The ANCYL's 'cockroach' fumigator

What more can we expect from those who are arrogant enough to believe that power will belong to the ANC forever and that the 'party' must always be right and everyone else therefore must be wrong. Don't you see the making of yet another tin-pot African democracy in this attitude. It is the very foundation of the totalitarian mentality. It in no way differs from that of the Apartheid regime, it is just a monkey which has copied not only its attitudes but its modus operadi also. If people follow these raving lunatics who literally 'foam at the mouth' we have the roots of a future which will ultimately lead SA to be another Zimbabwe. When we learn to tolerate and even value our differences, we may become the Rainbow nation to which Nelson Mandela and our heritage Fathers aspired.

I read this article and it scared me out of my wits.

So I went and watched the Al Jazeera clip for myself. And actually, I don't think it is as bad as the above article makes out.

When I first read the above interview, I thought that he was specifically saying that they will kill people. But watching the clip and now re-reading the interview, I don't think that is what he is saying.

I think the comment "I want you to understand how we're going to kill them: we'll mobilise all our forces, all our masses and ensure that the ANC wins next year's election." was his way of saying "we are not literally going to kill people, we are just going to solidly win the election and thereby squash the hopes of COPE."

I wish journalists would be a bit more responsible with things like this. It really looks to me like the points the guy was trying to get across were:
1. We have issues with COPE.
2. We do not want to kill COPE people.

So why oh why does the article try it's best to imply that actually they *do* want to kill people?

How about this next time:

"Mr Mkhwane, do you or any of your colleagues intend to kill Cope members?"
"No."

Not as exciting a story I suppose, but I expect rather closer to the truth.

The Hutu extremists didn’t use the term “cockroaches” in a different context, they used it the same way Mkhwane does.

“We're not talking about killing human beings here, we're talking about cockroaches. When you see a cockroach in your house what do you do? You kill it,” Mkhwane said. The Hutu extremists said the same over the radio, calling on their supporters to go out and kill their Tutsi neighbors, friends, and family members.

And the people felt better attacking the “cockroaches” instead of human beings. It actually made them feel good about “cleaning the house.”

The result was almost 1 million dead Tutsi “cockroaches” in three months in 1994.

Welcome to the hell South Africa!

How can we classified as a democratic country when the ANC and its unpatriotic supporters and leaderslike the youth league(old men) keep threatening everyone who apposes them. The writings on the wall for all to see, our democracy is in danger

Please don't give these idiots press coverage. Come to think of it, it is difficult these days to find non-idiots within the post-Polokwane ANC.

All I have to say is to thank Madiba and the bishop (Tutu) for the great memories. My grand kids won't believe me a couple of years from now when I tell them what a noble organization ANC used to be.

Come to think of it, with the current leadership crop in the ANC, my grandkids won't believe what a good country South Africa used to be (or would have been) once upon a time?

It is about time every level headed human being should try and contextualize how people use of certain terms without bias. I understood those utterances completely differently from all the readers who have commented sor far. Am I wrong? Maybe, but maybe not and here is why.

Why is it in sport we talk of "killing off any attempts at a come back" and we gladly accept the use of the word "kill". Yet when it is said by anyone within the ANC it is taken literally?

There are so many ways to "kill" COPE. One way is to make sure that they win no significant support and that way they are dead. Just the same way the ANC has managed to "kill' all attempts at getting white rule through the back door and here I mean the DA. People think that a white person can rule SA, well, I have got news for such people, NOT IN OUR LIFETIME. Whites are legitimate claimants to every right enshrined in the Constitution of South Africa, and one of those is to aspire to be president. They also have the right to contest for the presidency without being hindered. It is their democratic right. But in this lifetime, our memories of apartheid are still too fresh. Hence the feeling in the rural black majority (who happen to have the majority vote) that a white president is a big NO.

The United States has proved that over time things change. Now they have a black president, a thing that was considered "impossible". Those years it was impossible, just as much as it is impossible and unacceptable to the majority black South Africans to accept a white President. But I digress.

