GARETH VAN ONSELEN: An empty vessel
In the world of ideas, the only one the ANC understands is power. All others are defined in those terms — morality included
There are certain fundamentals, not prescribed in a constitution or laid down in law, that any modern democratic society takes for granted. Not just that; it relies upon them in order to function properly. Some of them are ideas, things like civility and compassion; others are assumptions, such as the shared meaning of common words and concepts. Together they form the unseen and informal foundation on which cohesion and comprehension rest. In SA, many of the formally prescribed building blocks that define our constitution are points of contestation. What is accountability, for example; where does it begin and end, and how, exactly, can we know when it has been exercised? Likewise transparency or freedom. Our dispensation is still in its infancy and, against the backdrop of the ANC’s internal political culture — so often anathema to these formal principles and values — debate rages. But you get the sense that these kinds of grand discussions, as important as they are, have become som...
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