IFP, ANC war of words takes a dangerous turn

Posted: February 5th, 2009 | By Ray Hartley | Posted in General
  • 9 Comments
  

THE rhetorical battle between the ANC and IFP ahead of the election is beginning to assume alarming proportions.
Last weekend there were several incidents of violence including shootings and hard encounters between the police and protestors.
This week the ANC’s Julius Malema vowed to take the ANC’s election campaign into IFP leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi’s Nongoma backyard. Even into his house where the ANC would win over his children.
Malema was right to claim that his party should be able to campaign without fear anywhere in South Africa.
But his rhetoric was designed to cause a reaction and with frightening predictability, the reaction came.
And, in the fine tradition of youth politics it sought to outdo the flourishes of Malema’s original statement.
Said the party’s deputy national spokesman, Thulasizwe Buthelezi: “Julius Malema must come. We are waiting for him. He will arrive at Nongoma and find boys his own age who will teach him what happens to a loud-mouthed chatterbox imbecile like him.”
There was more: “What the ANC has seen so far is a Sunday-school picnic compared to what is to follow if they continue to provoke, insult and harass the IFP and its leader.”
The old saying says sticks and stones break bones, but words cause no harm. True under normal circumstances. But when sticks and stones are already breaking bones, words need to be considered more carefully.
It is now clear that KwaZulu-Natal is a political accident waiting to happen. The atmosphere of reconciliation that has surrounded the IFP-ANC relationship is evaporating in the heat of rhetoric.
Political parties must be guaranteed the freedom to campaign wherever they wish, but they must also be responsible and not fan the flames of violence.

Related posts:

  1. Malema – latest idiocy arouses little interest
  2. ANC condemns Malema – full text
  3. The unthinkable question: Could South Africa turn out like Zimbabwe?
  4. Julius Malema censured for attack on Naledi Pandor
  5. Malema’s dangerous message: Burn something and we’ll act

 

Comments

 

Eli Jikelele

February 6, 2009 at 9:54 am

What else can we expect from a bunch of savages who have nothing to fear from their political masters or the law? And everything anyone has to say about their behaviour is quickly branded as counter-revolutionary. These idiots cannot even spell the word … let alone the word “democracy”.

 

KK

February 6, 2009 at 12:28 pm

Malema had a chance to show some maturity, and prove that he actually cares about the youth he claims to lead. With an already volatile situation, a mature adult would have been trying to calm things down, to think about the youth that could potentially lose their lives with political violence…and yet like a bratty teenager, he had to say his two sense worth. If I was COPE, I’d make him an honourary memeber because if there is one person who has single handedly brought much embarressment to the ANMC its this pathetic specimen

 

maiphepi

February 6, 2009 at 1:15 pm

Malema & Manamela, do you honestly think that you are wiser than the wise of the world? Do you want to bring South Africa down. Do you want to destroy the peace that Tutu, Dandala, Chico Twala, Mandela & all the people who fought for peace in our land?

 

Eli Jikelele

February 6, 2009 at 1:34 pm

You’ve said it Maiphepi.

 

Nkosinathi Khanyile

February 6, 2009 at 3:53 pm

That is why the ANC is sending the MKs to campaign Kwa-Nongoma.

There are no “No Go” Areas for ANC.

 

Zabalaza

February 6, 2009 at 4:23 pm

You cant blame Manamela Maiphepi,like his short arse boss Blade,being parasites and spewing garbage on behalf of ANC(instead of SACP YCL)is their only hope of getting on gravy train to parliament.They realised long ago that being principled by contesting elections on their own will bring nothing but tears for them.As for Malema,you only have to look at his family backround to understand why he has no choice but offer to be taken from behind for a living.

 

Zumaniac

February 6, 2009 at 10:41 pm

@Nkosinathi,are you going to join anc leaders in nongoma for campaigning or your big mouth is only reserved for this blog where its perfectly safe?I can just picture this amazing election campaign,the anc brings out its own ageing Mk guys and Ifp brings out its violent iinkabi.Yipeeeee

 

Eli Jikelele

February 7, 2009 at 12:22 pm

The leaders of the ANYL and the YCL should demonstrate to the whole South Africa and the world just what brave ANC thugs they are by going to Nongoma. If they don’t we will know that they are plain chicken sh.it

 

Zabalaza

February 7, 2009 at 3:05 pm

They wont just go Eli,like they did last weekend,the anc leaders will get the police to protect their coward arses and leave the poor masses they bussed in from outside open to attacks from Ifp warlords.Talk is very cheap!

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