Our view
It's about time that the electorate wake up from their deep sleep and vote for a party that comes up with practical plans that are implementable.
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The political playing field has been opened as organisations gear themselves for the upcoming general elections on May 7. What is interesting on the local front, a coalition has been created locally with COPE’s only current representative at the legislature, Ms Zale Madonsela’s
announcement that she is the premier candidate, not for COPE, but the United Democratic Movement (UDM) led by Mr Bantu Holomisa.
It makes you think because her faction, under Mr Mbhazima Shilowa, was beaten hands down by the Terror Lekota faction during a court battle that has divided the organisation in two. What’s even worse, is the fact that some of the members have joined the EFF led by Mr Julius Malema.
Under the current circumstances, I do not see COPE surviving the elections because they are already depleted of their membership, and for the past five years, have been embroiled in leadership squabbles at national level.
It’s also been said that the remaining faction under Lekota in Mpumalanga is struggling to control the whole province, as Madonsela is said to command many more branches than them, but now they’ve been taken over by the UDM.
My biggest concern is, why are leaders of parties preferring to go into coalitions at the expense of their membership – the bottom line, they want to end up in either parliament or the legislature. Is this also caused by the fact that leaders have made politics their lifetime careers?
The continued conflicts among leaders in many organisations is a cause for concern, even the ruling party is experiencing the same crisis. How do they expect the electorate to react towards them when all they do is fight among themselves for positions and little is being said about deliverables to the people?
It’s about time that the electorate wake up from their deep sleep and vote for a party that comes up with practical plans that are implementable. We do not want to see a situation, whereby, come election results, they will be led by people who do not deliver – at least they must now learn to vote for organisations of their choice that will really deliver. If you seek a change in your life, make the onus and place your cross where it truly belongs.