So I was going to call this column: FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS ABOUT THE INVOLVEMENT OF ANCYL AND MALEMA SECRET FUND CAPITAL IN THE RECRUITING OF RIGHT WING EXTREMISTS TO THE CAUSE OF ARYAN DOMINATION – I WANT TO KNOW.
Unfortunately, as a parody of an ANC Youth League press release, you’d have to know that the latest missive from the office of Floyd “Lord Haw Haw” Shivambu was entitled: “FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS ABOUT THE INVOLVEMENT OF BIG BUSINESS AND AFRIKANER RIGHT WING CAPITAL IN THE SMEAR CAMPAIGN OF PRESIDENT JULIUS MALEMA — WE WANT TO KNOW.” Also, the liberal media/apartheid controlled website Mail & Guardian oppresses the masses by its refusal to allow culturally mandated prolixity in its Democratic Alliance influenced headlines. So screw them.
What is it with uppercase headlines, Floyd, you arch-capitalist you? I thought the ANCYL was opposed to the aggregation of capital by the few? And what is it with this pathetic attempt to take the fight to City Press by making up a few wacky conspiracy theories? Prettying them up with revolutionary rhetoric that you’ve cut and pasted from the memoirs of people who were actual revolutionaries, rather than power-grubbing nouveau Nelsons, isn’t going to deflect people’s attention away from the (City) pressing questions raised.
You know, I can stand all the stupid things that the ANCYL stands for, like keeping the crazed Gaddafi Dictator for Life of Libya, like keeping the people of Zimbabwe oppressed so that Mugabe can keep funnelling cash to his offshore bank accounts, and your enlightened “One man, one bunker” policy. But what I can’t stand is that you don’t appear to realise that when you claim, endlessly, that all white people are racists, you’re unfortunately half right.
Far be it from me to use Norway as an example, a country full of extra-white people, and a country whose record in the struggle against apartheid is, ironically, way more prestigious than yours, but — don’t you get it? Every time you demonise white people, you’re playing into the hands of the racists among us. And that would be racists across the colour board. From those beery, teary, when-we white ones with RPGs to the Proudly South African, braaing black ones setting fire to Somalians. It’s no coincidence that Norwegian killer Anders Breivik approvingly cited right-wing South African websites. People like you are helping to feed the fires of intolerance with your racist propaganda.
But you don’t care about the future of this country, only the short-term future of your sectarian interests. I love the frankness of this bit: “The ANCYL is asking these questions not with the intention of getting honest answers from City Press. … We are asking these questions to … walk with members of the public.” Exactly. You don’t care about truths; you care about getting public support by any means necessary.
I also love your blithe disregard for the integrity of City Press editor Ferial Haffajee and her journalists. In your world, any black person who doesn’t agree with you is a tool of white people. Or in your words: “City Press Journalists and Editor are puppets of the Master who desperately seek to safe-guard their ill-gotten wealth …. The Rupert family has been an anchor to most apartheid leaders, and would do everything to sustain remnants of apartheid accumulated wealth.”
I can see the Rupert family and Naspers as fighting a last-ditch battle to safeguard the last few apartheid pennies they have left in their empty coffers. In the case of Richemont that would be, for example, revenue in the three months to December 2010 of €2.11-billion from €1.59-billion a year earlier. In the case of poor, struggling Naspers that would be revenue in the last financial year of revenue of R33-billion, up from R27-billion. You really think that stopping the ANCYL-biters from making a bit of money on the side is going to bother these people?
If you polarise our people around a faultline of hatred, you are condemning us to a future massacre. If you insist on combating every criticism by trying to deflect attention with racist rhetoric, you’re legitimising that for all extremists, no matter their affiliation or skin colour. The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity. You’re supposed to be leaders of our youth. Don’t lead them into death.
Chris Roper is the editor of the M&G Online. Follow him on Twitter: @ChrisRoperZA