We must be careful to not be taken in by dangerous propaganda.
We must be constantly on the lookout for such rhetoric in the build-up to next year’s elections.
We must also be reminded that politicians become populists during these times – meaning they will pretty much say anything that they think we want to hear, even if it is contradictory.
Let me give you an example of this.
On Heritage Day last week, President Cyril Ramaphosa was quoted as saying: “We are, as South Africans, a friendly and hospitable people, and it is inconsistent with our values to be xenophobic.”
This is of course a wonderfully warm thing to say, but is also exactly the sort of words you expect to hear from a statesman.
A few days earlier, talking about the country’s spaza shop sector, ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula was quoted as saying: “Our country is full of Pakistanis and that is a problem.”
These are two very different messages coming essentially from the same source.
These sorts of mixed messages are clearly designed to appeal to the audience being addressed.
One is a sober, stately comment, while the other is designed to play into a narrative that is dangerous, but likely to be met with approval and lead to votes.
It’s also worthy to note that Mbalula’s comments were made in KZN, a politically contentious province that the ANC covets come every election year. But it is also a politically volatile province where it is especially reckless to make such explosive statements.
I have often written about the dangers of the words being wielded by political leaders addressing crowds who can easily take them literally and act on them.
By saying certain things in a certain way, it is possible to weaponise language without risking accountability for the consequences.
The thing is, our politicians know this and yet they still dare to dabble with nuance, metaphors, innuendo and in some cases, even blatant accusations.
So if there is a sudden spate of violence against immigrant small business people, especially in KZN, Mbalula must shoulder some of the blame.
Pakistani spaza shop owners are not the reason why people are unemployed and hungry.
Ineffective policies, crime, cadre-deployment and self-serving, corrupt politicians are the main culprits.
So let’s go with Ramaphosa on this one and let’s remember to temper political speeches with reason.
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