Jewish Board of Deputies debate in Joburg erupts into boos for ANC

The ANC came under universal criticism from all opposition parties during a debate on political party manifestos in Johannesburg, for allegedly instigating the violence in Alexandra and other parts of country, and for the government’s plan to downgrade the South African Embassy to Israel into a liaison office.

But an ANC representative Philiswa Nkomo, who replaced ANC head of elections Fikile Mbalula, who could not attend due to an unplanned election engagement in Alexandra township, defended the ruling party saying anyone with evidence of wrongdoing by the ANC or its members should come forward with evidence to prove it.

On the embassy downgrading, Nkomo said the ANC supported the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestine conflict and encouraged dialogue between Israel and Palestine people. However, she stated the ANC believed that Hamas group was among those determined to liberate the Palestinian people hence, the ANC decided to enter into a strategic partnership with the organisation.

The emotional audience of mainly Jewish people objected and booed the ANC representative for the party’s stance on Israel. Other parties opposed the downgrading of the South African embassy in Tel Aviv, saying this is a foolish decision and must be reversed.

The parties, Congress of the People (Cope), Democratic Alliance (DA), African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP), the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) and the governing ANC were debating their various election manifestos in Houghton Estate, Johannesburg this evening. The debate was organised by the SA Jewish Board of Deputies as part of its “Make Us Count” election campaign and hosted by journalist and author Mandy Wiener, who asked tough questions from the panellists.

The board said it encouraged the Jewish community in the country to get involved in all aspects of the upcoming election, from participating as election observers to voting on 8 May.

The controversy over the downgrading of the embassy came when Minister of International Relations Lindiwe Sisulu announced the South African government’s plan to downgrade the Tel Aviv based embassy into a liaison office. The audience at the gathering questioned Sisulu’s power to announce the downgrading without the matter first being debated in parliament and approved there.

But Nkomo defended the minister, saying that she had to do that because parliament had closed for the election.

All the opposition parties lambasted the ANC over both the downgrading of the embassy and the ongoing service delivery protests that started in Alexandra, north of Johannesburg, and spread to the DA-run metros of Tshwane and Cape Town. Representatives of Cope, DA, IFP and ACDP called for the ANC to be voted out of power, especially in Gauteng, which the DA claimed it would grab from the ANC.

ACDP president Rev Kenneth Meshoe and Cope Gauteng provincial chairperson, Tom Mofokeng described the downgrading of the embassy as the “most foolish” and the “most stupid” decision ever. Meshoe said Israel was a great country that encouraged its people to work hard and the ACDP would work to have the ANC government’s decision reversed.

He said the ANC downgraded the embassy because it has “chosen to be on the side of the terrorists who were responsible for the bloodshed” that occurred in the region. Meshoe accused the ANC of promoting bloodletting and celebrating death, hence if failed to fight road death tolls on the country’s roads.

Mofokeng said Cope supported Israel because it’s the only democracy in the Middle East. “This decision is very one-sided and I believe that this country has to review the whole issue,” Mofokeng said.

On the Israel subject, Inkatha Freedom Party MP, Mkhuleko Hlengwa said the decision to downgrade the embassy would take South Africa many steps backwards because it would lose out on Israel’s expertise in many fields.

DA national spokesperson Solly Malatsi said there was a link between the violence that occurred in Alexandra and the social media campaign that was run by some ANC and ANC Youth League members in the township. Malatsi said the ANC was instigating the protests in all areas where it was not in charge. This view was echoed by all other parties that participated in the debate.

The ACDP lambasted the the ANC for endemic corruption in the country. Meshoe said the governing party continued to loot state resources and promoted incompetence among civil servants. Instead of removing incompetent officials the ANC moved them to other departments to do more damage.

Cope, DA and ACDP rejected land expropriation without compensation and Cope’s Mofokeng described it as “pure robbery”. He said expropriation spoke not only to land but also to private property, houses and other private possessions of individuals.

Hlengwa defended Mangosuthu Buthelezi’s longest leadership of the IFP, saying he was an upright leader who ensured that the IFP was not tainted by corruption like the ANC. He said Buthelezi developed KwaZulu and built schools and other infrastructure in the former homeland, because he believed in education and developing people.

Hlengwa said it was unfortunate that some saw Buthelezi’s leadership as being wrong. He said the traditional leader would step down during the party’s national congress to be held in July.

– ericn@citizen.co.za

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