EDITOR – As the sun set on the year gone by and a new year dawns upon us it’s probably the best time for reflection.
South Africans were pretty well entertained by the high-spirited behaviour of our leaders on both sides of the political spectrum. From all the legal battles it would appear that the country is now being managed by the High Courts of this land. We were bounced between the Nkandla debacle, the huckterism of the Guptas and State Capture which consumed the attention of the country for most of 2016.
In the best of times, municipal election campaigns act as a quadrennial check-up for the body politic, a series of tests that measure our health and national well-being. In the worst of times, we discover that we’re sicker than we know. The outcome of these elections was a rude awakening for the ruling party in government, who have been accused of taking the masses for granted and something that they have acknowledged.
This outcome also forced the ruling party to revisit their assumption that they would be in power until the return of Christ. The parallel of this shocking result was recognised with the triumphant rise of non-establishment President Elect Donald Trump, who basically tapped into the minds of the masses of blue collared workers, who were also taken for granted by the democrats and other like-minded Republican presidential hopefuls.
Lots of debate and political analysis has been encouraged post our municipal elections and so as this conversation ends another begins. For the betterment of this beautiful country we need to be open-minded and be filled with a vision that is hopeful.This is the choice that South Africans now all face. Do we exploit the passions laid bare by this election contest, make deeper tears in the very fabric that holds us together, or do we look for common ground and reasons to work together?
This should be the call from the man in the street to the leaders of the ruling party and the opposition – lets make things work for the people of this country. Put the fate of the millions of less fortunate, disenchanted and indigent people first so that all those who are little more fortunate can also live in peace and harmony. One cannot happily exist without the other.
Sicario
Durban
