President Obama during his tour of Africa delivered a speech
in South Africa. In that speech he told the gathered people to consider Mandela
as the model for democracy and reconciliation in Africa. This then prompts one
to really ask a question which most people would consider to be absurd: What
did Nelson Mandela really do for the black South Africans?
South Africa is said to have surpassed Brazil as one of the
most unequal societies in the world with a sharp distinction between the rich whites who owns and control the means of production
and the poor black people. The country only attained political independence by
having a black president in 1994 but without economic independence. The central
bank of that country is owned by 650
shareholders, a model reminiscent to the privately owned Federal Reserve Bank
of America.
Between 1985-1990 Mandela is said to have held meeting with
P.W Botha. Oliver Reginald Tambo in reference to those meetings said ‘Prisoners can't negotiate their
freedom’. It is alleged that Tambo was disturbed by senior members who had
compromised the ANC like Mandela.
The nationalization of banks and mines was the core doctrine
of the ANC in 1990 and enshrined in a document known as the freedom charter.
However the charter was reinterpreted for the interest of the monopoly white
capitalists not for the benefit of the black masses. Mandela was therefore used
as a marionette by the monopoly white capitalist yet at the surface he seemed
like a democratic leader with the interest of the people at heart.
Instead of nationalizing the mines Mandela was holding
regular meetings with Harry Oppenheimer former chairman of mining giants
Anglo-American and De beers: symbols of Apartheid! It is alleged that Mandela
even gave the ANCs economic program to Oppenheimer for approval and he made
several key revisions to address his concerns and those of other top
industrialists. The outcome was that Mandela gained control of political power
and the minerals remained in the hands of the individuals who had controlled
them before.
Durban businessman Vishnu Padaychee was asked to draft a
document on the pros and cons of having a privately owned central bank. However
he was later told that, “we had to give that one up”. The central bank is being
owned by 650 shareholders and Mandela did not do anything about it. Under the
pretext of reconciliation Chris Stals and Derek Keyes retained their positions
in the new administration and were put in charge of the bank. These were all
prominent apartheid figures.
In South Africa black people are not empowered. They remain
in nearly the same circumstances as during the apartheid era. Mandela sold
black people for a Nobel Peace Prize. What a shame!
contact ras tiraz on facebook
email rastiraz1@yahoo.com
a well briefed & versed point of view.....keep it up
ReplyDelete