Yes, it is a real word. It’s a thing. Wiki and the dictionary describe it as: “A system of government run by the worst, least qualified or most unscrupulous citizens.”
Sound familiar? S’Africa…?
Although, here in our beloved ailing, flailing banana-republic-in-the-making, I think it’s pronounced with high-pressure emphasis on the first three letters…
Because it appears that’s exactly what we’re devolving into. Just another clichéd, basket-case, failed African state.
How the hell did we get here? (As if we didn’t know…)
It’s not like we weren’t warned. There were many…MANY signs along the way, over the past 30 years or so. (Probably preaching to the choir here again.)
Some signs were less obvious than others. Some got buried in the barrage of endemic government corruption, rampant violent crime, the pandemic of GBV and child abuse, xenophobic attacks, failed parastatals, bankrupt municipalities, CIT heists becoming as common as load shedding, etc, etc, etc…
Here are just a few of what were, for me, some of the lesser-noticed early warning signs that a kakistocracy was coming. Signs that we had taken a wrong turn somewhere back there, and were now on the offramp to Banana Republic Boulevard…and Failed-State Central.
THREATENING NANDOS TO PULL A COMMERCIAL
Around early April 2009,one of SA’s favourite chicken franchises Nando’s released a satirical TV commercial featuring a caricature puppet that resembled, spoofed and lampooned then ANC Youth League leader, Julius Malema.
How did Malema and the ANCYL respond to the excellent, creative, satirical ad? With maniacal frothing-at-the-mouth “disgust“.
They accused Nando’s of using “cheap satire” to undermine electoral politics in South Africa. They also threatened Nando’s with “militant action” if the ad was not withdrawn. “If Nando’s does not withdraw the adverts, the ANCYL will mobilise the people of South Africa to take militant action against Nando’s and anything associated with Nando’s”, they said.
Under pressure, Nando’s ultimately withdrew the commercial.
Think about that. In what is supposed to be a “sophisticated” constitutional democracy, a fast-food franchise can be threatened by a faction of the ruling party into withdrawing a playful satiric commercial.
Nando’s immediately followed up with a cheeky response ad.
Good for Nando’s for standing up and hitting back. But for me, the “militant” backlash by the ANCYL, to something as frivolous as corporate art, was a disturbing sign of things to come. That was the moment I felt I had just watched political satire, dramatic irony and true, unabated freedom of speech and creative expression come under threat in this country.
But Nando’s was not the only victim of this kind of cold-war era communist or Gestapo tactics…
ILLEGALLY EVICTING A JOURNALIST FROM A PRESS BRIEFING
On 8 April 2010, Malema found himself back in the unsavoury global limelight when he verbally attacked, insulted and ejected a BBC journalist from a press briefing. He did it because the journalist, John Fisher, pointed out that Malema, a supposed Marxist-socialist and self-proclaimed champion “for the poor”, lives in a luxurious, swanky, Sandton mansion.
Addressing reporters at Luthuli House, Malema was mocking members of Zimbabwe’s Movement for Democratic Change for using offices in the wealthy suburb of Sandton, when Fisher interjected with, “You live in Sandton.”
That’s all he said. “You live in Sandton.” What came next was straight out of Idi Amin’s Uganda.
Clearly embarrassed at being caught out, this triggered Malema and an exchange with Fisher that culminated in Malema calling for security to eject the journo. Malema accused Fisher of “that white tendency” and ” undermining blacks”. He added, “This is not a newsroom, it’s a revolutionary house.”
As Fisher packed up Malema threw a slew of more slurs that included insults like ” Rubbish is what you have covered in that trouser. You are a small boy, you can’t do anything.” As Fisher headed out the door, Malema shouted “Go out, Bastard! Go out. Bloody agent!”
The whole nation and world saw that embarrassing debacle of a “press conference” degenerate into a shameful, disgraceful, attack on media freedom and expression – that you’d only expect from some Eastern Bloc communist country or African dictatorship.
Not one single journo in that room protested or joined Fisher in walking out. Not one took Malema to task for it.
That same afternoon, the National Press Club released a statement slamming the actions of Malema. Yusuf Abramjee, chairperson of the National Press Club, said: “Such behaviour against the media is unacceptable in a democratic country where media freedom is part of the Constitution.”
He also said, “Everyone should have walked out in solidarity with the BBC reporter. Journalists need to stick together. It is entirely appropriate to walk out should a news conference degenerate into journalists being sworn at and insulted.”
