Old: Walter Felgate on SA Politics (1999)

[PeterCH]

Walter Felgate was an IFP man until the late 90s when he moved over to the ANC after a fallout with Mangusuthu Buthelezi. He died in 2007.

Here's an except from an old 1999 interview and his take on democracy in SA:

If you are a democrat why do you now want to increase the strength of a party that already has over 62 per cent of the vote?

Look, there is no prospect of any real opposition showing in 1999. The ANC could well get two thirds of the vote. There is no point in being interested in opposition politics at this stage. We have a very difficult time ahead of us in this country given our population growth, given Aids, given crime. It is very difficult to keep the economy on an even keel and to control the situation in the country. The only hope of controlling the situation and navigating our way through this period lies with the ANC. In that sense, it represents the only hope for democracy. Sure, we may go down the same road as Zimbabwe but we’ll have to see in ten or fifteen years time whether we can tackle the issues of democracy then. The key issues are now about controlling society and keeping the economy on an even keel, not about achieving the sort of democracy you would like to see.

More at:
http://www.hsf.org.za/publications/focus-issues/issue-1-10/issue-9/interview-walter-felgate/

 

[Balstrome]

Lets burn all the houses and shops, so that we can start anew.

 

[Albereth]

Shows what an idiot he was.

Why you don't want to increase the ANC's majority is quite simple. There is no longer a democratic operation of government in South Africa except, perhaps, at a local authority level (and who cares? - I really have no religion about the political affiliation of the chaps who sweep the gutters and recyle the waste). The whole politcal system is run by a few that sit in the NWC or NEC of the ANC. They weren't elected by the electorate but they decide on policy and who has what position in the areas that they control - not the citizens.

So if you think that you can make a difference by working form within, well that doesn't work now does it?