Boesak the artist

I’m sincerely concerned for Allan Boesak. At the rate he’s going he may well run out of organisations to join.

You could accuse the clergyman of a lot of things — his notorious fraud case (for which he was pardoned) at the top of the list. But a fine sense of timing isn’t one of them. The man is a master of political opportunism. His career has involved a long and complicated history with the African National Congress (ANC), stints at various church organisations and now another used membership card can be added to the pile: Cope.

But it’s too easy to carp on his obvious flaws. And it’s been done to death. Let’s take a moment to celebrate Boesak as orator, writer and general whipper-upper of crowds. Boesak the entirely self-interested artist. Because the timing of his move is sheer poetry. His resignation neatly commemorates the one year anniversary of the then vaunted national convention hosted by Mosuia Lekota announcing the formation of the breakaway party.

It was the great liberal hope. It whipped its mother body the ANC, the media, and much of the voting public into a small frenzy. The monolith was splitting! A party dedicated to the rule of law and truly non-racial and constitutional South Africa was forming! Viva, a new dawn of SA politics, Viva!

A year down the line the fact that its anniversary only makes headlines after its most controversial member resigns says volumes.

Like a hastily assembled Soviet Union-era car, the party was cobbled together with lots of ideology and very little substance. It got shoved of the factory floor without passing basic standards test and raced into an election marathon before you could learn to say its disputed name.

No wonder the engine started making alarming sounds so soon. And when black-faced and disillusioned politicians started spilling out of the smoking jalopy, the bonnet was thrown open to reveal a party leadership nearly destroyed by its own infighting and factionalism.

So Boesak’s resignation is no surprise. To fatally mix my metaphors, the ship is sinking and it’s always the rats that jump first.

Did I just call Boesak a rat? He certainly is a survivor.

But what of the 1 311 027 voters who put their battered faith in the new party? As Simon Grindrod, formerly of the Independent Democrats said in an open letter when he left the party in July: ‘It is becoming my view that a great fraud has been perpetrated against the South African electorate and I will no longer be part of leading it. I now regard the rhetoric of ‘deepening democracy’ as totally baseless and regret being overwhelmed by the exciting potential this had for our country. I regret even more that I convinced others likewise.”

In their haste for a new political option too many South Africans flocked into Cope’s untested arms. Now, as the party leaders seem more preoccupied with jockeying for position than anything else, they owe it to their voters to clean up their act and serve out the rest of their term with some semblance of dignity.

After all, it seems my concern for Boesak was premature. Despite the heated exchange when he left the ANC, a mere two hours of his resignation they welcomed him back. They’re only too happy to do the same for those betrayed voters. A new political option? We still have some way to go.