For the last while UBPA has been consumed, understandably so, by the political developments as they unfolded in our native home town of Wakkerstroom. A lot was said under that topic and new issues, some though unfortunate, emerged that our associates are all aware of. The sad thing though is that whilst we were consumed in these developments we acted as if the world had stopped functioning. We did not tie the Wakkerstroom issues to broader issues that were also unfolding nationally and internationally. Associates, it is important that we remember that Wakkerstroom is not and will never be an island somewhere in South Africa.
Wakkerstroom is a member of the united provinces and districts of South Africa. South Africa is a member of the united nations of the world. From this realization it should become clear that Wakkerstroom is interconnected and interdependent to South African events and global issues alike.
The Chair is disappointed that we were labeled ‘Lekotas and Shilowas’ of this world without any justification and understanding as to why. What follows is that we may very well be labeled the Obamas and McCain’s of this world, again without any justification or explanations as to why. It is common cause that our associates have a tendency of labeling and name calling those they disagree with. The Chair has been committed to the fight against this tendency but without any tangible success thus far.
UBPA has an obligation not only to educate others but to also educate itself internally. Our associates will agree that after all charity begins at home and it should not end there. The year 2008 has been historic in all spheres for different reasons and motives. In South Africa most notably 2008 will be remembered as a true test of our post apartheid democracy. A sitting state president was recalled, so to say, by his party and a new acting president was appointed in the interim.
All this was done peacefully as there was no reported blood shed and lost of life in anyway. As a result of these developments, the oldest political party in the world, the ANC only experienced what is to be remembered as its second split. Since its formation in 1912 the ANC has, until recently, only split once. The first and only split followed the adoption of the freedom Charter in 1955 by the ANC and was led by Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe.
Sobukwe and others in 1959 formed the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) in order to challenge the ANC. Their argument was that the ANC was becoming too soft in its fight against apartheid. The PAC had serious difficulties in accepting the freedom Charter. As we see in UBPA, the break away faction decided to label and name call those they disagreed with. The ANC and those who accepted the freedom Charter were then labeled “Charterists”.
The recent split follows the December 2007 Polokwane Conference of the ANC. Some senior party members in that conference lost their positions in the top five, so to say, and in the National Executive Committee (NEC). The president and the National Chairperson, just to mention a few, were not re-elected in their positions.
It goes without saying that this may have been a bitter pill to swallow because these cadres have been in those positions for ten years. When their own party did not re-elect them it was clear that they were rejected, perhaps the party needed a change in leadership for an ever changing political environment. Whatever the reasons were not to re-elect these officials are only known by the party itself.
The lesson that UBPA and other structures in society must take from this is that nobody is born and entitled to rule for life in any democratic dispensation. It is only in chiefdoms where people are born and entitled to rule for life. At the end of this year UBPA is expected to go for its second Annual General Meeting (AGM) where new leaders will be elected to various positions within UBPA structures. Those who do not make it to the various positions they may be ambitious for should accept and concede defeat if it and when it materializes.
Wakkerstroom saw one of its most turbulent times in our history. Some and/or most associates at UBPA being bread and buttered at Wakkerstroom will know and even remember some upheavals that may have grasp the tiny town in the past. None has been so powerful, dramatic and traumatic.
We surely have not seen an upheaval that resulted in the destruction of a community hall and a house inhabited by a councilor. We also have never heard of an upheaval that resulted in a total express disregard of the law and law enforcement agencies.
The reasons for such upheavals are only known to those who embarked in them. UBPA is in no position to judge, label or name call those who participated in such horrendous activities irrespective of how disappointed and disgusted we are. Our only duty as UBPA is to bring unity and not cast further divisions in our society by pretending and/or making out to be better than thou.
But what we stand to learn and gain from all this is that mightier is the pen. Differences of opinion, wants, needs or facts will and must always exist. The point is how we deal with those differences. We cannot suppress differences because we are not a tyrant or an apartheid state, but we need to find ways to work through them. The position of UBPA must be that izinto zilungiswa ngomlomo in a democracy.
For this reason we must strive to protect and uphold freedom of expression through peaceful and non violent ways. We must create opportunities for negotiations and debates. Those in leadership roles must always be accessible to the electorate. If we fail to do all this then we run a risk of being told by the ‘Lekotas and Shilowas’ of this world that our democracy is under threat and that the ruling party has violated the fundamental principles of the freedom Charter.
The world’s so call beckon of democracy, the United States of America (US) is choosing its 44th president in 2008. The candidates for the White House are most interesting. On the one hand there is an aging Republican McCain, the hero of the Vietnam war. On the other hand, there is the youthful (comparatively speaking) African-American Democrat Obama. Both gentlemen promise to bring something new to the table on the face of the global economic turmoil of recent times.
Our concern should be what each of these gentlemen will mean for Africa-American relations. At the moment none of them has convincingly propose something worth pondering on the subject. It then follows that a safer option will be for us to adopt a wait and see approach.
We are aware that Obama is likely to win and become the first black man in America’s 40 year history of democracy to make it to the White House. In 40 years of democratic practice in America no black person or woman of either race has led the Americans. But yet the Americans are always quick to tell the rest of the world who must lead in which states.
Surely this is imperialism of the highest form. Be that as it may, after these elections the course of history will never be the same again. As Africans we get to learn that it is possible for a black Kenyan to rule the strongest nation. If this is the case what is to stop UBPA from believing that anything is possible if we all work hard on our dreams and aspirations.
The South African matriculants are sitting for the historic national Outcomes Based Education (OBE) paper. Obviously as UBPA we have a vested interest on how this will impact on the education system of our country generally and how it will affect the passing rates of Uthaka Secondary. Many of us at UBPA have tested the syllabus in the winter classes and we admit that it is a challenging task. We remain convinced however that our matriculants will do well so to properly position themselves in the world after school.
The UBPA we lead is one that participates in any discourse from an informed and knowledgeable position. Wakkerstroom is not immune from any of these events. Our associates have a duty to learn and understand these events so that we are in a position to explain to our constituency if and when requested to do so.
History tells us that we can only lead and remain relevant if we have the correct information and knowledge of how different variables impact and relate to each other. It is important for us to view attentively all that happens around us and ask what positive lessons we can learn moving forward. We cannot afford to be complacent because that will speak to ignorance. An ignorant person in a leadership position is tantamount to a blind leading the blind. The English tell us that amongst the blind the one eyed man is king. UBPA is that one eyed man.
UBPA leads, UBPA lives, UBPA is relevant. One Condom = one round, One Round = one condom.
Thulani Nkosi
Chairperson and Co-head of the Education Cluster at UBPA, 2008
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