Category Archives: South Africa affairs

Turkish Elections: another failure of democracy

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Since Adolf Hitler abused the democratic process to come to power and proceeded to wipe out all opposition, many a tyrant has taken advantage of the voting power of the easily manipulated and intimidated masses to stay in power.

Turkey’s Recep Tayip Erdogan has recently joined the ranks of such tyrants , and this week’s local elections in which his long-ruling  party  managed to capture about 46% of the vote- hardly a majority, but enough to claim a public mandate for his tyranny, and to control the country’s two largest city council’s of Istanbul and Ankara, are truly an example of democracy’s Achilles-heel.

That a leader who threatens to destroy his opponents, imprisons more journalists than any other country in the world including China, and even bans Twitter and Utube to prevent people spreading reports of his corruption, can do so well in an election, truly reminds one of the famous words of Sir Winston Churchill: “The greatest argument against democracy is a 5 minute conversation with the average voter!”

dare I guess the same will apply in South Africa this May?

yet what can one do? there is no better system currently available….

 

What will replace the ANC?

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“the day the ANC does to us what the Apartheid government did, we should do to the ANC what we did to the Apartheid government. ”
Nelson Mandela

“One may not knock down a synagogue before building a new one in its place”
[Talmud Bava Batra]

Those who are quick to wish for the demise of the corrupt and incompetent ANC, should consider who will replace it, and whether they can keep the country stable and relatively united, like the ANC, with all its failings, has done.

We need change, but we don’t need Congo style anarchy.

Open letter to South African opposition leader Helen Zille

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OPEN LETTER TO HELEN ZILLE ON DA’S BETRAYAL OF ISRAEL AND OTHER STUFF

Dear Premier Zille

I have always been a great admirer of yours, both of your past in the black sash, something my father, Rabbi Ben Isaacson, a well-known anti apartheid activist Rabbi was very close to, as well as your present as the visionary leader of the DA

however, I am very concerned about the talk that is going around about the DA’s support at worst, or silence, at best, of the outrageous demonification of Israel going on right now , as highlighted in the recent Parliamentary committee’s resolutions in Cape Town, and your lack of response so far to people’s requests for clarification about it.

This seems to be indicative of a general tendency towards avoiding responding to serious issues raised by critics as well as supporters, which for a liberal party like the DA, is highly problematic.

I have in the past questioned the DA’s lack of taking a stand against slave labour wages in the Western Cape of R75 a day, the one province where we (and I say “we” as a loyal supporter of many years standing) are able to make a difference and take a moral, if not a legal stand ), and never received a response, even in a direct tweet to you.

I also emailed the DA’s direct email address with very concrete ideas on how to use social media to bolster the election campaign, to which I also received no reply.

It is not so much the fact that we might disagree on issues, which is perfectly legitimate if done fairly, openly, and correctly, but that there seems to be a general tendency in the DA, not unlike that in the ANC, to be above criticism and to be out of touch with its supporters, avoiding real questions that are poised to it, and this is really disturbing.

It is not far fetched for the pro Israel Jewish and Christian communities to field ACDP candidates in their wards against the DA incumbents in the coming elections, and certainly in the municipal elections, and possibly even take them away from the DA, or even worse, split the opposition vote and deliver them to the ANC, if the current matter of concern is not addressed.

The even greater matter that I have mentioned of general lack of transparency to members and supporters is even more troublesome and could lead the DA to meet the same fate as Morgan Tsvangirai if not addressed urgently.

In understand that the recent debacle with Ramphele, from which I believe you have come out taking the moral high ground, is still heavy on your mind, but before this matter hits the social media and our anti BDS sites in an even bigger way, I would appreciate a serious reply from you- there is absolutely NO time to lose- as you know, facebook takes no prisoners and waits for noone.

Promising the world to crowds in Polokwane like Malema (even though we all know you could do a better job ) and dancing on the stage like Zuma (though that is something he is certainly your better at ) might be a necessary way to bring about change for the better, but showing the ability to stick to promises, answer rather than evade real questions, and not backstabbing loyal supporters is the true test of what can come of such promises.

Warmest wishes and hoping for a wise and speedy reply

Rabbi Yoni Isaacson
Community Educator and Businessman

Did Israel really support Apartheid South Africa?

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old sa flag

DID ISRAEL REALLY SUPPORT APARTHEID SOUTH AFRICA?

As the son of an anti-apartheid activist who was also a soldier in two Israeli wars at the same time as opposing apartheid, I can point out that the truth is closer to the opposite:

before the seventies, Israel was one of the most anti Apartheid countries in the world, and even trained anti-Apartheid activists.

Israel helped support newly independant African countries, and invested heavily in their development and decolonization.

all this during a time when America and the West were supporting Rhodesia and Apartheid South-Africa, and Western puppet dictators like Mobutu in the Congo, who they installed there to protect Western interests after murdering the democratically elected socialist, Patrice Lemumba.

After the Yom-Kippur war , Arab States bribed Africa states with oil to sever ties with Israel.

When they took the bait and betrayed Israel, together with South African liberation movements who were aligned with the Soviet/Arab block, she was left isolated, and the similarly isolated Apartheid government became a natural ally- not exactly a crown of glory, but no different to the “new South Africa’s ” alliance with Gaddafi, China, and other dictators-

The so-called right-wing Menachem Begin is described by one of his closest aides as an admirer of Nelson Mandela, at a time when Mandela was still in prison and openly aligned with the then “him who may not be named” Yasser Arafat, our biggest foe.

In short, our little Israel has done much more for Africa than any of the Arab nations that oppose us- our record might not be perfect, but in the greater picture, we have far more to be proud of than ashamed of!

Zuma lied, but not willingly?

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the Public Protector’s Report just found Zuma lied to Parliament, but not “willingly”- what exactly does that mean?

How does the president of a country tell parliament that he paid for his own swimming pool, cattle kraal, and much more, and not know that the government actually paid for it?

Assuming this was true, can a person so out of touch of his own affairs be trusted with the affairs of 50 million people?

If not true, what led the protector to such a conclusion?