Angry SAs speak: Obsession with Cape independence must end if we are to fix SA

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Utter the words “Cape independence” these days and you’ll divide a room quicker than you can say “anti-vaccine” or “5G”. South Africans seem to fall either violently on opposite sides of the spectrum, or they adopt a more laissez–faire attitude of, “Ag, it will never happen. Dream on.”

Nevertheless, momentum seems to grow for secession by the Western Cape. Phil Craig of the Cape Independence Advocacy Group recently told BizNews that “58% of people in the Western Cape want a referendum on Cape independence – a clear majority and well past the margin of error for any poll.” He went on to say that “46.2% of registered voters in the Western Cape now want Cape independence outright.”

Craig feels that residents of the Western Cape are “living in a bubble” and that “they don’t really understand just how bad it’s got in the [rest of the country]”. That is until violent scenes of looting and civil unrest played across their screens in July. “We actually asked people, did those events play a role or influence how they feel?” Craig explains. “A large number of people – about half  – said they were affected by that.”

Leader of the Cape Independence Party, Jack Miller, also spoke to BizNews about his organisation which he founded 14 years ago due to a “complete and utter disillusionment with the country”. Miller says “the Cape has been largely insulated to a lot of the destruction seen in other parts of South Africa” and he believes it’s becoming “blindly obvious to everyone living in the Cape that there is no future for South Africa”.

We took to social media to see how BizNews community members feel about the concept of Cape secession. This is what they had to say…

We want Cape independence

Commenting on YouTube, andrew beaven says, “The success of the WC is a bleeding sore to the ANC… it exposes the laziness, corruption and racist politics of the rest of SA that is turning it into just another sub-Saharan ****hole.”

Sad Days agrees. “With good, sensible, practical, solution-orientated government, chosen by taxpayers, the Western Cape would boom… it could become the Hong Kong of Africa.”

Anti-apartheid activist Lord Peter Hain told BizNews founder Alec Hogg that secession would make South Africa weaker to stronger global forces. “I would not support secession by the Western Cape any more than I’d support secession by Scotland, because ultimately if you’re smaller, you’re weaker. You’re stronger together in a bigger entity. Even if a difficult path to secession were ever to succeed, and I doubt that it would, and I doubt that it would be smooth – I think it would cause a lot of conflict and confrontation and that’s the last thing, frankly, that South Africa needs or that anybody living in the Western Cape needs.”

Lord Hain’s sentiments weren’t echoed by those in favour of independence.

“Really, Mr Hain. You don’t live here and your opinion counts for naught. More importantly, your ‘if you are smaller you are weaker’ rationalisation is pure guff. May I remind you that England and the Western Cape are virtually the same size and England once had one of the largest empires in history?” comments Nick Singer.

Annette agrees. “We have to find a way to get away from this tyranny. If it is secession then be it, but let’s try finding a form of normality in our corrupt, ill-run country. If it works, it works, if not, we tried.”

“On Cape secession, it is easy sitting in the UK to have that view,” writes Eric Naude. “For those in SA, facing the prospect of having property expropriated without compensation, the racist ANC pursuing unaffordable social security programs that are likely to lead to economic destruction and with no way to get out of the country, it offers a glimmer of hope. The rest of the world won’t open their borders to refugees from this country. Even Australia backtracked on their offer of assistance to farmers being slaughtered in SA.”

Nico Van Rensburg says he supports secession. “We cannot build enough jails to house all our criminals. So my proposal is to secede the country in two: one for honest folk and the other half for an open-air jail. Lord Hain, let us do house swapping. After a year, I may share your sentiments on the matter, but I know you will definitely share my sentiments. It just ain’t fun knowing you can be violently assaulted in your house at any point in time with full knowledge that the police are lazy, incompetent, and/or crooked.”

