Vertigo at the ANCYL

We’re a bit late with this but the ANC Youth League’s (ANCYL) statement following Tony Leon’s resignation as leader of the Democratic Alliance (the official opposition in South Africa) deserves special mention: ANC Youth League’s statement on Tony Leon’s impending exit

It’s the sort of juvenile strand of vitriol that we have come to expect from ANC Youth League (complete with childish grammar and spelling errors).

Their statement reminds me of a condition of disorientation and confusion known as Vertigo. Fighter pilots are prone to suffering from Vertigo as they rapidly soar to new heights. Vertigo causes confusion and disorientation so that one cannot determine direction or altitude. Without realising it, a pilot loses recognition of up and down; right and left.

In a similar manner, the ANCYL has completely lost all recognition of right and wrong. An excerpt from the statement reads

For 13 years, Tony Leon presented himself as a messiah, semi-God and custodian of the white race, consistent with ideals of the world's great fascists and tyrants, such as PW Botha, Adolf Hiltler, Mussolini and Idi Amin, who became his most admired mentor's. While democracy is enhanced by having political opposition, Tony Leon’s opposition politics did not add value to the majority of our people, except as platform to advance and protect white privileges, racial hatred and like his predecessor, the "Groot Krokodil", Tony "Klein Krokodil" Leon also took the DA on a leadership path consistent with the belief in the philosophy of a "supreme race".

Comparing Tony Leon to the most evil men of our time only serves to further discredit the ANCYL forcing all reasonable South Africans to write them off as meaningless kids with a nasty lust for attention.

But they are not meaningless and they are not kids (their leader is 36 years old). They are the Youth League of our ruling party and it is from within their ranks that our future leaders may emerge.

I think that President Mbeki should have stood tall and condemned this offensive statement. It would have sent a much stronger and more sincere message of unity and reconciliation than his offer of a state funeral to Apartheid leader PW Botha’s family did.

Comments

[THE DICTATOR / EMBITTERED CORRESPONDENT]

But is the messiah a semi-god?

Have Neturei Karta made any statements?

( If Tony is the messiah then shouldnt we phone them at The Iran holocaust conference?)

During his 13 years as leader of the DA, Tony Leon has on numerous occasions had his Jewishness thrown in his face by the ANC. When he would get up in parliament and criticism the government on its Zimbabwe policy, ANC members of parliament would hiss ‘what about Israel’. In the last local government election, a horrible poster appeared in predominately Moslem areas of Cape Town claiming that a vote for the DA is a vote for Israel. This comment by the ANCYL likening Leon to the greatest evil known to man must be seen in this context.

A replacement political ideology seems to have taken hold in South Africa: where Jews (individually or collectively) are seen to have stepped into the shoes of their oppressors. So Minister Kasrils likens the Jewish state to the Nazis and the ANCYL the Jewish leader of the opposition to Hitler. Of course this labelling of Jews as the source of all evil on earth is nothing new. It is a typical feature of classical anti-Semitism. But to use our enemies as the medium to portray this takes it to a whole new level.

Those committed to fighting racism in South Africa should condemn this outright (no matter what they may think of Leon or Israel). A good start would be for Leon to sue the ANCYL for libel.

[Steve Hayes]

The overblown rhetoric of the ANCYL is way over the top, but then so was Tony Leon.

His "swart gevaar" rhetoric in the 1999 election, with his "gatvol" and "fight back" slogans ensured that I would never consider voting for his party.

"Gatvol" of democracy after only five years?

The ANCYL's rhetoric may be silly, but so was Tony Leon's.

[Mike]

Steve Hayes, I don’t know how you can see a moral equivalence in the 2 situations. Comparing Leon to Hitler is very different to the DA calling on South African to fight back against crime, corrupt and the poor delivery of much need basic services. I am not a DA spokes person or apologist but ‘gatvol’ encapsulates how many South African (including black South Africans) about the way South Africa is being run. Do you want more crime, corruption and mismanagement? I know I don’t.

[James Clark]

"I think that President Mbeki should have stood tall and condemned this offensive statement."

I think Mbeki is trying his hardest to keep off the toes of all branches of the ANC, at the moment.

[Steve]

James,
What you saying is true and it is something I considered. But then I thought of it this way - if there was no popularity challenge from Zuma and no leadership crisis, would Thabo Mbeki then have condemned the Kiz statement?

The answer is no.

[Lev]

I have never liked Tony Leon - an arrogant pompous twat. But to liken him to Hitler and Mussolini is completely absurd and demonstrates an utter ignorance and probably indifference to historical fact.