Cope is already showing signs of a willingness to go to bed with white people. I personally see nothing wrong with that, but that is in practice political suicide. They cannot be seen to quickly embrace the DA (the last bastion of white's attempts at ruling SA). Not very long ago, the Lekota's of this world were at loggerheads with everything the DA stands for. The minute they lost their claim to the proverbial cake, they suddenly repented. That knowledge on it's own is enough to "kill" COPE. Not many people will take them seriously. If they thought things were not going well in the ANC, they should have spoken out and opted out before they lost their cabinet posts. That would have been honorable and moral. They waited till they were certain to be booted out, then they jumped. Polokwane incidences were enough to show Lekota that he was no longer a power player in the ANC. He lost control of proceedings and it was the secretary general (current president) who always came to his rescue. At that point he should have taken the cue.

The youth league is made up of individuals who speak their minds. The media interprets what these individuals say and try to force feed that interpretation to all of us. It is wrong. The media should simply report what was said without trying to force the context on us. There are a few newspapers that are trying too hard to discredit the ANC and it does not board well for the future of the media.

Journalists must be allowed to report without fear or favor, but also without prejudice.If they start making their opinions sound as public opinion, there is a danger in that we start feeling that they are taking sides. Journalists are individuals who have opinions and preferences, but they should for professional reasons leave these out of their reporting and stick to facts. They are not supposed to make insinuations. Let us the public read and draw our own inferences and on forums such as these we can debate.

Finally; Should the ANC use the word "kill"? Yes I believe so. As long as they do not mean it in the criminal sense. We say one "kills me with laughter" We "kill off resistance" with a charm offensive. We almost "kill someone with shock" very often. The party a friend throws is a "killer party". So many examples. English is not my first or second language even, but I know when the word "kill" is used with criminal intent. In the case of the ANC youth league, I do not for a moment believe it was used with a criminal intent. So give the poor guys some slack. Maybe we all need a few more English lessons to understand that it is "not always the meaning that chooses the word, but the word also chooses the meaning" So one can say "anything" to mean "anything" without us having to quickly label them criminal.

I agree with Laura, it is obvious he didn't use the word "kill" literally. However, surely this man knows that a large part of the South African population do not speak English as a first language and
in many cases do not have matric. If he, with his tertiary education, sruggles to use the language figuratively, what chance do some supporters have of understanding it figuratively? And that makes me wonder if he is truly as ignorant as he claims about the language he uses. These leaders (if they do not know already)should be made aware of their responsibility to show respect to their fellow citizens at all times, otherwise their words may very well have a(perhaps the desired)negative and violent effect.

The ANC and all its groupings has to understand that their actions and words are copied by the masses.

Although intellectual people may understand that they actually mean that COPE will be beaten at the polls next year, the masses do not understand it that way. It is already evident that the ANC supporters adopted a policy of intolerance to COPE, disrupting their meetings and threatening them with physical violence.

Even worse, we are back in the apartheid years. Instead of Whites refering to Blacks as inferior K@**#&% the were lower than baboons, the ANC is now referring to fellow Blacks as "snakes" and "cockroaches" that are even lower than baboons. If White South Africans are today still shooting at Black, because they "mistake" them for baboons, what do you think is going to happen to insects that are insignificant in our eyes.

Leaders should understand that a large number of people take their words literally and are prepared to act on it.

The xenophobic attacks happened because people do not regard foreigners as fellow human beings. They call them names and degrade them, making it easier to destroy them.

We have a historic past that should teach us that name calling results in deep-seated resentment and hatred.

We need leaders to become responsible leaders. I lost my respect for the ANC leadership the day at Polokwane when the masses humiliated Terror Lekota and Jacob Zuma did nothing - just sat back with a great stupid grin on his face.

The word "cockroach" has a specific meaning and it is a dirty insect which lives on rubbish, it is the low-life of the insect world. The word "kill" also has a specific meaning and it means to take a person or creatures life! This kind of incendiary talk is unacceptable and unprofessional. If you want to beat the competition, do not ever attack them, come up with a better product or service. Even a vacuum cleaner salesman understands this simple logic! You do not attract respect by reprehensible behaviour but by your leadership qualities, personal discipline and integrity. The ANCYL is consistently not displaying any of these and neither is the ANC!

