Speaking truth to power

Madam,

It has become pedestrian of our leaders whenever appearing on inter national platforms to profess the dem ocratic credentials of the tinkhundla system by using Sibaya as a typical e[ample of rule by or through con sensus.

2f course, they enMoy the free dom to paint the obtaining political system for what it is not, because they know these platforms do not provide opportunities to interrogate the integrity of their statements. 3erhaps they now even believe these statements themselves to be the truth given the regularity with which they repeat them at every available opportunity.

Sibaya, through which the people supposedly freely ventilate their thoughts on how they want to be governed or on important national issues that is claimed to be central to the governing of this country, has thus far proven to be nothing but a useless talking shop.

Indeed, 3rince Masitsela has been proven to have been spot on when he said Sibaya is a platform where the nation let off steam (ngulapha sive sitihhamula khona .

7he so called supreme policy mak ing body that Sibaya is once haunted one :illiam Mkhaliphi, an year old son of the soil who spoke the truth to power during one of the 3eople’s 3arliament sessions.

Not once was he spoken down by the then acting *overnor of /ud]id]ini, who would typically order for the microphone to be switched off (cisha logesi) when someone was saying what he thought would not be to the liking of the .ing.

Mkhaliphi paid with the life of his spouse who was traumatised when he was allegedly brutalised by the police that she suffered a stroke from which she later died.

+istory will Mudge all of us harshly for having kept quiet when one of our own was being persecuted for speaking the truth to power. :hat has become crystal in the midst of it all, is the untruth about this country being peaceful. 5eal peace is not Must the absence of conflict but the presence of Mustice.

7hat is why vast amounts of money we do not have are spent on militari sation, as if this country was at war for no other reason than to spread fear among the populace. :hat is real is that people are afraid and very few have the guts to tell the truth. 7he stock in trade of the obtaining political hegemony is perverting the truth, a crime to which we have all become accomplices.

VS