Why do South Africa's law enforcement agencies not seem to be curbing or preventing violent crime incidents plaguing us of late?
Two likely reasons come to mind:
1) Because they are really unable to curb or prevent violent crime and don't want to admit it, or
2) Because they want the country to be or at least appear to be becoming ungovernable.
Of course, one would have to really wonder why the second reason might apply... except if, for example, they might later need to "justify" a reactionary crackdown on societal or democratic freedoms.
Surely I am exaggerating? I don't know, am I?
Asking myself this question, I am confronted with several interesting facts.
At the top of the list of these interesting facts, is the detail that something like this is beginning to happen right now with the pending reintroduction of media censorship.
How did this happen? Well let's see - back in March last year, President Zuma addressed the Rhema Cult, if you remember - and offered to "discuss" gay civil rights and abortion with "conservative" (i.e. religious fundamentalist) Christians - effectively creating the authentic and threatening impression that gay rights had been placed on the bargaining table in order to gain the meager minority votes of the wing-nut section of the hardware store.
If you recall, a little while after that, Oom Ray McCaulley started a group called the NILC (aka "Zuma's God Squad") in order to co-operate with government in "restoring the morality" of South Africa. Funnily enough, this "restoration" ostensibly entails the rewriting the SA Constitution to exclude us dirty, immoral GLBT folks and our inconvenient human rights. The fact that the NILC leadership consisted of 4 ANC MP's and received blatant logistical support from the ANC government, and their eye on excising gay rights just as Jon Qwelane urged back in 2008, was exposed at the time by the Mail & Guardian.
Simultaneously we have since seen another right-wing conservative group on the rise on the political scene - Erroll Naidoo's Family Policy Institute, which is nothing more than a thinly-veiled front for the US religious right's interference in South African affairs. This stochastic terrorist group, based in Cape Town, monitors Parliament and Mr. Naidoo makes annual trips to the USA to attend so-called "Values Voter summits" with the Family Research Council - a recognized homophobic hate group which has been acting as his mentor.
Over the past year, Naidoo has begun to flex his muscles to influence local politicians - as reported in his FPI newsletter, he brags having influenced the minister of Home Affairs to call a conference on the thorny issues of prostitution and censorship in the media. The aim of this co-operation is to institute new laws to ban all pornography in public media and to exclude its availability in public places.
Now I don't know what your tastes are, but I'm no fan of porn. I have no time for it - but what this man is suggesting is the limitation of people's rights and freedoms to suit the tastes of a band of religious fanatics who - even if they got their way in that instance - clearly would not be satisfied with that, and wouldn't stop there.
And of course, nobody - NOT ONE public figure has as yet spoken out on the clear connection between such an obviously heavy-handed and intrusive law and the fact that this move would in fact reintroduce censorship back on the scene in South Africa. Not even the mighty, supposedly liberal and outspoken Democratic Alliance.
Does nobody object to being told what they are allowed to watch? I do. Hell yes! If I feel like watching something, I will damn well watch it - or do it. I've spent my entire life fighting against restrictions and oppression in its various forms - so I find it a little odd that nobody else seems to feel that way?
Has nobody else stopped to realize that once pornography has been banned in order to satisfy a vocal conservative minority in the country, it wouldn't be long before the government, having been empowered to police what people may or may not say, think or do in the privacy of their own lives, started to make use of that very same law for its own nefarious ends?
Since Jacob Zuma - a disgraced politician and former VP who was impeached - managed to wangle his way back into a leading role within the ANC, the party has become clearly focused on what is moral and what isn't (despite the frightening amount of house-cleaning they need to do first in order to avoid finger-pointing). After all, how many other "undesirable" facets to individual choice, thought, action, utterance and freedoms of expression can be slotted in under the proposed new Censorship Law?
Well, I can tell you - with people like Erroll Naidoo around to encourage, poke and prod them in the far-right direction, it doesn't leave much to the imagination, does it?
