INTENSE INTERNAL PRESSURE TOLD ON THE DA

Apartheid was a dreadful and violent system of oppression. For those who languished in jail or those who lost loved ones or those who were forcibly moved from their ancestral lands and dumped in some God forsaken place, apartheid was evil and a crime against humanity.

For many of us who had our freedom curtailed and our dignity diminished, 1994 was a time of Ubuntu and forgiveness. To forget was never going ro be possible.

For Diane Kohler-Barnard to glorify PW Botha through carelessness or whatever was to open wounds and take us back. Not enough is being done by those who profited from apartheid to take our society forward. The dividends of forgiveness are being eroded through arrogance and mindless behaviour.

Adrian Vlok, however we view his washing of people’s feet and his taking groceries by the bakkie load to the poor in Soweto, is at least embarking on a journey of healing and actively seeking continuing forgiveness. He has had his Damascene conversion and is trying to build bridges in the afternoon of his life.

Kohler-Barnard inflicted severe damage on her party and magnified the criticism that the DA was still steeped in the apartheid ideology.

 Congress of the People believes that those who have the distinction of being MPs must set the highest standard and fall on their sword when they fail. In her time, Kohler-Barnard never gave quarters to anyone who failed. She was strident and tough as nails. For her faux pas she should have been given her own medicine. Ubuntu must receive Ubuntu. Race reconcilers must receive an equally outstretched hand. Those who damage race relationships must pay a heavy price.

However, the pressure to keep Kohler Barnard in her seat was so enormous that the DA leadership had to yield. It was a case of damned if you do and damned if you don’t. Fining Kohler-Barnard and allowing her to retain her seat is a sop to those in the DA who were upset by her. It will be a victory for those who still have a fascination with apartheid ideology.

The bigger question that now emerges is this: what about the DA itself which was equally tarnished by Kohler-Barnard’s inexcusable faux pas? How will the DA seek expiation and redemption for thriving in the lingering shadow of apartheid as it has done?

How will it prove its nation building bona fides and how will it convince South Africa that it has the credentials to dissolve racial tensions and build racial harmony? The eyes of the nation are now on the DA to see what steps it will take to distance itself earnestly and for ever from the thoroughly discredited apartheid ideology. How will it seek visible deliverance from the hold of apartheid and the fascination of PW Botha?  

Congress of the People will resolutely attack racism from wherever it comes because we are committed to carrying forward the legacy of Nelson Mandela. As the economy takes greater and greater strain, racial tensions will need optimal managing. Silly and irresponsible conduct, like that of Kohler-Barnard, can easily light the fuse. That is why we should continue to show how total intolerance for those who seek to open wounds that are still raw.

Statement issued by COPE spokesperson, Dennis Bloem, 22 December 2015