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Poetic Politics
Did Nelson Mandela ever really face the Death Penalty?
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Comments: 8
Comments: 8
We know that Robert Mugabe’s government tried to get Morgan Tsvangirai executed for treason and it took George Bizos, coming out of retirement, to defeat this case taking nearly a year (Reference: Odyssey to Freedom by George Bizos). It looks like the same trick is now being tried on Roy Bennet.
But did Nelson Mandela also really risk the death penalty? Despite what the Black Diaspora thinks South Africa was always a democracy with a rule of law – even if that democracy excluded blacks as having the vote. The penalty for treason (trying to overthrow the state) was proscribed by law as being either a life sentence or the death penalty. That is the only discretion that judges had when giving sentence. But a study of South African cases will show that the death sentence was only usually imposed by SA judges when innocent civilians had been killed (i.e for Treason AND Murder)r, not when only buildings had been targeted. Unlike his audience, Nelson Mandela was South African, and a trained and experienced attorney. He would have known this. And Nelson Mandela was already famous, known as the Black Pimpernel. Did he know that the SA government would not want a martyr? They did not even execute the killer of their hero Verwoerd – for the same reason.
So then why risk a life sentence, which he did, or did he?
According to Bram Fisher’s biographer he did not. Nelson Mandela and his friends were red hot communists and believed that “the revolution” would happen within five years.
When the Berlin Wall collapsed, De Klerk judged the communist threat to be over, and that Nelson Mandela would realize it – which he probably did (but did his pals?)
If I spent 27 years in prison, believing that there would be a Marxist “revolution” in 5 years which never happened, I would have lost faith in Marxism as well!
And when Nelson Mandela was on trial, Fidel Castro was executing his opposition in kangaroo courts without a trial. In fact the Chief Justice in SA suggested politely to all the international observers at the end of Mandela’s trial that they might want to go home via Cuba and check out the “human rights” there!
But did Nelson Mandela also really risk the death penalty? Despite what the Black Diaspora thinks South Africa was always a democracy with a rule of law – even if that democracy excluded blacks as having the vote. The penalty for treason (trying to overthrow the state) was proscribed by law as being either a life sentence or the death penalty. That is the only discretion that judges had when giving sentence. But a study of South African cases will show that the death sentence was only usually imposed by SA judges when innocent civilians had been killed (i.e for Treason AND Murder)r, not when only buildings had been targeted. Unlike his audience, Nelson Mandela was South African, and a trained and experienced attorney. He would have known this. And Nelson Mandela was already famous, known as the Black Pimpernel. Did he know that the SA government would not want a martyr? They did not even execute the killer of their hero Verwoerd – for the same reason.
So then why risk a life sentence, which he did, or did he?
According to Bram Fisher’s biographer he did not. Nelson Mandela and his friends were red hot communists and believed that “the revolution” would happen within five years.
When the Berlin Wall collapsed, De Klerk judged the communist threat to be over, and that Nelson Mandela would realize it – which he probably did (but did his pals?)
If I spent 27 years in prison, believing that there would be a Marxist “revolution” in 5 years which never happened, I would have lost faith in Marxism as well!
And when Nelson Mandela was on trial, Fidel Castro was executing his opposition in kangaroo courts without a trial. In fact the Chief Justice in SA suggested politely to all the international observers at the end of Mandela’s trial that they might want to go home via Cuba and check out the “human rights” there!
5567 Bernie Madoff
[ Wednesday, January 20, 2010 | 6:42:13 PM ]
Lyndall,
The first rule of African dictators is that they stick together. Democratic changes of govt are anathema.
Of course, it is also possible that Mugabe and The ANC are involved in a whole load of corrupt deals. Most of them will probably never come to kight.
Future generations of South Africans will re-assess Mandela's contribution to a democratic post-apartheid SA. Since Mandela believes that The ANC must govern ad infinitum, I believe that he has helped cause many of the problems that SA currently faces. However, I would add that he was better than Mbeki. And it is perhaps too early to comment on the Zuma presidency.
The first rule of African dictators is that they stick together. Democratic changes of govt are anathema.
Of course, it is also possible that Mugabe and The ANC are involved in a whole load of corrupt deals. Most of them will probably never come to kight.
Future generations of South Africans will re-assess Mandela's contribution to a democratic post-apartheid SA. Since Mandela believes that The ANC must govern ad infinitum, I believe that he has helped cause many of the problems that SA currently faces. However, I would add that he was better than Mbeki. And it is perhaps too early to comment on the Zuma presidency.
