Dictating a one-way conversation to dizzy sons and daughters

Dictating a one-way conversation to dizzy sons and daughters

It hogged the headlines last week. “Dr. Mamphela Ramphele is presidential candidate for the Democratic Alliance (DA).” This week, not only are we saying “they kissed and broke up”, but the sons and daughters of the nation have been plunged into confusion.

The use of “sons and daughters” is a borrowing from Dr. Mamphela Ramphele’s book - Conversations with My Sons and Daughters. I have not read the entire book. The best I have done was to read the review done by Lewis Mash. It is available online.

Using my narrow definition, the sons and daughters are the children of the rainbow nation. I am saying this because Dr. Ramphele is one of the vocal proponents of the rainbow nation as inspired by the leadership of Nelson Mandela. In fact, every politician who is scrambling for relevance and moral high ground goes this route to achieve credibility.

A deeper look at the politics of our country will remind you that the definition of sons and daughters is not absolute because these children are socially, economically and racially polarised. Some of them are white and ostensibly rich and others are white but not rich. Others are black and rich while the majority of them are Black and absolutely poor.

For those who use Black Consciousness (BC) lenses to analyse our society, the sons and daughters refers to the youth who, by the way, make up the majority of the unemployed population (the most uneducated and unemployed people are the Black youth of this country. Refer to Census 2011). They are being urged on by Nkgono Ramphele, perhaps sitting around the fireplace to hear the fables of modern old, to take pride in building a democratic society wherein the Black race have regained their pride and are prospering alongside other races.

Dr. Ramphele’s book begins with an angry young man shouting the words “Mobu o utswitswe – The soil has been stolen.” You’d think that this is cry for the youth to fight for the return of land to the hands of the dispossessed natives. Not really. The message is saying to the young people: the current government leaders have betrayed the democratic promises.

If you’ve been following Dr. Ramphele’s rhetoric, before and after the founding of Agang SA, you will know that the ruling party (ANC) is often an object of her banter and criticism. Lewis Mash amplifies this in the book review when he says, ‘If there is a common theme that binds these essays, it is the failure of the ANC government to live up to its pre-electoral promise.’

Lewis Mash carries on: ‘At times it’s hard to remember what you’re reading about now or what was covered in the previous chapter, let alone to connect it to what comes next.’ This mish-mash (no pun intended) of essays is emblematic of the happenings of this past week.

When Dr. Ramphele negotiated the deal to be the presidential candidate of the DA, and insisting (said Helen Zille) to publicly pronounce it, without the knowledge of her comrades, many of her sons and daughters were thrown into yet another one-way conversation.

Many people reacted through social media to reflect their varying views on the move. “Steve Biko must be turning in his grave” and other stinging comments, some of which were insulting to the person of Dr. Ramphele, flew in all directions. And there were those who felt that the leader of Agang SA had the right to choose what she wants to do with her career as a politician because we live in a democratic society.

To the sons and daughters, the short-lived deal signifies a number of leadership aspects attributable to Dr. Ramphele:

1. A leader who has the moral courage to speak truth to power.

2. A leader who has the political courage to wrestle power from the “troubled” ruling ANC by any means possible.

3. A leader who has proven her mettle working for powerful institutions.

4. A leader who ditched BC at the fall of Apartheid to preside over institutions that perpetuate institutionalized racism – with the hope to transform them.
5. A leader who failed to see through the opportunistic intentions of a visibly white and liberal party trying to use her face to garner the black “son and daughter” votes.

6. A leader who founded Agang SA to advocate clean governance and democratic principles, yet taking a unilateral decision, months after denying the possibility of union with the DA, by not consulting with the members of her party on the matter.

Speaking of number 6 above, Dr. Ramphele’s book brings out this “one-sided conversation.” Throughout the book, the author is speaking and none of the sons and daughters she is supposedly “conversing with” is responding to the author. (I am not saying it is a badly written book; the principle of conversation is missing throughout.)

The political hail storm (look how much rain we’re seeing these days) following Dr. Ramphele brings with every lightning the complexity of our democracy. It brings to spotlight the overcast and wet conditions of our national politics. Dr. Ramphele’s actions send the message to people that indeed politicians are in it for their cosy weather conditions.

The ordinary South Africans are finding it difficult to make clear political choices because of this. The jury is still out whether the political parties in South African have the moral ability and competence to bring about clear-sky changes that will warm the whole nation.

Dr. Ramphele, once again, you have denied us a conversation, despite your claims (and those of your political party) of “restoring the promise of freedom” to everybody.