Corruption and the ANC
Philip Hall, May 2017 Isn't the debate about ANC corruption and Zuma's 'corruption' really a red herring? Isn't it just part of the regime change narrative that is was used in the Ukraine and that is currently being used in Venezuela? The ANC will be returned to power in any election. It won't be overthrown by a nascent Venezualan, Ukrainian style insurgency stoked up by corporate money and a local comprador class with greater allegiance to the western metropolis than to its own national interest. There is no going back to Apartheid, only forwards onto something better. The white South African émigré's nostalgia for the 'well-oiled working of government' in Apartheid times is unseemly; in fact it is repulsive. Whatever the future may be for South Africa, people with morals want a fair society with redistribution of wealth, not something resembling the inequalities of Apartheid South Africa - which was well beyond the pale. Of course, what we do not want is corruption. But a society without corruption comes through building up a political culture and that takes decades of education and development. More importantly, it requires a large measure of social justice. The ANC government, first under Trevor Manuel and Nelson Mandela, and then under Trevor Manuel and Thabo Mbeki, buckled under the pressure of external and internal threats. They failed to implement important aspects of the Freedom Charter that would have helped cure the societal wounds Apartheid left. The ANC leadership should have had the courage to fully implement the Freedom Charter with a minimum of compromise - and that's what Chris Hani and my parents (ANC stalwarts) and so many other ANC members wanted. That's why Chris Hani was killed by the Apartheid state in its death throes. Hani's death was a great victory for the regime because it helped guarantee the status quo. The fact that there was no fair post-Apartheid settlement was clearly the fault of the corporations who pressured for the unequal economic situation in the country to remain. Apartheid vested interests were culpable, and these are the same vested interests who shout accusations of corruption: the ones who previously garnered so much of the wealth of generated by the labour of ordinary South Africans for themselves. The ones who exploited the obscene inbuilt racism of the state. The IMF was also to blame, acting on behalf of these corporations who forced the ANC to sign a letter committing the government to avoid any programme of post-Apartheid redistribution and to sign up to neo-liberalism. A proper redistribution of wealth after Apartheid would have meant that black South Africans wouldn't have had to use the state sector as a lifeboat, as a way to redress the income imbalance. Nepotism and different degrees of cronyism, though questionable, helped create a thriving black national bourgeoisie. Contracts are sometimes awarded to friends, family and allies and former beneficiaries of Apartheid lose income. To the western mainstream media and the corporate owned media in South Africa this is a reason to call Zuma and the ANC corrupt. International corporations would prefer a president and a political party who was much more amenable. Someone who would open wide' and offer no resistance. They don't like Zuma for his intransigence and opposition to neo-liberalism. Zuma is corrupt, for them, in the wrong way. Western governments clearly have a schizophrenic attitude to corruption. For example, western corporations were very happy with Yeltsin and the Russian mafias because these elements promised to give unrestricted access to Russia's mineral wealth, technology and other resources. Yeltsin was the 'right' kind of corrupt politician. There are plenty of examples of 'good' corrupt people who are western allies and receive no criticism. Look around. Putin, for example, is the wrong kind, precisely because he opposes the incursion of the multinational corporations into Russia. He's a Russian nationalist. In contrast, the west adores the corrupt government of China and governments in parts of the Arab world, because they benefits the interests of the powerful and wealthy in the West. Zuma, like Putin, is a nationalist. But there is an argument that says that this form of corruption has been, in part, a natural process of adjustment. A reaction to the unequal post-Apartheid settlement that tried to lock in existing privileges. It is these people who shout the loudest about ANC corruption. The Apartheid businesses that were kicked off the gravy train. The ANC is the best political party, by far, that South Africa has, and has ever had. That can never be questioned. Yes, perhaps activists like Chris Hani would have helped create a more balanced post-Apartheid settlement. But would anybody be better than the ANC? People can try to ride waves of indignation into power buoyed up by funny money from the post-Apartheid losers. Some of them may be legitimate, but many of them are just identity politics opportunists on the make, or class warriors. Spot the power-hungry populists like Malema without ideology or morality. Spot the shallow corporate stooges like Helen Zille. What roots do these opposition leaders have in society that can compare to those of the ANC? What responsibility do they have to their electorate that is greater than the burden of responsibility placed on the ANC? The ANC is anchored in a history of struggle against injustice. Isn't the debate about ANC corruption and Zuma's 'corruption' really a red herring? Isn't it just part of the regime change narrative that was used in the Ukraine and is currently being used in Venezuela. The ANC will be returned to power in an election, it won't be overthrown by a nascent insurgency stoked up by corporate money. This is an edited and rewritten version of a post I wrote in response to the criticism by a cousin, Mark Hall, of the ANC and Zuma __________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of detection engine 15506 (20170531) __________ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. http://www.eset.com ________________________________ [http://imageshack.com/a/img32/381/6b28.png] E-mail Disclaimer: The information contained in this communication is confidential and may be legal privileged. It is intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom it is addressed and others authorised to received it. If you are not the intended recipient you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution or taking action in reliance of the contents of this information is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. 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