Peter Mokaba

Peter Mokaba
Born (1959-01-07)January 7, 1959
Near Pietersburg, South Africa
Died June 9, 2002(2002-06-09) (aged 43)
Johannesburg, South Africa

Peter Mokaba, OLG (7 January 1959 – 9 June 2002) was a member of the South African parliament, deputy minister in the government of Nelson Mandela and president of the South African governing party's youth wing, the ANC Youth League.[1] The Peter Mokaba Stadium, a Polokwane stadium used for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, was named after him.[2]

Kill the Farmer, kill the Boer

Mokaba became known in the early 1990s for his use of the slogan "Kill the farmer, kill the Boer". The chant was ruled as hate speech by the South African Human Rights Commission in 2003.[3][4] Opponents of the song argue that it bears a literal interpretation, inciting racial violence against whites;[5] defenders claim that its value is purely as a reminder of South Africa's history and that it does not incite violence.[6]

Apartheid spy

In the book Askari, by Jacob Dlamini, it is asserted that Mokaba was an apartheid spy at one point. He was turned from insurgent to counter-insurgent by the apartheid government. Seeing that the Youth League, greatly influenced by Mokaba, would be greatly demoralised, the Lusaka ANC leadership decided to spare his life. According to the book, that was only after serious deals were reached with him that are known only to the current ANC leadership. There are a number of other accounts that claim that he was an apartheid spy.[7][8]

Aids denialist'

It is unclear if Mokaba, himself, had HIV; nevertheless he was as an Aids Denialist.[9][10] He died in 2002 of pneumonia. He claimed that drugs had no benefits "beyond profits for the pharmaceutical industry". The fight against the companies, he said, should be waged with the same intensity as the struggle against apartheid. Privately, he assured supporters that HIV and AIDS were part of an "international Western plot" to decimate blacks and "regain colonial control" in Africa.[11]

Friends

He was a friend of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, the former wife of Mandela.[12] At the time of his death, he had been appointed to head the ANC electoral campaign in 2004,[13] and his funeral was attended by former Presidents Thabo Mbeki, Nelson Mandela, and former South African President Jacob Zuma.[14] Julius Malema has described Mokaba as a personal hero.[15]

References

  1. ↑ jonas (2011-12-21). "African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) Timeline 1944-2011". South African History Online. Retrieved 2017-09-14.
  2. ↑ "Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane: World Cup 2010 stadium guide". The Daily Telegraph. 2009-11-19. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2017-09-14.
  3. ↑ "Parties unite against Mokaba 'hate speech'". IOL. 2002-06-17. Retrieved 2017-09-14.
  4. ↑ "South Africa Panel Reverses Its Ruling On 'Hate Speech'". The New York Times. 2003-07-18. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-09-14.
  5. ↑ Sapa (2010-03-11). "ANC OK with Malema singing "shoot the boer"". Politicsweb. Archived from the original on 2013-12-26. Retrieved 2017-09-14.
  6. ↑ Govender, Peroshni (2010-03-30). "South Africa's ANC defends "Kill the Boer" song". Reuters. Retrieved 2017-09-14.
  7. ↑ Two faces of Mokaba, Gavin Evans, Mail & Guardian, 14 June 2002/
  8. ↑ The Drak Side of Journalusm, Franz Kruger, 'WITS Journalism, 2006
  9. ↑ Two faces of Mokaba, Gavin Evans, Mail & Guardian, 14 June 2002
  10. ↑ Hambe Kahle Peter Mokaba, Mail & Guardian, 2002
  11. ↑ "Peter Mokaba". The Daily Telegraph. 2002-06-10. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2017-09-14.
  12. ↑ "Winnie Saves Face at ANC Conference". South African Press Association. 1997-12-17.
  13. ↑ "The death of Peter Mokaba". African National Congress. 2002-06-09. Retrieved 2017-09-14.
  14. ↑ Reporter, Staff (2002-01-01). "Hambe Kahle Peter Mokaba". The M&G Online. Retrieved 2017-09-14.
  15. ↑ Malema defends 'his hero' Mokaba, Gugu Mbonambi, Yusuf Moolia and Sapa, IOL, 2010
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