Above is the what Former Defence Minister and senior member of the ANC Mosiuoa Lekota had to say today at a press conference in Johannesburg.
He also had this to add about the ANC:
He has a good point, the best place to speak about our country, it’s ruling party and the issues at hand is anywhere where one can make the most noise. Not in the confides of closed doors.
I like to maintain that a breakaway party is a good thing for our country, it shows that our democracy is working. However we need to be realistic and realise that this party will probably have no great affect on the coming elections and should be gearing itself towards the next election in just over 4 years time.
With South Africa’s current political situation the best thing that we can do for the citizens of this country is expose them to as many different choices as possible.
A recent comment on this blog alluded to the fact that South Africa’s democracy is failing because we almost become a single party state. This is problematic because people begin to think that there is only one option when they vote. Instead of thinking that there are many options, people be default and almost instinct begin to vote for one party and in SA that party is the ANC. This becomes more problematic because people begin to feel as if the alternative isn’t representative and in turn believe that they should not vote because there are no options.
The worst thing that can happen to a democratic society is for the citizens of the country to become apathetic. Apathy breeds inaction and inaction breeds dictatorship. Edmund Burke said “Evil prevails when good people do nothing”. This is the truth right now in our political climate. We need action.
IOL reports: “The public broadcaster told the Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa) that the flighting of political party messages could cost it up to R91,8-million in lost advertising revenue.
“It’s a lot of money… Eighty percent of our revenue comes from advertising,” said SABC news chief Snuki Zikalala.
“[It will] dent our finances, badly, badly.”
Hmmm… let us see, shall we rather dent the finances of the governmental broadcaster (read voice) or shall we rather attempt to keep our democracy in place? I am voting for the latter. I believe that one of the biggest problems facing the citizens of this nation is lack of voter education. We don’t know what parties we can vote for, can you name just six parties in SA? If you an I am sure you are one of the few. If you can’t welcome to the club. To me the most sensible thing to do is send out adverts on our national broadcaster to the public which indicate that the most important thing to the government and its broadcaster is the public and their education.
I am sure there are many people who will disagree with me on this one but I am, right now, rallying for votes, voting and action. Screw the public broadcaster’s back pocket. Screw the CEO’s and bigwigs bonuses. What the hell is R9mill at the end of the day? That’s the difference between 9 top managers and their wives Mercedes and the honour of our democracy.
I’m no fool (although some may argue that point). I know that it’s not ideal what we are going through politically in SA right now. When I heard that Trevor Manual had resigned I was in a foul mood and reacted badly to it. But then he amended his resignation stating that if asked, he would willingly work under the new president of the country. That’s better.
But there is a flip side to the negative political wave sweeping the country. It’s not positive, it’s just a different way to look at things.
I regard myself as quite the political conspiracy theorist. I love them and thrive on them and believe that what we see through the eyes of the media is one hundredth of the real truth and real happenings in politics. There is more to this than meets they eye.
Mbeki’s resignation was relatively necessary
What if Zuma was right? What if Mbeki had been gunning for him with a conspiratorial fervor never before seen in SA? If that is the case and the ruling that Zuma could not be prosecuted is accurate (which we should assume to be so) then why would we want Mbeki the conspirator as our president? Surely his resignation is proof that our democracy is in working order. That when a constitutional judge makes a decision it is the word according to our democracy and the decision is then carried forward throughout the system. It’s working, believe it or not, our democracy is working.
The 14 resignations
No it isn’t ideal that 11 Cabinet Ministers and 3 Deputies have resigned but let’s look at it from a different perspective.
If a company is going bankrupt and they hire a new CEO to pull it out of the muck, would it not make sense for some of the staff to leave with their allegedly conspiratorial and failing boss who sunk the company in to financial disaster? I think it makes sense to an extent. In the same way, if a president is seen to be doing wrong then surely by association the people that he hand-picked to be in government with him are involved in the political mess that is abound? One man cannot act alone in politics, if he is implicated then so too is his staff and be inference their staff and so and so on. So with that said, why would we want these ministers in power if there is a chance of them being fraudulent, conspiratorial, questionable or criminal? We all quickly forgot the lovely health minister and Mbeki’s relentless defence of her in the recent past.
Furthermore, many of the ministers have stated that if the new president would like them to continue in their positions they will stay. Fair I think. Then if in fact, the ruling party takes it upon themselves to request the service of the current ministers it is their choice and their doing, the doings of the ousted previous president.