This is exactly how ALL genocides start: with the de-humanisation of a certain group of people.
This is how normal German family fathers became mass-murderers and killed jewish men, women and children alike, how the genocide in Rwanda was made possible, how the Americans were able to slaughter Indigenous Indiens - the list is long.
May somebody stand up stop such hateful, disrespectful wording and fight that this wonderful country and its people can be spared this horrible fate.

As I understand it, "Killing the cockroaches" here meant electoral defeat or electoral annihilation of ANC's COPE opponents at the polls. I think a section of the media in SA is upto mischief. This media is anti-ANC and is deliberately misrepresenting facts to create chaos and then blame it on ANC activists, especially the enthusiastic, energetic and revolutionary ANC Youth League leaders. Even Malema's statements were clear and plain but the media bent them to achieve their "evil" agenda. Malema and ANCYL leader from Vaal's Sedibeng region, Jason Mkhwane, are sincere and patriotic South African youth whose time to lead and inspire the masses has come.

The democracy ANC instilled in SA gave a right to freedom of speech, but the condition is that the the speech be non-offensive to others and I firmly believe that it shuld not insight violence. As a loyal ANC Cadre i shuld say this individual(Mkhize) and ur Malema's represent their own views(as the exec) not of the general youth league membership.
The real reason Cope people left was misrepresantation in the sense that their concerns didn't matter within the organisation. the thruth is that not all of ANC members actually agree with the exec but we just love ANC too much to leave it. we believe in fighting matters within the organisation.
Mkhize's remarks are no doubt unacceptable as he seems to insult and marginalise members of our society(Cope Members)but that is not what the ANC stands for and is not what the ANC will stand for in the future. We currently have an anti Mbeki coup as NEC now but we as silenced ANC members know that this marriege of inconvinience will come to an end, actually it did as soon as they recalled former president Thabo Mbeki.
The ANC would never intimidate nor threaten the freedom it fought for in 8 decades. thruth is that any gigantic organisation like the ANC is bound to have internal conflicts, these actually strengthen the organisation more. look at parties like PAC,IFP and UDM which are one-man parties, they never give SA the best policies. Lets all run the polls are vote for ANC, it remains a true servant of the people!

It should be quite clear, either the politician should be held accountable for what he said or the the journalist should be held accountable for misreporting.

This happens too often where things are said, people get hyped up and upset at each other because of irresponsible statements or reporting with an agenda or for sensationalism.

Recordings are there, use them and punish the people who are in the wrong. They can't both be right.

I'm hoping that the ANCYL and their comments will be as damaging to the ANC election campaign as Sarah Palin was to John McCain's.

@Laura Richter :

If you told a child, 'Hit those who wear green t-shirts' I bet that child will go out and do just that, even if you meant 'hit' as in 'playful'. In the same way, 'kill' only inspires murderous ideas. We live in a country which isnt at the value level where we dont think of 'kill' as a term for over coming an opponent. We think of it as BEATING them. We need to heed the call to calm our language, be thoughtful and considerate... and STOP making excuses for the abuse of language and ignorance as a reason to say such horrible things...

Or our children will be carrying guns and shooting one another for yet another dictator.

It will stand the ANC in good stead, to reign in their members/spokespersons.
I dont care how these comments are interpreted or misinterpreted. Why then not say in perfectly plain English what you actually mean. Then the chances of being misinterreted wont exist. If you want to say, we will defeat the COPE decisively at the polls, then its rather simple!

Like one of the commentors alluded to. There are many ordinary South Africans who can also misinterpret this rich figaritive speech, and understand it as literally meaning to go out and kill people.
I can just imagine the outrage, if people from different political persuasions, or heaven forbid, other races, started talking in terms of killing the ANC 'cockroaches, dogs, lizards' etc.

If people within the ANC have a problem with being articulate, they should gag them, and employ spokespersons, who can convey a message, without resorting to classifying people as not-human, as this can lead to all kinds of dangerous situations.

