Slinging mud and stuff

Appearances may fool some, but after the pretense of civilised elections, the knives are out between the governing party and the official opposition in South Africa. Mud and stuff are being slung at each other's leaders in the most brutal terms. Especially the performance of members of the ANC Youth League and some of the more scruffy cadres of rather dubious past - ex-MK - leaves one fairly dumbstruck at the apparent true nature of some of these commentators.

The Star gave a colourful direct quote of the most recent commentary by the above parties. On a more sombre note comes the rather sinister undertone of remarks by said ex-MK members. Threats of making the Western Cape Province ungovernable if the leader of the Western Cape and official national opposition, Ms Helen Zille, does not toe the line and co-operate with the government. Granted, her commentary on the new president was rather blunt and not helpful in the wobbly new democracy of South Africa, but the reply from the ex-MK members was downright outrageous and squarely in the gangster league.

Such remarks as those by the ex-MK members would be met with law-suits for libel anywhere in the First World. The underlying mentality that can produce such verbal diarrhea is cause for more than medical concern. Left to such an electorate the country will for sure go to the swine on a highway. To accuse of longing for an Apartheid past those of us who yearn for civilised order, is utter balderdash; reeks of hyperbole and pays clear evidence of an extremist mindset.

To observe such extremist support for the new president with his overtones of clansmanship, leaves one sleeping with one eye open and puts us back, in some respects, 200 years or so in the turbulent history of this country.