• Tweet

HISTORIC: Cyril Ramaphosa watches Nelson Mandela sign the South African constitution at Sharpeville. Mandela was concerned about the ghost of tribalism. PHOTO: Robert Botha

 JOIN THE LEADERSHIP DEBATE: Email your considered opinions to letters@sowetan.co.za or tellus@sowetan.co.za - and your views may be published in the paper 

RELATED ARTICLES

• Scrutinise the first citizen
• Dear Chris Hani, the communists are all dead
• Sobukwe - A role model then, now
• 'Compromise deal is the answer'
• State, not leaders, is primary

The party's leadership in the Limpopo region of Mopani has drafted a document which urges the ruling party to "win the war against tribalism".

The document, which regional leaders say they would table at the party's forthcoming provincial policy conference, analyses the causes and the consequences of tribalism.

Simply titled "Tribalism", the document says the problem with "tribesmen" - those who practice tribalism - is that they do not like democracy, freedom and women's rights.

It says while members have a right to belong to tribes, their tribal affiliations should not be brought into the ANC with the intention of advancing their personal interests.

The document highlights that tribalism is mostly practised during deployment of cadres in government, at social gatherings and in political discussion forums.

It observes that tribalism is so bad in some cases that if the head of a state agency or government department belongs to a particular tribe, chances are that most employees of that entity would be from the same tribe as the head.

"The criterion that is used by some government departments to dish out services can also constitute tribalism."

The document says leaders who are tribalists do not like democracy and freedom.

Mopani ANC regional secretary Bricks Mandzini yesterday said that the ANC was a national movement not a tribal movement.

He said tribalism was affecting innocent people in the province, especially in Mopani where there had been complaints in the workplace, businesses and in the allocation of services. The document states that some ANC leaders have ascended to power by making promises of jobs to members of their tribes.

It says tribal leaders put resources together to fight those seen as outsiders during elective conferences.

"It is difficult to channel their tribal energy into the national agenda because they are tightly preoccupied with tribal politics," the paper says.

It says that tenders are also awarded along tribal lines.

"The problem is so rooted that bidders coming from the same tribe with those who have powers to award [the tenders] are getting rich," the document says.

The ANC, the document suggests, has to discourage government officials from overlooking certain programmes that need to be implemented in favour of parachuting projects in certain tribal areas.

Mopani is divided into five sub-regions of Greater Tzaneen, Ba-Phalaborwa, Letaba, Maruleng and Giyani.

ANC provincial spokesman Makonde Mathiva said the document would form part of other discussion documents from four other regions at the provincial general council next month.

This will be in preparation for the ANC's national policy conference in June.

But Mathiva denied allegations that the deployment of ANC cadres in government jobs was based on tribalism.

"We do not campaign or lobby on the basis of language, colour, origin or culture."

The document states: "Branches of the ANC must heed a clarion call that tribalism is not afforded a space to exist within the party."

The document praises President Jacob Zuma for appointing people from Limpopo in key positions.

Political analyst Elvis Masoga said former president Nelson Mandela had warned the party in the mid-1990s that, if unchecked, the ghost of tribalism could haunt the ANC.

Mandela, a Xhosa, said his preference was for Cyril Ramaphosa, a Venda, to succeed him.

Comments

• Sign in or sign up to comment

Fri May 24 06:06:30 SAST 2013 ::

Apr 19, 2012

JajasQueen

Stupid article, why are the other items on the agenda not listed. Our newspapers are pathetic.

Report Abuse

Apr 19, 2012

RobinH

T his wo uld be a us eful initi ative. The incr ease in vig our of t r i b a l i s t and r a c i s t rhe toric am on gst the gen e r a l p u b l i c, n ot to me ntion polit icians is tr uly dist res sing. On e can't h elp but won der, though, what eff ect a disc u ssion d o c u m e n t for a par ty talk sh op will actu ally have.
Report Abuse

Apr 19, 2012

tsayaya

seemingly the cause for struggle is inherent within the ANC, now that the struggle the liberation struggle is over, the new struggle within now is tribalism.

ever wonder what's next?
Report Abuse

Apr 19, 2012

Sugaar

Yesterday people raised questions about multiply marriage,then the answer was that it is a culture for zulus.why bringing those culture to the anc knowing that we are not all zulus.
Report Abuse

Apr 19, 2012

Charley4sure

Bravooo, to the comrades who took initiative to address the drunken
disease affecting the entire nation not only the Mopani district.
It is absurd that my fellow comrades never had faith in Mandela
while he was the president. They voted for their fellowman on
the opposition party. But now recently that Dr Zuma is the President
they have faith in him. They speak louder than their mouths, they
campaign for him even when the succession debate is not opened
yet but they are never condemned. Therefore not to say Mbeki was
a saint but he had love for Africa. He had a dream for the united
states of Africa. But now we have Dr Zuma who dreams of the united
states of Ngunis.

Report Abuse

Apr 19, 2012

Africanism

Tribalism in goverment department is rife and in most instances the Venda's and Tsonga practice is a lot and you won't find a Senior Manager appointing a PA from another Pedi's speaking people.It is very difficult in Limpopo to be appointed to a senior post if you are a Mopedi
Report Abuse

Apr 19, 2012

MissBhakajuju

@ Sugaar well said !!

@ Charley4sure. so True, but I doubt he dreams of the united states of Ngunis, as he only focuses on his z.ulu t.ribe only, remember Nguni consists of 4 t.ribes X.hosa, Z.ulu, S.wati, Ndebele, and thers few r.epresantation of the other 3 nguni t.ribes.
Report Abuse

Apr 19, 2012

MommaC

100% Z U L U boy ?

We do tend to favour our own linguistic groups. It has to do with understanding each other easier (and not just from a language point of view but also a way of thinking). The intolerance towards anyone outside that group is becoming more and more prevalent though. That is a sad, sorry, slippery slope to big trouble
Report Abuse

Apr 19, 2012

RobinH

JJQ: One look at virtually any comment page makes it graphically clear that tribal and racial division is not only a very serious issue in our fragmented nation, but is worsening by the day. I think it in the public interest to know (or at least think) that the ruling party is actually concerned about this.
Report Abuse

Apr 19, 2012

1tsotsi

Africanism
Tribalism in goverment department is rife and in most instances the Venda's and Tsonga practice is a lot and you won't find a Senior Manager appointing a PA from another Pedi's speaking people.It is very difficult in Limpopo to be appointed to a senior post if you are a Mopedi
=================
I agree with you more, thou m 50% pedi, 50% tsonga, but i can tell you these pedis are full of themseives, go to municipalities and find those amoeba shaped pedi girls there how they behave. Pedis are the most racis.t people in limpopo. There less said about the zul.u's nationwide the better. THERES A ZUL.U ON MY STOEP(COUNTRY)
Report Abuse

Read all 102 comments