It's not that easy to eliminate cockroaches - the species can survive a nuclear explosion.

They have been sent by the top structures to say this and they will defend them. That is what is happening in the ANC. Wjy would young kids in the family swear or insult neighboughrs in the presence of their parents and yet parents do nothing about this.

It is an also an act of desparation. the youth of this country are divided over ANC and Cope and they are not sure if they will still get the support of the youth and they are resorting to this negative behaviour out of frustration. The ANC must rebuke the youth league if they want our vote.

I think these stupid ANC boys seek fame by using such reckless statements, what i suggest is media should stay as far possible as it can for the sake of people of South Africa or let them have their media where things like these will be said, I heard Malema saying the ANC government should dictate SABC as to what should be broadcast on TV and Radio. imagine listening to Jacob Zuma and all his alliances, thanks GOD some of us have DSTV we'll choose what to watch on TV.

Concerned citizen.

When is the ANC going to stop their style of treating us as if we can`t think independetly?
I just do not know whether they realise that this behavior is costing them the surpport by some of us.

I have been voting ANC all along but now I feel I can`t because it will be as if I am in agreement with this micky mouse games that are played by Malema and his cabal.

The other thing is the ANC should stop focussing on personality cults, I think they must treat an organisation like the one for the people as opposed to a Zuma business company.

The literacy level of South Africans is well documented. "Youth Leaders" like Mr. Mkhwane should know better. Surely the word "kill" is understood by many Sourth Africans who educationally challenged as meaning to "murder".Has it ever come to Mr. Mkhwane as to who is he addressing? Millions of South Africans, some educated as some not so fourtunate. His and his colleagues explanation is thier statements therefore does not hold. This word should not be used any no circumstanes because it is not interpreted the same way as his myopic explanation. It incites violence.

Laura, it is good that you verify what you hear by going back to the source. But this is not a luxery that everyone is going to have. Do you know how many people out there take what they read/hear/see literally? I don't care if one intendes to kill cockroaches, but if you start equating people to these dirty crawlies which you intend to kill, then it is so easy that you may not see why you should deal differently with them.
If all we need to do is show everyone how better we are as a party because of what we can do for them, why should killing be part of the vocab? We've had too much blood in our country through violence to can start being loose in our language (in leadeship positions).
Political parties should be responsible for the utterances of their leadeship. It is now becoming a trend in the ANC to have this talk and I call on all South Africans to reject this with the contempt it deserves and use all democratic means at their disposal to register this protest.

We are really sick and tired of these irresponsible & senseless utterances by this redundant youth league's leaders.It looks like to me the blind is leading the blind. Calling people coackroaches? I mean really now, the guy has a degree and should know better. It is people that do not know what politics are about, they think its about calling each other nasty names & throwing tantrums all over.

That is why some of us do not want to be associated with this so called youth league.

Wow..cool it guys ! I Agree with Dumisani - dont give these bunch of hotheaded,very immature juvenile morons..any more airtime or newspaper space..than they deserve. Rather give some credit to the great majority of South Africans - who think exactly like you and I. If one is still anxious..remember, if this is the best that Baffoon I (Julius M) and now "mini-me" Baffoon II (cockraoach fumigator)can do, to get their voices heard...then both of them are pretty close to their own "Destruction/sell by dates" . It is just a matter of time.

Ah! the idiots! We are not really afraid of them. We are just calling on them to stop inciting violence not out of cowardice but because we love our country. But let me assure them we'll defend ourselves. My fear is not really of a genocide but of a civil war.

It amazes me that people with enough intelligence to read and write think that the press are in some way out to “get” the ANC youth league? Are you saying that he did not use the word cockroach? Are you saying that the press put the words in his mouth? Hmmm, no clearly he did use those words. And how ever the press may or may not have twisted them, it is still his words out of his mouth. How on earth can you condone someone calling another human a cockroach and turn it around and say the press are the one’s in the wrong? If he did not mean to call them cockroaches he should not have done it! Don’t go around after the fact and say “oops didn’t mean it like that” “so sorry for saying that” “I did say it but didn’t mean it” The fact is he and the rest of the youth league and the ANC in general, have little or no regard for other people. They think that if people don’t follow them then they are no longer people. And that isn’t the press miss interpreting the meaning, that is simple fact based and the words they choose to use.
Wake up people. Stop blaming others for the ANC’s mistakes!

