REJOINDER TO THAMI KA PLAATJIE’S “MALEMA DOES NOT MINCE HIS WORDS”
Thami Ka Plaatjie’s article in Sowetan of June 21, 2011 published under the headline, “Malema does not mince his words” reminds me of the words of the Pharaoh of African Studies the late Dr Cheikh Anta Diop during the time whites claimed that race determined the intelligence of a people. Diop responded that equating intelligence with race is like confusing rectal temperature with good health.
Ka Plaatjie claims that the recent ANCYL “conference affirmed its President Julius Malema as a critical voice of the youth in the current South African trajectory, secondly the conference confirmed Malema as the political and ideological heir of the mantle of Anton Lembede and AP Mda, thirdly Malema used the elective conference to lavishly display his nationalist ideological thrust and fourthly, he exposed his Pan African political and ideological outlook and fifthly, Malema has brought about a greater urgency to issues such as nationalization and land reform”.
Thami Ka Plaatjie’s article in Sowetan of June 21, 2011 published under the headline, “Malema does not mince his words” reminds me of the words of the Pharaoh of African Studies the late Dr Cheikh Anta Diop during the time whites claimed that race determined the intelligence of a people. Diop responded that equating intelligence with race is like confusing rectal temperature with good health.
Ka Plaatjie claims that the recent ANCYL “conference affirmed its President Julius Malema as a critical voice of the youth in the current South African trajectory, secondly the conference confirmed Malema as the political and ideological heir of the mantle of Anton Lembede and AP Mda, thirdly Malema used the elective conference to lavishly display his nationalist ideological thrust and fourthly, he exposed his Pan African political and ideological outlook and fifthly, Malema has brought about a greater urgency to issues such as nationalization and land reform”.
Charterism and Africanism are irreconcilable. Malema wholeheartedly embraces the Freedom Charter which Mda and Sobukwe rejected and Lembede would not have accepted were he alive when it was adopted by the Charterists. The Freedom Charter says South Africa belongs to all those who live in it. This is a repudiation of the African people‘s anti-colonialist stance of ‘Africa for the Africans’. Africanism holds that Africa belongs to the Africans. The Freedom Charter speaks of the land that was taken but doesn’t say who took it and from whom. In the article, the former PAC Secretary General Thami ka Plaatjie styled Malema as a Pan Africanist and an heir to the political and ideological mantle of Anton Lembede and AP Mda. That is an insult to the memory of Lembede and Mda.
If Malema and the likes of Ka Plaatjie believe and accept that South Africa belongs to all those who live in it, the coloniser and the colonised, the dispossessor and the dispossessed, the oppressor and the oppressed, why then are they up in arms against those who have usurped the country’s resources, why are they against bourgeois reforms since “South Africa also belongs to the colonizers, dispossessors and oppressors”?
Ka Plaatjie went on to say, “Even an organization such as the PAC has never, since the unbanning of opposition parties, attracted so many African delegates and solidarity organizations as the league has done”. Is it a tacit admission that present and past PAC leaders (himself included as Secretary General of the PAC) failed the masses and the PAC?
As former Secretary General of the PAC and former PAC Gauteng Chairman, Ka Plaatjie is intellectually dishonest because he knows that Malema doesn’t speak on behalf of the Pan Africanist Youth Congress and Pan Africanist Student Movement of Azania. PASMA is the leading student organization in many South African universities and tertiary institutions. I don’t even think Ka Plaatjie, being close to some Azapo leaders, can claim Malema speaks on behalf of the youth of Azapo and other Black Consciousness Movement formations. Ka Plaatjie pretends to be oblivious of the fact that there are countless young people in this country who have made it clear that Malema does not speak for them. He probably speaks for the disaffected and directionless youths.
Ka Plaatjie left the PAC about a year ago claiming that “the ANC was the only organization capable of bringing change” now he says Malema “has disturbed the quintessential politics of diplomacy with the former oppressors delaying fundamental reform and has publicly refused to let such thorny issues as the land redistribution die a slow death”.
It is an insult to the memory of Lembede and Mda to put them on the same pedestal as Malema let alone Robert Sobukwe whom Malema described as an “irresponsible” person “who led the people of Sharpeville to their deaths during the 21 March 1960 anti-pass demonstrations”. Mda and Lembede recognized and acknowledged the able leadership of Sobukwe. Mda even said Sobukwe took African Nationalism to a higher level than he and Lembede could.
