Radicals in the ANC and the tripartite alliance accused it of “betraying the revolution”. Their strategy is subversion from within and activism alongside radical elements and break-away factions. The ANC tolerated, even encouraged, transformation denialism because it yielded short-term benefits. The illusion of insufficient transformation justified increased power and patronage. The interests of megalomaniacs, especially socialists, are served by maximal destitution, to which end they ensure that as little wealth as possible reaches, or is perceived to reach, “the poor”. A steady “rising inequality” drum beat reinforces the illusion.
Read Leon Louw’s latest column ANC denial of strides to change is myopic first published by Business Day on BDlive today.
Excerpts
THIS is the third in a trilogy of columns on transformation denialism. The first was about the great deal of racial transformation despite “slow pace of transformation” mythology. The racism implied by transformation denialism was tackled in the second. The final analysis is on the potentially fatal implications of transformation denialism for the African National Congress (ANC), and how it can defeat negative perceptions.
Before SA’s transition to democracy in 1994, and since, the ANC has been accused by “the right” of being too socialist and by “the left” of being too capitalist. According to both sides, the ANC’s affirmative action policies benefited “elites” at the expense of “the masses”.
Radicals in the ANC and the tripartite alliance accused it of “betraying the revolution”. Their strategy is subversion from within and activism alongside radical elements and break-away factions. The ANC tolerated, even encouraged, transformation denialism because it yielded short-term benefits. The illusion of insufficient transformation justified increased power and patronage. The interests of megalomaniacs, especially socialists, are served by maximal destitution, to which end they ensure that as little wealth as possible reaches, or is perceived to reach, “the poor”. A steady “rising inequality” drum beat reinforces the illusion.