I do not like to bore readers with slanging matches. But allow me to make an exception with Ebrahim Rasool’s letter of October 26 (“Does Rhoda Kadalie want a job with the DA?”). Let me respond to Rasool’s main charges.
First, the African National Congress’s “coconut” advertisement is racist. It is a cheap shot that invokes racist language as a means to divide people in the Western Cape. The Constitution calls on elected representatives to “heal the divisions of the past and establish a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights”. Given the recent spending of R100-million on the United Nations Conference Against Racism, I expect Rasool to be exemplary in this regard. He places a racist advert then cries foul when challenged. His apologies for the advertisement at an ANC meeting last Sunday vindicates my criticism.
Second, he accuses me of not following the political debate. He underestimates my intelligence. Any fool can understand what the debacle in the Democratic Alliance is about, just as they can see what the ANC advertisement is about.
Third, he suggests I am aggrieved about what happened in the Human Rights Commission and caused me to leave it. He appears to believe that only posts within the state can make one happy. I gave up the gravy train to do an honest day’s work with like-minded individuals unlike many who enrich themselves in the state sector. My commitment to democracy speaks for itself.
Fourth, Rasool accuses me of interceding on behalf of Tony Leon and the DA. Leon can fight his own battles. I do not need a party political post to legitimate my existence. Some people have suggested I should go into politics. But I like my current job too much. I do not need to apply for a job with a political party. I do, however, have the right to criticise a party that betrays principles of equality the liberation movements fought for from 1912.
Fifth, if Rasool can show me how an ANC government will meet the Cape Town council’s enormous debt and fight the culture of non-payment without cutting off people’s electricity and that it has more competent officials I will gladly join him on the streets.
Finally, he says my ANC membership is problematic. Before the 1999 election I paid my membership fees and signed up as a new member. I have still not received a receipt or my membership card. I can provide the name of the ANC official who took my money.
Gutter politics apply. Rasool places a disgusting advert and then accuses me of being venomous when I object. What concerns me is the disregard for opposition. A vibrant opposition is crucial to the consolidation of democracy. Africa is awash with dictatorships because opposition voices are silenced in a number of ways. One tactic is to use race. I will fight to the death to defend the right of opposition to exist in South Africa. Rhoda Kadalie