South Africa faces huge challenges, and so does Boksburg, yet in 2019 numerous solutions will be magically provided as this is the year of the national elections.
And with elections, we are inundated with political campaigning, new parties and new promises.
No matter one’s level of optimism, you have to be realistic that campaigning is about one thing – to fool the masses to believe there are viable solutions to the government meltdown.
It easy to talk the talk, but it is different to walk it.
Obama in America talked about “yes we can”, but all the hype appeared to be mere smoke and mirrors. So is the case in South Africa, where the ruling government is again turning the gears to win at the polls, trying to pull rabbits out of the hat and finding the Ace in rotten decks of cards.
So get ready for a host of new parties to come to the fore, and they all apparently hold the key to unlocking SA’s potential to wash over the country’s woes.
It is easy to talk and to sound clever, but the proof is in the pudding. To run a country is not an easy task, and the ANC found that out after 1994.
And so did the EFF, for all their talk and bravado, in reality, they still haven’t presented any concrete plans to turn SA around. To play the economic transformation card draws attention, what about the implementation?
What about education, the ailing health care system and how will SA’s woeful unemployment be solved?
Now we have the emergence of the African Transformation Movement, fronted by former cabinet spokesperson Mzwanele Manyi, along with parties like African Covenant that will be playing the religious card.
So yes, in 2019 the people will be promised the sun, the moon and the stars. It will be a year where people are promised jobs, houses, land, wealth, heck, why not throw in a stay at Nkandla?
Sadly, many will believe these promises, even though the vast majority of them will be futile and empty, disguised as weak propaganda, for it will take more than talk to rescue this country.
More than ever people are tired of service delivery, never mind the corruption and all the crime.
In Boksburg, it is clear that residents are getting increasingly angry and frustrated at the state of the city and there is the general feeling that this place has gone to the dogs.
The Advertiser is fully aware of all the complaints regarding potholes, stolen cables, power outages, and the levels of crime. And then tensions are also boiling over in the informal settlements regarding the lack of electricity.
Boksburg, like so many other cities, is suffering due to poor service delivery, and calls for economic transformation will not automatically fix the potholes or curb cable theft.
Gauteng’s lack of schools is becoming a monumental nightmare, and it will cost billions just to begin addressing the issue.
One can only hope that the people of this city and the land will remember the devastation of state capture, which is a burden solely resting on the current government.
Let us remember we still live in a democratic country, even though at times it does not feel like it, and that we the people ultimately hold the power to usher in change.
Such power will be exercised at the polls.
One can only wait and see if the nation chooses a bright future for all motivated by proper governance, or if the race card will triumph to lead us down a further dark path.
ALSO READ:
Residents warned of title deeds scammers in Ekurhuleni
Follow us on these platforms:
For more #hyperlocal news at your fingertips, visit Boksburg Advertiser, Springs Advertiser, Brakpan Herald, African Reporter and Kathorus Mail.
