Britannia Radio

I am utterly excited beyond belief - The most momentous changes in S.African politics in 14 years

Date Posted: Sunday 21-Sep-2008
Folks,
I am really, really happy now that the ANC is recalling President Mbeki. And my liberal friend tells me The Sunday Times is running pieces about President Mbeki and others possibly forming a new political party.

I am hoping for this, I am praying for this.

My Liberal friend then said he hoped that some UDF (United Democratic Front) people would get into the party because they were more moderate and he wondered if Mbeki would lead the new party or if someone more popular would be found?

I said to him, I do NOT CARE, what this party is, or who leads it or who is part of it. I really don't. All I am interested in is that BLACK PEOPLE IN SOUTH AFRICA HAVE A CHOICE OF A PARTY OTHER THAN THE ANC.

Yes, let me repeat that. We've watched for years as the Liberal DA tried to win over blacks but never got their wide support. Yes, they have 12% of the vote. But that's far from what they need. Most clearly, blacks in this country do not like the white parties but they're also not going for the liberals and not going for Patricia De Lille's party. Blacks only have two choices (in their minds): Vote for the ANC or don't vote at all.

For the last 14 years we've heard this absolute rubbish about "democracy, democracy" in this ONE PARTY MARXIST STATE of South Africa. There is no democracy. The Left had a BLACK DOMINATED MONOPOLY of this country's politics.

What blacks need, is a CHOICE! The blacks did not have a choice under Apartheid. And their choices after 1994, were EQUALLY AS BLEAK. Vote ANC or don't vote at all.

If President Mbeki and others want to do this country a favour they should start another political party, to which blacks feel comfortable moving to. Let blacks have a choice.

Zuma's crowd wanted the monopoly of black politics to continue - under the banner of the South African Communist Party. I was so irritated when Gwede Mantashe said last night that this would "solve the unity problem". Oh what JUNK! What he was saying was: If we destroy Mbeki, then Mbeki has no followers and we have EVERYONE under our control.

Well, it appears the differences between Mbeki and Zuma really are quite deep. (This is also music to my ears).

Now you may ask me, why I'm so excited. Well, simply because once we have a division and a split in the largest political party, it totally changes the face of politics. This country then actually is heading towards being a REAL DEMOCRACY. This means that the MONOPOLY of ANC control of this country has ended.

Yes, most of those blacks still have the same viewpoint of us whites and still want to screw us in different ways and at difference paces. How nice for us as we will be screwed in a variety of ways! But you see, this is every bit as momentous as the formation of the MDC in Zimbabwe. It means that the days of politics being dominated by the white issue are coming to an end. Why? Because they're going to have many more issues between themselves which will draw their attention. And those issues have nothing to do with us.

Black politics lacks direction. Karl Marx did give it direction. But now blacks see that there are different flavours of Karl Marx and that life is a bit more complex than just Karl Marx. So now blacks are starting to think and to debate AND TO EVOLVE THEIR THINKING!!! Prediction: Their thinking will start going in multiple directions - which is perfect.

Note: the MDC was formed in 1995. That was about 15 years after Mugabe came to power. This split in SA is now occurring after 14 years - a similar time frame.

But here is the crucial piece: This could be the beginning of the unraveling of one party line in SA. It gives the blacks of this country two parties to chose between. It gives them two lines of thought. It allows the blacks some kind of MENTAL EVOLUTION. Now the two parties must compete for black votes. Expect heated DEBATE.

And rest assured folks, that competition can become very heated.

For us whites, initially there are no benefits, and for a while there may be little if anything positive for us in any of this. But give it time. Give this 5-10 years. This will change the face of politics.

What this country needs, is for the MONOPOLISTIC domination of politics by one line of thinking to come to an end. Finally, blacks will actually have REAL DEMOCRACY. This is good. They need to think and to realise that there isn't only just one way forward.

For us, it is monumental that the TYRANNY OF THE MAJORITY over us will no longer be so clear cut. Blacks need to think more and need to be subjected to more ideas. Blacks are NOT yet ready to vote for the Liberal DA, or even to give the Afrikaners their due - though, perhaps in decades that may come too. (Perhaps one day, even the Freedom Front will have an appeal for some blacks? Think about it!)

What this represents is the first step AWAY from a Far left monopoly of political thought. I welcome it with open arms. I don't care who leads it, or what it is called or what its aims are. All that matters is that it will be big enough to grab perhaps 22% of the votes and to become the official opposition. Then the ANC under Zuma falls from 66% to 44% control of our parliament!! EXCELLENT!!!

Now too, the whole Apartheid game will fade away.

Wait until the blacks start dealing with each other, then you'll see how intense it can get.

