When the erstwhile chief minister of the Venda homeland, Patrick Mphephu, accepted "independence" from the oppressive oligarchy in Pretoria, he was asked why. Irked by the journalist’s question, Mphephu retorted: "Transkei did it. Bophuthatswana did it. So why can’t we did it?" He was referring to Kaiser Matanzima and Lucas Mangope who had declared their barren enclaves independent republics. He would have been a fool not to "did it".
The issue here is not grammar but principle. If others do it, why shouldn’t I?
I remembered this story in the run-up to the election. It is not an urban legend; it was reported by newspapers at the time, colourful quote and all.
When Hlaudi Motsoeneng announced that his African Content Movement would contest the elections, he cited Mzwanele Manyi of the African Transformation Movement and Andile Mngxitama of Black First Land First as people who had inspired him.
These three — just like Matanzima, Mangope and Mphephu before them — were merely stooges doing the bidding of those with a nefarious agenda.
The homeland leaders were paid lots of money to make "separate development" look credible.
Motsoeneng and company were given funds — reportedly by the Guptas — to form parties in protest against the ANC’s marginalisation of Jacob Zuma. The strategy included trying to win seats in parliament to neutralise an ANC bent on going after Zuma.
The electorate recognised this triumvirate of shame for a what it is — an alliance of stooges. They withheld their precious votes.
South Africans are celebrating the fact that the ANC won 643,194 more votes at national level than at provincial level. This is what political analysts call the Ramaphosa effect.
We got past her prejudice against raw Korean cuisine and shared what was, all in all, a refreshing experience. The place is small, so you must book
It means South Africans have faith in the president. They’ve given him a mandate to clean house — in the government and in the ANC. I hear Ace Magashule cracking his knuckles and grinding his teeth.
The Ramaphosa effect was the main topic of discussion as my friend Nomhle and I eased ourselves into seats at Banchan, a Korean restaurant in Parkmore. She wanted a place "far from the madding crowd".
Unfamiliar with Korean food, she gasped in horror when she saw my bulgogi bibimbap — slivers of raw beef, a raw egg on rice and veggies (R110). For her I ordered something "safer", grilled pork belly, known as samgyeopsal (R160). Reluctantly, she tried my bibimbap. Her face brightened: "Not as bad as I thought."
You see? Prejudice. We hear "raw" and we think "disgusting, primitive". Come to think of it, biltong is raw meat. We also experimented with a variety of noodles.
Thankfully, sharing is the cornerstone of Korean cuisine. The food comes in small portions that you share. It works beautifully if you are a big group. But it worked just as well for the two of us. To get things started I had Tsingtao, a Chinese lager, and I wasn’t disappointed.
We shared a bottle of De Wetshof Limestone Hill chardonnay (R190) which went down well. All in all, a refreshing experience.
Because the place is so small — it’s an alley, really — booking is essential.
Banchan *****
Corner 10th Street and Elizabeth Avenue,
Parkmore,
Joburg
Tel: 011-883-0020
Sy Mamabolo *****
Cyril Ramaphosa ****
Fikile Mbalula ***
Ace Magashule **
The Triumvirate of Shame:
Hlaudi Motsoeneng, Mzwanele Manyi and Andile Mngxitama *
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