‘I’m not part of a monolith’: Lester Kiewit calls out performative politics in wake of podcast scandal
Accusing some parties of rushing to capitalise on outrage, Kiewit challenges the assumptions made about coloured voters.
'I make my own decisions, I have my own interests, I'm not part of a monolith... but our political parties think I am.'
CapeTalk's Lester Kiewit is taking to task those political parties he says are engaged in election time 'performative politics'...
Listen below:
They think they've got him pegged, says Kiewit, but have they?
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"Because I generally prescribe to a so-called Cape Town coloured identity..."
- Lester Kiewit, Show Host
"But the way I describe myself... I am a Black South African, who is also considered - at the same time - to be a coloured South African."
- Lester Kiewit, Show Host
But nothing is guaranteed when it comes to how a person decides to vote, and Kiewit suggests that while on the surface it may look as if he would be politically inclined towards a certain party or parties based on his 'colouredness' - appearances can be deceiving.
"But I don't think I vote along the same lines as a coloured community."
- Lester Kiewit, Show Host
Kiewit says political parties - including the Patriotic Alliance (PA), the African National Congress (ANC) and the Democratic Alliance (DA) - have used the recent Open Chats Podcast scandal to springboard their own agendas.
Hosts of the popular podcast made derogatory remarks about coloured people, branding them 'crazy' and 'incestuous.'
The PA and Gayton Mackenzie say they are determined to pursue legal action, while the DA says it is 'appalled' by the content.
"Hmmm... interesting timing, interesting optics. Must coincide with an election that's happening very soon."
- Lester Kiewit, Show Host
"The performative politics, the public condemnations, the threats of legal action on behalf of the coloured people of South Africa."
- Lester Kiewit, Show Host
Kiewit is cynical about the timing of such public condemnation of the comments made on the podcast - suggesting that if political parties really want to talk to issues affecting mainly coloured people, the focus should be on housing, land access, jobs, and crime and safety.
"Talk about gangs and guns. Talk about the education in equity schools in coloured areas... chronically underfunded, overcrowded. There's little political will to address this."
- Lester Kiewit, Show Host
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Appealing to coloured voters? Performative politics? Lester Kiewit takes on political parties he says are using the Open Chats scandal for political gain - scroll up to the audio player to listen.