South Africans are quicker to complain and emmigrate than they are willing to actually contribute. I have also not quite worked out what alternatives the DA are offering but if they haven’t quite realised that they need a strong, black leader to be taken seriously then they’ll probably never really offer much.

They say South Africa is in a bad way, that we’re the next Zimbabwe, that Zuma will destroy us all etc.. what an interesting time to be living in, what an amazing opportunity to initiate change and stop all this from happening! Go mentor a kid, teach a prisoner to read, help the refugees. It’s not philanthropy, its citizenship and realising that you live in Africa. We need more positive conversations, more political awareness and a lot less apathy. If the Americans can think differently then we can think and act differently too.

Secondly I agree that opposition politics in SA is very negative and reactionary. I think in general the DA and the rest of the opposition does a good job trying to keep the ANC in check but it would really be amazing if they start actually doing something on their own.

I hope Obama wins. I don’t know much about the specifics about his campaign, but he seems to be a “positive DOer” that will get things done for the better of all people across the globe where McCain looks like a copy of Bush.

From what little I’ve heard (I have very little interest in politics to begin with), Obama is doing a sterling job. Unfortunately, there is one point stacked against him – voters have a history of choosing terrorists as leaders. I’m talking about every nation south of the Sahara here, too.

If he pulls off a victory, though, it’ll be legendary. No matter what happens after that

~ Wogan

Ye, ofcourse my Zuma statement is a massive call, in fact it’s not really a call but a hypothetical I suppose.

I think that Obama had a “decorated” past too, filled with drugs and scandal, or so I hear. Everyone has done wrong. Would you rather not have a politicians dirty laundty hung out to dry for all to see than think (assume) they are squeeky clean?

I was a bit concerned with your Zuma comment though. Do you not think that it is all just a plan of his to show that he is the African version of Obama? That he has the peoples concerns at heart. Until he is elected and ends up being the same kind of politician that Africa has come to attract.

When i talk to foreigners about SA and politics I honestly hope that i am proved wrong and Zuma comes through to be the politician we need to help our country. But in the back of my mind i am always plagued with his past. Someone with a past as shady as Zuma should not be given the opportunity to lead a country. What kind of role model is he for the youth. The youth that actually seem to be following him funnily enough…wow, another weird story there huh.