SA, heed elder statesman’s words
AT THE ripe old age of 90, IFP president Inkosi Mangosuthu Buthelezi continues to stand out as one of the all-too-few remaining voices of reason and tolerance in our democracy today.
He may be bowing out as leader of the party soon, but his role as an elder statesman will be sorely missed in forums where political intolerance is widespread and the level of debate has often degenerated into farcical displays of insults, name-calling, threats and walkouts that make a mockery of the constitutional democracy we achieved in 1994.
As a journalist, I have enjoyed a healthy professional relationship with the veteran leader for many decades and covered various chapters of his political career – from the days he founded the IFP in 1975, his tenure as chief minister of KwaZulu until 1994 and as a senior cabinet minister in our new dispensation.
We may not have seen eye to eye on some issues, but where was it ever decreed that politicians and editors have to agree on everything?
Over the years, I recall having published many strongly argued and thought-provoking opinion pieces and commentaries from the elder statesman – as well as many complaints challenging my newspaper’s reporting of issues relating to the IFP.
It certainly hasn’t been an easy ride for the veteran leader and he has had to face many questions from critics about his opposition to international sanctions as well as the armed Struggle against apartheid South Africa.
He has also been the target of criticism over the years for his role in the internecine war between the ANC and IFP that claimed more than 20 000 lives in many parts of KZN and Gauteng in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
But he has consistently insisted it is wrong to lay responsibility for this tragic episode solely on him and his supporters.
This war, he has argued, was not a one-way street as attacks had come from both the ANC and IFP.
What he would probably value most in the twilight of his political career is
reconciliation with the ANC.
Perhaps his most valuable contribution to South Africa in recent years has been his consistent campaign for political tolerance, which he sums up as “the willingness to extend basic rights and civil liberties to persons
and organisations whose viewpoints differ from one’s own”.
Political tolerance may not be easy, but it is critical in a democratic society.
“We are probably not born tolerant,” he said in a recent opinion piece,
“but we must learn to be tolerant. As public representatives, politicians are expected – and quite rightly so – to lead by example.”
Chief Buthelezi has also been a close friend of the local Indian community in KZN and has strongly denounced politicians who spew out anti-Indian sentiments on public platforms, which he says are totally unacceptable.
“This anti-Indian sentiment, like any social divisions, must be countered with truth and social cohesion. After all, Indians are not settlers in this country,” he told a recent gathering in Durban.
For Chief Buthelezi, the lessons he learnt from his political elders provided the foundation for his long career in politics.
They taught him, among other things, the values of a good work ethic; the importance of listening carefully; hearing what is said rather than what you think is being said; how to disagree without being disagreeable; how to persuade rather than bully; and how to maintain the integrity of an opponent while exposing the flaws in their thinking.
Just imagine how much more meaningful and constructive our national discourse in Parliament would be if our public representatives could aspire to such common-sense ideals.
Many South Africans will probably agree with Buthelezi when he points out how different the ANC of today is from the original liberation movement; how different its current leaders are from the men and women of integrity who helped build the name and tradition of the ANC over the decades.
That chasm is becoming wider by the day and Buthelezi himself admits he’s worried about the future of his country.
“I have fears for a future that I myself will never experience. But my children and grandchildren, and all the people I have served for almost 70 years, will have to navigate that future. For you, I have sleepless nights,” he wrote recently.
It’s a chilling reality that stares the country in the face today.
The country is in desperate need of bold and pragmatic leadership that honours the values and principles for which the founding fathers of the liberation movement fought.
Buthelezi is planning to retire from politics after the May elections.
He will be the face of the party in the polls, but is expected to retire soon afterwards to write his memoirs and focus on his family.
Pather is a newspaper columnist and retired editor of POST and other Independent titles