Name changes are not only about ANC heroes

Let me begin by confessing that I am neither a political guru on the history of the ANC nor an expert on name changes. But like any other ordinary citizen of this nation-in-the-making, I have my own views on this issue so pivotal to nation building.

At the moment there is a lot of heated debate on the issue of naming geographical features after people. Accusations and allegations are flying around that the ruling ANC is only interested in naming streets, buildings, airports, stadiums and a host of other things after its heroes, and nobody else.

I hold no brief for the ANC.

What needs to happen is for us to re-examine how we have come to perceive certain legendary political icons who dedicated their lives to all the people of this country, rather than to one political party. Such figures do exist: Chief Albert Luthuli, Oliver Tambo, Nelson Mandela, Ruth First, Lilian Ngoyi, to name a few!

We need to ask and answer one simple question: What the hell do we think we are doing kicking around the memory of gallant sons and daughters of the African soil who paid the ultimate price to give us democracy and freedom? Over the past two years or so that South Africa has been grappling with the issue of name changes, the suggestions and allegations that only ANC people are recognised through name changes have grown louder.

To the short-sighted, this may be true. Yes, when you think of Nelson Mandela, Oliver Tambo, Walter Sisulu and Chris Hani, for instance, it becomes obvious these people were affiliated with the ANC. But let us not overlook the fact that they not being honoured for belonging to the ANC.

In fact, they are monumentalised and memorialised for their unconditional self-sacrifice and unwavering commitment to all the people of South Africa! They were too noble, idealistic and principled to dedicate their lives, dreams and vision to a single political party, methinks. I say so because I have met, critically engaged and talked and debated with some of them in the course of their lives.

In fact, when you think of a so-called ANC figure like Chief Albert Luthuli, for instance, there is no doubt that his commitment to the freedom of this country transcended ideological and party lines. When Luthuli became the first South African to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for Peace, it was not given to an ANC leader but to a national leader of all the sane and right-thinking people of South Africa. When Tambo was mobilising for world support, it was not for the ANC but a struggle for justice, equality and non-racism.

Today, very little is known about history, commitment, idealism and self-sacrifice of legendary figures such as Luthuli, Tambo, Hani or Govan Mbeki, to name a few. Instead, all that we hear is the condemnation that “they are ANC!” We run the risk of forgetting what these men and some women had to sacrifice to get us where we are in the foundational phase of the most exciting democracy in the whole world.

I am not an apologist or defender of the “flawed process” that has seen some local municipalities effect name changes without proper consultation. Of course, we have the Louis Trichardt and Makhado example, which showed us that we should all uphold the rule of law. The process must always be legitimate, democratic, representative and consultative. What I want to advise, especially to the white section of the population, is that let us approach the issue of name changes with our brains more than our blood.

This need not be an emotive issue. There is a huge gap in our historical knowledge. This is the legacy not only of colonialism but also of apartheid policies that attempted to wipe out African memory and history. It is time that we paused to ask ourselves: Who are these men that we, today, condemn for being “mere ANC members”?

The little that I know about many of them is that they were and remain uncompromising patriots who were unflinching in their determination to make sure that the creation of a non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and united society took root. These men, women and what they represent is the sacred coil or thread that knits us together to be the country that we ought to be. Their guiding principles and ideals, if you bother to learn more about them, will reveal that they desired non-racial unity that would ultimately give birth to a just, equal and united society.

Yes, some of them happened to have the ANC as the focal point of their activism. But their passion, commitment and self-sacrifice embraced all the people of this beautiful land. Thus let us recognise, remember and memorialise what they stood for, their ideals and principles, and not insult or kill their memory because of the party they may have chosen for their political home.

Of course, it would be magnanimous for the ANC to honour Robert Sobukwe, Steve Biko, Kaizer Matanzima, Jan Smuts, Mangosuthu Buthelezi, Lucas Mangope, PW Botha, Jan Hofmeyr or even BJ Vorster, for instance. Yes, it would not only score it political points, but also show historical imagination and political maturity.

But no one has to prescribe to the ANC what to do. It is free to come up with its own recommendations. The responsibility to come up with alternative names that may have been overlooked by the ANC lies with other political parties and the grassroots communities. Before 1990, many of these heroes repeatedly gave up their families, freedom and lives as a rallying point for a new nation by taking up arms, going to prison, being exiled, tortured and even killed.

Alas that today their political legacy is restricted to “mere ANC names” and thus reduced to a political toy to score short-term political points. If truth be told, many of these heroic figures were important because their eyes remained on the bigger picture for the future of this country. It is a mere incidence that they chose the ANC for their political home.

This second decade of freedom is a dynamic, exciting, fluid and forward-moving time in national politics and the endeavour to build and consolidate a new nation. At the heart of this lies the need for all of us to revive and restore the memory of some of those who have given the best of what they had for us to live in a much better society.

Let us not look at the legacy and memory of these heroes as “mere ANC members” but rather as selfless heroes who paid the ultimate price to give us what we wanted.

We can go on and debate. But the name-change process should express the will of the people. If they choose national heroes who also happen to be “ANC members”, let us respect democracy!