The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author's and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Polity.

“A Rattlesnake, if cornered will become so angry it will bite itself. That is exactly what the harbouring of hate and resentment against others is - a biting of oneself. We think we are harming others in holding these spites and hates, but the deeper harm is to ourselves.”

E. Stanley Jones The demise of Isithwalandwe

Cde Andrew Mlangeni’s passing has, correctly, been characterised as marking the end of an era which had, among others, the Rivonia trialists as some of the selfless heroes of the struggle for the emancipation of the African majority from the shackles of apartheid. However, one thing we cannot allow to disappear from the radar screen as a result of the end of the said era, is the consciousness of the martyrs, heroes and heroines of our struggle for the political and economic emancipation of our people.

What drove the selfless struggle, I argue, was the ideal of realising the vision of the National Democratic Revolution (NDR) as espoused by the African National Congress (ANC). The culmination of the NDR will be reflected by the manifestation of the National Democratic Society (NDS) where the motive forces enjoy civil liberties which include political and socioeconomic freedoms in the same way that the previously advantaged white minority enjoyed these to the exclusion of the previously marginalised.

The pursuit of the NDR by the ANC is by no means an agenda setting exercise wherein the white minority will be driven to the sea. Instead, it is the pursuit of a class which seeks to change the socio-economic conditions of black people in general and Africans in particular. Whilst great strides have been made by the ANC led government in driving and effecting reforms in the country, the fact of the matter is that we still have fundamental challenges in changing the ownership and control of the South African economy.

The ownership of the South African economy is, 26 years into our democracy, by and large still controlled by whites especially white males. When we raise this challenge in society, members of the Democratic Alliance (DA) construe it as an attack on their members or its constituency. Of course, we understand why this is so. The character and the political agenda of the DA is, at all cost, to protect minority interest and the status quo which benefits the white minority. It is for this reason that the reaction of the DA leaders like Christopher Pappas assumes a protective character when there is an issue of the killing of white farmers when compared with their reaction to the killing or victimisation of black farm workers.

Christopher Pappas makes it his business to shout at the top of his voice in condemning farm killings and finds it correct to maintain the highest levels of silence when farm workers are victimised by their white bosses. This he does because, in his mind, it is correct for the black farm worker to be victimised and wrong for the white farm owner to be killed.

When we call him out on this, he takes offence precisely because agreeing with us on this question goes against what the DA stands for. The fact of the matter is that both of these evils are wrong and we must all roll up our sleeves and eliminate them from the fibre of South African society. However, it is hypocrisy of the highest order to elevate one over another.

In June 2020, Helen Zille, without any provocation, attacked Phumzile van Damme when she was taken to task regarding her apartheid legitimisation tweeted comments to the effect that “there are more racist laws now than during apartheid” and that FW de Klerk “dismantled apartheid”. When Zille was asked about how the likes of Phumzile take these apartheid tweets from the Federal Council Chairperson, Zille retorted that “They chill at home and enjoy the sea view”.

The essence of the response by Zille was that Phumzile and all other black DA members and leaders who have had their socio-economic conditions change by virtue of their proximity with the DA must keep quiet when their white bosses spit in their faces because they have been done a favour by the DA by being exposed to privileges like sea views. What nonsense! But true to form, Christopher Pappas and his white mates were nowhere to call Zille out on these derogatory comments directed to a fellow member and leader. Are we surprised by the lack of reaction by Christopher Pappas and his cronies? No, we are not because, in their minds, it is fine to humiliate and dehumanise a black person as they are nothing but second-class citizens in the country of their birth.

I am not going to even waste time about the manner in which Lindiwe Mazibuko and Mmusi Maimane were unceremoniously kicked out of the DA without Christopher Pappas uttering even a single word of condemnation and we all know why - the victims of the ruthless behaviour by the DA were black and in the minds of the DA Black Lives Don’t Matter. You may wonder why I am speaking for Phumzile. It is public knowledge that the ANC is the leader of society and we discharge this responsibility without fear or favour even if it means protecting the interests of our political opponents.

The final bit about the hypocrisy of the DA relates to an incident by the anti-land invasion unit from the City of Cape Town which impugned the dignity of Bulelani Qholani and dragged him out of his shack, naked, in broad daylight, under the pretext that he had built his shack on invaded land. Dan Plato, in his interview with Sakina Kamwendo on Morning Live was taken to the cleaners about the conduct of the City of Cape Town for the disparaging and disgusting behaviour of the city officials. There are no prizes for guessing what Christopher Pappas said in condemning the behaviour of the officials from the City of Cape Town. Again, the ‘loud silence’ by Pappas and his consorts was not surprising as the colour of the victim, to them, matters more than the injustice that was meted out. The ANC must, from now henceforth, use the new normal presented by the novel coronavirus to accelerate the realisation of the vison of the NDR.

The NDS will only be achieved if we push back in the fight against inequality, poverty and unemployment. In my view, the class and racial struggle will be easier to win if the comrades who are deployed in strategic positions in public and private sectors make a deliberate effort to defeat these triple challenges and be unapologetic about their will to win.

If we do this, what Martin Luther King Jr said will become a reality for all South Africans, and that is “… the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away, and in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty”.

Written by Siboniso Duma, Member of Parliament in KZN Legislature. He is also member of the KZN ANC Provincial Executive Committee (He writes in his personal capacity)