If South Africa develops into a one-party state, democracy will be eroded, rendering futile the incalculable energy, sacrifice and effort expended to realise a democratic society.
It will be characterised by despotic leaders, an oppressive government, the absence of fundamental human rights and the many other evils associated with an unjust society.
A very menacing situation indeed.
According to some political parties, this is exactly where South Africa is heading — if it is not already there — should the African National Congress gain a two-thirds majority.
These parties, despite strident objections from the ANC, have a right to follow this line of campaigning. Come April 14, South African voters will be the final arbiters.
But just what is the basis of this gloomy doomsday scenario? To what extent should South Africans fear an ANC majority?
Fortunately, evidence abounds that South Africans should not be worried, as this view is fatally flawed.
First, it seriously disrespects South Africa’s constitutional foundations. This is an extremely alarming development, especially coming from the Democratic Alliance, the largest opposition party that professes adherence to democratic norms.
Put bluntly, the provision of a two-thirds majority is the law of this country. This is a constitutionally entrenched principle and there is nothing wrong whatsoever in attaining it.
The view is also replete with curious assumptions. In conditions of a free and fair electoral contest, what is amiss when the majority of citizens express their choice, which is their right to do?
On what moral, legal and any other grounds are opposition parties questioning the right of the ANC to have a two-thirds majority, if this is based on the free will of the majority of citizens?
The unstated subtext is that voters are incapable of rational thought or the foresight to anticipate what are ostensibly wicked ANC intentions.
Most bizarre is that these parties — which represent a negligible number of South Africans — assume that they have an insight into some nefarious plan of the ANC that literally millions of other South Africans are not aware of.
These parties contend that they fear “the tyranny of the majority”, asserting that they are defending “minority interests”.
But, concretely, what are these “minority interests” — as opposed to so-called “majority interests” — that animate opposition parties so much, and in what manner are they being threatened by the ANC?
If they mean racial minority interests of whites, Indians and coloureds, then they are at best simply misinformed or at worst crassly ignorant.
South Africa’s Constitution emphatically protects the rights of all people — minorities included — with regard to culture, language, religion and so on.
In addition, what tangible evidence exists, especially since 1994 when the ANC came into power, to support the view that the party has shown an inclination to oppress Indian, coloured and white South Africans?
A casual consideration of the history and policies of the ANC reveals quite the opposite. The very rationale for the ANC’s existence is precisely to eradicate inequalities based on race.
It is thus clearly irrational to imagine that the ANC will pursue policies that are in conflict with its own core objectives.
And to face the truth, the ANC does not need a two-thirds majority to oppress minorities — if this is indeed what it wants to do, as these parties fallaciously maintain.
It would be enough for President Thabo Mbeki, for example, to declare that minority groups are the problem in this country, to fan serious racial hatred.
But Mbeki has never said so and has no such ambitions, simply because such actions would be diametrically opposed to and hostile to ANC policies and would significantly never succeed — and would be clearly contrary to the very principles to which he has devoted most of his life.
Most critically, many black South Africans — the core supporters of the ANC, in whose name this policy will allegedly be followed — have never expressed an interest to annihilate South African minorities.
Thus, even if we grant these parties their preposterous wish and speculate that the leadership of the ANC will indeed take leave of its senses and attack minorities, would black people follow it?
This calls for an urgent reinterpretation of South Africa’s recent history, for the benefit of those citizens who have horribly misunderstood it.
This has to do with the deliberately underplayed fact that South Africa’s peaceful transition could never have happened if black people’s struggle against apartheid was based on a desire to suppress minorities.
The ANC and Nelson Mandela’s pursuit of a negotiated settlement was informed and based on the support of the solid resolve of black South Africans to peacefully solve this country’s problems and assure everybody a place in a democratic setting.
It is ironic that opposition parties, by playing dangerous political games shaped around fear and race are the ones seriously threatening the country’s future — not the ANC that they are accusing of doing so.
Dr Thabisi Hoeane is a lecturer in the Department of Political and International Studies at Rhodes University Grahamstown. He contributes regularly to national print media. His PhD was on South African Electoral Studies and Democratisation.