GARETH VAN ONSELEN: How many people has the ANC killed?
HIV/Aids and nevirapine, Life Esidimeni, Marikana, political assassinations, inter-ANC violence and now Covid-19: how much is the ANC responsible for?
The ANC’s relationship with death has always been schizophrenic. There is the grand national pageantry, when party icons and heroes die. And then there is the public, large swathes of which die in record numbers, in a wide range of brutal ways. These, however, live on as statistics, private and hidden away, if they are commemorated at all.
The ANC has been the proximate cause of so much death. Problems such as corruption and financial maladministration are regularly quantified. But not death itself, at least not in any grand sense, and certainly not when it comes to the ANC’s political culpability. Rarely, if ever, is a direct link made between the various ANC administrations and people who die as a consequence of those governments. There are some astounding sums to be done on this front, but where to begin?..
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.