There seem to be plenty of debates and discussions around Cape Independence these days. Of course, Cape Independence is not really the goal, not if we were honest. What people really want is what they think Cape Independence will bring them.
For example, if someone said we should have an independent Cape so that we can bring back Apartheid it would not surprise anyone if the idea of independence was met with contempt. Support for an independent Cape therefore would largely depend on what is trying to be achieved.
So for the point of discussion, let us say the outcome being pursued is a democratic, free and prosperous country, where EVERYONE is equal before the law, and where people have the opportunity to create a better life for themselves should they so wish. These kinds of principles, perhaps phrased in different ways, are nothing new, they are the basic goals of any free first world country, or at least the average citizen in those countries. Again, these principles are nothing new. I have a question for you.
Do you think this outcome is worthy of pursuing? If you do not think so, then my advice is that you do not support Cape Independence. If you think it is, I have another question for you.
Do you think the ANC will ever deliver this outcome? If you think it will, then my advice is that you do not support Cape Independence. If you think it will not, then I have another question for you.
Do you think the EFF or perhaps a coalition between the ANC and EFF will ever deliver this outcome? If you think they will, then my advice is that you do not support Cape Independence. If you think they will not, then I have another question for you.
Do you think the DA will win a national election in any meaningful timeframe? By meaningful let us say before South Africa is just another Zimbabwe. If you think they will, then my advice is that you do not support Cape Independence, if you think they will not, I have another question for you.
Why wouldn’t you support Cape Independence then? Ah, it will never happen I hear you say. The ANC will not allow it. Well, if I lived in Nigeria and you asked me if I supported gay marriage, I would say I do. That is regardless of whether I think it is achievable or not. That was not the question. The question being asked is, “Do you support an Independent Cape?”. The question is not, “Do you think the ANC allow it?”, or, “Does the constitution allow it?”, (no country that has ever seceded has ever needed the permission of the parent country), or, “Is it achievable?”, or “Who’s going to own the dams?” While the debates are all very entertaining, and perhaps even necessary, they are secondary. If it is not something people want, any further debate is just academic.
On a side note, if you believe that the DA will one day win a national election, do you think the ANC will allow it? Do you think they will give up their power? If you think no, then we live under a totalitarian government and you absolutely should support Cape Independence. Apathy is not a virtue.
The people who move the world forward have always been the ones who have done so in the face of ridicule. The naysayers have always been in plentiful supply. No one remembers them. Just recently Elon Musk became the second richest person in the world largely due to his ownership in Tesla (They manufacture electric vehicles). Do you think he was ridiculed? You bet he was, for years. Now he has all the other car manufactures scrambling to catch up.
The prize has always gone to the ones who have said, “We can, we will find a way”. As George Bernard Shaw said, “The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can’t find them, make them”.
Cape Independence will happen, it is just a matter of when. Before we go below junk status to Zimbabwe status or after.