Apparently, some of the readers on THE SUNDAY TIMES website suggested that before President Mbeki resigns, that he dissolves parliament and calls an early election because Zuma's ANC is NOT READY for such a move. Well, that would be a bold move, and it would be the cherry on the top if President Mbeki did do that.

I'm loving this, loving this, loving this...

Politics is changing in Zimbabwe - FINALLY (more on that later), and now, we stand on the precipice of politics in SA changing. This will be the first fundamental change in politics since 1994.

I do not care how the markets react. I do not care if people worry about the impact on our image. I *HATED* the fake stability under Mbeki's rule. Mbeki hid too much. He hid the truth about Zimbabwe and he hid the truth about South Africa. I did not like President Mbeki's lies. But I like Zuma's communism just as little.

For me, it would be awesome if the debate in black politics really opens up.

This, folks, is AMAZING stuff. Let President Mbeki resign. I hope that he and others go on to form a new political party which allows blacks in this country the chance to expand their thinking.

It is about time that REAL DEBATE started coming to politics. Now the two factions will have to CONVINCE blacks that they're right. For 14 years, all debate was stiffled in the politics of this country. There was no debate. When the Liberal DA or the NP wanted to debate the ANC killed it.

The monolith of communism under Zuma and also under Mbeki focused all its energies on us whites. But now you will find that these two large blocks (Zuma will probably have twice the followers of Mbeki), will now have to focus a large amount of attention on each other.

Here is a prediction for you: Wait for Zuma, the SACP, COSATU and the ANC Youth League to start killing and beating Mbeki's supporters. Rest assured, this split will bring POLITICAL VIOLENCE TO SOUTH AFRICA JUST LIKE IN ZIMBABWE!

All in all - I am EXCEPTIONALLY HAPPY with where this is heading.

If only President Mbeki would dissolve parliament, that would be the cherry on the top. But if not, its still all pretty damned awesome. I just want to see the MAJORITY OF BLACKS HAVING TWO CHOICES, because once they do, this country will really change, but NOT in the way that others had planned. Where exactly it will go to, I can't say, but it opens up new choices, and I think the blacks of South Africa have evolved enough now, that I'm starting to have some faith that they will be making much more rational choices.

Zimbabwe is changing.

South Africa is on the brink of some real change.

Finally, some glimmers of hope lie ahead for us all. I couldn't be happier.

I was thinking to myself yesterday, that I think the time may come, in the years to come, where one day, I will feel confident enough to actually write on my website and say:-
1. It is safe for Westerners to start investing in Zimbabwe and/or S.Africa.
2. It is time for expats to think of coming back.

But that is still some years away.

I'm not one who is easily convinced of many things, but since 2006, I have been warning people that this Mbeki/Zuma thing is a big thing. Mbeki tried to destroy Zuma COMPLETELY, and he FAILED. Now Zuma tried to destroy Mbeki COMPLETELY. If Mbeki is strong enough and determined enough to survive this, and he too walks out of it, then both of them are still facing off against each other. Zuma will have come off the best of the two, but he will NOT have WON DECISIVELY. He will have done well to survive the initial surprise attacks on him. But Mbeki would still be a player.

If BOTH survive, that is perfect. Now, finally we have COMPETITION. That is what democracy is all about - competition - real competition.

Do NOT concern yourself with the Rand falling. This is a minor issue. These are small prices to pay for something much deeper and longer lasting. This is the beginning of REAL CHANGE. This could be real change that could lead into strange directions.

I still want to write a piece about the NEW BLACK LEADERS in southern Africa who may offer hope to blacks as well as whites. I'm talking about Khama in Botswana; the late Manawasa from Zamiba (possibly murdered by Mbeki and Mugabe); and of course Tsvangirai of Zimbabwe. (We have yet to wait for a worthwhile black leader to arise in South Africa - but give it time). Little by little, some positive changes have arisen thanks to Mugabe's attacks on the whites.

We're not at the end of the turmoil folks - not in Zimbabwe and not in South Africa. But the years 2010-2020 promise to be exceptionally interesting. There will probably be much turmoil, but out of turmoil comes fabulous things. It might even involve some kind of low-intensity civil war - which I have absolutely no problem with or concerns about.

But most exciting for me is seeing the retreat and turmoil in the ranks of these monolithic communist one-party groups which threatened us whites with extinction and total annihilation. Watching Mugabe retreat, and watching real trouble in the far left in South Africa is delighting me. Now the game becomes more complex, and now too, as the blacks battle each other, whites can start entering the fray and working with different black groups. Do you realise that now whites inside South Africa might be able to start forming coalitions and alliances with certain groups of blacks? This takes us away from the whole Black Versus White issue. It allows us to participate and to MAKE A DIFFERENCE. And rest assured, we CAN, and we probably WILL!
Posted By: Jan
AfricanCrisis Webmaster
Author of: Government by Deception