Tick, tock, Comrades, time’s running out…

While many people’s eyes were focused this week on the implosion of the DA after political suicide bombers Herman Mashaba and Mmusi Maimane detonated their messages of anger and disappointment deep in the heart of the party, there were other things happening which had as much importance for South Africa, but which went little noticed or commented upon.

Zimbabweans loyal to the Zanu-PF dictatorship gathered outside the US Embassy in Pretoria to hand over a note protesting the supposed continuation of sanctions against that country. They were accompanied by another ANC rent-a-crowd group, shouting their solidarity for their comrades north of the Limpopo.

ANC secretary in Gauteng Jacob Khawe said: “For the mere fact that these ones are not imposed by the United Nations, they are economic sanctions. Economic sanctions, in their nature, are meant to create instability in a country and that is why we are calling against them.”

The ANC’s own secretary-general, Ace Magashule, joined in. “As a liberation movement, we are very clear that these are the actions and words of those who want to keep us as developing nations in perpetual economic servitude and on a restraining leash that they can use to rein us in at their whim any time,” said Magashule.

Here we go again with the “it’s all the fault of the West” and “No African leader can do any wrong” themes, which are among the major reasons that Africa has suffered through coups, war and famines since it threw off the shackles of colonialism.

The point cleverly avoided by the protesters in Pretoria and their ANC sycophants was that the sanctions by the US and the European Union are not targeted against the country of Zimbabwe. The sanctions, some of which were applied two decades ago, are in force on more than 80 individuals and two dozen companies which are associated with Zanu-PF.

These individuals and companies are the ones cited as ripping off Zimbabwe, or being involved in human rights abuses. And, even as the protests were taking place, Washington added another name to the list – that of Zimbabwe State Security Minister Owen Ncube over what it says is credible information of his involvement in “gross violations of human rights”. And therein lies another motivation for the ANC and other dodgy African governments to support the continuing oppression of other Africans under the guise of fighting “Western imperialism”.

The Americans consider no place too far for their long arm of the law when it comes to what they believe are abuses of power. Their financial and anti-racketeering laws mean they can go after anyone who has been looting and turning their ill-gotten gains into US dollars … anywhere in the world.

They’ve already indicated the Guptas and some of their henchmen are on that particular watch list. It may well be true that the Americans are using their supposed concern for human rights to further their own geopolitical aims, but why is that surprising? All the top nations do similar things. But at least someone is fighting for the rights of poor Africans who get abused by their own rulers.

Is it any wonder that Ace, Khawe and the other ANC pirates are resorting to bluster and disinformation to rally people to their “Pan-Africanist”, “anti-colonial”, “anti-imperialist” cause? Tick, tock, comrades. Time is running out. You can run, but you can’t hide.

Brendan Seery

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