If Jason Mkhwane tells me that COPE members are cockroaches that must be killed and he sees how I kill a cockroach then he is going to have a difficult time to convince me that he actually meant mobilise.

I am frantically amazed by the utterances of the ruling party, calling people all sorts of names: snakes, dogs, etc, let alone their famous "killing" word. These kind of hate speeches tarnish the image of the organisation and believe you me people don't like to hear such nonsense. We need to focus on building and preparing the organisation for the next elections. These kinds on remarks have a serious damaging effect to the ANC.

I remember when Terror served his so called divorce papers to the ANC, many people who are somewhat short-sited made funny remarks that the formation of any new party will be just like those other ones using UDM as an example. I could it see the real danger that this party could pose a serious threat to the ANC. I was amongst those who prayed that the former president Mr Thabo Mbeki should not be recalled for the sake of unity more especially when we were drawind closer to the general election but most unfortunately the ANC NEC saw it differently. To me it was the most disastrous mistake ever done by the ANC since its existence. I personally have a serious reseervation with regards to the decision making in the ANC, they act like ill-advised people with shortsightedness.

I have serious concerns about the behaviour of the ANCYL members, some of us are really not impressed by your hate speeches. Comrades you need to focus on the development of the youth and most importantly the forthcoming elections, I think that will do us good.

previously I mentioned the media's double standards and their agenda to destroy the ANC. They have tried it for years and they failed but because these editors can hide behind the concept of freedom of expression they make ANC leaders their target.

The word "kill" can be used in many, many ways as somebody pointed out in his comment. This guy got nothing to apologise for. Why don't we just ban the word kill from everywhere, whether its sports books, politics or everyday conversation.

The ANC Along with others fought long and hard for a true democracy.Cope are practising there rights within the framework of this democracy ,the ANC and its youth league whould do well to remember this simple fact.

Hate speech is hate speech is hate speech is hate speech is hate speech. You don't solve problems with hate speech, you create them. The people have turned against the corrupt, hate-mongering elements in the ANC, and it is your disdain for the constitution and the law, and your hate-mongering that have done it. Real credible politicians talk about policies and delivery, and hold themselves accountable to the people.

South African political debate has never been noted for its level of sophistication and I have more chance of falling pregnant than hearing any sort of debate here that could be even remotely compared with anything Churchill or Disraeli said, but tripe like this merely drives what is already abysmally low, even lower.

Here we have a guy who on the face of it could be thought reasonably bright… and the best he can do is call his political opponents ‘cockroaches’. Ooo… pass me my hanky, I’m hurting. You're so CRUEL!

They’re like Grade One kids chanting insults at each other… “Naah naah naah naah. You’ve got big ears.”

If it weren’t so pathetic, it would be hilarious. The problem is that when someone’s last resort is to throw insults, instead of reasoned arguments, because the latter is beyond them, it’s only a short step to violence… like those Grade One kids. Except this time it won’t be pushing and shoving, it will knives and guns – ANC supporters have shown they’re quite capable of that.

Hmmm

Now let's move on...

^ What does that mean Siphiwo? You are ANCYL, aren't you? So what do you make of this?

In response to EMil and Elias:
Maybe I should have explicitly said: I don't condone this sort of aggressive language at all. Cockroaches, snakes, dogs - unacceptable in general. And when we hear these sorts of things from our leaders? Its just shows a distressing lack of moral leadership.

And I think it has actually been good in the sense that it exposes the true attitude of many ANC members and leaders (not all, I'm sure). From the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks - as the Bible says!

