We can all sing SA's songs of freedom

In Africa, even in death, we laugh. Even as tears of anguish cascade down our cheeks, we sing and cheer - perhaps celebrating that we are still alive; and hoping, perhaps, that she who has departed from this world is in a good place.

Those of us in Johannesburg who have been crying that the movement that liberated us - the home of John Dube, of Mahabane, of Anton Lembede, of Josiah Gumede, of Makgatho, of Oliver Tambo, of Nelson Mandela - was losing the plot so much that it was conceding all the major metros, have cried the last tears now that the ANC has lost the centre of gravity, the City of Gold as well.

Now, in the spirit of Africa, we are laughing and celebrating. We are celebrating that even though the city now has a DA mayor, that party has not won by such an overwhelming majority as to embolden it to rush over to the SABC, kick Hlaudi Motsoeneng out, and, among other things, put 7de Laan on all channels as was (jocularly) feared in the build-up to the elections.

We hope, even it were to increase its majority in the future, the DA would not succumb to such hubris because, let's face it, it was the bellicosity of the ANC that was its own undoing.

"The ANC shall rule this country until Jesus comes." What balderdash, what poppycock.

On the brighter side, Jesus came prematurely for some. Some of the comrades were not yet done at the feeding trough. Look at the gravy snaking down the corners of their mouths.

Yes, Jesus is about to crack His whip, as He did in that biblical synagogue where those moneylenders were plying their business. Crack!

In Johannesburg, we are celebrating not the demise of the ANC - for we do not know what the new lot have in store for the city - but are paying tribute to the triumph of democracy.

We are ululating to the high heavens that the flower of democracy is blooming not only in this city and Tshwane and Nelson Mandela Bay - which have fallen to the DA as well - but that the entire country is suffused in its sweet heady fragrance.

Prophets of doom have always said SA would go down the way of the rest of the continent; that we would be ruled by the liberation movement forever; and that when it came time to dislodge it from the pedestal of power it would be through the barrel of the gun - the very gun that liberated us from colonial and apartheid bondage.

We proved them wrong.

In 2007 Thabo Mbeki became the first African president to voluntarily vacate the seat of power, through popular will and in the interest of peace

His followers did not resort to violence. He was gracious about the handover.

Some have suggested that the founding fathers of our democracy must be turning in their graves now that what they fought for will be reversed. Aren't we too hasty to make such a pronouncement?

The founding fathers fought for the birth and entrenchment of democracy, not the perpetuation of the name of one organisation at whatever cost.

We are also celebrating the fact that the defeat of the ANC in Tshwane, Nelson Mandela Bay and Johannesburg - not to mention other smaller municipalities where it did not fare well - has also not been met with violence.

Yes, we must sing and dance.

We surely must be the fastest-maturing democracy, not only on the continent, but in the world, by my reckoning. It's only less than three decades since we defeated apartheid, but those in the movement that liberated us have been exposed for who they truly are: they are fallible human beings.

As mere mortals, they will make mistakes. Because we have justice in this country - thank God for that! - they have been punished for their transgressions. We can only hope they learn from those mistakes. And that, after deep self-introspection, the movement will cleanse itself and achieve redemption.

So we sing these redemption songs, these songs of freedom.

lKhumalo's new book #ZuptasMustFall and Other Rants is now available at book stores.