Republicans having won the majority senate in the US, abused this power to further the financial collapse of America. An attempt to unseat Obama in the November elections. Now imagine, politicians destabilizing their own country, merely to make the sitting president appear as a failure. The US almost defaulted for the first time in history on its foreign debts, citing Obama’s failure to bring their country out of the recession, due to the majority republican vote in the senate.
Queue South Africa. Where our politicians have been electioneering since last year for the ruling party’s national elective conference in Mangaung. In turn, said politicians have been neglecting their duties in the name of Mangaung. Zuma’s, failure to rein in corruption, in hopes of remaining popular amongst the decision makers under the corrupt and incompetent government officials. Malema trying to destabilise the mining industry, the 500,000 jobs provided, and a sizeable portion of our GDP, in hopes of unseating Zuma. Promoting hate-speech towards the easy targets knowns ‘whites’ in an attempt to further his own agendas. ANCYL orchestrating protests in the WCape and Limpopo, with Mangaung on their breaths. Kids being pulled out of class to participate in protests. Threatening to make provinces ungovernable.
The happenings of the past month, has highlighted some important issues in our country. The exploitation of blue-collared workers in South Africa. Infighting and incompetence in the unions. Violent protests, and bringing weapons to said protests. Failure of the current salary negotiation system. Raises are not handed out based on performance, but merely based on how much you can disrupt your industry. SADTU being the prime example here. Failure of the majority of South Africans to understand how democracy works, or how to use it to their advantage. Failure of the mines to uphold its end of the bargain in order to obtain access to minerals. The mineral resource minister and her failures to ensure that the mines keep to its agreements. Governments failure to be proactive to prevent disasters from happening, but merely having the ability to (unsuccessfully) react after the notion. Failure of the ANC’s election system and the subsequent corruption that it breeds. Government and its failed tendering system. And how politicians are allowed to do business with the state. Abuse of funding to political parties, and how tenders are inflated to tithe to the ruling party. In certain circumstances, the ruling party blatantly stole public money to donate to its election war-chest. The ruling party and its interference in the different pillars of governance. And the inability to keep party and state seperate.
With elections coming up next year, we might as well forget our government officials from delivering any meaningful work, as they will be electioneering hard for their parties. When our president is not overseas, he will be giving election speeches at branch meetings. As always the ruling party will make plenty of promises, citing failure of previous promises on apartheid or imperialism. Of course by ministers who aren't doing what they are supposed to be doing, but addressing election rallies. This all boils down to the fact, that out of a 5 year term, government only works 3 of those years. Its inconceivable how politicians can degenerate our country, merely to field fights between the different camps.
South Africa needs change. The ANC is unwilling to change. It can make promises of change, but it lacks the motivation to do so. The change that is good for us, will adversely affect the politicians. We cannot allow this flawed system to continue. We need a two party democracy to start off with. Meaning that people don't just blindly vote for a party, based on historical reasons, or skin colours. But based on how much the political parties deliver. After that, we need to aim for a multi-party democracy. South Africa cannot be allowed to be sabotaged in the interests of politicians. Politicians can't be seditious to further their agendas.
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