“I am warning you. I am warning you that as we had
prayed for the downfall of the apartheid government, we will pray for the
downfall of a government that misrepresents us.”
In October 2011 when the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu
was about to celebrate his 80th birthday, he came out speaking very
strongly against the democratic government led by the ruling ANC.
He was unhappy that the ANC Government, that he and
other anti-apartheid religious and socially-conscious leaders had helped to
bring to power in April 1994, was, within a matter of only seven years, “behaving
in a way that is totally at variance with the things for which we have stood
for”.
He was especially furious that the ANC Government had refused to grant
the exiled leader of Tibet, the Dalai Lama, a visa to visit South Africa in October
2011. Tutu extended an invitation to the Dalai Lama to attend his 80th
birthday celebration in Cape Town.
Archbishop
Emeritus Desmond Tutu addressed a press conference to express his disquiet at
the manner in which the ANC had lost its values and principles.
His response to
the ANC’s refusal to grant a visa to the Dalai Lama demonstrated that he would
not bow down to anyone or organisation who failed to promote and uphold
democratic principles.
Now only a few
days, after his passing on December 26 (2021) at the age of 90, when most South
Africans are paying their tribute to the Archbishop, it’s appropriate to recall
what he said early in October 2011.
“TROUBLE IS THAT
THE ANC THINKS THAT THE FREEDOM WE ENJOY TODAY IS DUE TO THEM”
This is what he had stated:
“This government, our government is worse than the
apartheid government because at least we expected this from the apartheid
government.
“Our government (the new ANC Government) we were
expecting that now we would have a government that was sensitive to the
sentiments of our constitution.`
“The trouble I think is that the ANC on the whole
reckon that the freedom that we enjoy today is due to them. That is what they
reckon that everybody else is just a side-line.
“Now there was a time when the people who were
leading the struggle were religious leaders.
“I sat in Parliament when this President (Jacob Zuma)
of ours was giving his state of the nation address. This President, I am
sitting in the audience, I listened to this President telling, I mean he was
paying tribute to all kinds of people who have helped in bringing about
democracy in this country.
“This President did not mention a single religious
leader.
“In 1989, religious leaders said to the people of
Cape Town “we have had enough”. It was religious leaders who got 30 000
people to come to march.
LET THE ANC KNOW THAT THEY CANNOT AIRBRUSH US OUT
“Let the ANC know that they cannot airbrush us out.
“Let the ANC know that they have a large
majority. Well, Mubarak had a large
majority, Gadaffi had a large majority.
I AM
WARNING YOU, WATCH OUT
“Watch out, I am warning you, watch out, watch out,
please watch out.
“We were helped by the international community to
overcome apartheid, we. People were opposed to injustice and oppression and
people believed that we South Africans would automatically be on the side of
those who were being oppressed.
‘Mr Zuma, you and your government don’t represent me.
“You represent your own interests and I am warning
you, really warning you out of love. I am warning you like I have warned the
nationalists (former apartheid rulers).
YOU ARE DISGRACEFUL
“I am warning you that one day we will start praying
for the defeat of the ANC Government. You are disgraceful.
“I want to warn you that you are behaving in a way
that is totally at variance with the things for which we have stood for.
“I am warning you, I am warning you that as we had
prayed for the downfall of the apartheid government we will pray for the
downfall of a government that misrepresents us.
“You have got a huge majority. That’s nothing. The nationalists (former apartheid rulers) had a huge majority and increased. But it disappeared into dust. Watch out ANC Government, watch out, watch out, watch out.” Ends – subrygovender@gmail.com December 31 2021
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