20 years after a hero's liberation

"Anyone can handle adversity. If you really want to test a man's character, give him power." -Abraham Lincoln

I'd be remiss if I didn't acknowledge today as being the 20th anniversary of Nelson Mandela's liberation from prison. Mandela remains arguably (though not arguably in my opinion) the greatest living political figure and certainly one the greatest of the 20th century. Not simply for his role in liberating South Africa from apartheid but for his sage guidance of the country during the early years of the country's real democracy. I maintain that the greatest thing he ever did for South Africa, even greater than leading the apartheid struggle, was to serve only a single term as the country's president. In doing so, he prevented the country from trading one oppressor for another. The decision prevented the development of a cult of personality and sent a loud and clear message that the well-being of the state must never be dependent on the beneficence of a single individual. He thus fulfilled his promise upon being released from prison that he stood "not as a prophet but as [the people's] humble servant." This mentality, the mark of true statesmanship, is likely the biggest single reason South Africa has so far avoided going down the road of other countries with similar liberation struggles like Zimbabwe and Angola.



Note: The South African Broadcasting Corporation has coverage here, here The Johannesburg Daily Mail and Guardian has reports here and here. The BBC has a report here as well as memories here and here as well as pictures.

Ostriches realize how far in the sand their heads were buried

The miserable failure South African president Thabo Mbeki's 'quiet diplomacy' appeasement vis-a-vis Zimbabwean dictator Bob Mugabe has been evident for years. While a noble endeavor in the beginning, Mbeki should've realized years ago that the policy had failed and that a new approach was required. Mbeki continues deluding himself into believing that his approach was actually bearing fruit, despite the meltdown of the Zimbabwean economy, despite the massive influx of refugees from the country into South Africa, despite the all out war against the opposition, despite Mugabe's poll theft from President-elect Morgan Tsvangirai and most of all, despite Mugabe's all out war against Zimbabwean citizens.

But apparently he's not the only South African who's been deluding himself. This piece from South Africa's Business Day (via allafrica.com) reports: RETIRED South African army generals investigating post-election violence in Zimbabwe have uncovered "shocking levels" of state-sponsored terror, sources close to them say.
The continued violence makes any chance of a peaceful runoff election "almost impossible", they say.

That they were shocked by the level of state-sponsored terror, something that's hardly new in Zimbabwe, is testament to the clueleness (willful ignorance?) of the South African intelligence apparatus. Something that's fairly astonishing considering all the information made available by local and international human rights groups.

Though unlike Mbeki, at least the South African generals have recognized and trying to rectify their ignorance.

SA allows arm shipment for Mugabe's campaign of terror

Two and a half weeks after Morgan Tsvangarai was elected president in Zimbabwe, the Mugabe-appointed electoral commission has refused to release even preliminary results.

As much as two weeks ago, President-elect Tsvangarai warned that outgoing strongman Bob Mugabe and his cronies would attack their fellow Zimbabweans. Tsvangarai predicted that the so-called war veterans, which are nothing more than otherwise unemployed criminal gangs of youths, were being prepared to wage "a war on the people".

Now evidence has been revealed to show that to the surprise of no one, President-elect Tsvangarai was probably right. A large arms shipment from China destined for Zimbabwe (a country at war with any of its neighbors) was unloaded in South Africa. China, as you may recall, has also been accused of arming the genociders in Sudan.

The government of South African President Thabo Mbeki, Mugabe's chief regional apologist, has vowed that it wouldn't 'interfere' with the shipment.

It's the fault of the other 105 percent!

I was listening to a BBC World Service report on affirmative action in South Africa. The report mentioned how under the old apartheid system, poor whites were guaranteed jobs.

Now, such perks are no longer available to whites.

One bitter white South African bemoaned, "You go to a company now and they tell you it's 55% black, 40% coloured (mixed race), 5% Indian and 5% white" and won't give you a job.

Perhaps the reason the man can't get a job is because he thinks that 55 plus 40 plus 5 plus 5 adds up to 100.

Schizophrenia in southern Africa

Former South African police minister Adriaan Vok plead guilty to plotting in 1989 to assassinate anti-apartheid activist Rev. Frank Chikane.

Last year, Vok made a public act of contrition by washing the feet of Rev. Chikane. Though he did appear before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission during its activities, Vok did not testify about this particular crime and was thus not eligible for amnesty.

Because he cooperated with authorities, Vok received a 10-year suspended sentence.

Vok was prosecuted for attempting to kill a single individual. At the same time, one of the continent's most egregious criminals, responsible for destroying millions of lives, not just one, received received a hero's welcome at the SADC summit in Zambia. But far from being angry when it comes to Robert Mugabe, South African officials bent over backwards to suck up to the tyrant.

Anti-gay barbarity in Nigeria, South Africa

A few times this year, I've written about the barbaric anti-gay witchhunt that seems to be sweeping through Nigeria. The federal government wants to ban not simply homosexual acts, which are already illegal. But they want to ban people from speaking about gay rights. And they want to "punish individuals who witness, celebrate with or support couples involved in homosexual relationships" with a 5 year prison term. Essentially, they want to imprison any citizen who treats gays as human beings.

Now, eighteen men in northern Nigeria may face death by stoning for alleged sodomy. The BBC reports that over a dozen Nigerian Muslims have already been sentenced to death by stoning, none have been carried out. [T]here have been two amputations in north-western Zamfara State which pioneered the introduction of the Islamic legal system in the country though the BBC doesn't indicate what was amputated.

South Africa, by contrast, has the first constitution in the world to specifically guarantee equal protection under the law for gay citizens. But societal attitudes remain extremely conservative. Human Rights Watch condemns the recent brutal murders of three lesbians in the country.

“Despite legal commitments to equality for all, lesbians in South African townships are still targeted for rape and murder,” said Jessica Stern, researcher in the LGBT Rights Program of Human Rights Watch. “Poverty, prejudice, homophobia and sexism are building a new pass system, where many women dare not walk openly on the street.”

Sadly, the hate crimes are not firsts. HRW indicates that the country is in the clutches of a 'climate of violent homophobia.'

African political elites often complain about the dehumanizing legacy of colonialism. And they spent many years agitating against the hideous apartheid system in South Africa and Rhodesia. But they are largely silent, if not eagerly approving, of aggressive homophobic state policy in places like Nigeria and Uganda.

If the three South African women had been murdered by whites because of their black skin, you can be sure there would've been continental, if not international, outrage. But since they were lesbians, their murders were seen as irrelevant, if not welcome.

I guess mindless hateful bigotry is acceptable so long it's based on one inate characteristic, but not another.