When this year started, the writing was definitely on the wall and continues to stay there; politics were going to dominate the news and suddenly parties would seem to suddenly spring to life because we are all building up to elections 2014.
Opposition parties will be a bit more direct in their approach than the ruling party. They have started making promises, pledging to work hard to make our lives better. Yes, they will sound like they care or seem more concerned than the ruling party. In most parts, they may be genuinely caring about ‘making South Africa a great country to live in’.
It is all good and well pointing out the failures of the ruling party by hiding behind ‘that is the role of the opposition’; however, the question is, “What are you doing different? Are you as concerned as you claim to be or are you just looking for votes?”
While I understand politicians need votes to bring change, they need to stay true to their word. They need to continuously show they really care. Unfortunately the ruling party is an example of an organisation guilty of showing up when elections loom, which makes us wonder if other parties would not do the same.
Recent media reports have painted a picture of a government which sounds like it has always been doing great. They ‘tackle’ issues which have been always there for the past five years appear to be overnight heroes. After not showing any interest to the needs of the youth, living conditions in poor areas and not doing enough to address issues faced by the minority; the ANC now sounds like a model of an effective government.
The reality is, we have continuously cried for good service delivery, jobs for our youth and better living environments; yet our pleas seem to have fallen on deaf ears… until now! I wish service delivery could have been constant since 2009; instead, there has been so many protests against poor services since Jacob Zuma became president.
We have suffered the incompetence of politics while plagued by insufficient service delivery. This time around, we deserve better… We deserve a willing and able government which does not only care in theory but in reality. Politicians need to stop preaching without progressive action, but need to practice the ideals they preach.
We deserve a government driven by delivering quality services more than political gain; we deserve a South Africa that works for us.
