GEOFF SIFRIN
Government officials have been frequent visitors to the Saxonwold mansion for highly suspect reasons.
These are the stark, opposing South African realities: the former evoking shame, the latter producing widespread outrage at the Gupta’s capture of the country through their puppets President Jacob Zuma and his cronies.
There were beggars and rich people here decades ago during apartheid – the blacks were workers from townships and the whites, residents of Killarney and Saxonwold. Today the country has a black government and president, but the inequalities remain, albeit with the racial divide blurred.
During apartheid, Killarney’s blocks of flats were inhabited primarily by Jews. Less so today, but it still has a “Jewish” feel. Many Saxonwold mansions are still Jewish-owned.
South Africa’s current crisis shows Zuma as a tinpot dictator – a president gone rogue, says ANC stalwart Barbara Hogan – doing things that serve his interests and threaten the country’s well-being.
Such as last week’s dead-of-night Cabinet reshuffle to include people who will do his bidding, allow him to raid the Treasury and strengthen his patronage network. In response, Standard & Poor’s Global Ratings has cut South Africa’s sovereign credit rating to junk status.
Although this country’s history is riddled with citizens’ protests, people don’t know what to do. Marches are planned, but they alone won’t bring down Zuma. He could ignore them, and his supporters could mobilise counter-protests.
Legal actions in Parliament and the Constitutional Court, or decisions by ANC internal structures are necessary to force him out. But a display of disgust en masse is essential for citizens to express themselves and begin healing the country.
What if the people of Killarney – joined by others – took an initiative, assembled in Riviera Road at the traffic lights where the beggars stand, and marched to the Guptas to picket at their gates, televised by the media?
Few Jewish faces have been visible in the anti-Zuma protests shown on television, such as last Saturday’s memorial to Struggle veteran Ahmed Kathrada. Jews were once prominent politically.
No longer, although echoes remain: The Helen Suzman Foundation said Zuma’s action has “endangered the country’s economic and financial situation” and created “a constitutional crisis”.
The mandate of organisations like the SA Jewish Board of Deputies is to look after community interests, not get involved in politics. But other Jewish organisations have a long history of political action during apartheid, such as the Union of Jewish Women and the United Sisterhood.
Many Jewish individuals were active in the Black Sash, Operation Hunger and other NGOs. Now would be a good time for a new generation of activists to come forward. The country needs them.
During apartheid, most people were afraid of protesting the brutal regime, except for a brave few who made huge sacrifices such as Ronnie Kasrils, Albie Sachs and others. Now there is little official danger, although the possibility exists of violence between Zuma opponents and supporters – the ANC Youth League has already threatened force against Zuma’s critics.
What should expat South Africans in Canada, Australia, the UK and other places be saying to friends and relatives living here? Should they urge them to leave, as this country threatens to become another “Zimbabwe”? Some might leave. But for the majority who stay, getting involved is crucial.
Whether the march from Killarney through the beggars’ intersection to the Gupta mansion happens or not, it is a metaphor for what South Africans must do to reclaim their country.
Read Geoff Sifrin’s regular columns on his blog sifrintakingissue.wordpress.com
