JIMMY MANYI HAS TO EXPLAIN HIMSELF
It takes guts for a cabinet minister to drop a title and seek to defend and protect his origin. Trevor Manuel feels he cannot sit back when South Africans are being called names and told where to live and what to do. Gone are the days when South Africans were driven like dumb cattle.
The likes of Jimmy Manyi have always felt more South African than other people to the extent that they apportioned themselves the right to speak as if they were in charge of our destiny.
That he is being deified in some circles should not have made Jimmy feel like a Colossus on this earth. He surely has to be ashamed of himself that in this era he could have the temerity to find fault with where people live. It is not for him to wish or desire where people should live as the constitution of this country in the Bill of Rights clearly states that people should live where they prefer.
It may be necessary to rid this country of names of bodies such as Black Management Forum, Black Lawyers' Association or so and have them only as Management Forum or Lawyers' Association as there is really nothing which Blacks should do in isolation. We also need to be careful that before too long such names may degenerate to ethnic naming.
If Whites were to have such organizations, there would be an outcry.
It is also important that officials in government know their limits they should not serve a dual role; that of a politician and that of an official. Jimmy said all this while he was an employee of government serving as Director General. One can imagine what people of coloured descent felt like in his department in the wake of such utterance.
The constitution of the country is very clear on the caliber of a public service we look forward to. All officials have to be objective and serve without fear, favour or prejudice.
Thanks to Trevor for coming out and dropping his title for the good of the country and to set the record straight.
Statement issued by Sipho Mfundisi, Deputy Leader: UCDP, March 2 2011
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