Comments on: Roots of our political warfare http://www.thoughtleader.co.za/guyberger/2007/10/10/roots-of-our-political-warfare/ Sun, 12 Feb 2012 10:41:24 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Hlengiwe http://www.thoughtleader.co.za/guyberger/2007/10/10/roots-of-our-political-warfare/comment-page-1/#comment-3530 Hlengiwe Sun, 14 Oct 2007 14:27:11 +0000 http://www.thoughtleader.co.za/guyberger/2007/10/10/roots-of-our-political-warfare/#comment-3530 Im really dissapponted with the writer's lack of Knowledge about the Zulu nations.The Zulus fought against the colonists,we lost so many Zulu people in those wars maybe even more than Xhosa people.Does the events such a The Blood River,Isandlwana War and the Bhambatha Rebellion ring any bells in you?The first chief to refuse to pay tax and waged a war against the colonist was Bhambatha more than 100 years ago,but how many people know about him and the answer to that is because he was Zulu.Here in South Africa you only get recognise for your struggle when you are Xhosa because our government is Xhosa.Im sick and tired of all this because KZN did produce leaders that fought in the struggle the likes of Moses Mabhida,chief Albert Luthuli and many more that are never recognised by both our the government and the media.So when we talk about the leadership race may we not look at ones ethnicity but judged them on their leadership qualities because each and every South Africans.whether Xhosa or Zulu participated in defeating the enemy. Im really dissapponted with the writer’s lack of Knowledge about the Zulu nations.The Zulus fought against the colonists,we lost so many Zulu people in those wars maybe even more than Xhosa people.Does the events such a The Blood River,Isandlwana War and the Bhambatha Rebellion ring any bells in you?The first chief to refuse to pay tax and waged a war against the colonist was Bhambatha more than 100 years ago,but how many people know about him and the answer to that is because he was Zulu.Here in South Africa you only get recognise for your struggle when you are Xhosa because our government is Xhosa.Im sick and tired of all this because KZN did produce leaders that fought in the struggle the likes of Moses Mabhida,chief Albert Luthuli and many more that are never recognised by both our the government and the media.So when we talk about the leadership race may we not look at ones ethnicity but judged them on their leadership qualities because each and every South Africans.whether Xhosa or Zulu participated in defeating the enemy.

]]> By: Guy Berger http://www.thoughtleader.co.za/guyberger/2007/10/10/roots-of-our-political-warfare/comment-page-1/#comment-3498 Guy Berger Sat, 13 Oct 2007 09:08:40 +0000 http://www.thoughtleader.co.za/guyberger/2007/10/10/roots-of-our-political-warfare/#comment-3498 Hi Ndumiso Thanks for your comment. You have an interesting point about different views between N, P, C and G! I would be very interested, however, to have been a fly on the wall at the cabinet meeting which endorsed the President's stand on not suspending Jackie Selebe. One would have hoped that someone would tell the emperor that he was looking pretty naked on that issue! The stand, to me, is one that is bad in principle and bad in pragmatics as well. Does anyone in the inner circle really feel strong enough to argue that to the Pres? On your second issue, about ebbs and flows - that's food for thought. If you're right, populism here we come. Hi Ndumiso

Thanks for your comment. You have an interesting point about different views between N, P, C and G! I would be very interested, however, to have been a fly on the wall at the cabinet meeting which endorsed the President’s stand on not suspending Jackie Selebe. One would have hoped that someone would tell the emperor that he was looking pretty naked on that issue! The stand, to me, is one that is bad in principle and bad in pragmatics as well. Does anyone in the inner circle really feel strong enough to argue that to the Pres?

On your second issue, about ebbs and flows – that’s food for thought. If you’re right, populism here we come.

]]> By: Ndumiso Ngcobo http://www.thoughtleader.co.za/guyberger/2007/10/10/roots-of-our-political-warfare/comment-page-1/#comment-3462 Ndumiso Ngcobo Fri, 12 Oct 2007 12:05:18 +0000 http://www.thoughtleader.co.za/guyberger/2007/10/10/roots-of-our-political-warfare/#comment-3462 Interesting analysis, albeit with more than a slight taint of Mervin Gumede's 'Battle for the soul...' My own observations: - 1. I believe that there is too much of a muchness in the assertion that Mbeki is surrounded by 'yes men'. Netshitenzhe, Pahad, Chikane and Gumbi hardly strike me as being 'like-minded'. 2. I personally believe that Mbeki's centralist style (which, I agree, is fast running out time) will be judged kindly by history as having been exactly what we needed in the post-Mandela era. Just like the rightist-leftist yo-yo in US politics, I believe that the more 'inclusive' style we are inevitably headed for is just part of a cycle that will probably be with us for a while. 3. One thing I most definitely agree with is that "absolute power corrupts absolutely" and I'm afraid that Mbeki has also fallen prey to this idiom. Recent events are symptomatic of a man not entirely in touch with the reality that the power he wields was ceded to him and not really taken. Interesting analysis, albeit with more than a slight taint of Mervin Gumede’s ‘Battle for the soul…’ My own observations: -

1. I believe that there is too much of a muchness in the assertion that Mbeki is surrounded by ‘yes men’. Netshitenzhe, Pahad, Chikane and Gumbi hardly strike me as being ‘like-minded’.

2. I personally believe that Mbeki’s centralist style (which, I agree, is fast running out time) will be judged kindly by history as having been exactly what we needed in the post-Mandela era. Just like the rightist-leftist yo-yo in US politics, I believe that the more ‘inclusive’ style we are inevitably headed for is just part of a cycle that will probably be with us for a while.

3. One thing I most definitely agree with is that “absolute power corrupts absolutely” and I’m afraid that Mbeki has also fallen prey to this idiom. Recent events are symptomatic of a man not entirely in touch with the reality that the power he wields was ceded to him and not really taken.

]]> By: Walton http://www.thoughtleader.co.za/guyberger/2007/10/10/roots-of-our-political-warfare/comment-page-1/#comment-3408 Walton Thu, 11 Oct 2007 18:19:40 +0000 http://www.thoughtleader.co.za/guyberger/2007/10/10/roots-of-our-political-warfare/#comment-3408 South Africa needs fast, cheap Internet, to let some fresh ideas in. South Africa needs fast, cheap Internet, to let some fresh ideas in.

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