January 9 to 15 2009

Zim: Church must respond

Reading the article by Thembelihle Tshabalala (December 19) one cannot help but challenge the government of South Africa to consider seriously the humanitarian crisis faced by the Zimbabwean people in Musina and act decisively on it.

The conditions under which the Zimbabweans find themselves can no longer be tolerated. As a spiritual leader and the bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Pretoria, I challenge my own government first to send a delegation on a fact-finding mission that will inform and empower us to act decisively to rescue the innocent nationals of Zimbabwe, both in their country and in such places as Musina, where they are being treated worse than animals. Even in the Old Testament days the lepers were never treated in such a manner. In the 21st century such attitudes and behaviour towards others is appalling.

South Africa must now consider sending a peacekeeping force to Zimbabwe to protect the civilians, particularly those who are human rights advocates, such as Jestina Mukoko, who was abducted and molested.

Should peacekeeping fail we must call upon President Kgalema Motlanthe to exercise his responsibility as the chair of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to mobilise SADC forces to go to Zimbabwe as peacemakers.
We call on all South Africans to put pressure on the government of the country to stop supplying electricity and water to Zimbabwe: these amenities have become accessible only to Mugabe and his cronies, and not the poor, who are dying of starvation and thirst. It is our right as South African citizens to speak on such matters, as it is our taxes that subsidise the supply of these amenities.

We, as the church, must be a means of hope to people who are compelled to live lives of fear and anticipation of suffering, torture and possible murder in that country. We have a legacy of bringing about non-violent change in situations of inhuman oppression. The situation in Zimbabwe demands our response. — The Right Reverend Dr Jo Seoka, liaison bishop for Africa and government affairs and bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Pretoria

Allan Boesak and others who insist that Zimbabweans must stand up and fight for their rights are effectively calling for yet another child army to be formed in Africa, because children are just about all that’s left of that suffering population.
Consider this data:

The genocide in Zimbabwe is largely a genocide of children. As such there should be no time-wasting debate about whether or not to use military force to topple Mugabe. Anything less is an abrogation of our adult responsibility to protect and defend children against all odds.

Perhaps South African President Kgalema Motlanthe sees the children of Zimbabwe as mere ”collateral damage”. African leaders and nations appear to regard children as expendable items. David Bullard was fired for suggesting this, yet the responses of African leadership to Zimbabwe’s children indicate that he was right. — B Els, via email

It was distressing to hear the Department of Home Affairs’s announcement that ”South Africa will not tighten borders”. It is not just the statement of this planned continued inaction by our weak government that is so embarrassing, but the failure to recognise that something needs to be done about Zimbabwean refugees who continue to jump the border into South Africa in desperate need of jobs.

Here are a few suggestions to the home affairs ministry. If it is indeed your intention not to exert control on the border, the only acceptable option is to give the Zimbabweans who make it through the border South African citizenship, if they choose, or provide them the automatic right to work in South Africa. Let us embrace our liberal Constitution through some form of policy stance on the Zimbab­wean issue. If the government cannot take a tougher stand against the human rights abuses in Zimbabwe the least it can do is give Zimbabweans who are here maximum assistance to seek work freely in this country. — Yolanda Taylor, Johannesburg

Don’t blame teachers, the system has failed

Is it just to demote school principals for dismal matric results?

High schools enrolling grade eight learners are confronted with a language problem before they even get to the subject matter. Learners from rural black schools do not comprehend the basics of the English language. The poor foundation that learners get from primary level compromises their future prospects. Outcomes-based education (OBE) continues to be a nightmare: teachers do not fully comprehend the programme, for which they are trained at three-day workshops, conducted by facilitators who have themselves not mastered it. OBE is part of the problem, not the solution to our education goals.

Heads of secondary schools only form a small part of the system – is it fair to axe them for the failure of the system? When the entire engine is faulty, why remove a functional component and blame it for the system’s inadequacy? The performance of schools is dependent on the competency of the education department and its supporting provincial and local departments, not just school principals.