Before too long porn may be banned in all public media and in public places, and as Naidoo wants it - adults will be unable to legally watch porn in the privacy of their own homes, but will have to watch it in strictly controlled environments (presumably so the poor innocent kiddies won't accidentally stumble upon a scene which is not "family friendly"). Not long after that, the term "porn" may be modified (ala Lulu Xingwana) to include things some people view as "contrary to nation building" such as gay people kissing or hand-holding on TV - and not long after that, it may include any gay characters in TV/movies (such as the recent heated mud-slinging session over the "Generations" character) and after that or even concurrently with the rest, gay people being gay in public, and lastly a more direct attack on the human and civil rights of the pink community in the Constitution, or even the abolition of the Equality Act no 4 of 2000.
And of course I think he will succeed. Why? Because nobody seems to give a two-sided shit about it. Pardon my Klatchian, as Terry Pratchett would say.
Banning porn seems to be a good thing, most people seem to think - without even bothering to think of the consequences of introducing censorship and endowing a party with clear totalitarian leanings with that sort of power.
"Nobody" is interested in politics. And why should they be? Politics is a dirty business - and politicians tend to be scum of the earth who reveal that they're lying, scheming, conniving bastards, simply by virtue of the fact that we can see their lips moving. We see corrupt, insincere politicians in the news every day - the government is riddled rotten with them. But perhaps this is the stereotype we have become used to in this country over the past fifteen years?
Now, while you might think that Erroll Naidoo is a bit of a nosy-parker with a prissy hairdo and that he might be just one of those irritating people who goes around sticking his finger up people's noses and who wears his underpants too tight - and that he is somebody nobody really takes seriously or listens to - he has managed to achieve one victory this year. That's right - the man you think nobody pays attention to has already scored one for his side. Annoying, isn't it?
Remember the talk about the DSTV porn-only channel? Scrapped. Why? Because he got some of his lunatic supporters to write letters to DSTV to tell them why "God" opposes their idea. I suppose they must have asked him and got him to sign their petition (I have never met this God they claim to own and keep in their back pockets - but if I do one day, I will ask him if that was his signature.) Despite the fact that DSTV is a subscriber only service, with limited access and this channel would have to be specifically subscribed to by consenting adults, despite the fact that with DSTV, you can password-protect your channels and prevent your kids from watching porn using access control - and despite Naidoo publicizing his malicious campaign to police what you can or can't watch - nobody bothered to stand up and write positive letters to DSTV. Which is why they scrapped it.
You see, the whole story reminds me of that saying - the one that goes: "evil is allowed to triumph when good people do nothing." Remember that one? How about another one? Plato this time, who said: "Those who are not interested in getting involved in politics will be ruled by their inferiors". Do you really want to be ruled over by the whims of a bunch of religious fanatics and extremists whose heads are still trapped in the Dark Ages? Still think it is "cool" to say "I'm not interested in politics"? Hmm?
People like Naidoo and McCaulley who simply want to wave their fingers down at others and lay down the law, have no moral high ground to do so - but they are the ones making the most noise and doing all they can to further their nefarious schemes to strip people of their freedoms and civil rights. Funny that the rest of you are content with sitting idly by and letting them. Yes, partying the night away is way more fun, isn't it?
Watch out for Errol. He hates gay people - he has even told the media he hates gay people. He has written many letters and articles to prove it too, defaming our community, declaring open war on us, and laying out his desires and intentions to strip us of our civil rights - and he has proved his sincerity by attacking our constitutional rights in every way he can. Will he achieve it? Do we want to find out?
How far will he get?
How far will you allow him to go?
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If you would like to know more about Christina Engela and her writing, please feel free to browse her website.
If you’d like to send Christina Engela a question about her life as a writer or transactivist, please send an email to christinaengela@gmail.com or use the Contact form.
All material copyright © Christina Engela, 2019.
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