So I object to the present antics of the ANC.
But what I also really do object to is this sensationalist coverage of it in the press. Firstly because I think its just downright irresponsible of the media. Lots of people are afraid for our country at the moment and seeing another angry looking guy in a yellow t-shirt saying "kill"... well, its not helping. If he really was threatening to kill people, then YES, it should be all over the press. But he wasn't. And as you said Elias, most people don't have the opportunity to go to the source. So the main stream media have even more responsibility to portray it in a balanced non-sensationalist way, not taking advantage of what was really a non-issue to make some headlines and send some more people to Australia.

I could go on forever about this, but maybe just one more thing. I think our media can be *incredibly* divisive. Which is very, very bad for a country where unity is important. Presumably there is a large sector of our population who would have listened to what Mkhwane said and agreed with him. Or at the very least, even if they didn't agree with him, sympathise with him.

Then on the other side, you get the people who listened to or read about him, got chills, feared the coming anarchy and made sure their passports were in order.

Such divided reactions. Partly coming out of historical differences, but also based on what informs us today. Who we speak to and what media we read/listen to. And the thing that frustrates me so much is that if the media focussed on helping us understand each other, rather than "another ANCYL member wants to kill you!!!!!" - how powerful a tool that could be for unity?

Sometimes I think the ANCYL people I know are scary aggressive radicals. But often I find that when I speak to them, I learn a lot. Sometimes I end up agreeing with them. Sometimes I still end up disagreeing, but at least I understand a bit more where they are coming from.

Wouldn't it be great if the media could help us see where different people are coming from?

I stay in the vaal and i support u kamarada

Oh my word. WHAT an IDIOT!?!

I actually really have no words for him because he doesn't deserve them. And maybe English really isn't their first language, so they should stop using it in the possibility being such ignorant fools.

Such is the life of South African politicians. And how ANC is sooo threatened by COPE that they nitpick every little detail and invade COPE meetings. Oh garsh...it's like a creché playground

The biggest mistake the media is making with regards to these kinds of comments and the people that make them is giving them any notice at all. Yes, the language is awful; but feeding the egos behind the mindless posturing and stupidity only incites more mindless posturing and stupidity. Much like little children who learn that the more they scream the bigger the lollipop they'll given

But Tanya (and others who suggest the media ignore such verbal atrocities): we have to know; we have the right to know; and, moreover, true democracy is supported by knowledge, not ignorance, of political discourse. We rely on the press etc to inform us, and we should be grateful for all knowledge.

Aside from that, just observe the ethical gulf between this noxious hate speech and the long list of acceptable terminology in which South Africans have been re-educated over the past years: physically challenged (was 'crippled'/'disabled'); learner/student (was 'pupil'); he or she / her or him (was 'he'/'him'); facilitator (was 'teacher'); correctional facility (was 'prison'/'gaol'/'tronk'); Khoe/San groups (were 'Hottentots' /'Bushmen') -- and so the list goes on. Some of these are absurd institutional-speak, while others such as the last two are essential. But, in all this terminology, the impulse was an ethical and even a moral one, indicating a new and more conscious society and body politic. The current ANC fashion for hate speech and kindergarten-level insults makes mock of our hard-won and often hard-learnt social virtues.

I think it is important for the ANC to groom the kind of Youth Leaders that will think before they utter sheer rubbish in public, rubbish that has the capacity to turn South Africa into another feeble African state that knows no peace, stability or social cohesion. The ANC must remember that followers follow suite so when the Malemas and partners use words such as 'Kill' many followers understand the message in its literal sense. This is why we have been witnessing an increase in political intolerance around the country. I am appalled by the ANC's lack of leadership in this regard, in fact, i have come to believe that these messages are coined by the motherbody of the ANC itself in order to intimidate any opposition that appears to be a threat to them. Ofcourse there is this misperception about the 'not so together' faculties of young people, that they do not really know what they are saying or doing because they are young and naive but there is such little truth in this, besides these ANC youth leaders are not teenagers but i guess it makes a perfect cover up to use the 'Youth League'. I am no big fan of COPE but I think that it is fair for any political organization that has the capacity to save this country and raise the standard of living of many to be given a fair chance to compete in our general elections. After all that is what a Democracy is about. The ANC must take responsibility now by curbing the instigation of violence because our country is on the brink of a civil war! Puleng Mpokotho