Cape secession is a pipe dream 

“I like how the racists came out to play and hide behind the anti-corruption, anti-socialist bigotry!!!” comments NotInMyName. “While there are undeniable truths about our country, it is still a constitutional state. Nowhere does the constitution state that a section of the country can separate to become independent! Good luck with that! And even if that was the case, you would need buy-in from the rest of the country! Like hell will I support this and besides, you can’t create a survey and proclaim it truth! Did they speak to the blacks and coloureds in the slums who they deny dignity, or did they just do a walkabout in Sea Point?”

Wisedog says, “The only way CapeXit can succeed is if the DA supports it and the DA will not support it as they still dream of ruling SA in coalition with the smaller parties. It will remain a dream as many Africans hate whites as reflected by the vitriol that is spewed out on social media. Fortunately, there is the silent majority of Africans that do not hate whites but the media are anti-DA and the only reason they are anti-DA is because becoming pro-DA they are afraid they will lose out financially as the state and black-owned businesses might stop advertising in their media. And advertising is the life support of any media. So I am afraid CapeXit will remain a dream.”

“Those who want Western Cape secession must not look at the UK history for guidance but to the US history of Confederate States secession and the civil war that resulted from that attempt, or more recently, the Catalonia crisis leading to the imprisonment of instigators of the independence referendum,” says John Smith. “A dispassionate reading of the Constitution of South Africa allows no room for independence of any province. Any attempt at breaking the territorial integrity of South Africa allows the army to be deployed to crush them. Elsewhere internationally, they will be viewed as terrorists seeking to subvert and break up a country. Is it worth it, when emigration is a cheaper, easier, and less risky option?”

Macafrican pleads, “For heaven’s sake stop this bus. The concept of Western Cape independence is beyond idiotic. The Western Cape can as much be a country as Orania can. It does not have the tax base to sustain itself. I live in WCape btw and despise what the ANC have done and will still do.”

Rob Hart reckons that “if it did materialise and was successful, keeping the rest of SA out of the Cape would be a full-time job and things would not stay civil for long”. “I’m thinking a Palestine/Gaza-type situation. I hope I’m wrong,” he says.

“These are just ‘Klippies and Coke’ discussions,” adds John The Revelator. “As a practical matter, it will never happen and the ANC will sooner chase you all into the sea than allow this.”

“All very exciting but there is no way a small outpost like the WC could hold out economically on its own,” agrees Paul S. “13% of SA’s GDP is pitifully little and don’t overlook the fact that Treasury funds a major part of provincial spend. Be assured that there would be constant obstruction and trade impediment by the national govt and eventually they could simply retake it by force a la Hong Kong. Particularly as the ANC holds China and its policies in thrall. If it did succeed in the short-term it would soon be swamped by poverty-stricken migrants from the rest of SA. Good luck trying to keep them out. In short, this is a cop-out… you can’t save one leg of a dying horse and expect it to thrive. Fix the country as a whole or call it a day.”

Roy Bean says, “This crazy idea will destroy all of us. This will lead to civil war. You cannot see this?”

Umngani adds, “Too many small parties in SA. United we stand – divided we fall.”

“There is a future for our country, but if we’re led by people who think there isn’t, I’m not backing that person,” writes Tanya Edwards. “United we stand, fix the country, stand together and sort it out, and I’m a proud Capetonian who loves this country as a whole.”

Dirk Van Der Walt feels we should concern ourselves with more important matters:

“I honestly feel very sorry for people who participate in the debate on this issue. You are just bumping up against the electric fences and then you hear the buzzing you hear now. Rather spend your time doing something productive. Read George Orwell 1984, read The Sovereign Individual by David Rees Mogg, read Saul Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals, read The Transfer Agreement, and IBM and The Holocaust by Edwin Black. The powers that be are so far over our heads, we should rather consider how we can promote our own immediate community, wellbeing, and cohesion, our own immediate welfare, and that of those in our vicinity that are needy.”

What is your take on Cape independence? Add your voice to the discussion below.

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