The Cabinet
Then on to the workings of our cabinet. Let us not assume for a second that the figureheads of the cabinet are the ones keeping this ship afloat. Below the ministers and their deputies there are Director Generals who are hard at work every day keeping the cogs moving and the wheels turning. They need their salaries and they need their jobs. They know the policies and the workings of their respective departments. Whether their boss leaves or not will more than likely not infringe on the workings of the country. Yes some policies might change but that is to be expected with a change of leadership to varying extents. At the end of the day it is the people on the ground who are working for the country, the big earners and big spenders who are being fired, resigning and departing.
Policy is in the eye of the beholder
Who says that they way that Trevor Manual has been doing managing South Africa’s finances is the only way that it can be done? Mbeki focused on international relations and the way that SA is perceived by the world. However what of crime, poverty, job creation and HIV/Aids as priorities? Maybe with a change in leadership we will find a shift towards the prioritisation of areas previous neglected by the government? This is not to say that the Mbeki regime did badly but no government can ever be brilliant at every aspect of their country. Some governments prioritise health and education while others will prioritise taxes and crime, this is just the nature of the beast.
It is possibly time for our government to shift towards things that have been neglected in the past such as crime. Who are we to decide what should be done and what shouldn’t without actually experiencing something else. All we know in terms of policy, government and leadership since the iconic regime of Mandela is Mbeki, his ministers and his policies. Maybe a change will do us good?
With all the hype surrounding Thabo Mbeki’s resignation, Jacob Zuma’s corruption verdict and the ANC in general much has been said about Kgalema Motlanthe. He is touted to be and more than likely will become the next (however temporary) president of South Africa. But who is Motlanthe? What does he stand for and what can we expect from the man?
Here are some pieces of information about Kgalema Motlanthe that I have gathered from various online resources and media profiles.
His history, story and positions he has occupied:
A brief biography
Political Activist & ANC Secretary – General
Kgalema Motlanthe was born in 1949. At school he was influenced by the ideologies of the Black Consciousness Movement (BCM) and Steve Biko.
In 1976 he was detained for 11 months for furthering the aims of the African National Congress. He was again arrested in 1977 and sentenced to 10 years in Robben Island. He was released in 1987 and that year was elected Secretary-General of the National
Union of Mineworkers (NUM). With the resignation of Cyril
Ramaphosa, Motlanthe was elected Secretary-General of the African National Congress. A position he still holds. – source
Current Positions
Member of Parliament ANC 2008 Secretary-General National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) 1992 Education Officer National Union Of Mineworkers 1987 Trade Unionist COSATU
Noteworthy Events
In 1967 he was detained for 11 months.
In 1977 he was arrested and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment in Robben Island prison.
Motlanthe is a shareholder of Pamodzi Investment Holdings. In February 2006, auditors revealed that a total of about R2 billion in loans by the Land Bank, a government institution established to help farmers, had gone sour. Earlier, a R800 million (about $112 million) 10 year loan had been given to Pamodzi. This amounted to nearly one-third of the Land Bank’s total assets, and was a non-agricultural investment. There is no suggestion that this particular loan was non-performing. Pamodzi chief executive Ndaba Ntsele denies there was any wrongdoing.[5]. The government has since fired the Land Bank chairman and agreed to inject R700 million to keep the Land Bank operative. – source
General information
Motlanthe was the one ANC leader able to calm the crowd at the party’s Polokwane conference in December where Mbeki lost the fight to serve a third term as party president to Zuma.
The party will appoint Lindiwe Sisulu, currently the housing minister, as deputy president in place of Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, an Mbeki loyalist who has stepped down.
This seems like the best move the party can make as Motlanthe, an outspoken critic of party radicals such as youth leader Julius Malema, will project an image of continuity and stability. – source
I think not. In fact I think the opposite. This is the beginning of uncertain and exciting times for South African politics.
Firstly, Zuma is probably not going to be in the presidents seat just yet which is a great thing. The party is sort of keeping its head and has said that it is not mature enough yet with Zuma at the helm to lead a country. This means that we’ll have an interim president.
The likely candidate for the interim president is the deputy president Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka according to the constitution of SA. However there are still a few options that need to be heard. We’ll know the outcome of this at noon today.
All things aside is this really such a bad thing? I don’t think so. It gives us time to breath, to come to terms with what is happening and gives the public time to grasp the politics that are taking place.
It would be slightly concerning if we were pushed in to an early election this year. That I do believe, but I don’t think that will happen. Firstly because the IEC is more than likely not prepared for that and secondly because I don’t foresee a hung parliament regarding the election of a temporary president.
On the back of all of this I am very surprised that the oppositions in SA have not come out more vocally regarding Mbeki’s resignation. Why is Zille so quiet? Where is De Lille and her aggressive politics and what of Holomisa? These people have all been relatively tame instead of the outspoken usual.
