ICONS: Will the nation begin to especially prepare for the Robert Sobukwe Centenary in 2024?

By Paul Njabulo Vilakazi

Despite the  a clear scarcity of any dogged  energy residing anywhere in the world today, to ever find a fair amount of fault with Nelson Mandela’s larger-than-life political profile, Mandela himself long declared that he was no avatar.

Thus, the continued subliminal use of his image to enhance a one-sided political liberation history, and. thus the abuse of our national sentimentality that is widely shared abroad around this also essentially self-image loving  world warrior, with the sharpest sartorial sense from way back his young days,  magically helping to also wash-off  some of his warts and whatever else…

In contrast to the above worthy portrait, a more philosophical world liberation leader in the person of Fidel Castro made sure to warn his nation not to forever latch onto his image, either in the form of statues or any branding, even if in any tempting to burn effigy…

Inkosi Dalibonga’s  image is now clearly being used and exploited to focus all of society’s attention to the presently once  equally hallowed enough – but soon to be  the out-going governing political outfit – alongside its overall lost glory and total political Machiavellian  system.

Continuing to do this, to deliberately linearly feeding of the ego of the lapsed Government whilst also bewitching our minds; that national leadership can only be hewn from out of there and there alone. We need more ways to honour the great places in our liberation struggle history, but not by continued slickest attenuation of the grandeur of rest of our other icons and avatars, through the sole use of the Nelson Mandela image and massively deluding the nation that he is the only one, however, his unparalleled status in ours and world history, for the purposes of nefariously hoarding gain for one political line for our eternal rule and misrule…

Fresh bank notes especially after the 30 years of democracy ought to – in chief  celebrate – a path towards the de-colonisation and de-politicisation of our society, which will soon have to carry for a greater ‘his/herstorical’ honour images of greatest figures such as that of the likes of  Inkosi UShaka, Khosi Mampuru, Makhanda ka Nxele,  Koning  Adam Kok, Queen Modjadji 1, Jacobus de la Rey, Nkhono Mantsopa Makhetha, Indlovukazi Nandi, Mofumahadi Mmanthatisi, Ouma Groeitjie Sarah Baartman ,Simon van der Stel , Sanusi Credo Mutwa and  Siener  van Rensburg, Robert Sobukwe and Steve Biko, to name a few, of our Avatars, National Unifiers and all Primary Symbolic Icons…

Let us now aptly ask the question: will the nation begin to especially prepare for the Sobukwe Centenary year in 2024, to be strongly signalled by his image on our currency this year?

The image of one who is indubitably a singular symbol of suffering than all political prisoners ever in the country; with a severe mental torture meted out by an act of imprisonment in an isolated cottage (lest he mingled with the rest of the prisoners and won them over, just as he had mesmerised John Vorster’s mind while on Robben Island to a point of declaring him, a man with a real Divine Mission) though which unfortunately did not help the apartheid ideology, even though as clear as crystal, he was the singular leader who would have lent a more than a sheer government rescue plan and  would have saved a country drowning in miry  clay waters that early on as a voice also calling for a Constituent Assembly whose agenda was to be of  a more constituent representativity than a Tripartite CODESA of the NP,ANC and IFP, at the behest of a ‘ well calculated plan’ of the  National Party already infamous for its Tripartite machinations of our political scene) but  then for Sobukwe, to suffer from a mysterious physical illness that was slowly eating his life away…While ‘providence’ equally mysteriously spared other principal political prisoners, on sides opposite  to that of Sobukwe   from such a cancerous disease.

It is more than fitting that   in this dispensation, we   close out the  thirty-years of democratic rule, with a more worthy centenary observance of  this far largest than life image by way of also making a concerted effort than is presently done by the Romans in Pretoria, to  protect his grave from constant vandalism. Lest this quest being labelled electioneering this could be made possible by any incoming government after our pending most august elections ever…

We will have the guts to institute this call to preserve the history of a liberation fighter equal only to that of WEB Dubois, Kwame Nkuruma, Julius Nyerere and Marcus Garvey; but still suppressed into obscurity by most selfish political normative narrative interests.

