South African Political Party Calls for Finance Reform

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA —  Michael Tellinger is the charismatic, outspoken leader of perhaps South Africa’s strangest political party.

“Actually, the Ubuntu Party is more of a liberation movement than a political platform. I’m not a politician!” he emphasized, vehemently adding, “You can call me a crackpot anarchist, you can call me anything – just don’t call me a politician!”

Loosely translated, Ubuntu means “human kindness.”

“I’m a humanitarian,” said Tellinger. “I believe in true freedom and true liberty for every human being, so that they can live out their life the way they should, using their God-given talents and their skills for their own benefit and the benefit of others around them, and not have to slave away all their life only to die wondering 'What was this all about?'”

Tellinger is a singer, an actor and the author of several books on the origins of humankind and ancient civilizations.

Through what he calls his “Ubuntu philosophy,” he maintained the world and not only South Africa could be freed from the “financial slavery” he claimed is orchestrated by corrupt banks, private corporations and governments.

“Money was introduced to humanity thousands of years ago by what have become the royal banking bloodlines. They still control the world’s supply of money today,” Tellinger told VOA.

“I realized that this is not a sustainable model, that this is really what is enslaving humanity. And what is causing all the problems is the control of money by those that print it and supply it and own it, making us believe that we need money to live on this earth… We don’t need money, because it is a synthetically created and introduced tool of enslavement over the people of our planet.”


‘Great deception’ by banking dynasties

Tellinger’s argument is that “banking dynasties” and their allies get rich by forcing people to “worship” money.

“The economic system to which humanity is enslaved brain-washes us from when we are in school to believe that money is the only thing that can solve our problems,” he said. “Nothing can be further from the truth. Money is the cause of all the problems! The moment you remove money from the system, that moment you remove all the hurdles and obstacles to progress and human endeavor and achieving abundance on all levels for humanity.”

Tellinger said the “great deception” is that the world is a place of scarcity, when the opposite is true.

“There are enough resources for everyone in the world to live good, abundant lives. The only reason that there’s scarcity is because the resources necessary for survival, like food and water, are controlled by corporations,” he said.

“The only reason that our townships don’t have sporting facilities and new sports grounds - with the latest facilities and amenities and technology - is because the bankers are controlling the flow of money. If we stop that, and we issue money by the people, for the people, money can be made available for all these things all the time, every step of the way.”

‘Contributionism’

Tellinger, who plans to stand as a presidential candidate in South Africa’s upcoming national election on May 7, said this utopia is possible through what he terms the “Ubuntu Contribution System.”

The party manifesto reads, ‘UCS will restore [the] harmonious balance between the people and the Earth providing abundance for all, because it is an environment which allows its citizens to all contribute their natural talents and acquired skills to the greater benefit of all the people in the community. This applies to all areas of our society; science, technology, agriculture, manufacture, health, education, housing, and all other areas not financially viable under the present economic system.’

Tellinger branded “contributionism” an “open system, allowing the community to create … but not just for themselves, for all the other communities around them as well. That is what contributionism is all about.”

“If we need food, let’s just plant what we need. If our neighbors don’t get enough rain, we’ll grow enough food so that we can supply them as well. They’ll then contribute something that they have that we need.”

Tellinger said all who contribute their skills for the “greater good” will be paid with “people’s money” issued by councils of “trusted” elders.

“The Ubuntu philosophy is not to govern people. In fact, if I became president tomorrow, the first thing I would do is dissolve the government. People do not need to be governed; they can govern themselves,” he emphasized.

A People’s Bank

To create heaven on earth, said Tellinger, the first step would be to close all central banks, including the South African Reserve Bank.

He explained, “We’ve got probably close to 50 percent unemployment in South Africa. All our mineral wealth is owned by international private corporations. All of our money is owned by a private corporation. The South African Reserve Bank, like all the central banks in the world bar two or three, are privately owned corporations that are allowed to dictate the economic and financial policy for the people of its country. It is an insane thought – that we’ve allowed, or our governments and our leaders have allowed, these corporations to get away with it.”

Tellinger said power must be taken away from the corporations that control the world and be given back to the people – the “real owners” of the earth.

“So what I’m saying is we’re going to close down the South African Reserve Bank and open up a People’s Bank which issues money for the people, by the people and makes money available for everything that the people need to do,” he stated.

Tellinger said such “out-of-the-box” thinking is necessary in order for humanity to avoid a “catastrophe” in which increasing numbers of people slide into poverty and banks and their allies get “richer and richer.”

“To prevent this will require a complete paradigm shift and a 180-degree turn-around… away from the [failed] socioeconomic policies that have been imposed on humanity for thousands of years. If this happens, you’ll see how quickly things change for the better,” he maintained.

Others say Tellinger’s views border on insanity

Some observers have branded Tellinger’s highly idealistic, utopian views as bordering on insanity. Despite this, his unconventional ideas and plans have resonated with many people across the globe.

“I’ve traveled the world for more than four years now, doing presentations in more than 100 countries around the world on the philosophy of Ubuntu and contributionism to rousing standing ovations to people who break down and burst into tears, because they realize that this is the only way for humanity to survive,” he said.

Commenting on his chance of success in South Africa’s 2014 poll, Tellinger said, “You never know. Just look at history – revolutions have happened virtually overnight.

“I’m not saying this is going to be a bloody revolution; on the contrary. I believe this is going to be a revolution of consciousness, where people just wake up and realize that we don’t need the bankers’ private money – pieces of worthless paper – that they’re making us work our lives away [for], to slave away, doing what we hate doing.

“Those who are trying to control humanity through the financial systems are pushing people into a corner,” Tellinger said. “And sooner rather than later, the people are going to start pushing back in a big way.

“In the near future there’s going to be a rapid shift in people’s consciousness and the systems which now control the world are going to come crashing down. I hope my movement will contribute to that.”