The last and most interesting thing that could come out of all of this is a break-away party that will form from Mbeki-ANC supporters. This could make for interesting times as an offshoot party has been in the offing for a while. Now however, there are open talks about the potential for another party to rival the ANC. In my opinion, this is a good thing and shows that our democracy works and is working hard to maintain its democratic outlook.
PRESIDENT Thabo Mbeki’s involvement would be the “kiss of death” to any attempts to form a strong alternative to the ruling African National Congress (ANC) in the aftermath of his recall by his party.
Mbeki would also face condemnation by the international community for seeking to hold onto power should he form or lead such an initiative, an opposition leader warned.
Opposition political leaders and analysts said that while an alternative to the ANC would be good for democracy in the long run, it was unlikely that it could get off the ground before the next general election. – source
And:
THE most exciting unintended consequence of the train of events that led to the firing of President Thabo Mbeki by his beloved African National Congress is the possibility of a new opposition party springing up from within the ruling party.
Murmurings of such a party have been heard before.
But until a momentous event such as the sacking of Mbeki by the Jacob Zuma- led ANC leadership, such a possibility was remote indeed.
But now it is being openly talked about , with defence minister Mosiuoa Lekota and his deputy, Mluleki George, linked to such a move.
The emergence of a strong opposition party would be great news for South Africa.
After all, the abuses that Mbeki is allegedly being kicked out for are largely because the ANC acted with impunity on so many issues because its leaders knew the party was unlikely to lose an election. – source
From where I sit it is difficult to decide who is telling the truth. But guess what? This is politics. This is democracy and this is happening everywhere. Just yesterday the Israeli Prime Minister resigned due to charges of fraud and other criminal charges. Things like this happen. I am personally glad to see Mbeki go. I like to hear from a president on a regular basis. I don’t want a president who takes his resignation address to announce his CV to the nation and then bugger off.
I want a human being, I want a person who stands for me, for the people and not for a political party and conspiracy. I think that this moment in South Africa’s present history could be a defining moment in our future.
The one thing that stuck with me which emerged from Mbeki’s mouth was this:
“Gloom and despondancy have never defeated adversity”
This post has been brewing in my mind for a while now. In fact, since I decided that I was in firm support of change, yes we can and Barak Obama I’ve been thinking about the state of politics in SA.
I’m not so sure that Zille is our future. In fact I sort of resent the fact that politicians the world over are over the age of 50 and seem to lack any on the ground connection to the voting public. Hence my adoration for Obama and disdain for McCain. Obama got it right, he connected with the “youth” on a level that they wanted or craved.
Why should I put my trust in a leader who doesn’t seem to get me? Who doesn’t seem to talk to me. Maybe she does get me but I honestly don’t hear enough from her to know what she gets.
Which brings me to another point: Why is it that we aren’t hearing from the parties, why is there no campaigning going on? It’s less than a year until I am meant to give my vote away to someone or some party, why is no one rallying for that vote? Or is it such a foregone conclusion that things are too far gone to need to campaign? I think not.
Around the world millions upon millions of dollars are spent on every campaign for presidency. Where is the big money? And surely the big money in SA would mean a winner? The more money, the more exposure, the more votes? Or not?
In a nutshell, I am asking for a leader with firm policies, with a firm grasp on reality, with a firm grasp on society and one that is willing to lead me through the next four years.
There is a change happening. It’s not coming, it’s already here.
The change is political. Political interest, political curiosity and a craving by South Africans to learn as much as possible about the political situation, past and present, in South Africa.
I’ve felt this change happening for a while. The media focus, the dinner discussions, the coffee debates and late night and early morning TV politics. But now it seems as though it’s true.
Book sales in SA are not great. If you sell 10 000 copies your book has gone “platinum”. That’s pretty bad really. Average sales look for 3 – 6 000 apparently and you’re doing well.
In today’s Mail & Guardian I read an article that says that there is a shift finally taking place and it’s showing in the purchase of politically-orientated books. The article is titled: “Political books go pop” and the basic premise is that recent sales are showing that politically orientated books are dominating the sales charts. People are becoming more concerned with their surroundings and the political state of our nation. This is especially pleasing to me with next years elections in mind. Let the voter education begin. Eventually.
I don’t often provide negative criticism on this blog. I leave it to the mass media, the negative blogs, and pessimistic social commentators. But I have been increasingly surprised that there has been no social commentary along the lines of the South African citizen in relation to the ANC and their approach to the Jacob Zuma trial and the arms deal being “investigated”.
Answer me this: Why is no one talking about the affects on South African citizens while the ANC is spending all of their time trying to keep a man from being tried by our democratic systems?
