AfriForum’s visit to the US shows how SA politics has no class

You’ve got to hand it to the AfriForum okes. They know how to strike a nerve.

To them though, their nerves have been struck, constantly.

Imagine coming from a background where you can avoid recalling the oppressive parts of our history and focus on how things were done so well and cheap. Obviously you’d be frustrated at the rising costs of everything plus tax. Tax being on the up too.

I don’t think you’ll find many people who would publicly proclaim that the sins of our forefathers justify a blank cheque of redress, even though they may act according to that philosophy at times. What we do see though are ridiculously stupid ideas masked as redress and forced upon us as the exclusive solution. That way, if you’re against it, you’re a racist, paedophile, seal clubber and there will be no two ways about it.

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You were racist in your opposition to outcomes based education. You were anti-poor when you criticised the grant system. You were even counter-revolutionary for dancing to Nkalakatha. It’s no wonder the people from AfriForum feel stonewalled and unheard. Throw in some farm murder rhetoric and watch the confetti pop as they get more support from a relative non-issue. Except it is an issue, and a massive one, to a community who is so heavily community orientated.

Crime stats came out recently and the number of farm murders relative to murders in general is incredibly low. When you live in a country where murder is so frequent, the notion of murders tragically becomes par for the course. It’s when it hits your community that you feel it and when the community is so close, even one is a lot.

Of course, a political organisation is going to make a meal of it. Of course they’re going to appeal to the emotions of their funding base. That’s what organisations which rely on donations have to do to survive. So, if the door opens to a meeting in Washington and their people are feeling ignored by South Africa, they’re going to take that meeting. Who wouldn’t?

And if they’re able to lobby Washington to stop being so drastic and prevent harm to grass roots South Africans, all the more power to them. It would be more than what the South African government has managed to do anyway.

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Rushing over to another country for some clout is hardly classy but what has ever been classy about South African politics? Jacob Zuma was parodied on a condom commercial, Cyril Ramaphosa’s moniker ‘Cupcake’ comes from an interesting place and let’s not forget Cde Imagine This in your Mouth…hong hong hong.

Years ago, members of the Free State government went to Disney Land on the taxpayer dime to investigate whether a Disneyland in Dewetsdorp would be feasible. John Steenhuisen went to Ukraine to “see for himself” when he was still in opposition. The UK’s David Cameron was even lobbying in Europe while his party was still occupying opposition benches. International visits seem to be a free-for-all internationally.

You cannot expect anything different from a group like AfriForum if it will get them closer to their goals.

All you can do is disarm their argument and it’s pretty embarrassing that the simple things you’d need to do to disarm them are not being done. Even they see that and that’s probably why they’re as scared as they are.

We just need a statement to say, “Yo. Working farms can’t be expropriated under this law and by the way, remember how you went on with all lives matter when we were talking about Black Lives Matter? Well, all murders are important, including those of your community.”

Dismiss peoples’ fears, no matter how ridiculous they may be, and they’ll remain fearful. Address their fears, and if you do it properly, they should have much less to fear.

Right now, the fear is the lack of trust. Tell me you’re not going to take my farm just like you told me you’ll fix the country after all your mistakes, the state capture peoples will be arrested and we’ll fix spending so that the tax burden isn’t so intense.

Let’s deal with the lack of trust in government first. How about giving something positive to the country before trying to take some more?

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