This would serve primarily to clean our total national psyche right now immersed in a solely oligarchic political normative narrative preference – the ugliest ever since the Real McCoy apartheid.

By the way a movie about Mangaliso Robert Sobukwe is long overdue and the Black Business deep pockets owes us this – more than the lately blaming the ruling party for every other thing ever gone wrong post Herstigte Apartheid

There is no way this country can be given its dignity back – not the least by even voting  g polls – but by giving a fair and wholesome share to the telling of the now only well sponsored half lies…

Somebody well-placed out there, please whisper into Spike Lee ‘s ear that there is still an outstanding Wondrous Story out there to be told but ignored by the especially Black misers out here…That of Super -Intellectuals and  pipe smoking once like Mangaliso Sobukwe and Potlako Leballo (the later oft being a renegade)

Of even the mystic like Vusi Make, who, when the Boers had thrown him among lions at the Kruger National Park, that somehow he got the lions to escort him out of the Park.

The story of those whose meetings in the townships after moving out of the ANC, were often broken up by the pugilist himself Nelson Mandela in fisticuffs, in a display of sheer brawn and a touch of aristocratic braggadocio and remaining austere in his well-tailored haute-couture, even as he threw a punch as mean as the one that was infamously thrown to break Sophiatown concerts by prize-fighter Ezekiel Dlamini, aka ’King-Kong’.

On Robben Island, Sobukwe might have also been saved those sure jaw-breaking punches by some mysterious Boer clement hearts…

• The writer, the Rev Paul Njabulo Vilakazi, is the founder of ALL Constituencies Aligning Movement (ACAM)

Comment

DEMAND FOR DA LEADER TO APOLOGISE OVER

ALLEGED RACIST SLUR

The alleged controversial and degrading comments made by Democratic Alliance leader, John Steenhuisen in Soshanguve a few weeks ago  in which he criticised and labelled the Gauteng Crime Prevention Wardens  as drunkards who had been recruited from a shebeen, were echoed in Parliament by Gauteng Finance MEC, Jacob Mamabolo this week who called for the honourable politician to withdraw the remarks and apologise.

According to Mamabolo, the DA leader allegedly breached the oath of office  and tarnished the reputation of Parliament through his alleged racist and disrespectful remarks about the wardens who are popularly known as Amapanyaza. He labelled the remarks as being racist.

Steenhuisen, who seemed unfazed by Mamabolo’s plea, has a right to decline to withdraw the remarks and apologise after he reportedly maintained that there was an overreaction to his alleged  utterances while leading a group of locals who picketted outside the Soshanguve police station over the high crime rate in the area. He also accused Gauteng Premier, Panyaza Lesufi of wasting taxpayers’ money by buying the wardens’ uniforms at Pep Stores, obviously insinuating that they were of cheap quality.

The DA leader might not be aware of the hurt he caused to these wardens some of whom have been unemployed for years. And some of them do not even drink alcoholic beverages. These wardens are just happy that the government was trying its utmost to reduce the increasing number of the unemployed in this country.

The unfortunate remarks by the DA leader has reminded most Black people about the suffering they had endured under apartheid rule where people of a darker skin were insulted and denied human rights by whites. What did the poor wardens do to deserve these kind of remarks  from the leader of a political party that claims to advocate a vision of an open opportunity society for all ? A non-racial political party.

The alleged racist remarks  have obviously also hurt families and relatives of these wardens. Some of these wardens could be the parents, friends or relatives of the group that was with Steenhuisen that day. These are the people the DA leader was trying to recruit to vote for the DA in the forthcoming  general elections.

Mamabolo  has urged Parliament to act against the DA leader’s  behaviour  to maintain its integrity.  He also accused him of having brought Parliament into disrepute. Steenhuisen has been unapologetic about his remarks and has reportedly said he also bought clothes at Pep Stores after all.

The DA leader might not see the need to apologise but he should be reminded that it is hurting remarks like these that sometimes cost political parties crucial votes during general elections. An apology does not cost much but it can repair just about anything.

To err is human and leaders also make mistakes which could be forgivable if done in good faith.