Howard Sackstein’s pieces are typical of the false flag information, essentially fake news, which is planted to shape and encourage a particular narrative and to distort the reality.
by RAHMAT OMAR and SHABODIEN ROOMANAY
THIS article challenges the narrative promoted by Howard Sackstein in his article in the South African Jewish Report of June 6, 2024 titled ‘How the Muslim community betrayed the ANC’, which was a follow up to his previous article, ‘ANC panders to the myth of the Muslim vote’, generally in the Western Cape but particularly in Cape Town which was published in the same newspaper on May 23.
Sackstein’s pieces are typical of the false flag information, essentially fake news, which is planted to shape and encourage a particular narrative and to distort the reality. He clearly has not learnt much from the October 7 ‘beheaded babies and mass rape’ story debunked and discredited by almost every credible source. Allowing these distortions to fester unchallenged will only imply, wrongly, that there might be an element of truth to the Sackstein story. The article therefore challenges this biased narrative and debunks a number of myths and distortions.
Election results 2024
The results of the elections held in May 2024 have been the subject of intense debate and discussion which have generated varying interpretations. One interpretation is that voters have indicated support for the idea of the African National Congress (ANC) and Democratic (DA) governing South Africa in partnership as these are the two parties which received the highest numbers of votes (with ANC’s 40 percent and DA’s 21 percent).
A different view suggests that that a majority has voted in favour of transformation. The 40 percent who voted for the ANC want the party to continue with the transformation agenda set out in its election manifesto and another 26 percent who voted Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), uMkhonto weSizwe MK and Patriotic Alliance (PA) want more rapid change. As former Public Protector, Thuli Madonsela, wrote in an article on Politicsweb: ‘This means 2/3 choose transformation.’
It can be inferred that the majority voted in support of the Palestinian struggle given the history and positions adopted by these parties in support of Palestine. This majority increases if the percentage of votes for smaller parties known to support Palestine – such as Al Jama-ah, National Coloured Congress and others – were to be added.
Myths and distortions
The prominence given to the Palestinian struggle in the ANC’s election campaign grows out of the ANC’s decades-long support for the Palestinian struggle.
Consider the false suggestion by Sackstein that the ANC was ‘lured into a deceptive trap concocted by Dr Naledi Pandor, South Africa’s “jihadi” foreign Minister’. This is a product of mediocre analysis and should be treated with the contempt it deserves.
The ANC, with the support of many African nations, has a long history of supporting the Palestinian struggle going as far back as the 1950s. This support has been underpinned by a sense of affinity for the Palestinian struggle, as it is based on similar experiences of occupation, colonialism, and apartheid in both countries. Equally important is the history of a close military alliance between Israel and the South African apartheid regime despite the fact that many of the Afrikaner apartheid leaders of the time had a history of strong antisemitism!
For these reasons the words of President Nelson Mandela soon after his election in 1994 still resonate powerfully among South Africans. Thanking the international community for their support for South Africa’s anti-apartheid struggle he said, ‘But we know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians.’
Finally, we could argue that focussing only on the Muslim vote as if it would swing outcomes one way or another, is simply an attempt to isolate Muslims from the body politic of South Africa. Support for and solidarity with Palestine support comes not only from Muslims, but also from a wide range of sources inclusive of diverse political parties, civil society organisations, professional groups and religious organisations from different faiths, including South African Jews for a Free Palestine, many Christian churches and Muslim organisations. Furthermore support for Palestine is growing dramatically as can be seen in the increasing solidarity in the Global South, in popular support for Palestine in Western countries and the shift of opinion, on the basis of international law, in the European Union.
Conclusion
Sackstein’s untested summation is therefore fraught with typical double speak – largely to vilify anyone who is supportive of the struggles of the Palestinian peoples. It is typical of red herring writing to shape opinion and content. Peddling ‘feel good’ articles to a narrow readership in the South African Jewish Report is not helpful. Thanks largely to citizen journalists and the expansive role played by social media inside and outside of Occupied Palestine, the truth is emerging and biased narratives are being exposed.
