After years of slander by Heinrich Bohmke, I have decided to create this website to offer a simple go-to guide as to why anyone serious about grassroots social change should not take him seriously. This website is not owned or compiled by Heinrich Bohmke. In the interests of letting readers make their own decisions, if you would like to read the libellous and inaccurate writings, you can visit www.heinrichbohmke.com. However, we suggest you always check back on this website for the 'other side of the story'.
To be fair, some of the things Bohmke writes do exhibit grains of truth. Some of his analysis is based on relevant critiques of power relations within society in general and the so-called 'left' in particular. It is very important, for instance, for all of us be aware of critiques the role of white middle class academics in their relation to community struggles and social movements. Power, particularly racial power, is always present in these spaces and can often have a very negative effect on these struggles.
However, Bohmke's writings use such legitimate critiques for nefarious purposes of slander. He attempts to delegitimise individuals and social movements he dislikes by creating a web of unfounded conjectures, misrepresentations, and outright lies.
To be fair, some of the things Bohmke writes do exhibit grains of truth. Some of his analysis is based on relevant critiques of power relations within society in general and the so-called 'left' in particular. It is very important, for instance, for all of us be aware of critiques the role of white middle class academics in their relation to community struggles and social movements. Power, particularly racial power, is always present in these spaces and can often have a very negative effect on these struggles.
However, Bohmke's writings use such legitimate critiques for nefarious purposes of slander. He attempts to delegitimise individuals and social movements he dislikes by creating a web of unfounded conjectures, misrepresentations, and outright lies.
- His writings tend to deny agency to black and poor activists and movements using their links to a handful of white academics. This shows his racism. He doesn't believe that a poor black person can legitimately theorise and build praxis on his or her own accord. Bohmke believes that he is inevitably inferior and therefore must be manipulated/coached by a white academic if he is to be able to even quote radical theorists/activists such as Franz Fanon or Steve Biko. His previous actions including his involvement in the Concerned Citizen's Forum and in the Crossmoor Informal Settlement also tend to deny black agency and assert his own authority over community activists.
- His writings focus on slandering a few specific people and movements. Primarily, most of his writings find a way to attack his 'arch nemisis' Richard Pithouse. His slander of Mr Pithouse is strangly obsessive. He has now written upwards of 5 different articles which specifically attack Mr. Pithouse. Some of these articles have his name on it. Others are written in pseudonyms. He has also specifically attached movements and movement leaders who have links to Mr. Pithouse (even if these links are tenuous and nominal). This specifically has included the shackdweller's movement Abahlali baseMjondolo in KZN and the Unemployed People's Movement in the Eastern Cape.
- He is a troll. Instead of providing a constructive critique of social actors, bohmke sets out to antagonize and slander 'opponents'with no other apparent purpose other than to appease his own ego and set back social struggles. This is similar to a common internet troll or your typical news24 comentator. However the difference is that his pretends to do this as a 'leftist' who is 'protecting' the black masses.
- He is a hypocrite. He conveniently attacks certain individuals and movements but fails to look at his own contradictions. For instance, Bohmke see's himself as a leftist who is on the side of the 'masses'. And yet, at the same time, he works for the South African Police Service. At very least, he runs workshops for them. At most, he may in fact be on the police's payroll trying to destabilise and deligitimise movements that critique the status quo. Either way, it is very clear that if he works for South Africa's violent, corrupt and murderous police force, he is not on the side of those who are oppressed by these same forces.