Political parties across the spectrum agreed on Friday to promote tolerance, particularly in the build-up to next year’s election.
The pledge was made during an often heated live debate on 567 CapeTalk radio, between the African National Congress (ANC), Democratic Alliance (DA), Congress of the People (COP), Independent Democrats (ID), Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), United Democratic Movement (UDM) and African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP).
The COP’s Mbhazima Shilowa said the ANC’s intolerance was demonstrated by certain of its leaders stating publicly, for example, that the new party ”will not be allowed to set up any branch in KwaZulu-Natal”.
This was unacceptable. These leaders did not ”own” any part of South Africa.
”We fought for this liberation too,” Shilowa said.
ANC national executive committee (NEC) member Nomvula Mokonyane responded that what had actually been said was that ”because some people are coming in and stealing [members] from the ANC”, they were not going to allow it.
She alleged financial incentives were being offered to lure ANC members.
Shilowa said the ANC had stated, rightfully so, that it had a right to welcome members from other parties and when this happened, described them as ”progressive, they have seen the light”.
”We [the COP], accepting that we should not use your [ANC] structures, are saying we will welcome members of the ANC into our party in the same way that you accept from others.
”The Constitution says you have the right to belong to a political party of your choice,” Shilowa said.
ACDP leader Kenneth Meshoe said the ANC ”is the last party to talk about stealing”.
”They stole people in Parliament, not outside, but inside Parliament,” he said.
The ANC leadership was itself publicly setting the tone for intolerance.
He cited ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema’s ”kill for Zuma” statements, the ANC Women’s League leader Angie Motshekga calling those leaving the party ”dogs”, and ANC president Jacob Zuma himself calling them ”poisonous snakes”.
DA leader Helen Zille said the ANC ”went and bought the whole of the party of apartheid, the National Party, swallowed them up lock, stock and barrel”.
”They belong to each other, they deserve each other.”
The ANC had scrapped floor-crossing — which was a good thing — but only because it knew it would lose more than half its caucus through floor-crossing if it kept it.
”It was pure political expedience,” Zille said.
UDM leader Bantu Holomisa said the ANC would have to accept that ”the real floor-crossing is taking place now, but it’s called people’s floor-crossing”.
On political tolerance, he could speak from experience because ”when the UDM was launched it was launched in a hostile environment”.
During the incidents of violence at the time, the ANC was the ”common denominator”.
He warned Shilowa that ”the ANC is going to intimidate your people, make no mistake boetie [brother], I’ve got experience, but welcome to the club”.
‘We will stand our ground’
ID leader Patricia de Lille agreed ”the common denominator in the intolerance seems to be and is the ANC”.
She gave notice to the ANC that the ID ”is not afraid of you”.
”We will stand our ground because we’ve got a right to campaign anywhere in this country.”
The solution was for party leaders to lead by example, she said.
”We must think and preach tolerance to our supporters. We must have an open line to one another, that wherever intolerance rears its ugly head anywhere in the country during the campaign, I must be able to pick up the phone and phone [other leaders] and say we now have a problem here.”
The ANC did not fight alone in the struggle.
”We were all in the trenches together, and therefore you can’t claim you have fought the struggle alone. We were there in the trenches.
”And let us be tolerant of one another’s views. The competition is just beginning now,” De Lille said.
The IFP’s Ben Skosana said political tolerance, freedom of association and freedom of speech, ought to be the hallmark of elections.
Political intolerance came in many forms, including ”financial intolerance”.
Business should not have to take intimidation from some quarters and should be able to support whichever party they wanted.
Otherwise an imbalance was created, which eventually led to conflicts, he said.
Mokonyane said bodies had been created for free and fair elections, such as the party liaison committee established by the Independent Electoral Commission.
”Where there are such issues during this period, let’s take them to those bodies, so that every party can substantiate [their complaints],” she said.
Zille also criticised Zuma for not participating in the debate, despite being in the city on Friday.
He had publicly stated that other parties had no policies, yet he refused to debate them on policy.
”We’ve asked him again and again, he’s ducked out of a debate with us four times. He’s scared of us.”
Defending Zuma, Mokonyane said she was herself a leader in the ANC. No individual had policies in the ANC.
”Policies belong to the movement, I’m part of that movement,” she said.
At the end of the debate, all participants agreed unanimously to promote tolerance among their supporters. — Sapa