Let he who is without sin —
All manner of opinions have followed reports of the allegation that President Jacob Zuma has fathered a child with a soccer boss’s daughter. The merits of the allegations are not my subject — what is of interest is the reaction to the reports.
Some modern-day Pharisees, self-ordained as God’s representatives on Earth, have passed judgment on the person of the president, finding him lacking in morals.
What they omit to mention is that David, King of Israel, was a polygamist, and that King Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines. These Pharisees omit to mention how many broken families there are in the 42 generations from Abraham to Jesus, let alone that Jesus himself was born out of wedlock.
Ad-hoc Aids activists, including a madam with a pineapple hairstyle who may or may not be a premier of a mini-country in the west, allege that the president’s conduct makes a mockery of the campaign against Aids. What they omit to say is that HIV is not caused by unsafe sex. Rather, it is likely to be transferred by unsafe sex if one of the parties is infected. None provides evidence of the HIV status of the parties, but pretends unsafe sex creates HIV. This makes a mockery of HIV/Aids education.
I disagree with the president that polygamy is practised because it is part of Zulu culture. There are a lot of polygamous affairs that others like to call cheating. Or people move from one relationship to another. That transition does not always involve a neat break-up, followed by an idle period, then entry into another relationship. People are faced with a choice of polygamy, one big family, or they can choose to have many little broken families.
Many cheat without getting caught. That includes journalists, analysts, opposition politicians, pastors, newspaper editors and many others. Are they better people because they don’t get caught? Because their sexual conduct never makes headlines? Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.
Unlike China, South Africa does not have a population-control policy. In a democracy leaders are elected from within a society and as such cannot behave in a manner alien to that society. Our democracy embraces polygamy. It embraces gay and lesbian people. It accepts abortion. People have the freedom to choose.
Before the Pharisees and the Aids tribunals descend upon me, this is not an attempt to promote immorality or unsafe sex. It is just to say we should be objective, fair and honest in our view of our society, including of the president.
As a democratic people, are we ready to accept that one day we might have a head of state who is gay or lesbian? Do we accept that one day we may have a female president who may require a termination of pregnancy? Will we turn such things into headlines or we will accept them as part of the society we live in? — Themba Phakathi, ANC Youth League member, eThekwini Region
I find it a source of great sadness that the spin doctors of the ANC would have us believe that extra-marital sex is a matter of cultural preference. They want us, by implication, to believe that it is not the prime reason for our destructive divorce rate and all the pain that goes with that.
They want us to believe that male chauvinism of this sort is okay and that women can be freely abused in this way ‘because it is our culture.” They seem blind to the fact that promiscuity is the reason why we cannot make progress with reducing the numbers of new HIV infections in South Africa. They are denying the truth that such promiscuity has produced a fatherless nation, with all its violent ways.
It is just not acceptable to try to abuse cultural differences in this way. Marital unfaithfulness was not a part of Zulu culture until that culture was broken down by migratory labour and rapid urbanisation.
Are we to believe that they are ready to abandon the good things in that culture and to accept the results of the damage apartheid did to it? Are we to believe that they are happy to lead every young man astray in our nation, for the sake of convenience, as they try to defend the indefensible?
Do they not recognise that we have to engage in the painful work of rediscovering a godly morality if we are to have any hope of surviving as a prosperous nation? Or are they not able to see beyond the hope of short-term gains which lead to long-term disaster?
If we have to answer ‘yes” to all those questions, then it is time that they step aside and let leaders with a great deal more wisdom take over from them.
This is not the kind of freedom for which so many lost their lives. — Dr JV Larsen, Howick
African hunger is food for thought
In his acceptance speech as the chairman of the African Union, Malawi’s President, Bingu wa Mutharika, implored Africa to share his dream that ‘in five years, no African child will go to bed hungry, no African child will die of hunger and malnutrition”.
He has chosen an issue that affects the majority of Africans.
The reality on the ground is that 300-million of 850-million Africans go to bed hungry every night. Of these, it is estimated that 237-million Africans are undernourished. This significantly affects economic productivity, children’s performance in school and general health, which is vitally important for poor people since it determines their very survival.
African leaders have been long on resolutions and declarations, but very short on implementation and concrete actions. Since 2006 African Monitor has been tracking commitments by our African governments and donors.
One critical agreement signed by the African Union member states is the famous Maputo Protocol, in which each signatory resolved to commit 10% of its national budget towards agriculture and towards developing a framework that seeks to increase growth in agricultural gross domestic product by 6%.
Between 2005 and 2007 the countries that took ‘concrete actions” were Malawi, Zambia, Algeria, Sierra Leone, Mali and Senegal. They demonstrated that a technical formula existed for Africa to follow. What seems to make a difference is the political will.
We know that the rotating African Union chairmanship lasts for only 12 months.
However, it is long enough to start the process of shifting from declarations to concrete and effective follow-up on the declarations already made, particularly on food security.
If you are able, Mr Chairman, to maintain the focus on the stand you have taken, there is hope of ensuring that no African child dies of hunger or suffers from malnutrition and that no African child goes to bed hungry.
