CONGRATULATORY MESSAGE BY
MANGOSUTHU BUTHELEZI, MP
MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS AND PRESIDENT, INKATHA FREEDOM PARTY
JANUARY 6, 2002
I regard the celebration of the 90th
anniversary of the founding of the African National Congress as a celebration
for the whole of South Africa and, to a great extent, an important milestone in
my own life. I have dedicated my entire life to our struggle for liberation
and, for many years, my life belonged to the African National Congress. I have
always been inspired and motivated by the fundamental values and vision which
the African National Congress first founded. I received my political formation
in the ranks of the ANC Youth League and I engaged my first political activity
in its ranks at the University of Fort Hare with comrades such as Joe Matthews,
Denis Siwisa, Duma Nokwe and Robert Sobukwe. My political commitment in the ANC
caused my expulsion from that University, forcing me to move to Durban, where I
had the honour of having Inkosi Albert Lutuli, the President-General of the
ANC, as my political mentor, as well as patriots such as Masabalala Yengwa,
Lugongolo Mtolo and Wilson Zami Conco, amongst a host of others. Inkosi Albert
Mvumbi Lutuli became not only my leader, but also one of my political mentors
and close friend during the critical years of my political growth.
My commitment to the struggle for liberation
promoted by the African National Congress followed in the steps of my own
uncle, Dr Pixley ka Isaka Seme, one of the founding fathers of the ANC who was
also my mentor earlier in my life. He was married to my aunt, and the eldest
daughter of King Dinuzulu, Princess Phikisile Harriet. Dr Seme actually asked
my maternal grandfather, King Dinuzulu, to become one of the patrons of the ANC
shortly before the King passed away in 1913. Following the same path, I
conducted my entire life in close consultation with the then recognised ANC's
leadership. It was at the instance of Inkosi Albert Lutuli, and other ANC
leaders such as Walter Sisulu, the then Secretary-General of the ANC, and the
late Oliver R. Tambo, Nelson R. Mandela and other ANC leaders in Durban, that
in 1952 I abandoned my plans to do legal articles under a great patriot Rowley
Arenstein. This was, of course, first and foremost the decision of Princess
Constance Magogo ka Dinuzulu, my later mother, that I should not continue with
my legal career but return to Mahlabathini to take up my hereditary position as
Inkosi of the Buthelezi Clan.
Similarly, it was also at their instance that in
1970 I accepted the position of Chief Executive of the Zulu Territorial
Authority and in 1972 of the KwaZulu Legislature Assembly, which later became
the KwaZulu Government. And throughout the time I served in these bodies, I not
only did so with the sanction of the ANC leadership, but I was constantly in
touch with that leadership until 1979. In October of that year I went to London
with a delegation of Inkatha to meet the President of the ANC mission-in-exile,
Oliver Reginald Tambo, at his invitation. We had a two and a half day
discussion
which was attended by, amongst others, the
President of the ANC, President Thabo Mbeki,
The establishment of Inkatha as a cultural
liberation movement was part and parcel of my working hand in hand with the ANC
leadership. Inkatha was established as part of a common strategy to provide a
base for mobilisation and a political home for our people once the ANC, its
leadership and its activities had been banned. My viewpoint was such that I
could not endorse the tactics of violence, rebellion and insurrection which
other ANC leaders adopted in the 70's. However, I recognised their right to do
so and put forward the notion that our liberation strategy should benefit from
different strategies and tactics, harmonised by a vision of common intent.
My conscience did not allow me to depart from
the fundamental values of non-violence, negotiation, moral high ground and
reconciliation, on which the African National Congress was originally
established by its founding fathers in 1912 and by which it was inspired for
its first 60 years. Moreover, I knew that only negotiations could give us the
freedom we sought, for the military insurrection based on the notion of an
armed struggle against the mighty South African army and the apartheid regime
would have been futile, while turning the country to ashes, leaving little for
all of us to enjoy after liberation.
Nonetheless, I and my colleagues conducted
Inkatha’s activities in close co-operation with the rest of the ANC
leadership until 1979, as I have mentioned, when the schism between the ANC and
Inkatha took place on the two fundamental policy issues of the armed struggle
and international sanctions against South Africa. On the occasion of this
important celebration, it might be unnecessary to mention who was right and who
was wrong, and whether indeed the armed struggle and sanctions achieved much in
securing the demise of apartheid, and to offset the enormous costs they imposed
on our economy and the untold suffering they imposed on our people, which I
tried my best to avoid.
