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16 June 2016

Open Letter to Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa

Dear Deputy President:

I write to you as a political colleaue !rom the eneration o! "outh #!ricans who$ %orn in the

early 1&'0s when #partheid was in ascendance$ rose up in re(olt in 1&)6 aainst the rip the

*ational Party and its security apparatus had o(er our li(es+ ,enerational identity is a

de!inin political -uality$ and we are the %earers o! memory o! particular e.periences at

particular times+

/e were %oth mem%ers o! the "outh #!rican "tudents Oranisation$ you at the ni(ersity o!

the *orth and I at the ni(ersity o! the /estern Cape+ I was a proud "#"O mem%er$ as I am

sure you were$ !or it instilled con!idence at a time when we were constantly stripped o! it+

lac3 consciousness was a huddle %y choice o! youn %lac3 people tryin to stay warm in the

midst o! apartheids chill+

4ou paid a hih price !or your pu%lic stance+ I was a 22 year5old mere third5strin leader at/C who spent ' horri!ic days at ell(ille Police "tation and some wee3s in 7ictor 7erster

Prison under the Internal "ecurity #ct+ 8"py3er (an /y3 came !or me at 9am in the mornin

and lied to my distrauht parents a%out where they were to ta3e me+

ut you were held in solidarity con!inement under the errorism #ct !or 11 months$ a !ate that

must ta3e one to the depths o! utter loneliness+ 4our resilience and courae were tested aain

when you were detained !or 6 months and held at that notorious paradise !or torturers$

Johannes%urs John 7orster "-uare+

4ou may not remem%er$ %ut we !irst met at the o!!ices o! the #nlo #merican Corporation+

4ou were there %ecause the %lac3 consciousness oriented Council o! nions o! "outh #!ricasPiroshaw Camay as3ed you ; in 1&1&&2?$ your secret

was to ain control o(er the hostels+

DR. WILMOT JAMES MP

Tel: (021) 403 3560 Fax: (021) 403 2690 ell: 0!2 !24 !!"9P. O. #$x 15 a%e T$&' !000Ea*l: &+,ae-+a*l./$

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"outh #!rica would ne(er %e the same aain+ he #!rican *ational Conress was surprised %y

June 1&)6+ Oli(er am%o$ ha%o =%e3i and other senior leaders too3 to (isitin the reat

7ietcon leader ,eneral ,iap to ta3e ad(ice+ @e told them that m3honto we "iAwe was

simply no match !or the "outh #!rican De!ence Borce and what the #*C needed was a mass

democratic mo(ement to up the ame+

"oweto showed the way+ 4oun people$ !ull o! enery$ anry$ willin to %rea3 rules$ were

ready to %e led+ Re-uired was to %uild a power %ase to channel the political enery o! youn

people into oranisation$ discipline and direction+ he independent trade union mo(ement$

then as they potentially still do now$ 3new precisely what was to %e done+

#nd so the stars alined+ Bi(e years a!ter am%o met with ,iap$ the nited Democratic Bront

emered+ he *=$ %irthed throuh %lac3 consciousness and led %y you$ %ecame the pi(ot

that turned the Bederation o! "outh #!rican rade nion into the %ehemoth Conress o! "outh

#!rican rade nions+ In a positionin e.ercise$ you e(en too3 on the mihty minin industry

in the 1&and the "outh #!rican Communist Party? in+ It ultimately

cost him his o%+ 4ou lost to ha%o in 1&&& and went into %usiness$ where you did reasona%lywell+ /hat spoilt thins were =ari3ana$ with which you are associated$ wronly or rihtly+

he #*Cs unwillinness to chane !rom a li%eration mo(ement to a political party sur!aced

early+ #s did the rent5see3ers when someone con(inced the =andela ,o(ernment that we

needed to retool the de!ence esta%lishments with arms and e-uipment+ he com%ination o!

maoritarianism and rent see3in %ecame a sini!icant pro%lem under =%e3i$ who shielded his

e.ecuti(e !rom parliamentary accounta%ility+

=%e3i also reected >at the time? @ome #!!airs =inister Prince utheleAis 201

recommendation that a mi.ed electoral system %e introduced+ =%e3i said that the post 2019

election ,o(ernment should loo3 at it+ ut it ne(er did+ It was the !inal and traic nail in theco!!in o! ha%os trou%led relationship with 7an Eyl "la%%ert$ who chaired utheleAis

Flectoral as3 eam$ on which I also ser(ed+

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/hate(er else one may say a%out =%e3i$ he was a moderniser and understood economics+ @e

wanted our country to %e a leader o! #!rican modernity$ not %ac3wardness+ ut it is the latter

traectory that President Jaco% Euma %rouht in the %ac3door and with it$ a !lood o! a(aricious

rent5see3ers+ President Euma is no moderniser+

#s Deputy President$ you ha(ent stuc3 your nec3 out+ In Parliament$ you stonewall+ 4ou

should %e leadin the chare aainst corruption %ut you dont+ ut you 3now deep in your

heart that i! we were to re(erse the decline and succeed as a country and truly modernise$ you

are in a power!ul position to do three thins:

"upport Binance =inister Pra(in ,ordhan in his e!!orts to %e !iscally responsi%le$ socially

proressi(e$ politically practical while dri(in out the rent5see3ers that %liht our landG

Dust o!! and update "la%%erts Flectoral as3 eam Reports recommendation to chane the

electoral system to a mi.ed one ha(in 00 constituency seats and 100 proportional

representation list onesG and

=a3e Parliament more inclusi(e and share in its ownership %y applyin proportional

representation principles to the appointment o! parliamentary house and port!olio committee

chairs+

his would only %e the start$ %ut a ood one+ Leadership is re-uired$ it can %e done and you

ha(e the trac3 record to rise to the challene+

4ours sincerely

Wilmot James

Dr+ /ilmot James$ =P

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