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The ANC in general, and Mshowerlozi in particular, uxhalabile, have gone to great lengths to paint the Democratic Alliance as an offshoot of the erstwhile National Party...
- For many years, they have peddled the fear-mongering line that the DA intends bringing apartheid back
- As recently as last weekend, His Speariness likened the DA to a baby snake, born of the mother snake, the oppressor
- The party has continued with this narrative (of the DA being the spawn of the NP) this week, particularly once the DA unveiled its election poster calling on voters to honour the memory of Madiba
A brief history lesson then. The venerable Helen Suzman entered parliament in 1959, as a United Party MP. A few years later, she and some comrades broke away from the UP, and formed the Progressive Party. For years, Mrs Suzman was the sole PP member in parliament, and a lone voice against the scourge of apartheid. Mrs Suzman regularly visited Nelson Mandela in prison, and was responsible for improvement in prisoners' conditions on several occasions. Madiba held her in the highest regard, and upon her death, the chair of his foundation called her, "a patriot and a fearless fighter against apartheid".
When the PP merged with the Reform Party, the Progressive Federal Party was born. A distinct minority party, it was the only left-leaning party in parliament, conspicuous for its continuous calls for the end to apartheid, and often the target of CP and NP derision.
The other Helen, Miz Zille, was a liberal journalist in the 1970s, and a member of various anti-apartheid structures in the 1980s, notably the Black Sash and the End Conscription Campaign. It is unconscionable to suggest she ever supported apartheid, or the NP state.
The two Helens are perhaps the most high profile luminaries from the PFP, which would become the Democratic Party, and ultimately, the Democratic Alliance. Point is, the DA and its forebears have not, and never will be, in favour of apartheid-style government.
Now let's examine the National Party. This was the party which introduced and furthered apartheid. It was the party of Malan, Verwoerd, Vorster, and Botha. As minister of defence, Botha oversaw the armed forces that were used to suppress dissent within South Africa, and to wage war against liberation forces in neighbouring countries, most notably South West Africa / Namibia, Rhodesia / Zimbabwe, and Mozambique. Botha went on to become prime minister, a position which transcended into executive president. In 1986, his government buckling under sanctions, and facing pressure to reform the political situation, many expected his speech at the NP congress to be used to announce some concessions aimed at ending apartheid. Instead, Botha delivered his Rubicon speech, in which he basically told his detractors, at home and abroad, to get stuffed.
Botha and his henchmen were not nice people, and personally, I cheered a little inside, when he passed on.
It is instructive to note that in the 1999 and 2004 general elections, no party was able to achieve the majority required to form a government in the Western Cape, and the ANC allied with the "New" NP. This led to a succession of puppet NP premiers between 1999 and 2004. Following the floor-crossing window of 2005, all NNP members became members of the ANC, allowing the ANC to govern the province, unfettered, until it was ousted in 2009.
Re-read this paragraph carefully... the ANC coalesced with the NP, the party of the oppressor. For their loyalty, certain NP officials were given token positions, most notably Kortbroek van Schalkwyk, who served as the Minister of Tourism for some years. If you want to know why the ANC has become so corrupt, so lawless, so out of touch with the people, you only have to look and see that they have learned from the best, their bedfellows, the National Party. Even the current speaker of the National Assembly, Bellend Mbete, has admitted that the ANC has lost touch with the people, and will be looking to mend fences after the LGE. The real party of black stooges and white capitalist enablers, is the ANC.
It follows that the DA is NOT the oppressor. In actual fact, it is the ANC which is in cahoots with the oppressor! Furthermore, when Mmusi Maimane says the DA is the party which best espouses the vision of our beloved Nelson Mandela, he is actually correct. It is the ANC which is campaigning on the basis of race. It is the ANC which preaches divisiveness. It is the ANC which crows about quota-based transformation, because its economic policies are failing. It is the ANC which gave us the Weekend Special, with a view to giving the keys to Treasury to the Guptas and Myeni, and It is the ANC which applies labels to other parties. It is the ANC which shouts, Asinivalo! But they ARE scared, with good reason.
If you are a patriot, and you align with the dream of Madiba, and you wish to punish the ANC for its woeful record of service delivery, and its ties with the REAL oppressors, you know where to put your X next week.
