As South Africa heads into its darkest days since democracy in 1994, I want to be reminded about the heroic struggles that led up to 1994. In January someone sent me a wonderful birthday present – a video clip from those days that includes a interview with me about the dynamics of the democratic transition that followed the release of Mandela. This forms part of the African Activist Archive that is full of clips from that era – worth a look if you are feeling depressed about the present.
Yes indeed. None so blind as cannot see. The writing was on the wall before 1994
The ANC built on a foundation of noble principals and integrity now high jacked by a band of self serving rogues …
I totally disagree. The ANC – including our great and wonderful, iconic, late and past President Nelson Mandela were compromised into accepting the rembants of apartheid design as “noble and principled”. It is clear now that tge aoaryheud design sugar coated with neo-liberal economic policies, capitalism, big business, big science and big pharma have laid their tentacles on the developing world, Africa, Mzansi and the ANC. Don’t forget to look at what’s parallelling with Brazil, Roussef and Lula! I’m not letting the ANC off the hook but adding to the corruption saga the seemingly forgotten “values and principles” of “you scratch my back I scratch yours” that apartheid design left as a killing legacy. There’s more about the Cobstitutional legacy of apartheid that’s appalling: The lack of recognition of cultural rights and identity of the descendants of the Khoe and San … your values and principles are far too selective and discriminatory to be taken seriously.
My view is more shallow and does not take into account the academic concept of what the party’s policies and strategies should be. The founding fathers of the ANC were people of high principles who were prepared to make massive personal sacrifices for what they believed to be right and for the good of the people generally. These kind of ANC members are still prevalent in the ANC. The current rogue leadership are less interested in what they can do for the good of the people and country generally and are more interested in self enrichment. They have taken control and ousted the people who really care and would make a difference. Simplistically if the school children need books they first work out how they can benefit by say awarding a contract to a wife, associate, friend etc at the expense of the child who are compromised. Since this attitude starts at the top (where the leaders take a payout to award say an armsdeal) and moves to the middle management (where the contract to deliver the school books is awarded to an incompetent tenderpreneur) and down to the bottom (where a traffic officer takes a bride not to issue a ticket). Since everyone’s doing it no one can be reigned in. If the culture of entitlement and self enrichment (the bad guys) is not rooted out from the top it can never be fixed down the ranks. The question is can the bad guys be ousted or is it too ingrained and too late to do something about the rot that has set in. Simply put can the good guys regain the party and eject the bad guys.
My response differs from yours on the efficacy of transformation hinging on the good guys sorting out the bad guys. I argue above – and you missed the point entirely – that the problem of contemporary government is the consolidation of a racist, Domination System. At first the racist domination system developed as apartheid design, now has become the global, neo-colonial and neo liberal system into which the ANC has bought. People are redeemable. Shouting “corruption” and fomenting “regime change” is playing into the hands of the domination system. It will be the hard, creative mobilisation of the poor, marginalised and excluded people who are ANC members to challenge
Who will be able to correct the apartheid designed domination system pervading SA abd glibal politics. Harry Kalligiannis.
I have no background or training in politics or the design of political systems. I am not an academic or a philosopher. What you are saying is that the political system had its design influenced by apartheid and possibly westerners generally? The system then has allowed for bad guys to dominate with no way of being able to eject them or reign them in? In essence what you could be saying is that it is the fault of the apartheid architects and westerner colonialists that we now have leaders that are so blatantly bad that it leaves us speechless? These leaders can’t be reigned in by their own party (who initially demonstrated such integrity and hope) and the system allows them to entrench themselves and dominate. So is it the ANC who don’t have the ability to eject the bad guys or is it the guys who are responsible for the system who made it that the bad guys can’t be ejected. Notwithstanding that I may or may not support the ideology of the ANC I am deeply disappointed that I have to hear about bad (alleged or factual) people on a daily basis with no one seemingly able to address the problem.
It is my biggest disappointed that at this stage in our history certain racist bigots have now been given the ammunition to be able to stand up and say with conviction: “We knew all along and told you that these people can’t run a country”. I do not hold this view and only hope and pray that the ANC see it within themselves to eject the bad guys and clean up their act!
Hi bro please drop me your email address at nyalunga1@gmail.com.We have unfinished project that you may be able to help with