Time spent by the ANC on keeping Zuma away from a fair trial is time wasted by the ruling party on matters of governance.
The priorities seem to have gone awry in our leading/ruling party. The priority should be simple: Let Zuma find his own lawyers, let him run his own course, let him face the trial as an innocent man until proven guilty. This is a democracy and this is why we have a law system in place that is not ruled by the government.
Instead we have a ruling party that is being consumed by the trial of an individual who needs to face up to the accusations against him. What the ANC should be doing is dedicating their time to the citizens of this country, the people without running water, without basic human rights and the citizens of this country who need their attention the most. That person is not Jacob Zuma.
I am a firm supporter of Barack Obama. It’s strange to show such support for a candidate in an election in another country. In theory it has no physical direct effect on me as an individual in South Africa.
Yet I feel an affinity for the man. The other incredible thing that I’ve noticed is that almost all of my experience of the man has been online. I follow him on twitter, I subscribe to his updates on Facebook and religious visit his website to see what he is doing and what he has to say. I also follow the news websites when they write about him. I found his entire campaign utterly intriguing.
But so what? What does it matter? I’ll tell you.
Africa can learn from the man and his campaign and closer to home our politicians need to take a page, no, the entire book from Obama and run with it.
What do I mean?
I think that Obama and his campaign have revolutionised the way that politicians practice politics. Obama spoke to the people, about the people and for the people. Yes, that sounds very “American” in essence but not recently. Recently American politics has been dictated top down from a leader who was not voted in by the entire country. In fact, Bush received a shocking low percentage of votes when considering the entire population. America’s active voting numbers are exceptionally low. And if Bush received 25% of the population’s votes I would be impressed. I don’t want to get in to the working of the American political system because that is an essay all on its own, never mind a single blog post.
From what I have experienced and noticed from Obama’s campaign is that he pushes an agenda of hope, faith, belief and change. He obviously discusses his political policies when he needs to but never confuses the masses with excessive lingo that baffles the mind and confuses voters. He kept it simple and kept it real.
African politics is not real, South African politics is not actionary (is that a word?), it is REactionary. Helen Zille is the perfect example of this. When was the last time you heard Helen Zille speak to her constituency about anything that was not a reaction to something that the ANC has done, or not done? I can’t remember that particular moment. All I can remember her talking about is the ANC and how badly they have managed to do. This might be true much of the time but it is negative politics.
I am not saying that Obama did not partake in negative politics but for the most part of my experience of his politics it has been steadfast action. Solid opinions about his country, his politics, his people (even though they aren’t “his” yet). This is a breath of fresh air.
Imagine a candidate in SA who did not run against the ANC but ran for the country and its people. As I write this I am slowly starting to believe that this candidate right now is Zuma. He runs for the people. He is the people.
Here are some quick-fire points that I think SA politicians can learn from Obama:
Talk to the people, not down to the people
Live amongst the people – physically and in an empathetic sense
Get more votes from people who don’t vote
Recruit the youth to support you
Speak to the individual, literally, you don’t need to address the masses at every turn
Fighting against the politicians wont work, fight with the people for their needs
Use the media available to you and the voters – grassroots newspapers, radio stations an leaders, lecture theatres at Universities, school halls to speak to the 17/18 year olds who will vote next year
Don’t hedge your bets, politics can be all or nothing, Obama is proof, YES WE CAN
Put faith in the humanity of people, not the politics
This man move and inspires me and my belief in leadership.
In fact I don’t think it’s Obama that moves me, I think it is his supporters who move me. They are united, unified and joined by the desire to make their nation a better place. They are not united against Bush (that is negative action), they are united in favour of the better candidate who they believe can change their situation and better their country in the face of two decades of destruction from two families (Clinton and Bush) of power.
But tell me, who is this person in SA? I have asked this before and will continue to ask until that person rouses themselves from slumber and takes on the future of this nation. Who is going to let me support them with everything I have? With my heart, with my head, my soul, my belief, with everything?
The video above and the one to follow inspire me to want to gather up everyone I can and make an inspirational video for SA. But who for? Who are we supporting?
Helen Zille is the opposition, not the first choice. She isn’t really even a suitable opposition representing our future, not in my opinion. She is simply the opposition. She is not a leader who can challenge Zuma, Mbeki or anyone else.
I am purely speaking now about candidates, individuals, people who can move me to take a stand. It’s hard work standing alone but not if you are standing for and behind someone you know in your heart can make a change. Mandela was that person but his legacy is over and his dreams are being overshadowed by others who are seemingly misled. We need change and we need a catalyst.
There is a change happening. It’s not coming, it’s already here.