We are confident that your leadership will make this happen. — Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane, president and founder of African Monitor
Klerksdorp is still Klerksdorp
The full-page advertisement on page 13 of your January 29 edition is factually incorrect. The correct name of the city referred to in the advertisement is Klerksdorp. It never has been renamed Matlosana.
In 2000 the municipalities of Klerksdorp, Stilfontein, Orkney and Hartebeestfontein were merged and a new municipality came into being serving all four towns — the Klerksdorp Local Municipality. The municipalities of the three smaller towns ceased to exist.
Shortly thereafter, and in line with ANC national policy of renaming just about everything, the ANC-led council wanted to change the name of the city, the municipality and many street names in the four towns.
My party, the Democratic Alliance, vigorously opposed this radical, costly and unnecessary change. After many meetings a compromise was reached: the names of some streets would change but the names of the four towns would remain the same. The name of the municipality (not the town) was officially changed to City of Matlosana Local Municipality.
This position remains unchanged, despite the fact that soon after agreement was reached, the then-mayor (since deceased) erected a large, expensive stone obelisk in front of the municipal building and emblazoned the name ‘City of Matlosana” on it. That is the name of the municipality, not the town.
We residents of Klerksdorp are proud of our city and its name. It was the first settlement in what became the Transvaal.
One wonders about the competence of the city’s marketing department if it doesn’t even know the correct name of the city it is promoting.
Despite the above inaccuracy, the other statements about our city in the advertisement are largely true. — EG Hart, DA councillor, Klerksdorp
Imagine my delight, Sunday afternoon, wine glass in hand, despairing of our president’s siring skills, when I encountered the advertisement for the (new) city of Klerksdorp, now apparently called Matlosana.
It was like negotiating a grammatical minefield, just with no detector or clues. I am delighted that the city management is spending its efforts on making the city better rather than wasting time on grammar. Perhaps your publikation kud give diskount for misteaks. — Hugh Fraser, Johannesburg
Okay to harvest pelargonium
The headline ‘Locals win patent dispute” (January 29) is misleading. The patent application for the manufacture of extracts from Pelargonium sidoides was rejected by the European Patent Office (EPA) last week, but it was based on technical grounds raised by objecting competitors rather than substantive grounds. This is fairly common and we are certain the reapplication will be successful.
What is of particular importance is that the accusation of ‘biopiracy” (illegal acquisition of genetic resources and traditional know-ledge) was rejected. In its ruling the EPA accepted the novelty of the patent and that the way of manufacturing is new. It does not use traditional knowledge and is not described in any scientific literature.
Independent reports confirm that Pelargonium sidoides, while indigenous to South Africa, is widespread in usage and not particular to any community. The EPA confirmed that its collection for Schwabe is sustainable, not a monopolisation of the plant, and does not threaten the plant population or biodiversity. In fact, it promotes the sustainability of both the plant and the communities collecting it on our behalf.
We are committed to adhering to national legislation, to creating income for communities collecting pelargonium for us, to creating labour and know-how with local growers and scientists, and to cultivating the plant as a raw material for our product and with joint research. — Dr Traugott Ullrich, spokesperson for Dr Willmar Schwabe Pharmaceuticals
Rich beware
Nikiwe Bikitsha makes a telling forecast in ‘How tight is your ‘strangulator’?” (January 29).
She laments that ‘South Africa has surpassed Brazil as the most unequal society in the world”. While ‘shoes get pointier and shirt collars longer” among the VIPs at Zizi Kodwa’s 40th birthday bash, ‘the number of people with no schooling, no shirts on their backs and no shoes on their feet is growing exponentially”. One can only agree with her closing sentence: ‘They will make us pay the price.”
Millions fought for freedom and thousands died in the process. A day will dawn when the poverty-stricken masses of this country revolt against those politicians concerned only about bling-bling. The poor will extract justice with a ‘strangulator” of a deadlier kind. — Abu Hassanain
In brief
Fifty years ago, on February 3 1960, the then British prime minister Harold Macmillan addressed the South African Parliament, warning of the ‘winds of change” sweeping across Africa. Twenty years ago FW de Klerk responded to the winds of change and announced sweeping changes. Our destination is clear. It is outlined, painstakingly, in the Preamble of our Constitution.
We dare not deviate from the plan, because to do so would be to betray those who sacrificed so much so that we can stand where we stand today. President Jacob Zuma can be applauded for acknowledging the symbolism behind this month, but he would be failing us all if he failed to address us forthrightly on the occasion of the State of the Nation address. He stands at the gates of history; his actions will determine whether he comes to be regarded as one of those who took South Africa to greater heights. Even the unity of the tripartite alliance is dwarfed by this responsibility. — Lungelo Magubane, La Lucia
I agree wholeheartedly with ‘Umbrage” (Letters, January 29): your Hayibo column is puerile rubbish and not a fair replacement for Verbatim. There is more than enough silly news in the real world — no need to make it up. Bring back Verbatim! — Linda, Cape Town