Lekota was out of order
WE HAVE entered the silly and dangerous season of our politics. With a few weeks to go to the much anticipated national general elections, we can expect the campaigning for state power to pick up.
Politicians are going to make all sorts of promises about what they are going to do should they be voted in power – some of these may be empty promises and some just pure lies.
We are going to be fed all sorts of information about political ideologies and all manner of things. Expect this. Politicians will pretend as if we matter most, as if they will draw their mandate from us when they’re are in government, when we know very well – and have seen – that they will be serving their own interests and those of their friends and families.
There will also be mudslinging among politicians. They will be calling one another all sorts of names in the bid to garner votes. They will stoop low, all in the race to power.
Cope leader Mosiuoa Lekota’s reckless comments accusing President Cyril Ramaphosa of having sold out his comrades to the Security Branch of the apartheid regime should be understood within this context of a silly and dangerous season.
Lekota’s unsubstantiated allegations reminded us of our dark history when people were killed on false accusations that they were informers (apartheid agents).
This was a painful period when families lost their loved ones many times on wrong information that they were “mdlwembes, impimpis” (apartheid spies).
Although our MPS enjoy parliamentary privilege when it comes to speech, this should not be abused to peddle dangerous and unsubstantiated statements.
Lekota knew very well that the country is in the midst of an electricity crisis which is threatening to collapse the economy and that Ramaphosa was expected to deal with this pressing problem.
That the former ANC chairman would go back to the 1970s to make such allegations smacks of brinkmanship and recklessness.
At best the comments were irresponsible and at worst dangerous.
Our politicians, especially MPS, should be reminded that the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces are not just theatres of political grandstanding, but the Parliament of the People.