"It does not take a majority to prevail... but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men." - Samuel Adams
By Mike Smith
7th of April 2017
…We are doing it! Almost two years ago in 2015 I introduced my readers to the techniques of Strategic Non-Violent Conflict in a series of articles that can be seen below.
These techniques are based on the ideas of Gene Sharp in his book “From dictatorship to democracy” but also from his disciples, Jamila Raqib, Srđa Popović (Blueprint for revolution) and Colonel Robert Helvey (Guerillas Without Guns)
![]()
They are all part of The Albert Einstein institution and of course the Serbian Srđa Popović had huge successes with Otpor! and CANVAS to get rid of the dictator Slobodan Milošević. He also trained Arab Spring freedom movements in Tunisia, Egypt, Lybia and Syria to name but a few.
At the time we had a lot of Nay Sayers. People putting in so much energy to come up with ideas of why it won’t work, instead of putting that energy into Making it work.
![]()
One of their favourites was…and I had to laugh, because Srđa Popović mentions this exact same phenomenon in the beginning of his book…”Ja, Mike…I hear what you say, but it won’t work in SA. South Africa is different. South Africa is not Serbia or Egypt. We are not all the same…We cannot unite…blah, blah, blah.”
![]()
And now? Look around. All the techniques and strategies I spoke about two years ago playing out on the streets of South Africa. People demonstrating in their thousands against the dictator ZUMA.
Nevertheless we need to focus now. A lot of work lay ahead. What needs to happen now is that musicians should pull in and set up bands outside the Gupta residence in Saxonwold and on the lawn of the Union Buildings and in front of parliament in Cape Town. Music draws crowds. Speeches should be held and if prominent figures and celebrities from the music, radio and TV world pull up it will help tremendously.
We also need churches, to send pastors and dominees to come and pray at the gates against Zuma. We need to co-opt the police and the army…get them on our side. Give them cool drinks, flowers, cigarettes…whatever. Whatever you do…Don’t throw stones at the police. The police is not the enemy. Zuma is the enemy. He steals their money too.
![]()
We need to come up with new and innovative techniques of defiance and disobedience every day so that it does not get boring. Keep the momentum up, keep the pressure building and don’t worry about pushing him out…when you pull the pillars of support out from underneath him, he won’t even have the power to resign. He will simply fall.
Keep it up people of SA. I am proud of you.
How do we want South Africa to be after the ANC is gone?
Our vision of tomorrow – the goose egg principle
Give the regime a daily dose of disobedience and defiance
Exploring the usual options of struggle against a dictatorship
Non-violent political defiance as the only viable option to change in South Africa
Political defiance and the importance of branding
Samuel Adams the original blogger and the American Revolution - A case study in Political Defiance
Non-violent resistance - Ghandi and the Salt march: A Case study
![]()
The structure of the resistance campaign
No money for road signs? We’ll see
Why do people obey dictators
Overcoming fear of the dictatorship
Reading the first signs of revolution
The typical revolutionist
Why we should all join the revolution
How the "South African Spring" will be fought
Answering the revolution's detractors
 |
| Cape Town |
 |
| Cape Town |
 |
| Pretoria |
7th of April 2017
…We are doing it! Almost two years ago in 2015 I introduced my readers to the techniques of Strategic Non-Violent Conflict in a series of articles that can be seen below.
These techniques are based on the ideas of Gene Sharp in his book “From dictatorship to democracy” but also from his disciples, Jamila Raqib, Srđa Popović (Blueprint for revolution) and Colonel Robert Helvey (Guerillas Without Guns)
They are all part of The Albert Einstein institution and of course the Serbian Srđa Popović had huge successes with Otpor! and CANVAS to get rid of the dictator Slobodan Milošević. He also trained Arab Spring freedom movements in Tunisia, Egypt, Lybia and Syria to name but a few. At the time we had a lot of Nay Sayers. People putting in so much energy to come up with ideas of why it won’t work, instead of putting that energy into Making it work.
One of their favourites was…and I had to laugh, because Srđa Popović mentions this exact same phenomenon in the beginning of his book…”Ja, Mike…I hear what you say, but it won’t work in SA. South Africa is different. South Africa is not Serbia or Egypt. We are not all the same…We cannot unite…blah, blah, blah.” 
And now? Look around. All the techniques and strategies I spoke about two years ago playing out on the streets of South Africa. People demonstrating in their thousands against the dictator ZUMA. Nevertheless we need to focus now. A lot of work lay ahead. What needs to happen now is that musicians should pull in and set up bands outside the Gupta residence in Saxonwold and on the lawn of the Union Buildings and in front of parliament in Cape Town. Music draws crowds. Speeches should be held and if prominent figures and celebrities from the music, radio and TV world pull up it will help tremendously.
We also need churches, to send pastors and dominees to come and pray at the gates against Zuma. We need to co-opt the police and the army…get them on our side. Give them cool drinks, flowers, cigarettes…whatever. Whatever you do…Don’t throw stones at the police. The police is not the enemy. Zuma is the enemy. He steals their money too.
We need to come up with new and innovative techniques of defiance and disobedience every day so that it does not get boring. Keep the momentum up, keep the pressure building and don’t worry about pushing him out…when you pull the pillars of support out from underneath him, he won’t even have the power to resign. He will simply fall. Keep it up people of SA. I am proud of you.
How do we want South Africa to be after the ANC is gone?
Our vision of tomorrow – the goose egg principle
Give the regime a daily dose of disobedience and defiance
Exploring the usual options of struggle against a dictatorship
Non-violent political defiance as the only viable option to change in South Africa
Political defiance and the importance of branding
Samuel Adams the original blogger and the American Revolution - A case study in Political Defiance
Non-violent resistance - Ghandi and the Salt march: A Case study
The structure of the resistance campaignNo money for road signs? We’ll see
Why do people obey dictators
Overcoming fear of the dictatorship
Reading the first signs of revolution
The typical revolutionist
Why we should all join the revolution
How the "South African Spring" will be fought
Answering the revolution's detractors