We should agree to disagree

SOUTH Africans should be honest enough to admit that in the 23 years since our first democratic elections, our track record on political tolerance leaves a lot to be desired.

Who can forget the ugly violence that engulfed KwaZulu-Natal in the mid-1990s when supporters of the ANC and IFP clashed in bloody battles that claimed dozens of lives?

What about the conflict and tensions in other provinces when leaders of political parties clashed violently because they failed to find common ground on matters of policy and delivery?

Rather than engage each other on their differences, political groupings resorted to open warfare to neutralise their critics.

Regrettably, a new brand of intolerance appears to have reared its ugly head in our province recently, with groups using vandalism and intimidation to disrupt public meetings addressed by leaders whose viewpoints they don’t share.

It happened recently when a fund-raising event in KwaDukuza on the north coast was disrupted by protesters – wearing ANC and ANCYL attire – who stormed the venue, dumped faeces on the floor and threw stones at the hall where former finance minister Pravin Gordhan was the guest of honour.

While some mischievous elements have tried to give the KwaDukuza incident a racial slant, it is quite clear this was a classic case of political intolerance.

The protesters were intent on disrupting the event because of the presence of Gordhan, who has been openly critical of President Jacob Zuma and has taken a strong stand against state capture and rampant corruption in government.

Gordhan is a politician who is not afraid to speak his mind and no amount of threats and disruptions are going to stop his campaign to expose malfeasance involving people holding high office in government.

If there are people out there who disagree with his views and utterances, that is their right. But they cannot be allowed to take the law into their own hands and suppress him.

One of the biggest challenges facing our country is inculcating a deep-rooted culture of tolerance among all South Africans. It may be that we are not tolerant by nature. If that is so, it is our responsibility to learn to be tolerant – for the sake of our country’s future.

If we are ever in doubt, we should always remember Voltaire’s famous dictum in defence of free speech.

“I disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”