South Africa needs a new kind of political activism to ensure that the defence of our democracy remains at the top of the sociopolitical agenda
The recent defend our democracy conference hosted by the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation challenged not only my political consciousness but also my patriotism as a South African.
The challenges that we face on a daily basis as the people of this country can be so overwhelming that some of us have opted to stay away from anything that resembles politics. The ever skyrocketing fuel costs, load-shedding and the scary cost of food are just a few of our perennial challenges.
It’s so easy to just say “stop this country, I want to get off”. But those of us who believe that South Africa can still rise and experience prosperity, don’t want to get off. We remain committed to working with all other role players in ensuring that our motherland does not lose its respectable position on the stage of free democratic countries of the world.
The words of Simon Wiesenthal, the Jewish Austrian Holocaust survivor, Nazi hunter, and writer, are worth mentioning in this context: “For evil to flourish, it only requires good men (and women) to do nothing.” The threats against our emerging democracy are so imminent that as a society we just cannot afford to do nothing.
South Africa needs a new kind of political activism to ensure that the defence of our democracy remains at the top of the sociopolitical agenda. If there is anything that we have learned about the process of rebuilding our country, it is that if government is unchecked, the South African democracy project could easily be derailed by those whose sole aim is to benefit as much as possible from the seemingly entrenched culture of corruption that has permeated all sectors of government and some of the private sector.
Our universities are strategically positioned to defend principles and values that are core to the ongoing democratic transformation of our society. It is our universities that mobilised students during apartheid to contribute towards the end of racist rule. As often argued, the political activism of the anti-apartheid struggle at university campuses was simply a reflection of the intense political battles fought mainly in the townships against the apartheid regime.
If there is anything that we can learn from the university students’ FeesMustFall campaign, it is that the mobilisation of university students can be a rallying point for advancing the cause of democracy in our country. For the sake of defending our democracy, it is imperative that student leaders reignite student political activism that focuses on creative student campaigns aimed at defending our democracy.
Although university students have been central players in advancing social and political change at campuses and in society, academics have at different periods in our history demonstrated political activism to advance the cause of democratic principles. For example, academics embarked on marches and protests against the imposition of apartheid at universities.
These marches were important as an expression of solidarity and support for black people who were victims of apartheid not only at universities but also in every sphere of their lives. Apartheid had permeated every corner of our society and academics could not just stand by when the racist policies of the whites-only National Party government threatened academic freedom.
Academic freedom in those years was loosely defined as the freedom of universities to decide who teaches at the institution, who is taught by the university and what is taught there. Under apartheid, black students were generally excluded from the so-called white universities and, in exceptional cases, black students had to get permission from the minister of education to study at these universities.
It became clear to university academics that freedom is indivisible — one could not talk of academic freedom while the majority of citizens remained disenfranchised and the apartheid army continued to occupy townships. This painful realisation gave rise to new forms of political activism by academics and eventually led to confrontation between academics, students and the apartheid security forces.
How can we forget the merciless killing of Bheki Mlangeni (who was a campus student leader and Wits law student) and David Webster (a Wits sociology academic and anti-apartheid activist), to mention but a few who paid the ultimate price in pursuit of democracy and freedom? It is true that ours was a hard-won democracy and some of our fellow countrymen and women paid the ultimate price.
Universities must take heed of the profound opening remarks by Mcebisi Jonas, who as a keynote speaker at the defend our democracy conference boldly warned that alarm bells are sounding and we need to up the tempo of defending democracy globally and in South Africa. He said that our country needs renewal to stop a “democratic backsliding” and a weakening of the political system, adding that weak state institutions are a threat to democracy.
Our universities did not shy away from confronting the evils of apartheid. As agents of change at universities, academics and students are once again asked to find new and innovative ways of thinking about politics, mobilising and organising to reignite people’s power. We dare not fail to heed this call.
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Mail & Guardian.