RaDical MiDDle - ColdType

124 | denis beckett
accepting that the blacks should be citizens too, and now I had
created a new obstacle to my own aims. among whites the idea
prevailed that african leaders cannot tolerate criticism. “african
politics” is supposed to be all about strength, tolerance being a
weakness. Buthelezi’s suit came across as another forewarning,
“See, if they get into power that’s the end of free speech.”
I didn’t see. all pronouncements on “the african way” are
based on the ill-born structures of black rule that are called
“democratic” by ex-colonial powers. They say nothing about
the genuinely accountable society that is still waiting to be born.
and anyway Buthelezi hadn’t even tried to use political power
to thump me; plain ol’ civil law, who could ask for more?
after the trial – and before the judgment – I wrote to him to
suggest no hard feelings whatever happened. I employed Zulu
honorifics – Shenge and Ndabezitha – despite Nomavenda’s
objections. She said it was fawning. I felt it was respectful to a
guy who remains a dignified Zulu traditionalist no matter what.
He never replied and he developed skill at failing to notice my
presence at functions where we found ourselves in company
– him, admittedly, invariably much surrounded. I aimed
and claimed to keep the aggro stuff in its own compartment
and to remain objective as an editor, selecting material by
readability, novelty, crap-detection, etc, rather than by whose
side it supported. I found limits. When someone submitted a
marvellously readable, novel, crap-detecting, pro-Buthelezi
article my head said I ought to publish it but my demon wrote
a note to say “great piece, try the Sunday Times”.
Buthelezi’s lawsuit was one of four ways I ran foul of
what was then called “the black leadership.” all, I felt, were
instructive to the school of thought that claims black rule will
end free speech.
When Desmond Tutu won the Nobel Prize for Peace I wrote
an open letter saying that was nice and now could he get on
with procuring the peace for which he’d got the prize. as you’ll
guess, I wanted to urge him into exploring a peace-creating
structure, rather than just saying “end apartheid”.