I am dumbstruck by the venom of Rhoda Kadalie’s personal attack on me (”We are not so dumb, Mr Rasool”, October 19).
The last time that we crossed swords was also on the issue of race, but at least then one could still debate some concrete issues. In this letter however, she misses the boat completely.
This is not a letter of a difference of opinion, even less is it a letter by someone who read the ANC advertisement, followed the political debate or gave thought to their reply. The emotion, ill-feeling and personalisation in the letter betray a deeply aggrieved author.
I do not know what happened in the Human Rights Commission, but it must have hurt very badly indeed.
Rhoda Kadalie nurses her grievance to the point that she either misunderstands or deliberately misinterprets the ANC’s ”coconut” ad.
This is also not the first time that Rhoda Kadalie fills the breach for Tony Leon and the Democratic Alliance.
Kadalie claims to be an ANC member, but the truth is that she walked out of the Woodstock branch years ago and our membership records since then do not include her name.
In fact, didn’t she indicate in December 2000 that she was going to vote for the DA?
I actually pity Rhoda that she finds it necessary to sign herself ”human rights campaigner”. It is truly pathetic. That is the sort of title that others use to honour you, not one you give yourself.
What I find very suspicious is that this ”human rights campaigner” is signally silent when the DA evicts people, cuts off water and electricity, helps drive farmworkers off farms and appoints a predominantly white city top management while giving ultimatums to so called ANC officials. Then there are no letters.
Grievances can make a person very selective.
As a last thought, this letter, like others by Rhoda Kadalie in other newspapers, reads like a job application to the DA.
Perhaps Rhoda could come clean and confirm that she is in discussion with Tony Leon about filling a DA MP post that will soon fall vacant? Ebrahim Rasool, ANC chairperson, Western Cape