5539 Lyndall Beddy
[ Tuesday, January 19, 2010 | 2:16:03 PM ]
Anthony
The only reason that Zimbabwe is a basket case is that the ANC has protected Mugabe.
Mbeki (and therefore presumably the rest of the ANC) have known since 2001 that Mugabe,not Britain, broke the Lancaster House Agreement.
So WHY has the ANC protected Mugabe?
The only reason that Zimbabwe is a basket case is that the ANC has protected Mugabe.
Mbeki (and therefore presumably the rest of the ANC) have known since 2001 that Mugabe,not Britain, broke the Lancaster House Agreement.
So WHY has the ANC protected Mugabe?
5535 Lyndall Beddy
[ Tuesday, January 19, 2010 | 2:52:57 AM ]
Anthony
I was a liquidator for 25 years - I investigated fraud and dealt with many conmen (they are all charming by the way)
The first rule is - who has the money?
Zuma has only recently been able to pay labola for and marry his mistresses, who seem to have had to work for a living until recently. So Zuma has only recently got money.
Which means he was not in (in any big way) on the original Arms Deal.
So who was - and who has the money?
I was a liquidator for 25 years - I investigated fraud and dealt with many conmen (they are all charming by the way)
The first rule is - who has the money?
Zuma has only recently been able to pay labola for and marry his mistresses, who seem to have had to work for a living until recently. So Zuma has only recently got money.
Which means he was not in (in any big way) on the original Arms Deal.
So who was - and who has the money?
5532 Lyndall Beddy
[ Monday, January 18, 2010 | 6:32:06 PM ]
Anthony
Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin and Mao were all icons to their people in their day.
Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin and Mao were all icons to their people in their day.
5527 Bernie Madoff
[ Monday, January 18, 2010 | 2:59:50 PM ]
Lyndall,
I can't comment on whether it was likely that Mandela would have been executed.
However, the story goes like this.... Nelson Mandela is The Greatest Man on Earth. He has brought South Africa freedom. He stopped a civil war. He turned the other cheek. If it wasn't for Mandela, South Africa would be worse than Zimbabwe.
He is loved by international pop stars who are too scared to visit South Africa. Barack Obama and Gordon Brown also love him as they help to flush their respective countries down the pan.
Mandela is an icon. And with this stature, rationality, political analysis and historical facts go out the window. Especially for those who are lucky enough not to live in South Africa.
I can't comment on whether it was likely that Mandela would have been executed.
However, the story goes like this.... Nelson Mandela is The Greatest Man on Earth. He has brought South Africa freedom. He stopped a civil war. He turned the other cheek. If it wasn't for Mandela, South Africa would be worse than Zimbabwe.
He is loved by international pop stars who are too scared to visit South Africa. Barack Obama and Gordon Brown also love him as they help to flush their respective countries down the pan.
Mandela is an icon. And with this stature, rationality, political analysis and historical facts go out the window. Especially for those who are lucky enough not to live in South Africa.
5523 Lyndall Beddy
[ Monday, January 18, 2010 | 2:29:00 PM ]
Sthembile
The Nats thought that Mandela was corruptable, but Robert Sobukwe was not (which is why they isolated him). History will prove who was right.
However one of the main points is that we have to drop this sentiment arround "Mandela faced the death penalty". The people want the death penalty back - and they are resorting to mob justice because they are not being listened to.
The Nats thought that Mandela was corruptable, but Robert Sobukwe was not (which is why they isolated him). History will prove who was right.
However one of the main points is that we have to drop this sentiment arround "Mandela faced the death penalty". The people want the death penalty back - and they are resorting to mob justice because they are not being listened to.
5518 Sthembile Shelembe
[ Monday, January 18, 2010 | 12:09:18 PM ]
So Mandela is not as brave and as selfless as I though he was? is that the point here?
5495 Lyndall Beddy
[ Saturday, January 16, 2010 | 3:15:08 AM ]
The rot starts always at the top. The top was never Jacob Zuma, who, like Julius Malema is a distraction to occupy the media.
Will Nelson Mandela's grandson, Gadaffi Mandela, "inherit" South Africa in true Africanist tribal tradition?
Will Nelson Mandela's grandson, Gadaffi Mandela, "inherit" South Africa in true Africanist tribal tradition?
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