This is my drive for ’08.
Being on holiday this December I was often asked about my opinion on the whole “Zuma thing”. Zuma thing, hmmm is it a “thing”, methinks not. Anyways, it’s as if working at Financial Mail allows me some air of opinion about topics relating to politics and finances.
So I’ve been asked about South Africa alot and politics alot and the state of the nation, ALOT. I need to have an opinion, especially being the “SA Rocks guy”. And I do have an opinion.
Mainly my opinion does not focus on Zuma at all. And I think that this is a major flaw in many people’s approach to SA and politics in this country.
What can you recall about SA politics in ’07? Let me take a stab at your answer: the ANC. Now keeping in mind that any publicity is good publicity I would like to propose that when it comes to voting in ’09 many people will have one party on their minds, you guessed it, the ANC.
So basically my opinion for the country and for ’08/’09 is voter education and marketing. I think that parties need to market themselves correctly (Helen and the DA did this fairly well in ’07 with the videos and vlogging and things) and educate voters correctly too. I understand the clear and present dangers between education and marketing and the two become blurred.
But I maintain that one of the largest problems is that the general populace needs to know who they can vote for, what the parties stand for, where they can vote and most importantly why your vote counts.
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Popularity: 2% [?]
January 7th, 2008 at 9:31 am
All the voter education in the world will not dent the ANC whirlwind. The poor African will vote for the ANC until the second coming of Christ. The ANC knows this. Its not different to Zimbabwe and the Zanu PF. Its a mob mentality that Africa suffers from. We have just seen another example of it in Africa. We have seen glimpses of it here with the rabid support that Zuma envokes.
Besides, who will fund that voter education? It costs money to campaign. The ANC is hardly going to throw money at something that will cost money. The DA is seen as a white party, and a white party is going to struggle to get the black vote, regardless of how bad a job the ANC has done. That is the bottom line.
Our election was at Polokwane. It consisted of ANC delegates involved in a power struggle. We now have people like Winnie Mandela and Blade Nzimade on our NEC. Our democracy has become a farce because we are a one party state.
Add to this the fact that a large percentage of people who voted for change in the referendum are excluded from voting now. The ANC was quick to marginalise foreign nationals simply because it will lead to votes for the opposition. So the oppostion voter base has declined. Throw into the mix voter apathy and the exodus of people overseas?
This is the year that will make or break South Africa. If Zuma gets convicted, we are going to see a backlash from COSATU and Zuma’s followers. Already COSATU is saying they will not be held responsible for the blood shed by their angry members.
If Zuma is not convicted, international perception of South Africa will take a another huge knock. Justice would have been defeated, and confidence in SA will plummet
Pray that Mbeki and his clan decide to defect to another party or start their own. That will create the possibility of a real oppostion to the ANC. Other then that, there is no win/win here. There is not even a win/lose
January 7th, 2008 at 10:13 am
@Wingnut – great response and I almost agree with everything that you have said. I agree that voter education costs money, especially in more rural areas as there is little to know technology to make use of.
My thoughts tend to lean towards trying to motivate conventionally educated South Africans about voting. My feeling is that many “educated” people simply don’t vote because they don’t know the importance and have a “my vote wont matter” mentality. If this can change then we can avoid the 65% majority rule of the ANC. Which I think should be a goal of ours as South Africans for the next elections.
The ANC will win the next elections, no doubt, but why give the winning party the ability to change the constitution? Let’s rather pool votes and create a staunch opposition that can actually have a voice.
Thanks for the comment!
January 7th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
I just wish oppostion parties would put some pressure on Government to review who has the right to vote. I have family with dual nationality that cannot vote in elections. They voted in the referendum for change, yet cant vote now.
These are people that have lived here for 30 years and employ people, yet have no right to vote? Its absurd to expect them to hand in foreign citizenship. I dont see why long standing residents should be denied the right to vote
September 30th, 2010 at 3:54 pm
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