Sadly this Business Day cartoon published today pretty much sums up the conventional wisdom now forming amongst the chattering classes and also the Jacob Zuma supporters about the veracity of our President.
This blog deals with political and social issues in South Africa, mostly from the perspective of Constitutional Law. Written by Pierre de Vos
Quote of the week
May 16, 2012 | 20:28 pmThe last session of parliament was the longest for 100 years. At the previous state opening, the Queen had been on the throne for a mere 58 years. She looks a little more elderly these days, a little more stooped, and she walked with that slight caution that you would have if you were carrying the weight of a large bag of potatoes on your head. Or a crown as we call it. You could hardly call it an austerity opening, though looking round the House of Lords I could see only about a dozen tiaras. The place still looked like a festival of bling, a convention of white rappers all desperate to show how minted they were. The event was designed hundreds of years ago to convince continental ambassadors that this wet, windswept country off the west coast of Europe was immensely wealthy. That might well be part of the intention today. – Simon Hoggart, in the Guardian, about the UK opening of Parliament
-
Archive for Quote of the week »
New from Seminar Room
- FUL’s founding affidavit on Mdluli case
- Pierre de Vos: Taking risks, taking responsibility: on whiteness and full citizenship under the South African Constitution
- Pierre de Vos: memo on SA Police Service Amendment Bill
- Justice Zac Yacoob on the “Dynamic Constitution”
- Oslo Declaration on HIV criminalisation
- Julius Malema expelled: the NDC ruling
-
Archive for New from Seminar Room »
New from Updates
- Call for submissions to arms deal inquiry
- Podcast of DCJ Moseneke lecture at Georgetown University
- Internships at Human Rights Commission
- Shortlisted names for appointment to the Constitutional Court
- Chief Justice statement on death of Cabinet Minister
- ANC rejects Holomisa’s statement on gays and lesbians
-
Archive for New from Updates »
When i saw this in the morning, my first thought was – God bless Africa. Then I re-called that that prayer is falling on deaf ears. I then thought, God bless Africans.
Khosi,
I agree. God bless Africans (us), with all our human fallibities. Only if some of us, like “TM” could acknowledge these, even if its once in a long while.
Siya,
If you think that that cartoon was done so that Africans can do self-introspection, YOU SIYA need to do some serious self-introspection. These people do not care about us, all they want is to entrench their domination of us. When they are done with TM, they will move to the next one who dares to show them the finger. Infact, I am now thinking GOD SAVE AFRICANS.
Mfowethu, we are in a royal crap. Apologies, to all, for my french.
Khosi: who are “these people”?
Pierre: who are “the chattering classes”?
Khosi,
I absolutely understand your frustration. There are very racist Whites and there are very racist Blacks in this country. Being a victim of racism is something one has no control over. But being a racist, a skinhead, is smothing one has control over. Its a choice one makes. I believe racist people are possessed by demons, are miserable and live in a very small world.
And once we appear to be racist, people stop taking us seriously. And quite rightly so. Skinheads rarely attack the point, but the colour behind point. As such skinheads are seldom objective as their judgment is clouded by feelings of race. This, Khosi, we must resist in every way.
To be honest, in this blog there has been fair criticism our leaders across the colour spectrum: against Mbeki, Hlophe or even Zille. Of course I have detected – on occasions-racism from some of the readers of this blog. But like I said, you have no control over how people feel you. The only thing you can and must do, is to prove them wrong, everyday.
Did you see Fikile Ntsikelelo Moya’s article, ‘Einstein had a point…’ on m&g online today (14/5/08)? It makes fascinating reading.
Khosi, may I suggest you read some Steve Biko.
It’s hard to imagine now you know Khosi, but there was a time when English South Africans looked down on Afrikaners.
They thought we were stupid, uncouth and violent. Often these impressions were based on fact.
Afrikaners set about proving them wrong (and in the process often trampled on black South Africans in the process) but at least they took responsibility.
They did not ask for English South Africans not to be racist towards them. Today there is little of that antipathy left.
If you want to eradicate racism then make the lives of your black brothers and sisters better. Respect will follow.
Wessel,
Why are you saying that I should read Biko?
Siya,
Thanks for your reply. Last week I met a prominent staunch JZ supporter. What I found to be welcome was that the only subject matter that he did express reservations (extreme) about TM was when JZ came up. The rest (whether Zimbabwe, HIV or the so called lies) he was 100 percent behind TM. That is the type of approach that we should have as Africans. What tends to happen is that we fall into the trap of saying ‘the enemy of my enemy, is my friend’. The problem is that 90 percent of the times, when TM is concerned, that enemy is our former (perpetual) oppressor. If we can separate issues from personalities, we will start to extract ourselves from the royal mess I spoke of earlier. I read Moya article and I disagree with it. That article discards the fact that empowerment policies are there to counter an under-estimated force of nature. People will always be comfortable with what they know and what looks like them. Simple put white people are comfortable with other white people and same applies black people. It may not seem racist but that force of nature will result in racial bias.
Clara
Remember Col. Nathan R. Jessep. Let me explain to you why I quoted that play. The world order is configured in a manner that whichever nation has the biggest military strength, will be the most prosperous. This is not just a product of capitalism as it has been like this since the beginning of history. From the great African Faros to Roman Empires to the Germans to the USA, and now to the Chinese. The school playground has never been ruled by the smartest or the noble pupil, but it is ruled by the school bully. But the school playground is really a microcosm of the world order. Wessel said it on his/her last reply and I quote:
“Afrikaners set about proving them wrong (and in the process often trampled on black South Africans in the process) but at least they took responsibility.”
Now the militaries are full of Col. Nathan R. Jessep’s. These are people who would do and see things that the rest of the nation never will have the burden of seeing and let alone knowing about. For the knowledge of the existence of such things/action will tax the conscience of society so much so that the drive to prosperity will be severely compromised. It the very thing that allows white people to disown apartheid when they immensely benefit from it. So, these people are the Col. Nathan R. Jessep’s that work on behalf of people who will prosper from the further trampling on on Africans.
Khosi, what is your definition of ‘African / -s’ ?
Faceless
Listen to or read TM’s I AM AN AFRICAN speech.
Khosi – that doesn’t help me much. In my view, I’m also Afican, and I don’t see any reason to call some people ‘these people’ who are ‘further trampling on Africans’ when one of the Afican leaders is unmasked as a liar.
Rat,
Just get hold of the speech.
Khosi, I don’t think so, I mean, I am not really interested to get hold thereof because I do not think that TM is the only (or best) authority on who Africans are and who are Africans. If you feel so strongly about it though – kindly let me have a web-address where I can peruse it, and I’ll let you know if I have a change of heart.
Khosi, by the way, how was my translation of your post on the oficial language blog (next page below)?
Why read Biko? Because he might lead you to other insights.
Biko’s work was about more that response to white supremacy, but also as an invitation to embrace a different kind of Black self-hood that is creative, radical, and varied even in a post-racist society.
It is important to reject “communal nationalism”, and which Biko defined as “an authoritarian collectivism that holds that all Black people should act under the guidance of one ‘big man’”.
That comes from here http://pumlagqola.wordpress.com/2007/09/13/steve-biko-lecture-by-achille-mbembe/