How is it that the ANC – the same ANC which prides itself on discipline, the same ANC who fought for the right to protest freely – allows its supporters to run to ruin the name of the party?
IOL reports on the recent disruptions at a rally organised in support of Lekota at Orange Farm that ex-COSATU president Willie Madisha said that protesters were purposefully organised to ‘disrupt the public meeting and cause violence.’ This form of protesting is out of order. The ANC needs to stop putting the party first and put democratic freedom as the number one priority for governance.
It is DESPICABLE (and yes, I will use all caps for that) that ANC supporters -scratch that, it is DESPICABLE regardless of party affiliation – thought it was ok to assualt a 56 year woman merely because she was exercising her democratic right to change her political allegiance. Olga Lutu is the former ANC secretary in the area near Orange Farm who organised the Lekota event who was assualted by those ANC supporters who were called together to disrupt Lekota’s meeting. Lutu said that she had received threatening calls and SMSs saying that she should be murdered for organising for Lekota.
The level of unrest in South Africa is startling – not because of the unrest itself (the run up to democratic elections should be filled with competitive campaigning) but because of the disregard for human life (kill for Zuma, Kill Shapiro, and now Kill Lekota) and democratic rights that has come to characterise this unrest.
If you want to know who are the true ‘counter-revolutionaries’, just look at the angry mob who beat up an old woman campaigning for democracy at Orange Farm.
Viva democracy viva!
October 24, 2008
In the news, The ANC debate