Bra Stof displayed unique integrity, goodwill and great wisdom

IDEDICATE this precious moment to pay tribute to Bra Stof as a political and academic giant. We are not just mourning his death, but also mourning the death of his good ideas in the ANC today as many would attest ANC is not the same as before.

He lived the life of a true comrade, understanding that the life of a comrade is a life of a sacrifice, not a life of self-enrichment and the love of crass materialism.

Bra Stof is admired and trusted all those who worked with him. As a first layer of leadership, he led the ANC Eastern Cape with integrity and wisdom.

Bra Stof is not like the present counterfeit comrades who use the ANC as a cash cow through tenderpreneurship.

He fully understood that the ANC is the organisation of the people for the people and not for those arrogant individuals who want to cling to power against the will of the people.

Mandela once said what counts in life is not a mere fact that we have lived, but the difference we have made to others and indeed Bra Stof made such huge difference to the lives of the many.

The question that needs to be answered is how you bring the glory of this giant movement that is fading away. I want to share this scripture 2 Corinthians 4:7: “We have this treasure in the jars of clay to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not from us.”

May your soul rest in peace. — Dumisani Msila, via e-mail Please construct the bridge as soon as now. — Dr Francis Sonn, WSU, Mthatha the top of the bunch, which it used so well in a manner resembling David and Goliath in the biblical story.

I was nearly frozen, listening to Julius Malema articulating the EFF position on coalitions.

If the EFF did anything, they swung coalition politics away from jockeying about positions, but issues of principle.

Most interesting in this political landscape is how well the EFF will use its kingmaking vote to swing council decisions in its favour.

This is a week which will stay in the memory of Zizi Kodwa and Gwede Mantashe as they were visibly at pains to spin the drama.

We saw the ANC refusing to take up its rightful place in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality.

Despite all the drama which unfolded with the event, no one had stolen the mayoral chain in Port Elizabeth.

In Pretoria, Solly Msimanga was sworn in without the mayoral chain, allegedly because it was stolen.

That leaves one wondering who the thief is and what colour T-shirt they were in.

Right in our own backyard, the second day of the high-level panel reviewing legislation was captured by disgruntled ANC members. The second day of the two-day event shifted away from submissions on legislation to a cry-baby session.

One could not doubt that the participants saw Kgalema Motlanthe as a neutral broker in a bigger ANC debacle, forgetting that he was there in his capacity as chair of the panel.

Motlanthe definitely had much more to chew than he had bargained for.

Most interesting going forward is how well the DA will learn to lick the posteriors of the EFF, failing which the ANC is more than ready to do. — Siyabu Manona, East London