Will no one rid us of the feral youths

Tag : reaction kettles



But whatever his faults Mbeki did not threaten to assassinate hisfoes nor did he let loose youth militias to hound his opponents.

His government was scrupulous in respecting the courts, despite themany important decisions that went against them.

ANC president Jacob Zuma, Mbeki's likely successor, is a verydifferent kettle of fish.

Zuma's performance at Youth Day should give pause to those businessleaders and newspaper executives whose sudden enthusiasm regardinghis supposed leadership qualities has increased in directproportion to the likelihood of his succession.

Zuma's speech started well. He spoke out against ANC Youth Leagueindiscipline, hooliganism and the violence that routinely laces itsinternal squabbles, including a recent knifing. He magnanimouslychided them for being disrespectful of Mbeki.

But Zuma's speech followed directly on one by ANCYL presidentJulius Malema, during which Malema pledged that the ANCYL would"take up arms and kill" if the corruption case against Zuma was notdropped.

Curiously, Zuma did not find such an incitement to violenceinappropriate and did not repudiate Malema.

Just for a moment, imagine the reaction of any ANC representativehad a member of the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging, the Freedom Frontor the Inkatha Freedom Party had said this. For a politicalopponent of the ANC to use such words is simply inconceivable.

The ANC's initial anodyne re-sponse was that the ANCYL is anautonomous body "entitled to articulate its own policies andpositions".

Eventually, following a public outcry, the ANC cautioned loftilyagainst statements that "might inflame emotions or undermine theprincipled position of the organisation".

A mushy-mouthed Zuma now says the ANCYL has assured him that it"will not jeopardise the gains made since 1994", but there has beenno unequivocal repudiation of Malema, one of Zuma's greatestsupporters.

This, then, is apparently the kind of democracy that Zuma iscomfortable with. The ANCYL must not be disrespectful of itselders, but it would be quite in order to kill opponents, includingofficers of the court.

The ANCYL must conduct itself with personal decorum at all times,but it is okay to raise the spectre of anyone foolish enough topreside over the Zuma trial swaying from a noose on a lamppostoutside the High Court.

A culling of Zuma quotes over the past couple of years paint achilling picture. The ANC has a historical right to govern and willdo so until Jesus returns.

The media can be critical, but not too much so. Zuma's SACP and theCosatu allies, as well as some political commentators, haveproclaimed the defeat of Mbeki at the Polokwane conference as atriumph for democracy. It is wistful rubbish.

The rout of Mbeki might temporarily make the ANC more democraticinternally. It is likely, however, to have quite the oppositeeffect on our national democracy.

The ANCYL sentiments presage a South Africa where feral youths put"counter-revolutionaries" to the sword.

That is happening right now in Zimbabwe and it hasn't helped theirdemocracy one bit.

This article was originally published on page 23 of Cape Argus on June 21, 2008