By: Botsang Moiloa
Someone in one group of researchers that I belong to once said, “Sooner the ANC will see Xolani as an enemy the way he is brutal in undressing the ANC and exposing their failures”. Was that person wrong?
The ANC in the statement released recently is politically intolerant and unfair. Is Xolani Dube not a citizen of South Africa and resident of KwaZulu-Natal besides being a political activist, researcher and commentator? If Xolani and his followers or members of whatever *new* movement they may have formed have acted illegally or against the laws of the country, then the law must be applied to them.
What gives the ANC a right to say or claim that only people who fought against apartheid can rise against a failing government? Is the ANC saying the youth of today born post apartheid era have no legitimate right to rebel or protest against failures of the current administration led by the ANC?
As a matter of fact, most of the opposition, new and so-called small political formations in SA were formed due to failures of the ANC and never existed during apartheid. It is therefore absurd and irrational for the ANC in KZN to want to address their frustrations using apartheid era tactics.
I wish the ANC could have addressed the DA in the same manner when Musi Maimane, who was never an apartheid era activist, led a march to the private residence of the Guptas who are SA citizens and belonged and funded the ANC. When political parties like the DA or EFF march to private residences of individuals, it is fine with the ANC, yet when it is to the private residences of their failing leaders they cry apartheid era activism.
It is further pathetic for the ANC and threatening to Xolani that, they will meet him on the ground as we all know what this means in KZN in particular. As if he was not on the ground when he belonged to the ANC. As if he is not on the ground when he founded Xubera and the Natives Movement right under their noses while they were battling with internal squabbles and factions.
The ANC-KZN goes further and tarnishes Xolani’s persona by saying he was fired from the ANC and is a political failure due to being on drugs. This is a sign of political frustration that has no principle and facts and they resort to name calling and character assassination.
The mentality and narrative that the ANC pushed for years that, they are the liberators of SA is false. The mentality that those who were in jail or ran to exile are the only ones or main ones who fought apartheid is a farce and should never be allowed to pollute the minds of our youth and future generations. Every Black person in this country fought apartheid one way or the other. Some even from the church pulpit, some from arts stages, others by just being resistant to white domination without shouting “amandla’s” or political slogans.
Political analysts are human beings and citizens. Nothing is stopping them from criticising or challenging or even rebelling against any ruling or misruling party. And no law exists in this country that says political analysts should not be members of political or civil formations.
Who in their normal political activism would never use a presented platform to counter or expose or even criticise the misruling party or any other party for that matter? The ANC-KZN is trying to bully the main stream media to silence Xolani Dube but this will backfire as any independent media house will want to house and give platform to any rubble rouser in order to make headlines.
In conclusion, it is very cheap of the ANC to rush and say Xubera Institute or Xolani are using hotels paid for by their funders to push an agenda against the ruling party as if the ANC that is mainly funded by the apartheid era murderers, holds its or media briefings in township halls or squatter camps. Almost every apartheid era white racist like Rupert and Oppenheimer plus many others are top funders of the ANC. And what makes the ANC to think they are the only ones who should be funded by whomsoever including blacks or natives’ core enemies?
Political intollarance of the ANC and particularly in KZN has resulted in violence in between African people and criminals or enemies of *Peace Amongst The Afrikans* tend to take advantage of such behaviour and murder black people. The media release against Xolani Dube by the ANC-KZN is uncalled for, reckless and should be condemned by all means.
*Botsang Moiloa is an independent political analyst
