The Star Late Edition

How selective is the newfound unity?

- Arcadia, Tshwane

THE TENS of thousands of South Africans across the country who marched in support of President Jacob Zuma’s resignatio­n have clearly displayed a newfound unity between the many disparate groups and alphabet soup of political parties and anti-Zuma lobbyists.

It remains to be seen, though, if the protesters will succeed in deposing our stubborn president, who seems as determined as ever to ignore the hysterical brouhaha and to see out his current term of office. The protesters might have to bite the bullet and resort to the democratic process of the ballot box in two years’ time.

Whatever finally eventuates, many South African voters have found much hypocrisy in the current Zumaphobia frenzy.

A great many businesses had been uncharacte­ristically generous in giving their staff time off during working hours so that they could join the protest marches.

There is seldom such magnanimit­y from the conservati­ve business fraternity when desperate South Africans request time off to protest against slave wages and their bleak employment and living conditions.

One still has lingering doubts about the actual motivation of many of the marchers of a paler hue. Did many of them march for the president’s early demise, or was it a more deep seated desire to inflict damage on the “nasty” ANC bogeyman? Very few white people could even bring themselves to vote for the fledgling ANC administra­tion led by the universall­y acclaimed statesman of the 20th century, Nelson Mandela.

All decent South Africans should certainly unite against delinquent political leaders, and I feel that a united opposition can, collective­ly. Their mission should be to embrace an all-encompassi­ng striving for anti-criminalit­y, social justice and the general upliftment of the previously disadvanta­ged masses.

St r i d e n t protests solely against an un p o p u l a r leader have suspect morality. The African population has been wonderfull­y generous in forgiving past apartheid abuses and been at the forefront of the nation-building exercises.

But, generally, white people have not been as forthcomin­g and seem, by all means, to strive to hold on to their privileged fiefdoms. I wonder if many of those anti-Zuma marchers would also join a protest march against the in h u m a n e co n d i t i o n s existing in the squalid in f o r m a l se t t l e ments that are experience­d by millions of African people.

Horrific fires regularly decimate communitie­s consisting of thousands of residents in an inferno of death and destructio­n of all worldly possession­s.

Organisati­ons such as the Cape-based “Social Justice Coalition“are virtually on their own when campaignin­g for a more equitable South African society.

A small group of them last week picketed outside the Western Cape police headquarte­rs in protest against a joint decision by the SAPS and the national Public Works Department to build a stateof-the-art R100 million new police station in the tranquil seaside resort of Muizenberg.

This compared to traditiona­l African townships like Langa, and on the Cape Flats where the number of contact crimes and mortalitie­s resembles a war zone headcount, and where policing is virtu- ally non-existent, never mind a R100m new police station.

Similarly, the “Reclaim the City” organisati­on is fighting a lonely battle against tainted Premier Helen Zille’s Western Cape administra­tion and the Cape Town Metro, which has planned to sell some derelict properties for a handsome profit motive, instead of providing much-needed affordable inner-city housing for desperate people of colour.

Wouldn’t it be nice if many of the white faces in the antiZuma marches could also be seen in their numbers in protest initiative­s against such unjust administra­tion? Can pigs fly? Brian Venter

It remains to be seen if they’ll succeed in deposing Zuma

 ?? PICTURE: PHANDO JIKELO ?? SHARING OBJECTIVES: Save South Africa supporters march to Parliament demanding President Jacob Zuma’s resignatio­n. But would an equal number of people march against the inhumane living conditions in the townships, asks the writer?
PICTURE: PHANDO JIKELO SHARING OBJECTIVES: Save South Africa supporters march to Parliament demanding President Jacob Zuma’s resignatio­n. But would an equal number of people march against the inhumane living conditions in the townships, asks the writer?

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from South Africa