It is obvious that the ANC Youth League, Julius Malema, has members of the tripartite alliance at sixes and sevens; that is why the minister of Higher Education, Blade Nzimande, instead of answering to the call by Malema to their party to set the record straight he goes out to attack Kgosi Mangope.

The paranoia displayed by Nzimande is clear proof that they have sleepless nights when it comes to reckoning with Mangope, the man.

The issue raised by Malema is that the economy cannot be left to some people to the total sidelining of the sons and daughters of the soil.

It is also very clear that the ruling party speaks in forked tongues. One moment they say there should be black advancement; in the next moment they say that is not necessary.

The truth is that when and where Kgosi Mangope was in charge of government there was racial harmony. People of all shades, colours and nationalities lived and worked side by side without any prescriptions of how many should occupy which positions.

We find it as irresponsible as it is insulting for Nzimande to find a scapegoat in Mangope instead of addressing the question of black people being shafted aside where it matters most. There are equally people from among his ranks whom we can also feel free not to hear about and perhaps even regret to have known them. The likes of Mac Maharaj and McBride are some of the people, who notwithstanding that the ANC hold in high esteem, we, in the United Christian Democratic Party and other well meaning South Africans would rather not have even known.

It is always best for people to refrain from throwing stones when they themselves live in glass houses.

The issue Nzimande should explain is why there is a surfeit of whites in government while they are trying to call the private sector to order and not to concern himself with men who in their time contributed well to the welfare of the people in terms of service delivery.

In spite of all the shortcomings that Mangope, as a human being, may have had while ruling Bophuthatswana his record of service delivery leaves some green with envy when they, with all the support inside and from the international front they can't do as expected of them when one takes into account strikes, picketing and destruction of property even by those expected to provide security.

Sipho Mfundisi is national chairman of the United Christian Democratic Party

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