WHEN THE HISTORY OF South Africa’s media gets to be written in 10, 20 or 30 years’ time, there’s little doubt the currently infamous Zapiro cartoon will earn its place as a turning point. But which way will those future historians see us having moved?
The cartoon, depicting ANC party president Jacob Zuma apparently about to rape SA’s justice system – portrayed as Lady Justice, Justitia, being held down by the ANC and its Youth League, the SA Communist Party and Cosatu – is clearly offensive to many. But the test of true freedom of expression is the willingness to allow those with whom you disagree strongly to make their opinions heard. As Voltaire famously said: “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”
Noam Chomsky, a contemporary political scientist and philosopher, put it even more appositely: “Goebbels was in favour of freedom of speech for views he liked. So was Stalin. But if you’re in favour of freedom of speech that means you’re in favour of it precisely for views you despise.”
Free speech is never untrammelled. Limitations are accepted in free societies when, for example, it amounts to hate speech, especially when it’s defamatory, racist or incites people to violence.
Hate speech is the objection most likely to stick against Zapiro’s cartoon. But it’s difficult to assess. If Cosatu goes on the rampage tomorrow, claiming it was incited to violence, you’d have to ask whether the cartoon or the union leadership did the inciting.