The following day, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) also released a statement condemning the expulsion. CPJ Africa programme coordinator Tom Rhodes said. “We hope that journalists will be able to cover future press conferences for the ANC without being insulted and expelled.”
The ANC, to their credit, also released a statement condemning Malema’s illegal expulsion of Fisher.
DESTROYING CONTROVERSIAL ART: THE SPEAR
On 10 May 2012, Cape Town-based South African artist Brett Murray opened his Hail to the Thief II exhibition in the Goodman Gallery in Johannesburg.
One of his pieces, titled The Spear depicted then South African President Jacob Zuma – in a standing pose reminiscent of Russian revolutionary Vladimir Lenin – with his genitals exposed. The colours and style of the painting were inspired by the works of Soviet-era poster artist, Viktor Semyonovich Ivanov.
The ANC’s reaction to The Spear painting was nothing short of rabid, calling it an “abuse of freedom of artistic expression”, and threatening to sue the artist.
Certain ANC ministers denounced the painting as ‘obscene’, ‘vulgar’ and ‘insulting’. Secretary General, Gwede Mantashe went on public TV and branded it as “rude, disrespectful and racist.” He demanded that local newspaper, City Press, remove the painting from its website. They buckled and did. He then called for a march on the gallery to threaten and bully them into removing the painting.
(Is it me…or don’t you think our government should have better, more productive things to do, more urgent pressing matters, than spending time, energy and taxpayer money intimidating artists and banning their works?)
The Spear saga didn’t stop there.
Wally Serote, a leading poet and writer, suggested the painting was no different to labelling black people “(the k-word)”. Around the same time, a pastor of the Nazareth Baptist Church called for the artist to be stoned to death.
Real “sophisticated” constitutional democracy, huh?
On 17 May 2012, the ANC issued a press release expressing their intention to apply to the High Court to have the painting removed.
On the morning of 22 May 2012, whilst court proceedings around the right to ban the image were underway, two men entered the Goodman gallery during visiting hours, and defaced the painting – on camera. The men – Barend la Grange and Lowie Mabokela – were arrested by security officials.
The ANC’s threats, bullying and anti-art intimidation campaign worked. As with the City Press website, the painting was eventually removed from the gallery.
Another blow struck by the government against our constitutional democracy – and its protection of our right to creative political expression.
And, as it turned out, was not to be the last time…
STRONG-ARMING FNB TO PULL A COMMERCIAL
In January 2013, First National Bank (FNB) launched an anti-corruption ad campaign. Predictably, it immediately came under heavy criticism from the ANC who directly intervened and strong-armed the bank into withdrawing the ad – to the disgust of the critical and free-thinking, democratic, SA public.
The ANCYL (again), as with the Nando’s commercial, branded FNB and their ad campaign as “treacherous.” The ANC – who were not mentioned in the campaign at all – interpreted this as an attack on the party and government because the commercial mentioned the word “corruption” in the narrative.
Obviously, the ad was too close to the nerve.
There again, as with the Nando’s commercial and The Spear painting, freedom of creative expression, rule of law and our constitutional democracy came under threat by those in power – who believe they are above the law and our constitution.
The ANC demanded the ad be removed and FNB spinelessly and stupidly agreed – and even went on to apologize to the semi-lit, arrogant, overreaching bullies in power. Again.
MAYBE, THEY JUST DON’T “GET IT”
And that’s just four little signs on the long winding road to kakistocracy illustrating that maybe…just maybe…some of our “leaders” in power just don’t “get” it. They don’t “get” this freedom of speech, political satire and creative expression…thing.
Just like they didn’t “get” the DA’s “Unite” (“burning flag”) commercial.
They don’t “get” that in a supposed free and fair democracy like ours, criticising our government and holding them to account – through art, commercials, media or other means – is the constitutional right and duty of every citizen and organisation.
And if they don’t “get it”, if they don’t get great art, or a subversive piece of commercial political satire, then…NOBODY is allowed to get it. Because it makes them feel SILLY…that others get it and they don’t. And so…they must destroy it. That’s the tinpot, despot, banana-republic way.
They just don’t seem to understand, appreciate, nor deserve this fancy-schmancy “sophisticated” constitutional democracy of ours…that so many fought and died for.
ARE WE TRULY A ‘SOPHISTICATED’ CONSTITUTIONAL DEMOCRACY? OR MERELY A KAKISTOCRACY?
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