Today South Africa faces the prospect of renewed public unrest as the fallout from President Jacob Zuma's "midnight massacre" spreads beyond the political and economic arenas to the streets.
How surreal it must be for people such as Trevor Manuel and Cheryl Carolus, who were there 34 years ago when the United Democratic Front was founded in Cape Town on August 20 1983, to find themselves at the forefront of a new struggle to "save South Africa".
Imagine what must be going on in the head of Frank Chikane, the first major speaker at a public rally held shortly after the UDF's formal founding.
He described that day as "a turning point in the struggle for freedom". On Tuesday he was prominent at a meeting of ANC veterans essentially hoping that this moment in our history marks a similar juncture.
The fears of unrest stem from the utterances of former comrades of Manuel, Carolus and Chikane - members of the Umkhonto weSizwe Military Veterans' Association. The organisation's head in KwaZulu-Natal, Themba Mavundla, said on Wednesday that "combat-ready" military veterans would be in Johannesburg today to defend President Jacob Zuma "with our lives".
This comes as DA leader Mmusi Maimane prepares to lead a "March For Change" through the city centre, one of numerous anti-Zuma protests planned around the country.
The streets of central Johannesburg have been the scene of ugly clashes, even terrorism, many times. For profound historical reasons that cannot be glibly dismissed by liberal voices, violence is part of our political lexicon. It continues in KwaZulu-Natal, in particular, where politicians are regularly murdered and assaulted.
We can only pray that the new struggle for freedom breaks the mould and that the streets of South Africa do not run with blood once more.
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