Word-for-word excerpt from
apparently only a part of the prelate (Mkhatshwa’s) lucubrations of the
particular day:
Opinion: The ‘Big Man’ leader
[by] Father Smangaliso
Mkhatshwa
The recent popular political
uprisings in Tunisia, Yemen and Egypt should not have come as a surprise.
These developments have the
potential to generate cataclysmic changes in the Maghreb region as well as to
redefine the geo-politics of the Middle East. Should this rebellion spread to
other Arab countries, the rest of Africa and the world will not remain unaffected.
Belated as some of these developments are, they force us to analyse their root
causes.
People are simply “gatvol”
with dictatorship, albeit clothed in modern paraphernalia. They demand to have
a real voice in the way they are governed. They are sick of brutality, crude
corruption and state looting. They find naked official arrogance totally
unacceptable. The Tunisian and Egyptian people, including young workers, the
educated, the elite and secularist organisations, the middle class and religious
zealots are no longer prepared to suffer in silence.
In essence, what the oppressed
people in those countries are fighting against is the notorious syndrome of the
“Big Man” – the exact antithesis of democratic governance.
Sadly, the connotation of the Big
Man in African politics implies that the leader, whether democratically elected
or self-imposed is feared and not necessarily respected or loved. He acts with
impunity. He is at liberty to indulge in corruption, nepotism, kleptomania, and
looting of state resources, among other things.
His word is law. Everyone will
tell you, in whispers, that nothing happens without the nod from the top. This
phrase goes to the heart of the continent’s troubles. Too many African
countries have been ruined by political chiefs for whom government is the
accumulation of personal power and the dispensation of favours.
Some African countries go through
the motions of democratic elections, but in the end the Big Man calls the
shots. He may come to power via constitutional provisions but in practice
flouts the constitution with impunity.
The Big Man (or Woman) in Africa
usually has the propensity to centralise power and control. He
institutionalises patronage, abuses state institutions – especially the
judiciary and security organs – in order to tighten his grip on power.
Citizens wave and ululate when
the car convoy of the Big Man drives by, but in their hearts they pray for his
damnation.
Many people associate the Big Man
epithet with Idi Amin, Mobutu Sese Seko, Jomo Kenyata, Daniel Arap Moi, Omar
Bongo, Mengistu Haile Mariam, Jean-Bedel Bokassa and a host of other
potentates. For some strange reason the AU have now elected a notorious
dictator as their chairperson!
The designation of Big Man has
nothing to do with strong leadership or democratic centralism. It refers to
blatant abuse of power by men with overinflated of their self-importance. Their
appetite for power is limitless.
For as long as Africa is led by
this breed of myopic leaders, our future remains bleak. The much vaunted
project of the Union of African States will never be realised as long as we
have leaders who believe that without them their countries will not survive.
When wholesale plunder of
Africa’s resources by ex-colonialist and other foreigners continues unabated,
the Big Man is more concerned about what he can get out of the looting spree.
Gerrit Olivier and Francis
Kornegay had this to say: “This colonial legacy is the root problem of the
continent’s perennial inability to develop, to overcome poverty and compete
with the rest of the world. It is arguable that Africa can actually be
considered to have de-colonised.”
The notions of democratic
centralism and a strong centre in governance are perfectly compatible with
democracy, as these refer to a collective system of leadership.
Obama is an outstanding
charismatic leader. So were Fidel Castro, Mao Tse Tung, Nelson Mandela, OR
Tambo and others. They are deeply revered as great leaders. It is usually tin
pot despots who are insecure and demand to be bigger than they really are.
The equivalent Big Men in Europe
and most of Asia and South America have now disappeared. In these parts we now
have democratically elected leaderships for a prescribed term of office.
The constitutions of those
countries jealously safeguard their sovereignty, clearly define the different
spheres or state organs with built-in checks and balances to prevent
overambitious leaders wanting to be leaders for life.
As things stand right now, Africa
is not smelling of roses! This is in stark contrast to 10 years ago, when some
AU progressive leaders were beginning to take seriously the issues of Nepad, social
transformation and African unity. That forward thrust seems to have stalled.
