MANDLA RADEBE of Norkem Park writes:
Ekurhuleni has seen interesting events recently that links the city to national shenanigans.
First was Nomvula Mokonyane who showed up as a replacement for the president in a rally without a clear purpose. Then followed the Chris Hani memorial where the president himself came to lay the wreath and later that night the new finance minister delivered a lecture.
It was shocking the level of ignorance or call it lack of care displayed by Mokonyane in her address regarding our currency and economy. Having been downgraded to a non-investment grade, it was of epic shamefulness to hear a statement from a leader who is supposed to be part of the highest decision making echelon revealing how out of touch she is with reality and relevance.
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The cherry on top was the night of the Chris Hani lecture delivered by the new finance minister. He was very eloquent and composed and the core of what he said was substantially worth listening to. He sounded like someone who wants to lead the country to recovery seriously.
He was firm, fair and frank. We hope he is not ‘captured’ and that the president learn something from him.
However, something I never expected happened. Our own executive mayor, Clr Mzwandile Masina’s, opening remarks sounded like warlord of some threatened pseudo-autocracy. He ranted about insult directed to him and the ANC.
He singled out the white community of our city and issued warnings and threats which reminded me of Bantustan leaders of the apartheid era. It even reminded me of the late leader of a small minority racist group.
It was even more depressing the applause he received from that.
Masina is no stranger to trivial controversy. Following his acceptance speech, he berated and dressed down South African for not voting the ANC to the point of losing three major metros. He lamented that his party was painted as arrogant and corrupt by those South Africans, by the opposition parties and the media.
He justified his fly-off-the-handle speeches on interviews with radio stations the following morning, emphasising that the narrative was not true.
Fast forward to the Chris Hani memorial lecture, Masina’s opening remarks painted exactly the picture he denied about the ANC and it leadership when he took over as mayor. He was extremely and indelicately arrogant and out of touch with reality.
Here is the reality for Mr Masina. His organisation is deeply divided, so glaringly I can see it from my armchair at home. Because of the leadership position his party occupies in the community, which they are not using correctly, these divisions are affecting the country which is why we lacked positive economic growth for at least two year.
The deeper the divisions went, the closer we were to the non-investment grade of economic rating (ie junk). We have your president who arrogantly takes decisions that serve his faction. As I am writing this letter, a statement has been issued by a rating agency warning of a further downgrade into worse than junk position if we won’t sort ourselves out as a country.
But the ANC continues to drive itself deeper into divisions, remaining arrogant, corrupt and out of touch but in denial.
When Nelson Mandela led this country, he showed us what can be achieved and how important it was to nurture and strengthen our diversity. Utterances by Masina showed how hatred can be perpetuated from leadership level.
Frankly such a speech belongs to 1993. In this era Mr Masina’s job is to unite the city, or is it? How can one unite the city while spewing venomous threats and casting aspersions?
I understand racist and insulting remarks from some community members, but Mr Masina is a leader of the city, an executive mayor. He can neither afford to behave like an undisciplined wage striker on the rampage to loot and destroy, nor can he justify divisive insults to the people of our city. We are one, with or without him.