Lembede was an original thinker and a philosopher, Mda an analyst and advisor. They and Sobukwe were respectful and humble. This can’t be said about Malema. Respect and humility are some of the traits of good leadership. Malema is just imbibing and regurgitating what he has been fed. He plays to the gallery; he is a demagogue, an imposter and a charlatan.
The media is hypocritical. When the PAC raised the critical question of land dispossession the media ignored them. At the advent of the policy of willing-buyer-willing-seller, the PAC warned that the policy was bound to fail and the PAC was the first to say that policy has failed, not Malema. It was the PAC which said it was going to expropriate land without compensation because whites didn’t buy it but took it by force, not Malema. The editorial in the Citizen of 21 June was correct to write that Malema didn’t break new ground on the land question but failed to mention that the land question was at the heart of the PAC’s ideological foundation and Ka Plaatjie knows that very well. The Sowetan editorial of that same day also failed to mention the PAC.
Ka Plaatjie knows that the PAC and not Malema are custodians of Pan Africanism and African Nationalism and we will not allow them to appropriate it to themselves.
The primary crisis in African life is the ‘cultural crisis’ i.e., a crisis in views and especially, values. This crisis is seen to manifest itself in our usually unconscious adoption of the western worldview and perspective and their attendant conceptual frameworks.
It is within these Eurocentric frameworks, in particular in the spiritual alienation they engender – with their core values of materialism, objectification, individualism and competition – that Afrocentricity locates the origins of human and social problems.
The Freedom Charter which was drafted by a white person and reflects the views and values of white people is a document which split the ANC and brought about the birth of the PAC. One can’t be an Africanist and a Charterist at the same time.
By Sam Ditshego
(The author is a member of the Pan Africanist Research Institute)
Truth is sweet as honey. For Julius Malema is no more than a cantankerous power-hungry opportunist, “a friendly crocodile”, and yet another clown in the circus the ANC calls government. For Thami ka Plaatjie, maybe he has to earn his credentials of being a member of the ANC by suffocating the PAC and Pan Afrikanist Youth.
Thanks to ka Plaartijie for confessing his fuilures. He is just like Mathinus who just failed to transform the National Party into a party that fights for Africans instead handed over the party to the ANC to die a silent death. Ka Plaartjie can’t even qoute the ANC policies. He thinks by equating Malema with these heroes of Pan Africanism he can get a place within the ANC. He must forget about that, ANC won’t change, they are charterists. He must start to sing the song of the ANC, that of corruption through working with the colonialists in order appropriate wealth through tenders. Maybe Malema can help him on that through his trust account.
As the secretary general of the PAC ka Plaatjie failed to formulate any programme of action to revive the organisation from its ailing state.To say Malema is a heir to Lembede et al african nationalism is disingeneous.I think its time we stop engaging this parrot-minded charlan whose propagating plagiarised PAC policies without acknowledging it.
Plaatjie disappoints Us. How on earth can he give credit to someone who did not even sweat for Azania. who dissed Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe. A Champion of time who died fighting for a liberated Azania. We will not let them, we will revive the spirit of the PAC. Izwe lethu!!!
When we enquired about the existence of the PAC in our Neighbourhood here in PE/ Motherwell. We were so dissappointed to find out that they had no branch, in which we are now with the help of Khosi Msaro, we will be establing our own branch. We are told that it was because of leaders like this Plaatjie, who have no stand that resulted in the PAC not getting recognition. They failed now they want symphathy from the anc who we know have been sellouts since Sobukwe dayz. How cheap of them
Such is a hypocritical nature of our media that I cannot help but wonder if ka plaatjie were to write articles of such nature under the banner of PAC about nationalisation and land restitution would have been granted such a big space.MaAfrika isn’t ironic that ka plaatjie joins the ANC get to have his articles published regularly?Our media has dealt us a major blow through its selective objectivity.
Plaatjie failed to kill the PAC and now he is attempting to butcher the legacy of this gigantic movement, a legacy crowned with such heroic names as of Sobukwe. It only shows how dehumanized and demoralized he is to stoop this low just to secure his income from the ANC through his pseudo-Pan Africanist organization
Thami Ka Plaatjies is nothing but a sell-out who praises the likes of Malema and he’s even a worse traitor to compare that mindless big mouth with our African heros nxaa!!!