Scourges of poverty, violent
conflict, disease, unemployment, fragile infrastructure and lack of basic
services continue to plague Africa. We maintain the abomination of communicating
or flying to one another’s countries via Europe. And we think Africa can
compete with technologically advanced countries.
We continue to pay lip service to
democracy in our countries. Alas, there are still some countries where the
citizenry has very little real influence in the way they are governed.
Corruption continues to eat away at the moral fibre of our people. Last but not
least, a sizeable number of African countries are still inextricably tied to
the apron strings of their former colonial masters. It does not need a rocket
scientist to realise that real development under such conditions is not
possible. One is not talking about normal trade and economic relationships, but
authentic development of countries and…
 |
| Goodman Manyanya Phiri (in black) and a prominent South African maternal second cousin once removed, Roman Catholic Church's Father Smangaliso Mkhatshwa. Mkhatshwa's maternal great-grandfather (Swazi Prince Khenkhana Nkhosi-Dlamini WeKunene of Emjindini/Barberton's Royal Residence is also but Phiri's maternal second-great grandfather). And the said common ancestral prince Khenkhana and sons (Prince Mfolozi who is Mkhatshwa's maternal grandfather together with Mfolozi's younger brother Prince Sigeyeza who is Phiri's maternal great-grandfather) was a pioneer in the 19th Century founding of the Swazi Royal Residence of Emjindini/Barberton during the military conquests of both Prince Khenkhana's monarchical father-cum-Shaka-Zulu ally and equally Khenkhana's potentate half-brother i.e. , respectively His Majesty Swazi King Somhlolo/Sobhuza I, and Sobhuza's successor son: King Mswati I. The name "Emjindini" for modern-day Barberton was christened by King Mswati seeing that "jinda" can be used as Swazi wording for "abandon". The fiercely-conquest-hungry King Mswati trying to fit into the shoes of his father, King Somhlolo, had harboured prospects of crossing the Limpopo river and conquering present-day Zimbabwe in that self-same 19th century, but alas, his crack force to bring down the great walls of Zimbabwe was nobody else but the troops that had travelled from present-day Swaziland to Barberton commanded by my mutual Common-Ancestor-Khenkana with Mkhatshwa in order to establish the royal house. The troops defied the King's order to leave Barberton, come back home and regroup for a campaign onto Zimbabwe and they told the King 'sesijindile' or we "are declaring an 'abandonment/jinda on all warfare and the amorous arms the beautiful Pedi women from whom Swazi clans like Motsa, Nkambule and Gwebu originate, laced the defiance campaign against Mswati with a lethal distillation that his Majesty gave in to and thus opted with the name "Emjindini" to remember together with the entire nation tikhonkwane and his best fighters in the nation who also gave His Majesty the best defiance. For the unitiated in deep African history, Zimbabwe is the original home of many Swazi-/Siswati-speakers, particularly the Royal Family so many centuries ago. They are related to the Karanga People hence Swazi People refer to themselves as "Emalangeni" a word whose root is from "Karanga" which Karanga is one of the ethnic groups in Zimbabwe and northern South Africa genetically traced to the the world's first Jews or original Jews, if you will have it. And talking of ancient Jews, a white stranger I met a year or less ago was to reveal to me that even God's most ancient covenant with Israel as registered in the Bible, has its remains found in some cave in Northern South Africa, a Mapungubwe cavern. But lest I meander, my point is this: all Africans, as ANC Founder Dr Pixley ka Isaka Seme correctly pointed out, are one people; and so let there be no tribalism in South Africa please and let there also be no racism since all humans including present-day white Jews come from our shores. Secondly the reason why Mswati wanted a conquest over Zimbabwe was his sense that he wants to return the Swazi Nation home, if you will. But it all makes me understand why the present-day Mswati III and in contradistiction to his 2nd-great-grandpa-Mswati II are apparently in such good terms with His Excellency Robert Gabriel Mugabe of Zimbabwe... blood and religious brothers, I say!) I hope I succeeded to paint a picture of Father Smangaliso's Mkhatshwa's maternal pedigree! He is my Malume in the SiSwati Language and I dare not say "Cousin" to him in our culture since he belongs to a generation more senior to mine... my mother's generation. |
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