LEBOGANG MOKOENA: A political sequel with the same ending
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They are coming. Soon, they will be all over our roads, our televisions and on the radio. They will walk in to our homes and our places of work. They’ll even call on us to share their regurgitated doctrine. They will kiss babies, hug the elderly, sell hope to the youth and promise better. They will point to the few homes they’ve built, here or there, and remind us of how far others have steered from Madiba’s vision.
In an uncharacteristic surge of energy, they will clean fields, unblock pipes, plant trees and even ride on public transport with us. They will pose for selfies, put on their best show of caring (in front of the cameras) and walk the streets. Then they’ll drive into the sunset, to a soundtrack of sirens and ahead of a blinding array of blue lights.
They will visit hospital and stadiums, they’ll give us free t-shirts and cold chicken. They’ll give food parcels to our grandmothers and wish us a merry festive season.
They’ll rehash old manifestos on expensive paper, compose catchy new songs and pay popular artists many months salary to sing at their events.
They’ll promise growth, a stronger rand, a stable currency and jobs for all. The Gigabas, the Dlaminis and Gumedes will lead the rallies, so the masses can hear the easy and popular answers, and forget all about the broken promises.
They’ll wear red, blue, some green and a generous dousing of yellow. And they’ll promise the world to as many people who’ll listen.
But don’t be fooled. It’s all an act you’ve seen before. And you know how it ends.
In about one year from now, SA will head to the polls to choose our local government leaders, and the prospect of choosing anyone at this point isn’t exactly compelling.
The ANC is in disarray. The governing party is neck-deep in scandals of tender profiteering and a slew of mistakes made in its bid to fight Covid-19. Clearly, this wasn’t trouble enough, because the party this week redeployed Zandile Gumede to the people of KwaZulu-Natal.
For those who don’t know Zandile Gumede, she was last year criminally charged with influencing a R208m waste tender in 2016. She was asked to vacate her seat as eThekwini mayor, arrested and is now out on R50000 bail.
At the time of her arrest, her staunchest supporters said she would emerge victorious. ...
In an uncharacteristic surge of energy, they will clean fields, unblock pipes, plant trees and even ride on public transport with us. They will pose for selfies, put on their best show of caring (in front of the cameras) and walk the streets. Then they’ll drive into the sunset, to a soundtrack of sirens and ahead of a blinding array of blue lights.
They will visit hospital and stadiums, they’ll give us free t-shirts and cold chicken. They’ll give food parcels to our grandmothers and wish us a merry festive season.
They’ll rehash old manifestos on expensive paper, compose catchy new songs and pay popular artists many months salary to sing at their events.
They’ll promise growth, a stronger rand, a stable currency and jobs for all. The Gigabas, the Dlaminis and Gumedes will lead the rallies, so the masses can hear the easy and popular answers, and forget all about the broken promises.
They’ll wear red, blue, some green and a generous dousing of yellow. And they’ll promise the world to as many people who’ll listen.
But don’t be fooled. It’s all an act you’ve seen before. And you know how it ends.
In about one year from now, SA will head to the polls to choose our local government leaders, and the prospect of choosing anyone at this point isn’t exactly compelling.
The ANC is in disarray. The governing party is neck-deep in scandals of tender profiteering and a slew of mistakes made in its bid to fight Covid-19. Clearly, this wasn’t trouble enough, because the party this week redeployed Zandile Gumede to the people of KwaZulu-Natal.
For those who don’t know Zandile Gumede, she was last year criminally charged with influencing a R208m waste tender in 2016. She was asked to vacate her seat as eThekwini mayor, arrested and is now out on R50000 bail.
At the time of her arrest, her staunchest supporters said she would emerge victorious. ...
