Identity Politics Is A New Form Of Oppression

As exemplified in the US by the Democrats, the significance of those who loudly claim democracy is being threatened are the ones who have the most to lose by exposure of their agendas and their actions. ANC councillor Madlala’s claim that Afriforum poses a threat to democracy is a case in point (The Mercury, February 18).

Criticism of minorities in South Africa needs to be factored in terms of the following reality (which came out of my pen some years ago): “the welfare of the majority depends on the security of the minorities.” The welfare plight of Zimbabweans is a direct result of politics that ignored that reality.

So there is nothing wrong with Afriforum prioritising the interests of white people, a corollary of which benefits black people. How does Madlala square that with the existence of lawyer and accounting groups exclusively for blacks? And what about BEE, which, as we all know, has become black elite empowerment?

Citing statistics of land ownership without considering geographical factors is deliberately emotive. What those bald stats do not disclose is that 55% of the freehold farmland which covers 50% of the country is dry, scrub land suitable only for limited livestock grazing.

What Madlala ignores in his bid to promote emotionalism, is that 24% of all farmland has already been redistributed or that land rights have been restored. That is close to the 30% target which the ANC government set by 2030.

Also ignored by Madlala is that the vast majority of farms acquired, which were once productive, have ceased to be commercially viable and food security has not benefited.

Racial quota politics benefits only the political bigots who promote it. Yet those same people prioritise merit in how they are treated and what they pay for – not mediocrity. The ANC’s tired promotion of identity politics has little to do with redress because it is a new form of oppression to sustain its political fortunes.

Madlala’s horror at the prospect of foreign intervention is also short on context. During the 1980s the ANC stridently promoted global foreign intervention in South Africa. The sanctions and disinvestment it encouraged caused mass unemployment and suffering. In terms of the ANC’s cosy relationship with China, foreign exploitation of South Africa is openly taking place. Check the growing Chinese footprint in commerce and ownership of resources.

What goes around comes around. Trump’s economic pressure on the ANC is a taste of what it promoted 40 years ago. Enjoy!