Accountability is a cornerstone of the rule of law, so its prominence in the newly announced ANC thinking for the future of SA is most welcome.

Although the "amandla awethu" war cry of the liberation movements in the pre-1994 era has lived on in ever-decreasing use, mainly by beleaguered politicians and frustrated lefties, it has apparently been replaced by "accountability awethu" in the ANC lexicon now that the GNU governs in South Africa.

Not a moment too soon either.

advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove adsIt is remarkable that in our multi-party constitutional democracy under the rule of law, the old slogan has lasted as long as it has in some quarters. For those unfamiliar with the Nguni languages, a little explanation is required. According to Wikipedia:

"Amandla in the Nguni languages Xhosa and Zulu means 'power'. The word was a popular rallying cry in the days of resistance against apartheid, used by the African National Congress and its allies. The leader of a group would call out 'Amandla!' and the crowd would respond with 'Awethu' or 'Ngawethu! (to us), completing the South African version of the rallying cry 'power to the people!'. The word is still associated with struggles against oppression."

The new-found attachment of the ANC to the concept of accountability was announced by its Deputy Secretary...