act, Act 55 of 1998? Only when he DOES this will I think he is on a par with Helen Zille! Thank you DA – the last hope for ALL of us in our beautiful South Africa.
Ms Zille will do well to govern the WC and forgt about Zuma and ANCYL..the strange thing is Zuma has not said a word to Zille though his silence might be interpreted as saying yes to the ANCY.
The things Zille has been saying about Zuma are true..however Zuma apologised for his actions and utterances during the rape trial..why cant Zille forgive?
We b;ack people have forgiven the injustices of the past because everyone deserves a second chance..yes even Zuma..so HZ must not be suprised by the hostility of those ANCYL morons.
Zuma extended the olive branch to the opposition, and HZ chose to push it aside..What is more worrying is how “white” peope find it difficult to forgive JZ and give him a fair chance to succeed or fail and yet they expect African people to forgive and forget.
To Mr Zuma, you have benn very presidential sir please continue to ignore HZ and her unforgiving supporters. Mr Zuma, im giving you a fair chance after which i will judge you. Because if we are to judge by the past, then i want my father they killed.
To morons ANCYL and MK veterans go to hell, HZ was elected..now let her govern..the people have spoken and they chose her accept it morons.
“Let us build a nation full of joy and laughter” as the president said. WHITE PEOPLE PLEASE FORGIVE
Mark Robertson,
De Klerk lost the elections to Mandela in 1994. So he did not give up any power willingly. He LOST period. You pretend to be a democrat but you advocate that a foreign force must invade SA to remove the democratically elected ANC. Do you expect the 11.5 million South Africans to stand by and not challenge your ideas? If you are sure of your ideas put them to a democratic debate.
Once again, I would urge DA supporters and sympathisers to appreciate that the ANC and its partners are heeding the DA’s call of strengthening the opposition. COSATU have been consistently opposing Mbeki on Zimbabwe, Economic policy, HIV/AIDS etc. COSATU is currently threatening the ANC national govt with another public sector strike.
Helen Zille and WC govt should not be cry babies and should not be spared any critism. It is about time that the DA grows up and takes critism just as they have been dishing it out. The ANC and DA all consist of politicians. If you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen. That politics 101.
I’m impressed at the ruthlessness at which the ANC has dealt with the DA, first in parliament, denying them any committee chairpersonships, now the master stroke of land transfer to national government control. This party has decided to adopt a hostile stance of engagement in politics, the ANC must deal with it finish and klaar.
All parties except the insane energetically cultivate a self-preservation instinct, Siobhan. Why should the ANC be an exception to this rule? Zille has pledged to the citizens of South Africa that she is going to provide them with a strong opposition to the ruling party. In WC the ANC is in the opposition, and it stands to reason that it to should provide the province with robust opposition to HZ’s governing party, thus what opposition parties should do – vigorously critique the policies of the governing parties at all levels. To say that HZ is being ‘savaged’ is to be disingenuous because HZ is her own political destroyer. Instead of concentrating on policy she consistently concentrates on JZ sex lifestyle. Does she expect JZ’s supporters to standby and as she indulges in this sleaze talk? Like I said in one of my contribution, the problem with HZ and some of her ardent supporters is that she is refusing to accept the new political dispensation by continuing to promote ‘abstract liberalism,’ a codename for modern racism ( a practice of racism that pits non-blacks against blacks.) With this kind of practice there is no doubt HZ is self-destructing.
Mbenge Ziko
Njabulo,
There is no ruthlessness. The ANC is not obliged to beg the DA. The DA has made it category clear that it was not going to work with the ANC before and after the elections. The DA, since Tony Leon’s days, has always thought that cooperation with the ANC would lead to its demise. Tony Leon declined Mandela’s overtures. What more about Zuma’s overtures given that Zuma is not well regarded by the DA?
It was Zille’s DA that vowed to “Stop Zuma”. It takes two to tango. There is nothing you can do to convince the DA that the ANC are the reincarnation of the devil. Just look at the adjectives used by DA and its supporters to describe the ANC and Zuma and the adverbs used to describe ANC actions-hate speech.
When Zuma offered an olive branch and cooperation, within a week Zille called him a womaniser. If Zuma and the ANC continued working with Zille, Zille would have said Zuma was trying to womanise her.
What else can the ANC do besides strengthening the opposition as the DA wants? Since, the existence of the DA strengthen the opposition to govt has been the main goal besides anything else. The whole DA notion of service delivery, merit and the interest of the poor is just the current fashion that started in 2009. Before, there was “fight-back”. Merit and service delivery slogans for the DA will come to pass just like “fight-back”.
