It was American president Teddy Roosevelt who said, “speak softly and carry a big stick…” and I think we can learn something from it.

Towards the end of the year of my 21st birthday in 1993 in downtown Johannesburg, the ANC called me and requested that I, with a select few, form part of the ANC election machinery in the run-up to 27 April 1994. I guess I was afforded this privilege because I was involved in an organisation, the South African Students Press Union (Saspu), which concerned itself with media politics — freedom of the airways, freedom of expression, building community media structures such as radio stations, print media training at universities and so much more.

Years later, reflecting on why they enlisted us five youngsters in such an endeavour, we concluded that they needed some energetic young blood. People who could work long hours — and, boy, were they long. 

You would finish your day’s work having had to deal with yet another so-called “black-on-black” violence situation in some or other township, or a significant mass political gathering being addressed by Nelson Mandela or another leader of the movement, and still your beeper would summon you back to the Carlton Hotel at 2am because another press briefing or press conference had to be arranged due to another massacre that took place somewhere in the country, or another bomb had exploded in downtown Johannesburg or at the then Jan Smuts International Airport.

I remember meeting Mandela and the sense of comfort he used to give us. All will be well comrades, he would tell us. Starting every day with renewed vigour and commitment. We shall overcome, was the prevailing thought. 

Civil society in all parts of our country was playing its part in voter education and protecting its communities against the onslaught of state-sponsored Inkatha Freedom Party Zulu impis, who were murdering our people and turning townships into killing fields. All with the knowledge and consent of the National Party leadership.

We refused to allow this “black-on-black” violence strategy to derail our historic mission. We remained focused with our eyes on the prize — universal suffrage for all in our land. We would finally determine our own political destiny.   

It was a time of ethical leadership, honest politics, robust debates and disagreements. It was a time when our politics knew what had to be done. It was informed by ideology and convictions. It was a time when Mandela spoke softly but walked with a big stick. And, boy, did FW de Klerk know it. He was called out by Mandela. 

Madiba made bold that he knew of the state-sponsored violence and that De Klerk had better put an end to it. Mandela called out Mangosuthu Buthelezi and his murderous Inkatha impis fuelling the killing of our cadres and peoples. He spoke softly, but walked with a big stick. That big stick was the masses of our people. He knew that because he was true to his word and convictions, because he was ethical and principled, the people supported him and the ANC he represented at the time.

This is what everyone was about during that time; cadres, civil society and all Congress-aligned organisations had unity in purpose. 

First, fighting to dismantle apartheid, then to actively participate as change agents to realise the transformation project in our democratic dispensation with the ideal to eradicate poverty, inequality and unemployment so as to ensure a non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous South Africa.   

Listening to the tributes this week pouring in for my fellow Mitchell’s Plain comrade, Karima Brown, and what she fought and stood for, being arrested, tortured and hunted by the security police, I couldn’t help but think how far we have fallen from the ideals of 1994. 

I’m sure she would agree with me that the Struggle continues… we must fight all injustices, especially against our people. Rest assured, my dearest comrade, we will pick up your spear and continue the fight.

You can’t sit idly by and take a wait-and-see approach. Or worse yet, continuously talk of policy uncertainty. You must become active players in this political game or we all perish.

Now, 27 years later, we are facing Entryism: for those who might not know what this is, it is “the infiltration of a political party by members of another group, with the intention of subverting its policies or objectives”.  

This is what has happened in the ANC. 

The ugly spectre of fascism returns — “a form of far-right, authoritarian ultranationalism characterised by dictatorial power, forcible suppression of opposition and strong regimentation of society and the economy”. This is what the RET — radical economic transformation — faction is about.

Increasingly, race is being dangerously used by the EFF and the RET faction to whip up support, talking of attacking “white monopoly capital” and taking back the land from white farmers, questioning the involvement and sacrifices of “so-called” coloureds in the anti-apartheid Struggle.

We fought against apartheid fascism, we fought against narrow nationalism and tribalism, we fought against racism and sexism. You RET and EFF types will not take us back there.

Duduzane Zuma and Ace Magashule represent this dark future — a future that will throw us back into our rotten past of tribalism, racism and fascism. 

They fool the poor and their playing on their emotions about radical economic transformation is shameless. Where was this radical economic transformation when they were at the helm of the state? Instead, for a decade, they plundered, stole, corrupted and captured the state, all now being revealed in the Zondo Commission.

Shame on you all for wanting to trample on the legacy of Mandela.

And before too many of you say, yes, the ANC has messed up this country, to you I say, it is simply not true. Yes, we have rotten apples among us and, yes, we must rid ourselves of these, just like we have done in our past. The group of eight, Bantu Holomisa and his UDM, Terror Lekota and Sam Shilowa and their Cope, Julius Malema and Floyd Shivambu and their EFF. It takes time, but eventually it will happen. 

The careful management of the ever-present race question in SA and why it has not exploded into an all-out race war is due in part to the careful stewardship of this ANC. Think the DA can manage it? Or the EFF? I won’t even mention the FF+.   

Anyone who still harbours the idea that we can survive without the ANC today is simply not being honest with themselves. We cannot survive without this ANC, even when your racist core tells you otherwise. What we must do, however, is rid ourselves of the bad elements in the ANC. 

As non-ANC members, whether as the private sector or simply an innocent bystander, you need to step up and become allies with Cyril Ramaphosa against these fascists and opportunists. 

You can’t sit idly by and take a wait-and-see approach. Or worse yet, continuously talk of policy uncertainty. You must become active players in this political game or we all perish.

We are going to need all hands on deck if we are to defeat these opportunistic types and all those who visited Nkandla for their own nefarious agendas.

I say again — Mandela spoke softly but walked with a big stick. 

That big stick was the masses of our people. He knew that because he was true to his word and convictions — because he was ethical and principled — the people supported him and the ANC he represented at the time.

We do all this, Mr President, so that you may continue to speak softly but walk with a big stick, just like Madiba. Show us why we must never abandon the ideals of 1994. DM