The dangers of beating the drums of tribal chauvinism in KZN
Many political parties contesting state power in KwaZulu-Natal are resorting to an unhealthy and destructive competition, which answers the question “Who is the best representative of Zulu ethno-nationalism”?
Some of them are advancing tribal politics in a subtle and skilful manner while others are openly and unashamedly running around spewing naked tribalism. Take the Abantu Batho Congress, whose leader is campaigning on a ticket of creating “an independent Zulu kingdom”.
The party has argued that Zulu-speaking people are suffering because they have to share the same space with other ethnic groups.
Over the past 30 years, the democratic dispensation has produced a knot of positive and negative outcomes when it comes to economic and non-economic issues.
Regardless of how we judge the ANC-led government’s performance over this period, we must never allow anyone to beat the drums of tribal chauvinism.
Unemployment, poverty and inequality cannot be resolved by Zulu nationalism.
Given the ongoing and desperate search for answers to the challenges facing the country, and specifically KwaZulu-Natal, we are witnessing the resurrection of Zulu ethno-nationalism as a school of thought as well as a rejection of the more inclusive brand of African nationalism that has been the backbone of the nation-building project for many years.
In 1912, in response to their exclusion from the process that led to the formation of the whites-only Union of South Africa, various African ethnic groups came to gather to form themselves into an African nation — a move that was to be the first step towards the creation of a nonracial SA.
The Union of South Africa was formed after the 1906 Peace of Vereeniging, which was agreed by the European communities of British and Dutch heritage. The 1906 treaty stemmed from the 1899 Anglo-Boer War, which arose out of dispute between the British and the Boer republics over valuable mineral resources discovered in what is now SA in 1866 and 1867.
The period from 1912 to 1994 witnessed a growing conflict between the ideologies of the white nation thesis and the African nation antithesis.
Synthesis was achieved with the democratic breakthrough in 1994. The strategic plan and systematic approach needed to achieve the paradigm envisioned in the constitution must now be determined.
We are collectively striving towards a society that promotes equality and eliminates racism and sexism as sources of national grievances.
In the new SA, all should blend together harmoniously, forming a nation that is rooted in a shared identity. This identity should be characterised by unity in diversity as well as a common purpose and collective action.
We must, therefore, unequivocally condemn the practice of dividing and categorising individuals into different classes based on tribal chauvinism or a superiority complex. This divisive behaviour deserves our utmost scorn and should be vehemently opposed.
With our country and Rwanda marking important 30-year milestones this year, we must learn valuable lessons from the Rwandan civil conflict that resulted in the 1994 genocide.
Rwanda should be regarded as a test case replete with empirical and experimental data that provides valuable lessons about the consequences of dividing a unified nation based on tribal chauvinism.
Rwanda’s political elites, who belong to the economically disadvantaged Hutu and Tutsi groups, garnered political backing by exploiting notions of ethnic superiority. The brutality of this battle only intensified. They had inadvertently trapped themselves in a relentless and destructive cycle of struggle for power, with each group vying for dominance over the other, creating a thesis and antithesis dynamic.
Rwanda was completely devastated as a direct result of this zero-sum game. A synthesis was achieved only when individuals from both factions were awakened to the truth and recognised they were being used by political elites in a power struggle known as “phumasingene — it’s our time to eat”. The political elites exploited their tribal origins to portray themselves as victims and garner sympathy from their tribal community to secure resources for their own benefit.
The Hutus and the Tutsis eventually realised they were being manipulated by individuals they had placed their trust in. They recognised and valued that they were mutually dependent on each other, and had to show respect for such dependencies. They realised that, while they had their own separate and unique tribal identities, there existed a shared and unifying element that bound them together. They regarded themselves as individual trees that made up the same forest. While maintaining their unique tree identities, they simultaneously intentionally embraced the “forest” essence to foster unity among themselves.
Peace and stability are essential prerequisites for democracy. The combination of peace and stability, along with a democracy that upholds human rights and liberties, is an essential requirement for the advancement and growth of any nation. The political elite in Rwanda formerly used the concept of ethnic superiority to gain political advantage.
In the coming election, residents of KwaZuluNatal should refuse to support any political party that opportunistically promotes ethnic chauvinism or a narrow Zulu nationalism.
In their pursuit of political relevance, some political players in the province are adopting an outdated and discredited mindset that is completely disconnected from the actual difficulties faced by SA.
Their perspective is inherently unreasonable and lacks historical context. Every Zulu-speaking South African who values his or her self-worth must unequivocally reject this regressive demand with the appropriate disdain it merits.
We must ... unequivocally condemn the practice of dividing and categorising individuals into different classes based on tribal chauvinism or a superiority complex