Mr Alex, what are you talking about..Hell Zille is the one who is waging a war on Mr Zuma..Muhweleli, you are either stupid or very stupid, Mr Zuma has been preachin a message of peace, tolerance and respect..so when did Mr Zuma change his tune??..ANCYL and MK are morons and their utterances do not represent the ANC as they are automonous bodies.
Alex, objectivity is a key to informing people rather than spreadin DAs propaganda…Did HZ really expect the Zuma fans to sit back while HZ hailed insult at Mr Zuma?
If HZ wants to be left alone..she must shut up and govern her colony(WC) and i feel sorry for all those who live in the colony..because we all know the DA takes care of its own..CT is a very good example.
To Mr Zuma lead with honour and dignity..show the world that you have been a victim of the SAs media(M&G,Sunday Times, City press..)
Forwad with service delivery..down with the hatred of Mrs Zille
Lyndall Beddy, why do you say Mr Zuma is a triabalist?has he ever said anything that alevated the Zulus to be above other tribes or does his pride abouth his culture make him a triabalist?
This is one thing i hate abou S.A white peolple talking about us not witrh us on how we are as the people.
Im a proud Zulu, does that mean im a triabalist?Lyndall dont just blah blah for the sake of commenting please talk substance.
Jeez
After a shaky start there are signs that Helen Zille and the DA are starting to ignore all the inconsequential static emanating from the more clamorous elements of the ANC. This is the right thing to do.
The DA must focus on governing in the Western Cape which should be relatively straight forward given the proven administrative ineptitude of the ANC. Better still the ANC are showing signs of being equally inept in opposition. Exploit weakness but avoid pettiness.
As a corollary to administrative excellence the DA should continue to expose all the shortcomings of the ANC but this is best achieved by their shadow cabinet at national level. This should always be done firmly but politely because personal insult never wins an argument.
ANC lickspittles will be VERY angry with you for pointing out their flaws. You’ll be called a “racist”. When that happens, you’ll wisely take it as the white flag of surrender by dumb bozos who can’t build an argument. They only chant hollow mantras and slogans and bluff themselves they can “argue”.
Sbu, you would class me as “white”. I see you are at Wits (language-shift irony). I was one of those PUPA/Nusas fools that ended up with my family shafted for my activities. Security police, whatever. My sister was hurt. Badly. We kept on because we believed in that race shouldn’t count. These days, I’m told, my skin colour and gender preclude me from employment for which I am well-qualified.
I was told that non-racialism meant that race didn’t matter. Well, apparently it does in the Not-So-New South Africa. The ANC has adopted apartheid policies except for a varient one: white males are expected to leave for a ‘eurostan’ that won’t take them because most have been here for TOO LONG!
There are no new ideas here. It’s simply vengeance for what our fathers did. We should be grateful for reconciliation. Pfah! There is no reconciliation. All the racists are dead or have emigrated. The people you are hurting are those that held to the dream of ’94. THE ANC is guilty of 21st century apartheid.
Traitors!
When are we going to learn that whether you are black, coloured, indian, zulu, xhosa, white or whatever – we are South Africans and entitled to be here! Discrimination in any form was supposed to have ended way back in 1994! This is what the whites voted for! Why then is the Employment Equity Act, 1998 (Act 55 of 19 October, 1998) still in force? This means that our government still relentlessly continues to implement apartheid-in-reverse legislation. When will this discrimination end?
um, madoda?
“we will make the western cape ungovernable” is a completely different call than “stop zuma from getting a 2/3 majority and his hands on the constitution.”
only the most infantile minds would think they are similar.
the members of the african national congress employment agency are miffed that there are now positions in the western cape which are not held by anc members.
it’s very sad that voting for any party except the anc is considered seditious.
what happens if/when cope become the official opposition? all of the anc’s wit gevaar arguments become useless, then.
Let’s all move forward together, and join hands with our common loyalty to SA. Let us put the people above the state, the state above the party (not the inverted pyramid that we all tend to be falling for if you’ll excuse the mixed metaphor), and make the nation successful, for all who live in it. And let’s allow President Zuma the benefit of the doubt and an open mind, as he may well be the best thing that’s happened to SA.
Madoda:
You are bitter, cynical, biased and I don’t blame you. However, the real issues will be decided not by politicians, like Zuma or Zille, but those who will be able to solve the rising crime rate, the collapsing educational and health system, the deep mire of corruption both in private and government business, the chronic unemployment. Whether this will be party A or party B, white, black or blue,is irrelevant. The next years will be decisive. So let us suspend the invectives, calling each other racists or worse. The results will speak for themselves.
There is much more to the ANC jumping up and down in frenzy about the DA than meets the eye. The new administration is about to open the can of worms. Let’s see what is going to crawl out.
Transferring land to national govt 1 day before the election is not coincidence, that is for SURE!!
Although a former contributior, Simphiwe, said that obejctivity is impossible, let me present an objective view of the raging debate above.
