Seniority Seniority is a principle in nature. A study of animals reveal that a collection of animals evinces a hierarchical organisation within the groups of the species. A pride of lions is presided over by a dominant male; and so is a troop of baboons. Alpha males reign supreme in the groups; and so are human families often headed by individuals. Likewise a team of boys in a locality has an inner circle or dominant boys that usually influence the direction of decisions taken by the team. At times the team blatantly harkens to the wishes of one boy. In societies and communities that practice rites of passage, hierarchy is paramount. Individuals who underwent the initiation rite before others enjoy an exalted and privileged status. Stratifications are evident too in prisons, and by extension in the townships wherein a fair percentage of the males have passed through the gaol system. Similar organisation are experienced in boarding schools. In the Chinese society hierarchy is so prevalent that Philippe Troussier, a new non-Chinese coach for the national team, had to intervene and stop the practice, because it tended to undermine equal participation as is demanded by a team spirit in a football club. Anyone who has passed through such a grill does not have to be told to respect his or her seniors. It comes natural, as second nature. Those who had worked closely with Tata Mandela say that he never summoned Tata Sisulu. He went to consult him. If he had to walk, he walked to him. That might have been as a result of ethnic hierarchy i.e. Tata Sisulu went to the mountain before Tata Mandela. But reading Long Walk to Freedom reveals another angle: Tata Mandela knew Tata Sisulu as his mentor and accordingly related to him as a junior. The June 16 Detachment was labelled abo-qiniselani by imigwenya – those who had trained in the decade of the sixties. The often-sung song Qiniselani Maqhawe might have contributed to that, but imigwenya saw the new recruits as their juniors. And so do June 16 Detachment cadres: they too see those who trained after their graduation as their juniors. Seniority is a principle of society’s organisation. At MKMVA’s Regional Elective Conference in Pretoria on the 23 and 24 August 2014, cadres who trained in late seventies and early eighties were the senior cadres. June 16, Moncada and Madinoga Detachment cadres were such a scarcity, Comrade Kebby Maphatsoe, bemoaned the fact that the majority of seventies cadres do not show support for his chairmanship of the association, as a junior cadre. What has been and will always be the consequence, intended and non-intended, of this non-support, even non-acceptance, in the backdrop of practiced seniority relationships in our micro and macro environments? Willy-nilly, insecure incoming chairpersons of MKMVA will more comfortably assert their leadership with a membership consisting mostly of cadres junior to them, that is, cadres who trained after them. In our situation these will largely be cadres who trained in Tanzania and Uganda in the late eighties, as is evidenced by today’s predominance of these cadres in MKMVA’s meetings, commemorations and conferences. These cadres, together with the internally-trained cadres, many of whom with a status that cannot be verified, have become the public face of MK. We don’t see uBra’ Satch Omnyama nor do we see uComrade Scratch; now and then you’re lucky to see Comrade Christina at some functions. Yebo, yiqiniso ukuthi zisinga zidedelane (It’s true that those who take the stage at the start of a ceremony must later make room for others to dance too). The change of guards on MKMVA is however not in order. MKMVA is an association of veterans whose thrust of activities should be welfare issues of veterans. Mainly, these should be looking into the veterans and their dependents monthly financial grants, medical attention, physical props for the disabled and handicapped, scholarships, social and family get-togethers; not military jingoism, off-the-thumb business speculations and political grand-standings which instead dominates MKMVA gatherings. The changing guards harkens to a bygone era. They have no skill for analysis and synthesis, no inkling of dialectics. They are dogmatic in their depravity. An in-the-face explanation is that the amper Chris Hani’s, Joe Modise’s and Andrew Masondo’s act-alike are on show solely to build personal power bases. They can only see as far as the end of their noses, for that’s of far greater interest to them than the welfare of their comrades. Unless the seventies detachment cadres assert their seniority as a responsibility, as Comrades Lennox, Manase and Tseko say, we will continue to successfully ma[k]e ourselves outdated to matters affecting us, and the demagogues will continue to reap the benefits due to all former MK cadres. The one sure way to take them out, given their insecurity, is to overwhelm the branches they insist to be a prerequisite to participate in conferences. It will not be infiltration or MCW work. It’s simply taking ownership by physical presence. That’s all it will take - raising hands and politicking in the branches will send the imposters scattering away. The larger society has started the process through the blunders and hypocrisy of the fraudsters. Nature is a harsher arbiter of justice, and it will surely judge us too for own ineptitude - it surely has started the process. Are cadres from a younger generation never to assume leadership of the association? By the asserted principle of seniority the young cadres will also be senior at some stage – if many are not senior enough yet, and, having observed their seniors in action, they will appropriately act the part. Mentoring serves that necessity. Wonga “Webster Gcaleka” Bottoman mkcadre.co.za
Posted on: Mon, 15 Sep 2014 07:24:30 +0000
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