Maxwell Nemadzivanani wanted to lead the PAC and when he failed he went to join the ANC. And then came Patricia De Lille who also failed to lead the PAC and crossed the floor with the PAC’s parliamentary seat and formed the ID (but still suffers from an identity crisis). She has now joined the DA. Themba Godi also wanted to lead the PAC and when he failed he crossed the floor with the PAC’s more than forty council seats, two Provincial legislature seats and two National Assembly seats – hard-earned seats. Thami Ka Plaatjie also wanted to lead the PAC and when he failed he went to join the ANC. Hahahahahahahahahaha.
ka PLAARTIJIE ur drunk by oppotunities of tenders boy “come on camellion, thug, betrayer or Judas Scariot don,t humiliate ur wife by showing this desparation of recognition in amendet national corruption (ANC). U have never read lyk ur GOD Malema N ur both professional plegiarists who claim the knowlege of Pan Africanists MANIFESTO N History n dont go to media with borrowed intelligence and confidence of capitalism. we cant break ur viginity of knowlege in history that Sobukwe led ur imposed African icon Mandela. that is y u neva led PAC bcos where ur still infant n need to be circusised politically”.
Ka Plaartijie ur tru cammelion, thug and incorrect product of Pan Africanism. u did not lern but made plagiarism lyk Malema without content of what is Africa Nationalism. don,t run around n tell people that that Fat Lumpant with Amoeba body shapes is compareble to Prof Sobukwe n Lembende A. it is an insult to the history of Pan Afrcanism and to the toiling African masses. dont pee on our history n to tell u the truth ur an embarrasment to ur wife. if is the smell of corrution and tenders that you smell you must not show or indicate to us. your totally the kind of brave sellout of African Revolution like mandela
ka Plaatjie z a total sell-out nd ts such a chagrin 2 the PAC bcoz he compared the immature malema to A.Lembede nd AP Mda and for him to say that the PAC didint address the land and economic distribution to the poor vividly shows how hez politically naive and hiz sell-outness!!!!..IZWE LETHU!! i-AFRICA!!!
ka Plaatjie z a clean sell-out nd ts a chagrin 2 the PAC bcoz comparing malema to A Lembede and AP Mda ts vivid indication dat Plaatjie z a sell-out;he also sed dat the PAC failed 2 address the issue of land and economic distribution to the poor and claimed dat malema was the first 1 to do so..I wonder hw does Proff Sobukwe feels bwt this events! bt we as Pan Africanists lets focus on freeing AZANIA!! IZWE LETHU i-AFRICA!!!
Now everybody can see why he joined ANC. He got a post now in SABC. He is opportunistic.
Izwe Lethu
Plaatjie z a sell-out no compromise
who’s this boy Plaatjie the PAC has made him a person nw he goes around the back of the kitchen and being feed poisonoius food, and come to vomit nonsese!!
from Tumediso Modise,
The PAC of Azania may look like is moribund at present, but, no amount destruction unlished by political opportunists who are directed by stomach politics like Thami ka Plaatjie will destroy the PAC. Him and his political thugs are trying very hard to finally harmer the last nail into PAC ” coffin “. Like many others, he has already failed.
Having pointed out the above Ma-Afrika, lets go back to our various communities and map-out political plans to revive and rebuild this most revolutionary Party, the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania.
Izwe-Lethu! I-Afrika!
PAC must learn to read and accept the individual opinion, Thami Ka Plaatjie is not an opportunist but a realist and an intellectual and an accdemic for that matter, Hehas come to realise after a long time that he waisted his time, strength, ability and political vim trying to mobilise the static rigid and uncompromising PAC and with PAM it was not even a good move. I personally grew up honoring him as a growing young lion in politics, but waited for him to be home at last. Big up homeboy ANC is the only solution to solve nationalisation, land reform. Soon all the PAC and Azapo will learn and follow, Viva ANC, Siyabangena Ka Plaatjie
Cdes y do u worry a lot abt ka Platjie d boy is nt a leader he ws jst a political squatter within d PAC. This is informed by the fact dt he failed to launch PAC branches at his own home turf. The boy evn failed 2 comeout with a programe of action, hence he called and stl call himself a leader. This God gifted family idiot ws only hear 2 nurse his stomach frastrations. U must no longer compare ur boy malema 2 A Lembede, AP Mda or Prof. RM Sobukwe 4 dt matter
pac should come with a clear plan to revive this movement as soon as it can..cause we wnt to join this movement
pac it has been not vocal for some time here in king williams town (zwelitsha) we wanna change that…guys plz do not let us down MA-AFRIKA!!
It’s actually a great and useful piece of info. I am glad that you simply shared this helpful information with us.
Please keep us up to date like this. Thank you for sharing.