It shall suffice to say that my position was
dictated by my conscience and by no other interest than serving the needs of
the people on the ground, with whom I have spent all my life and whom I saw
suffering day in and day out. I took a principled position which I believed
then, as I do now, to be the right one, and did so in the interests of our
people and our country, which never allowed me to see any South African as an
enemy to be defeated or a terrorist to be banned. We knew that in the end we
had to come together as South Africans and together reveal the country which
could extend to all its sons and daughters benefits and prosperity which have,
until now, been reserved for a privileged few.
It was shocking for me to see that the
consequence of my decision was that the armed struggle became directed against
my people, giving rise to a fratricidal black-on-black conflict which claimed
the lives of over 20 000 black people, when only a reported 600 white people
died because of the armed struggle. This proves the tragedy of a conflict which
turned our own energies against us and brought misery and regressive positions
where we should have built enthusiasm and progress. Townships were made
ungovernable and our black education system was destroyed, creating a lasting
legacy of rebellion, lawlessness and social disintegration which we have not
yet fully redressed. More importantly, communities were turned against
themselves, established and traditional leadership was challenged and often
undermined to be replaced by new leaders who, at times, were the product of
rebellion and armed conflicts. The hearts and minds of people were turned to
hatred. Because of all this, since 1994 my greatest concern has been that of
reconciling our people and healing the wounds created by the armed struggle.
I felt that it was important for people on the
ground to see the reconciliation of their leaders and that President Mandela
and I first, and then President Mbeki and I, could work well together to
rebuild the country. We hoped that the example we gave could induce people who
had been divided by almost two decades of war not only to reconcile, but also
to become friends with those who once were their enemies, and join hands with
them in bringing about the work of development. For this reason, in 1996, I
called for the commencement of a revolution of goodwill which would bring
people together at community level, in spite of political affiliations,
religious differences and personal views, to work together to improve on their
communities and create development from the bottom up. I pointed out that
government by itself cannot produce and secure the type and measure of
development which is so needed to redress the plight of the majority of our
people. To me, the cause of reconciliation between the ANC and the IFP is the
very cause of development and progress in South Africa.
I am saddened by the fact that in spite of joint
efforts which both the ANC and the IFP leadership have mounted since 1994 in
order to heal the wounds inflicted on the South African body politic, that it
has up to now not yet been healed. To me this is an indictment on all of us. It
seems to me as if there are some in the high echelons of our leadership who are
not as determined as all of us should be to heal this wound.
Reconciliation has come very far, but
unfortunately not far enough. It has not gone far enough within the highest
echelons of government as it has not gone far enough at grassroots level.
Tensions and political assassinations continue to poison community efforts for
development in some areas of KwaZulu Natal and Gauteng. The provincial
government of KwaZulu Natal is often undermined by internal squabbles amongst
those who should be equally committed to act with unity of purpose and vision
to promote development. Similarly, the co-operation between President Mbeki and
I has been good, but we cannot ignore that we have encountered significant
difficulties both in terms of policies and from the point of view of our
relationship, especially in respect of certain issues which have been fully
canvassed in the national debate. For this reason, on this important occasion,
it is incumbent on us to recommit ourselves to the cause of reconciliation and
to the completion of our unfinished agenda, with more determination than we
have displayed so far.
There is no alternative to reconciliation, as
there is no alternative to focusing more on the development of our country and
the upliftment of our people. At times, this may require that we disagree, but
we cannot for that reason ever accept that our disagreement makes us
disagreeable and sets back both the cause of reconciliation as well as the work
of development. Like many people within the ANC, I am not satisfied that we
have achieved as much as we should have in our struggle for liberation,
believing that much more must be achieved to bring progress, development and
prosperity to all our people and to turn South Africa into the powerful,
prosperous and enlightened country which it could rightly be. I feel it is my
responsibility to sing the praises for that which our government has achieved,
but I must also point out the shortcomings and the situations in which I feel
we have followed the wrong policies or taken the wrong actions. I do so because
I am as committed now to the principles, vision and objectives on which the ANC
was first founded as I was half a century ago.
I am committed to the struggle for liberation
which requires of us to accept that we move in the same direction, even though
we might have different views and different understandings of how we can
achieve our intended destination. I will continue to play my role in accordance
with the dictates of my conscience, the wisdom of our people and the original
inspiration of our liberation struggle.
To the ruling Party of South Africa, we express
our felicitations to the leadership and membership of the ANC on the 90th
anniversary of its founding.
On this occasion, I call on all of us to rally
in the celebration of the founding of the ANC which is indeed the turning point
which made the history of South Africa issue a promise for a better future for
all. That promise is not yet fulfilled, but we are all equally bound by it and
I hope that in the celebration we shall hold together on the 100th
year of the founding of the ANC, we shall be in a position to formally declare
that 100 years later, the promise that South Africa can provide a free and
dignified life to all its children, has finally been fulfilled.
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