Low matric pass rates are not a catastrophe; they are the result of the shaky foundation that learners receive at primary school level. We need a programme that will monitor the progress of learners from primary level and ensure that they are equipped to advance to secondary level. — Thabang Sefalafala, University of the Witwatersrand

Civilians pay for leaders’ mistakes

The Arab League and most of the world are beside themselves with anger over the incessant Israeli bombardment of Gaza. They are also perplexed by the failure of the United Nations to pass a resolution restraining or condemning Israel from continuing the attacks. Not long ago the Asian nations, China, Russia and South Africa beat their chests when the UN was called on to act on Zimbabwe and the Sudan, shouting themselves hoarse that they don’t interfere in the affairs of sovereign nations. Is Israel not as sovereign as Zimbabwe, the Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo?
Why don’t the Arab League prescribe ”Arab solutions”, as they intend to do with Sudan’s Al Bashir? Can’t they ask for ”African ­solutions”?

From a human rights perspective, all who are against the war are right. But Hamas brought this upon themselves by refusing to extend the ceasefire and firing rockets into Israel. Who in their right mind doesn’t know what the Israelis are capable of ­militarily?

My heart bleeds for the Palestinians who are now the victims of their leaders’ lack of sense and vision.
I do not support Israel’s actions, but neither do I support Hamas’s lack of foresight.
Similarly, as much as I would like Mugabe to go I would oppose an armed struggle against him. It would be we civilians who would come face to face with his fire power, and he would decimate us.
To all who are fighting against oppressive regimes: rebuke your leaders when they talk tough – you will be killed while they run into exile. — Llodza, Harare

Celebrating Helen Suzman

There was another side to Helen that is less well known — that of academic and researcher. In 1945 Helen Suzman was appointed tutor and then lecturer in economic history at the University of the Witwatersrand, a post she held until 1953, when she become a member of Parliament.

She helped to prepare materials for a conference on human rights on behalf of the Institute of Race Relations and travelled to London in June 1947. She also prepared evidence for the Institute for the Fagan Commission on laws applying to Africans in the urban areas in 1948. But later she opposed the implementation of sanctions (called for internationally by the ANC/SACP and the Anti-­Apartheid Movement) on the following grounds: these acts would not lead to the instantaneous capitulation of the South African Nationalist government, but would lead to the development of a siege mentality and black unemployment.

For this she was vilified by the opponents of apartheid in exile as a ”sell-out”.

The national liberation movement did not appreciate her stand on sanctions then. She did, however, maintain that black trade union action and black consumer boycotts would be more effective, especially in an expanding economy (not in a shrinking market in an autarkic, isolated market for black manpower, induced by sanctions or dis-investment). Maybe she was correct, in hindsight. — Dr Selim Y Gool

Insanity

It’s been said that Israel is addicted to violence. I would say to them: you try living under horrific daily rocket attacks for years, that killed so many Israelis. Hamas has vowed to annihilate Israel and its civilian population. Hamas will not come to the table to hammer out a peace agreement. Sadly, the anti-Semites at the UN (Useless Nations) condemn Israel for using ”excessive force” while not once mentioning Hamas’s daily rocket attacks. I say to Israel, ”go get them and teach them a lesson they’ll never forget!” The insanity of war is front and centre in this conflict. The free world could take lessons from Israel’s actions, which in this case are precisely correct. — Herb Stark, Massapequa, NY, United States

In brief

You gave Trevor Manuel an A+ in your 2008 cabinet report card, apparently for his ”clever” words and for being ”the market’s darling”. Manuel’s economic policies have had ­disastrous effects on the lives of the majority of the people of South Africa and for that reason he deserved an F. — Dumile Kondile, Pietermaritzburg

I do not know how anyone, or any government, could allow the kinds of atrocities taking place on your northern border. Where is your sense of responsibility, not only to peace and freedom in Southern Africa, but also to the political, social and economic freedom of your neighbours?

I know what would happen if Canada was taken over by a despot who starved his own people, killed his political ­enemies, allowed communicable diseases to run unchecked and ­murder the children; all to ­continue to hold power, while destroying the very idea of liberty. The US would crush him or her. I wanted to see the Kruger this year, but I will defer. I am ashamed of South Africa and its leadership. You are the only people close enough, influential enough and powerful enough to make the difference. Shame on you all. — Jerome Stoll, Newport Beach, CA, United States