Some people made a calculated bet, based on available information and emotional bias, that Party A will be the one to solve the aforementioned problems of the country. Some people made a calculated bet,based on available information and emotional bias, that Party B will be the one.It seems to be an utter fallacy, that supporters of Party A violently criticise the reasons as to why some people made a bet in favour of Party B, and conversely, Party B supporters violently criticise the reasons as to why some people made a bet in favour of Party A.
Oh Alex, I think this is the opportune time to send in your CV to Zille for a job as an effective spokesperson, and by the way, don’t worry, your CV will be accepted by an ‘effective’ male for inspection, and you will be ‘effectively’ recommended by another male. And all those males possibly pale skinned. I want to see the Western Cape transform into a province, not some country headed by that anti-women Helen Zille.
Sbu@Wits
Zuma endangers every South African with his lifestyle. It is not about forgiveness – it is about being a bad example. Children copy their heros and leaders. Zuma has 18 children by 7 women and is only presently married to one of the 7.
It is the worst possible for a country which is the capital of the world for Aids and for abuse of women and children (by MEN)
Helen is going to keep hitting out at men and will not stop.
She is one thing Zuma can never be – she is a WOMAN!
Even the mortally dim of mind know too well that respect is mutual. HZ has been getting her base all fired up by being shrill. No that the other side is responding in kind she is crying foul. I am yet to see HZ and the DA articulate their vision for South Africa beyond sleaze talk. Mark Robert’s last comment seems to indicate he has seen the light, and is distancing himself from the jacked up drama that has come to characterize HZ and her fanatic followers who seem to be incapable of critical thought, unless if he is saying this tongue in cheek. Madoda is right on the money when he points out that HZ seems to be an epitome of Verwoerdism. I wouldn’t be surprised if she made Carel Boshoff her Minister of Internal Affairs. My prediction is, if the DA continues to go the route of the ‘Oranian State,” it too will definitely got the way of dinosaurs. Again, abstract liberalism has never succeeded forever. Again, I challenge HZ and her DA, as well as her zealous followers to a policy debate.
Mbenge Ziko
Lyndall – always at the coal face – you go girl !
“She is one thing Zuma can never be – she is a WOMAN!”
God created man first – saw that he was pretty useless without a brain – so he created woman and a brain.
The rest is history – behind every successful man is a woman.
Kenya is teaching the arrogant males the real truth of where their power is seated.
In their pants and not their heads.
It took my generation of ‘bolshie’ females to put their foot down.
AND still doing it 35 years later as men just do not learn.
leave the african national congress alone…if you are not a member, why bother about what it does or doesnt. should you not be concerned about your all-men-15% party?
Mbenge! Wena Umfaan !
“responding in kind she is crying foul.”
Ex mighty Liberators of SA with their guns and boots acting like old SAPF and SANDF -
—– is named by you as
responding “IN KIND????”
What planet are you from ?
“he has seen the light”
You must see it now too I tell you!
Exert your brilliant insight.
“epitome of Verwoerdism”
She was despised as a “…..Boetie”
She risked life and limb against BOTHA?
A cold, deadly – much more brutal diktator than
Verword and his philosophical “AFRICAN SOLUTION!”
If you do not see them – they do not exist.
Pay off their greedy Chiefs – it worked too!
The electorate – me too at first – bought it.
Just like the people of 2009 buy into “solutions.”
Heard that “AFRICAN SOLUTION to African problems” repeated ?
Erudite Mbeki did not ‘invent’ it !
Grow up and learn about reality
HZ is busy fixing up ANC “African Solution” to poverty of ignoring it and it will go away.
Feed the masses cake. “promises of handouts.”
@Dave – working pretty hard to develop the perception that Zille and the DA is both sexist and racist there Dave? That perception fails to address the following two glaring holes in a now tired and juvenile argument:
1) Zille has done far more for the libertaion of South Africa than most black people did. She actively opposed apartheid while millions of black people did not. How can she possibly be racist with credentials like that? The woman stuck her neck out when other hid theirs away. For you to claim she is a racist implies you have no knowledge of SA’s history and her part in it.
2) The DA selected a woman as their leader. That is hardly sexist. The ANC has dished up 4 male presidents in a row. Where is their woman leader? Zille went on to select who she thought would best carry out the mandate of the voter. Why do you have such an issue with their sex and their colour? The ANC has not fielded a demographically rep parliament by miles? Why should the DA?
Furthermore, all of this obsession with sex and race is quite similar to to the band playing while the Titanic sinks. All very noble but quite idiotic and hardly likely to put bricks upon other bricks quicker. Lets see what these guys do before we judge them based on their skin colour. Or are you comfortable to condemn these ‘country club’ men purely on racial and social class prejudice?
