REFILWE MEKOA
As South Africa heads to its fifth democratic general elections, the country is also celebrating 20 years of democracy despite some unnoticed aspects that are gradually developing.
Race is still a very sensitive aspect of the culture in our country, whether a person lived during the apartheid regime or not. It also plays a crucial role in shaping the nation’s political spectrum. Earlier this year, South Africans witnessed Agang leader Mamphela Ramphele being presented as the Democratic Alliance’s presidential candidate for the upcoming elections. This lasted five days. The move was labelled by opposition parties as a “rent a black” campaign where the DA was allegedly aiming to win more votes from the black community.
Courant’s Refilwe Mekoa queried four political parties and residents if race was the main motivation of the choice an individual makes when voting for a particular political party.
The Free State Freedom Front Plus leader, Wouter Wessels, said this party is not a racial or exclusive party. It is a policy-based party.
“The FF Plus has a Christian democratic policy that includes recognising the right to self-determination of groups and communities. In terms of global politics this is seen as liberal democratic principles and is regarded as modern solutions to diversity and nation building. The FF Plus is open to all South Africans who associate with its policies and ideological stances,” he said.
Wessels added that the FF Plus has registered party members of different races and does not require any individual to state his or her race on the membership application. He said they refrain from any racial classification.
“Passing judgement and classifying a certain political party require sufficient knowledge about that party, its policies, ideology, etc. Unfortunately, most South African journalists are not interested in facts or informing themselves. Due to their own predetermined conceptions and their own political agendas the public is misinformed. The FF Plus is not a white party,” said Wessels.
He added they re-launched the FF Plus’s mission last year to inform the media and public about their vision. “Our constitution guarantees the right and freedom for any citizen to join any political party of their choice. Any South African is welcome to join the FF Plus. Membership is confidential due to employment sensitivities.”
Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance in the province confirmed to be having a large number of black members. According to DA’s
Dawie Scholtz it had a majority of black delegates during their Federal Congress in 2012. “We have Lindiwe Mazibuko, our parliamentary leader, Gauteng premier candidate Mmusi Maimane, and our national youth leader Mbali Ntuli. So it goes without saying that we have many great black members. We are growing very rapidly in townships across South Africa and have strong branches in black communities,” he added.
Scholtz emphasised how the DA is the most diverse political party in the country, featuring black, coloured, white and Indian members. He rubbished allegations that the DA is regarded as a “white party” stating that it is a false perception allegedly uttered by the ANC. “We are a diverse party for all South Africans and showcase our diversity all the time,” added Scholtz.
On the other hand, the Economic Freedom Fighters is the new party that has surfaced last year in the political spectrum and has already created a bit of stir by making politics more attention-grabbing. The noticeable radical boldness of the EFF has created various perceptions in most citizens around the country.
According to EFF’s provincial spokesperson, Lucky Mongale, they embrace white people as part of citizens that rightfully belong in South Africa. Mongale expressed their worry of the image portrayed about the EFF being a “black party”. He told Courant they are a non-racial party and they also believe that there is only one race in the world and that is the human race.
“We have white counterparts within the EFF. Nationally we have Wiskus Kotze and provincially we have a lot of white registered members in Clocolan. We have all racial groupings, including whites, Indians, coloureds and Asians,” he said.
Mongale explained that their strategy is to politically educate their members and volunteers and to spread the word to the masses that they are not against white people.
“We are only trying to address economic inequalities that have been created by the past system. We have no intention of harming the white people, hence a call by the commander in chief, Julius Malema, where he announced during the election manifesto launch that white counterparts are allowed to join EFF because it’s a home for all,” he said.
Mongale emphasised that the EFF will need to be patient with those who are afraid to join, but also reiterated that the party is not against any person. “We only want our land and that should not be interpreted as being negative. We are inspired by our white counterparts who have chosen to join EFF even though there are people who want to paint a bleak picture about our party,” he added.
According to provincial ANC spokesperson, Thabo Meeko, the ANC is a non-racial political party, which caters for every individual in the country. He said there are many ANC members who are from various racial backgrounds. Meeko stated that they believe all citizens despite the colour of their skins are one.
“South Africa is the land for all. It is a democratic country created for all to be equal. The ANC is the main tool that made all different races to come together and form a democratic country and we will continue with the legacy of installing peace, embracing each other’s individuality in our societies by honouring former President Nelson Mandela,” he said.
Three Bloemfontein residents all mentioned that they will not vote for a political party based on its dominating race. Sixty one-year-old Danie Griessel said his choice is based on if the party will provide for his needs or not. Godfrey Moahludi (34), stressed that his choice of a political party will never be based on race but rather on the party’s beliefs. Twenty seven-year old Tracy Smith said: “What matters is how a particular political party sticks to its promises to suit the needs of ordinary members.”
According to the University of the Free State’s Political Analyst Hussein Solomon, race still remain an issue that creates a divided society and has an impact in an individual’s political choice. “The DA is making a stride in a black middle class community but it’s still viewed as a white party. All those people who still have memories of the apartheid regime will vote for the ANC while the born free generation will rather be open to any political party of their choice despite the race issue,” said Solomon.
