The incident of Brandon Huntley who was granted refugee citizenship by Canadian Independent Immigration and Refugee board, raises serious questions about the image of South Africa in global ranks. It also says something about the role of some white South Africans and their organisations in spreading bad perceptions about South Africa to the world.On Crime Statistics
The DA has been instrumental in creating the perception that South Africa is the most dangerous country in the world. It has maintained it position despite studies that prove this to be untrue. Its demand that crime statistics must be made available to everyone, including foreign journalists who are running the campaign of destroying our country’s image, is an indication that it does not see the importance of protecting and managing perceptions about South Africa.
The UK Daily Mail newspaper published an article in July 2009, claiming that the UK had the worse rate of all violence than the US and South Africa. Statistics showed that UK has 1, 158, 957 violent crime committed in the UK as compared to 732, 121 in South Africa over the same period. It was also revealed that the UK has the most stabbing incidents that any other countries in the world. This was revealed during the soccer incident where fans got violent and were engaged in violence and numerous stabbings were reported.
Why does DA and some white South African’s like Brandon create bad impression about our country when Brazil, a country with challenges similar to ours with high crime rates, is perceived differently? Brazil is known as a country of supermodels, samba and a country of best soccer players and not as a country with high crime rate. Why does the DA put so much pressure to government to publish information that destroys our image instead of using it to develop strategic plans to fight crime?
The UK Daily Mail newspaper published an article in July 2009, claiming that the UK had the worse rate of all violence than the US and South Africa. Statistics showed that UK has 1, 158, 957 violent crime committed in the UK as compared to 732, 121 in South Africa over the same period. It was also revealed that the UK has the most stabbing incidents that any other countries in the world. This was revealed during the soccer incident where fans got violent and were engaged in violence and numerous stabbings were reported.
Why does DA and some white South African’s like Brandon create bad impression about our country when Brazil, a country with challenges similar to ours with high crime rates, is perceived differently? Brazil is known as a country of supermodels, samba and a country of best soccer players and not as a country with high crime rate. Why does the DA put so much pressure to government to publish information that destroys our image instead of using it to develop strategic plans to fight crime?
Dianne Kohler Barnard, the DA spokesperson publically attacked the new police commissioner on Monday Bheki Cele for supporting a moratorium on crime statistic. Cele had mentioned that if criminals have access to crime statistics they might use it in planning their attacks. Dianne said that Cele must “immediately retract “ his comments.
On Affirmative Action
In May 2007, the chairperson of the Employment Equity commission, Jimmy Manyi, presented the 7th EEC annual report to the portfolio committee on labour. The report revealed that there was not transformation and that white males still occupied top management positions after 13 years of liberation. Manyi revealed that statistics showed that there was only 9.1% overall increase between years 2000 and 2006. It also showed that white women were the most beneficiaries from the employment equity act. He then recommended that the employement equity act be amended to make sure that is benefit the previously disadvantaged groups.
The DA responded to Manyis report and said that, “Manyi appears to be abusing his position as EEC chairperson to run an increasingly politicised and racially divisive campaign, seemingly on behalf of the Black Management Forum (BMF)." It went on to lodge a complaint with the Public Protector Lawrence Mushwana against Manyi claiming that his conduct was improper. It is clear that the DA does not support the initiatives of building a society of equal citizens regardless of their race and skin colour and that it does not care about the image of South Africa.
Custodians of Democracy
The term democracy originates from two Greek words – demos (or people) and kratos (rule). This simply means that democracy is the rule of people, by the people, for the people. Historically, there has been fights over who exactly the people are. In the 19th century only a tiny fraction of property owning males were recognised as people who enjoyed the human rights. Others were excluded on basis of race and gender. This is not different from the National Parties minority rule enforcement.
The campaigns staged by the Helen Zille to discredit Jacob Zuma during the election race, are an indication that the DA regards only a certain fraction of our society as people. The ruling party’s election manifesto spoke strongly about affirming the previously disadvantaged people. It recognised that women and disabled people do not enjoy their citizenship rights to the fullest. It is exactly that manifesto of the ANC that was a threat to Zille and her stop Zuma campaign was staged to ensure that the ANC manifesto does not move into the highest office in the land.
It is very problematic that the DA sees itself as the only organisation that is always right about what the will of people must be. It suggests that the interests of whites must overtake those of the majorities and it locates that debate inside democracy development process. Its claims that the affirmative action must go clearly indicates that they understand democracy to be about satisfying the interest of those who were recognised as people during the apartheid era. These are the same people that it think must be affirmed and receive special attention from our democracy institutions.
South Africans needs to unite to disarm the DA and those white people, like Brandon, who are participating in the act of undermining the our gains and the progress we have made so far. Black people in particular must organise themselves to ensure that those who are campaigning to the white minority rule resuscitation are not afforded space to practise their evil deeds in South Africa.
It is very problematic that the DA sees itself as the only organisation that is always right about what the will of people must be. It suggests that the interests of whites must overtake those of the majorities and it locates that debate inside democracy development process. Its claims that the affirmative action must go clearly indicates that they understand democracy to be about satisfying the interest of those who were recognised as people during the apartheid era. These are the same people that it think must be affirmed and receive special attention from our democracy institutions.
South Africans needs to unite to disarm the DA and those white people, like Brandon, who are participating in the act of undermining the our gains and the progress we have made so far. Black people in particular must organise themselves to ensure that those who are campaigning to the white minority rule resuscitation are not afforded space to practise their evil deeds in South Africa.
by: Scelo Mncwango
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