Editor’s Voice: The people’s lives will never be changed by sloganeering
The outcry during the liberation struggle was about all race groups being treated equally and having the same economic opportunities in the land of their birth.
Ever since the arrival of a democratic ruling in South Africa, ordinary people have hoped for one thing: that the freedom attained, would automatically bring about an economic spin-off for many.
The outcry during the liberation struggle was about all race groups being treated equally and having the same economic opportunities in the land of their birth.
Little was it realised that out of the protracted negotiations prior to 1994, the black majority won political power and control of the means of production, which is economic power.
Truth be told though, it is not all the black majority that lost out, a number of individuals had their status elevated through lucrative deals of being investors and partners in large businesses.
Back then and even now, government boasts of having created a middle-class entity from a portion of the black majority. However, did they take note of the ordinary man and woman on the streets, deep rural areas and many other places?
The answer is a stern no. At the time, some of the ruling party’s leading and popular politicians left governance and focused on their businesses and became instant millionaires and billionaires to say the least. Some returned to politics when the economic bite affected their respective business ventures and are back once again to reap the benefits of being influential leaders.
It is on that very note that I welcome the holding of the economic summit by the tripartite alliance of the ruling party at Nutting House over the weekend to seek answers and a mandate to the economic woes faced by citizens in the country.
The approach of school-feeding scheme tenders should be a direct benefit to the community as service providers of the various products needed to run it, will lift up many a people and will realistically contribute direct to practical job creation – why didn’t they think of such a mechanism all along?
The very thought of urging ordinary citizens to be the manufacturers of bricks for building houses, schools, clinics and hospitals in a particular area will boost the economic status of all involved.
If there are pavings needed to be constructed, it is suggested that it be supplied by local communities themselves. For me, such initiatives surpass the often heard of talk-shows dubbed: we want economic freedom in our lifetime, a slogan the ruling party fights over with the EFF which has also adopted the same slogan.
The people’s lives will never be changed by sloganeering, but action towards the right economic direction is the answer to our woes.
