What will happen to Black Consciousness Movement?

A close personal friend and political ally of the late Black Consciousness leader Steve Biko has died and this death has raised fresh questions about what happened to the Black Consciousness movement and ideology in South Africa.

Some see Cyril Jones’ passing as the closing of the chapter for the Black Consciousness movement as the philosophy has no other champion in the mould of Biko and Jones to take it forward.

In fact, they claim the movement and the philosophy died with Biko. ‘

Tributes for Cyril Jones

But political analyst Dr Ntsikelelo Breakfast attributed the plight of Black Consciousness as an ideology and movement to the failure of the remaining members to pursue Biko’s ideals and vision and to adapt strategy and tactics to prevailing conditions so as to take BC into the future.

Different organisations, political leaders, individuals and former colleagues have paid special tributes to Jones, who was popularly known as PC.

The Black Consciousness and Azanian People’s Organisation (Azapo) stalwart died at his home in Gordon’s Bay on Wednesday after a stroke. He was arrested with Biko in a police roadblock near Grahamstown on 18 August 1977.

ALSO READ: Black pride, not racism, was Steve Biko’s aim

Jones was the last leader to seem to be dead in police custody in Pretoria in September 1977. Al Jamaah leader Ganief Hendricks expressed sadness at Jones’ death.

Breakfast said the death of the movement in South Africa should be blamed on Azapo leaders who, instead of pursuing the ideology after Biko’s death, got involved in political in-fighting, with many breakaway parties formed. Instead now, Azapo, like the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC), had been overtaken by political developments, hence they are unpopular with the voters in South Africa.

Black Consciousness

Breakfast said Black Consciousness was still relevant today as it was a philosophy and way of life for black people. And he believed the Black Consciousness movement was still needed to address various problems blacks still experienced currently, including racism and continued socioeconomic subjugation.

“As black South Africans, we still need Black Consciousness because people still need to know that they are the masters of their own destinies. Even if you are a professional but you are black, you still get undermined. Black Consciousness is an ideology that we should all embrace,” Breakfast said.

The expert said when the people who founded Black Consciousness were mentioned, Biko’s name would feature among them, but in reality, black consciousness pre-dated Biko because it was a philosophy. He said Azapo and PAC were in the same boat as they had failed to reposition themselves after democracy in 1994 in terms of making their messages relevant to prevailing circumstances.

Azapo and PAC roles

The ANC and others parties had, on the other hand, altered their positions on various issues including land. “What is the Azapo position on land? What is their position on gender?

“The PAC cannot move on an old position of ‘return our land’ but that is their strategy and tactics around the land. There must be a relevant response to the immediate issues of today. “Azapo and PAC must be able to look at the body politic and adapt in terms of the policy on these issues.

You can’t remain in one place since your founding, you should come up with new tactics,” Breakfast said.

RELATED: Azapo calls for black dignity in honour of Steve Biko

He said the two parties may be older than the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) but they had been overtaken by the EFF which had developed strategies and tactics for various issues.

“The EFF came from the ANC, but it analysed the ANC’s weaknesses and used them for its own
benefit. The EFF stole some of the Black Consciousness and Pan-Africanist ideas from Azapo and
PAC and is using them successfully to grow itself,” he said.
– ericn@citizen.co.za