Changes in South Africa

[mirandashell]

Just saw on Channel Four news that a lot of black people in SA are saying they won't vote ANC in the next elections.

As someone who grew up with Apartheid and protested against it as a teenager, that's not something I ever thought I would hear.

But then again, maybe it's a good thing. No country should be a one-party state, imo.

Have to wait and see, I guess.

[Maxinquaye]

I did too. Nukes and apartheid, the big things of my misspent political youth. Some of the people I know from that time who were ANC and who had fled the Botha regime have pretty much given up on the ANC now. Unfortunately.

I think ANC sort of fell for the same problem the Indians did; the two movements had an incredibly charismatic moral centre (Gandhi and Mandela), but when these moral anchors became too old or (as in Gandhi's case) murdered the movements started to decay.

[mirandashell]

I had 3 big things: nukes, apartheid and Maggie Thatcher.

As for the second point, I think you're right. I have much love and admiration for what Mandela did and I hope so much that it doesn't now all fall apart.

Fingers crossed.

[Maxinquaye]

Nukes and maggie were sort of rolled into one for me. I of course didn't see her domestic policies, being a kid in Sweden. But she was the boogeyman that wanted to press the big button against the Soviets out of an imperialist militarist dogma.

I could have been a big hit on the six-hour speech circuit. I can still rattle off the code-words.

[mirandashell]

Count yourself lucky. I was here and I still bear the scars.