@old,female, paleface;”Africans fought and died to get RID of Colonialism.
WHY NOW – do their descendants risk dying, repeatedly, just to get away from black rule – back to the Colonialists White rule they died to kick out of their country”
This is a very shallow take on such an intricate matter. Once again you are betryaying either your ignorance of history or you are blinded from facts by your own denialism. When colonisers came to Africa, they extracted mineral resources and repatriated them to the West and apart from enslaving Africans, they introduced the modern economic system knowing full well that they had enriched themselves and had an upper hand in the modern era-Africa would depend on them. Africans did not see themselves as being poor when colonialists came but they were/ are proletarianized by the modern economic system and whites (and in particular those in the West) are priviledged because of this. Read Michel de Mintaigne, Rosa Luxembourg and, yes, Marx (but I must admitt the latter is poor on colonialism).
@Alex: Fact: In the Cape there is a huge gap between the rich and the poor (more than anywhere). Whites (even uneducated whites) are the wealthiest and those who are are the most likely to find employment. Blacks are the poorest. The MK’s statements are ill-considered but the point is that the ANC needs to (legally) intervene with policies to arbitrate (if you will) the current class dynamics.
Also, Alex, it is racist to use the term “savage” to describe a black person. I mean, is your vocab that limited? You are echoing the likes of Ridder Haggard (with notably lesser eloquence), van Riebeeck and, dare I say, kleintjie Verwoerd! SURELY YOU ARE BETTER THAN THAT!
@ SS……”leave the african national congress alone”….you jest!
Sorry, but it does not work like that. The ANC governs on behalf of all South Africans even those of us who do not support them. When they screw things up (which is increasingly frequent) it affects all of us. This gives us the OBLIGATION to be critical. Then there is the small matter of the rights which accrue by virtue of our taxes.
Our “all-men-15% party” (+ 1 female leader) is one of the instruments we use to keep the ANC in check and it is working rather well given your reaction.
“The ANC’s plans to destabilise and distract Helen Zille from fulfilling her duties as premier shows the contempt that our ruling party has for democracy”.
What an opening statement from someone who is expected to provide an objective analysis. Anyway!I think the WC phenomenon will provide a test to our Constitution and will once and for all prove that our political system, which is neither unitary nor federal has some serious flaws. This is one of the many flaws that are continuously emerging that stem from the “consensus” driven Constitution. This set up of provinces was a compromise position between the unitary state (ANC and other progressive forces) and federalism(National Party and IFP with an eye on ruling certain provinces forever). The same goes with deciding on the boundaries of provinces.
Our Constitutional process was very undemocratic.A group of people who were not elected by the majority set and drafted a Constitution on behalf of the majority. As a result we have a Constitution that we all love and want to protect, but does’nt make sense to most of us.
What is interesting is that, as the years pass, Hellen Zille will really wish she had a 2/3 majority to do things like, for a start, change the electoral system, give more autonomy to the provinces,allow provinces to raise their own revenue through normal tax etc.
i dont have anything against alex matthews and his views. they are his views, however biased and unsubstantiated. he looks like a young white youth who takes everything he is told without question and analysis. i sort of expect his verdict.
i am more worried about the contributors to the discussion, if i can call it that. bar a few people, everyone here is hell bent on appearing better than the other, in making a total fool of themselves and insulting people they dont know!
you decide to write because you think you have an argument to make or maybe shed some light on a point. not to insult people. is this the background we come from? were we raised like that? are we unable to build a viewpoint objectively on facts?
why? is it that honest to say the anc has not achieved anything since 94? to say they are all thugs? is it true that we will be befallen with the same fate as other african countries? we are doomed?!
it is good do debate opposing views. please keep it honest and polite? it is the decent thing to do. some of us have kids to raise. it makes me shudder to think they could be coming into contact with people who contribute here. built you argument on facts, not bile!
@ Phillipa…you say….”Fact: In the Cape there is a huge gap between the rich and the poor (more than anywhere).”
I am intrigued by this statement and wonder whether you have any tangible references in support of the …”more than anywhere”.
Furthermore, where did Alex use the word savage “to describe a black person”. I can only find the word savage in his heading and then used in the context of tearing apart or destroying.
Dear Philippa
You are deliberately – I say this as I am sure as a Polish communist you are well educated, at least in political matters (excuse the quote from Albert Speer to Prosecutor Rudenko… always smiled at this apt summary of the 1939 pact and the equal culpability of both sides in the dismemberment of Poland – would love to get your views on this one) misquoting Alex and mutating his verb ‘to savage’ to the noun ‘savage’, which he clearly did not say, and secondly transposing ‘ANC’ for ‘black person’ which again is the sloppiest and most deliberate misquotation I have ever read. Goebbels and Vishynsky would have been proud.