The banned African National Congress, the Azanian People's Organisation and the 17 other recently restricted organisations would have to be a part of South Africa's future – that's what two senior National Party MPs said this week.
On Wednesday, controversial National Party MP Albert Nothnagel caused a stir in parliament by saying all political groupings, including the ANC and the restricted 17, will have to be included in the negotiation process. He also said although people could be locked up and organisations restricted ideas could never be locked up. And last night Con Retha, senior NP information officer and MP for Umlazi, said he agreed with Nothnagel that the ideas of the banned and restricted organisations were important to a solution of the South African dilemma – as important as the various white political groups.
This comes just two months after the government banned these organisations from any political activity and at a time when there am extremely severe penalties for "enhancing the image" of the ANC. It also comes after Minister of Home Affairs, Stoffel Botha, has threatened newspapers with closure for writing about the ANC – even if it is in a negative light Nothnagel, who shortly before last year's white election wrote that most Nationalists accepted they would have to negotiate with the ANC, defiantly said this week that he had not withdrawn a word of the article, nm would he ever do so. ]
Conservative Party MPs reacted to his speech with shock: former trade unionist Atria Paulus said he imagined the speech had been delivered by someone from Mamelodi rather than the MP for Innesdal. Schalk Pienaar, MP for Potgietersrus, accused Nothnagel of being a ventriloquist for the ANC".
Nothnagel said Eugene TerreBlanche, "the arch-verkrampte and the arch-Boer", had said it was either the AWB or the ANC and through this had acknowledged that the ANC was a "terribly large factor in the political reality of South Africa". He believed every political grouping was important, including the NP, PFP, CP, NRP and the AWB.
"On the other hand, every single organisation which operates in the black political terrain – the ANC, Azapo and every one of the 17 organisations who were restricted are of political relevance, "As far as radical politics is concerned, we must not bluff oneself that a person can wish it away with guns and violence." The ideals, aspirations, strivings and ideals of a black man — no matter how much one differed from him – could not be locked up. "I say now a person cannot do it. "
This article originally appeared in the Weekly Mail.
