Debate at Kaya . . .

Like most "firsts", the anticipation fuelled excitement promptly fizzles out at the reality of the actual happening of the "first" - for want of a better description. This was unfortunately no different with the debate conducted by his royal Phatness on his Kaya FM morning show. Take nothing away from the audacity of it all and even less from the gusto with which the participants went at each other - including sometimes off the point of the debate and into the realm of the private and the personal.

Whichever way you look at it, this was a good thing and we can only hope for more of such sparring of the minds or views. About the Phat one - you will remember that he won the adoration of many a media fundi when he came onto our little screens with that interview show of his, with Leo as his side-kick. Some of those episodes were memorable, so no surprises that he would pull something like the Dandala-Tsedu bout. Then there was the skit about the young politician with gout problem who claimed he did not know. Well done to Kaya FM. Enough with the sucking up . . .

I was somewhat disappointed by how the two gentlemen conducted themselves during the debate; I am of the pompous opinion that they really could have done better. Well, it may be the case that if one would like to influence the policies of the ANC, one should join the nearest ANC branch and make one's voice to be heard - as Mr Tsedu argued - but it is a different story when the ANC is vying for one's affections or vote. Similarly, it does not matter Mr Dandala - at least it does not matter to me - the HIV status of a woman the prospective president of SA chooses to sleep with. What does sit uncomfortably with my petit bourgeois morality is that he was married at the time and not to the woman who my reactionary views deems her too young for him. I only have one wife so take that whence it comes.

It became clear during the debate that COPE will have to do a lot if it hopes to make inroads into the mind of the South African voter. At this stage they just come accross a collection of disgruntled sore losers. As they say in the classics, if you take a shot at the king, do not - I repeat - do not miss. Kings do not take too kindly to attempts on their royal lives. The ANC too will need to come down a notch or two. Organisations are made and indeed broken by individuals. Despite the motives of those leaving the ANC - it shows the intricacies of relations and cliques within this broad church and how those are becoming less and less tolerant of each other. The little I watched of the Polokwane happenings, it was fairly clear that the utterings were a little more than robust - it looked like a quarrel of enemies and not of brothers - and sisters.

The good thing that this Kaya debate was is that we can and should continue to ask for more and better of our political leadership. It doesn't matter whether I am or am not a member of the ANC, if they want me to vote for them, well they better appeal to my wannabe middle class-reactionary leanings, failing which they have one vote less - under the current climate my pompous ass would like to believe that each vote counts - even a reactionary one. The same goes for COPE - I am not interested to hear how bad the ANC is, I want to hear how good COPE is. Let us see the emergence of real politics.

Kaya and the Phat one have done well here - now let's see if it can be sustainable. By the way it means that the next debate will or must not end unceremoniously leaving me and my beloved whether we should wait for the questioins from the audience as we were promised or just head off to our breakfast wondering what happened; did Hlomla really go and punch that guy for raising all those personal issues or did that guy declare the crowd too hostile and refused to come back on . . .

Whatever the case may be, the debate must go on and I look forward to the next instalment.