The political pressure cooker is heating up all-round.
Just as suspended ANC spokesperson, Pule Mabe, tries to wriggle himself out of sexual harassment allegations, boom comes the news that acting spokesperson Zizi Kodwa has been accused of
something similar.
Be afraid politicians from as nearer home as the Waterberg, be very afraid.
Some years ago, a document was leaked to The BEAT, with damning allegations about a politician who owed the Bela-Bela Local Municipality thousands of rands in rates and services arears.
We normally tread very carefully on such matters, especially during the prevailing elections high fever such as in the weeks ahead.
We anticipate highly-charged political contestations between and indeed within political parties.
Mark my words, in South African politics it often gets dirty.
Now what is our role as the media — mainstream or community — in these times of political posturing.
The answer is very simple; we shall continue to publish, expose, name and shame without fear nor favour.
However, we continue to warn warring parties that The BEAT is not going to allow itself to be turned into a platform for people to attack each other.
We shall open our eyes and ears to follow the unfolding pre-election narrative, and carve our own unique niche into reporting on the pre-elections campaigning.
On the national level we learn from the mainstream political analysts that the ANC is likely to lose at least three provinces to a coalition of opposition parties.
Guess what? One of the three provinces has been identified as Limpopo, in addition to Gauteng and the North West.
There are a number of reasons why the ANC is likely to struggle in especially Gauteng.
One of the reasons is that the growing emergent black middle class is still bitter about e-tolls.
The gentries hit the motorists directly in their pockets.
The good news for the ANC is that it is the self-same black middle class which is finding hope in the so-called Ramaphoria.
But then there is a real possibility that the Gauteng black middle class voter may give the national vote to Ramaphosa (not necessarily the ANC), and the provincial vote elsewhere.
There is also the militant voting bloc of the so-called Fees Must Fall brigade, who it is anticipated may vote for the Economic Freedom Fighters in numbers.
According to the Independent Electoral Commission, first-time voters make up around 25% of registered voters for the May 8 general elections.
As for the ANC losing Limpopo to a coalition of opposition parties, this we doubt very much in that the voting bloc in the province is made up largely of the rural die-hard ANC supporter.
The EFF is reported to be growing strongly in the North West.
— The BEAT
