Thembile Ndabeni warns that the ANC must realise that history has a tendency of repeating itself, citing the French Revolution.
The trends in the South African landscape warrant a need for people to be reminded of what we fought for. This stems from the fact that some people tend to pervert issues.
During the struggle for freedom, few people were involved in the Struggle, and I can cite two reasons. The first is that people were scared of the apartheid machinery, which was very ruthless to anyone that dared to challenge it. The second was lack of political awareness, which could also result from the above, and ignorance.
Of course, in the struggle for liberation there was a need for organisation. This was because mobilisation could be easily repressed.
The organisations played a vital role in sustaining the Struggle because there was political awareness, encouragement and motivation.
Also, in an organisation there was leadership with layers, should anything happen to the one in existence. Be that as it was, organisations/political formations were not formed for themselves, but for the realisation of freedom for all the oppressed and the oppressors, who were also oppressed themselves.
In essence, political formations were a vehicle to freedom. The next step after freedom is democracy, and on the way to and after the next step, political parties mushroom. First, the political formations, some of whom have been liberation movements, transform into political parties. Second, new political parties without roots in the Struggle also surface.
After attaining democracy, the issue was not who fought and not, but democracy, because it was the central issue.
Democracy had been realised and practised long ago before the fighters for it were born and political parties were formed.
Some of the leaders and parties died, but democracy is still alive. Instead, it is making inroads and breakthroughs in some societies in which it was never thought it would exist.
Even the founders of democracy do not matter more than the concept they founded.
A further elaboration is the fact that celebration of leaders and parties is not as inclusive as democracy is. This is why on April 27, 2014 it was the 20th anniversary of our democracy.
This is why we must stick to it, and not the parties or leaders, regardless of their magnitude. At the back of our minds, there must always be this question: if we are loyalists to leaders, what if they betray the cause we fought for? If we stick to parties, what if they turn their back on democracy?
While still pondering these questions, we must not forget that in Africa and elsewhere there are many examples of leaders, even freedom fighters, who turned their backs on the people they liberated and the system fought for.
Therefore, we must always not forget that it is what we fought for, democracy, and our destiny which matters more than the vehicle or drivers.
Our political parties are our vehicle to our destiny (democracy) and not destiny itself. Our leaders were in the driver’s seat of that vehicle to our destiny.
To those who subscribe to the Freedom Charter, the coming together of progressive forces, the Congress Alliance – this was for a common goal, democracy, and the step further, Congress of the People in 1955. Hence, the first clause says, “The people shall govern”.
This clause tallies with the interpretation of the words which were brought together to form the concept of democracy: demos – people + kratos – power or rule = demokratia – democracy (rule by the people = the people shall govern).
Therefore, the destiny matters more than the vehicle, though the role of the latter is appreciated and acknowledged. Even to clear-minded Christians, what matters is Christ/God, more than the church.
Therefore, when the people are challenging any action by state/government/official, or sitting them down, this is democratic. They are exercising their constitutional right, and that is clearly stated in the preamble of the constitution: “We, the people of South Africa”.
If you send a child somewhere and he or she goes his or her own way, you don’t keep quiet, but do something. It’s either you sit him or her down and ask another one, or you do it yourself.
He or she cannot say, “You cannot sit me down or ask somebody else”; the onus is on you, and not on him or her.
Therefore, challenging President Zuma and asking him to step down is democratic as long as it is the will of the people (majority).
What the ruling party must realise is that history has a tendency of repeating itself.
What started as a protest over the shortage of bread in France and led to a revolution can also happen in South Africa as well.
* Ndabeni is a freelance writer. He has a Master’s degree in South African politics and political economy from Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University.
** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media.
Cape Times