A government of broken promises driven by ambition, deceit, corruption, lies

Once upon a time, there was a government that fed off the goodwill of the people from across the land and promised to improve their quality of life.

The government also promised those living beyond the land that it would hold its position with great honour and exhibit empathy for all the people. As time moved on, the government morphed into a deceitful monster. It became increasingly corrupt and greedy and began a systematic programme of entrenched corruption.

It also began to abuse and ignore the people who supported it. It no longer governed for the people – it governed for itself. But the people, increasingly impoverished and unemployed, challenged the monster.

The monster, fearful that it would lose all its power and new-found wealth, continually promised better governance and transparency. But the people knew the monster was lying as its desire for all-consuming control, power and self-enrichment knew no bounds.

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The people had one solution: the monster had to go… Although the monster had promised good governance, it
never delivered on its promises. Its false undertakings to eliminate poverty, unemployment, inequality and corruption to ensure a better life for all was driven by untold ambition, deceit, corruption, lies and opportunism. The monster led the entire country down a path of ruin and poverty – and into darkness.

The much-anticipated state capture report that implicated senior government officials in the wanton and uncontrolled looting of the state is considered by the monster to be a conspiracy. It claimed it merely made a
series of mistakes that should not be held against it.

But to overcome these mistakes and distract the people, the monster turned to destructive politics and nongovernance. Driven by mobilising populism in its most negative forms – racism, militancy, hate speech, xenophobia, divisiveness, blame laying and criticism of the structures it was instrumental in putting in place – the monster turned cunning, deceitful, power hungry and mean.

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Daily, the monster disrupts the lives of citizens at every opportunity. Determined to seize total power, it will destroy whatever lies in its path. Any opposition to its iron-fisted rule is attacked and suppressed. Municipal meetings across the land are sabotaged to ensure no progress can be made – ever. The astronomical financial expenditure and wastage that follows when the monster throws its tantrums is of no concern. Exhibiting its destructive
and hooligan-like attitude, the monster is determined to see those it once oversaw crushed and destroyed.

The monster (before it encouraged the “decolonisation” of our burned-down parliament) turned our local and national politics into a circus of gigantic proportions. It thrives on sensationalism, cheap populism and theatrical posturing. And while playing its populist politics, it is estimated its municipal disruptions are costing the people
a staggering R222 million a year.

But the monster cares not, as it is the people that must pay for its “mistakes” and wastages. The monster refuses to engage in objective political debates that will bring about stability and prosperity. It wants, instead, to oversee the destruction of the country and people. It has no hesitancy in collapsing council meetings while dancing in the chambers and chanting songs falsely proclaiming its fake military victories.

The monster exhibits its true self by intimidating, pushing, shoving, and swearing at council members who are trying to rectify the many wrongs the monster brought upon the people. It abhors order and good governance. The monster has shown its true colours to the people. It feeds on its own ambition, deceit, greed and lies to cling to power, regardless of what it must do to achieve this.

Additionally, it aims to impoverish the people and take what little they have for its own good. It has become increasingly dictatorial, despite claiming it believes in democracy. The monster’s ego was dented when the people finally gained the courage to resist its evil intentions. Overwhelmingly, the people voted to reduce the monster’s hold over them.

As it saw its power diminishing, the monster grew angry and attacked itself in a process known as “factionalism”.

It blamed many factors for its constant and myriad of failures, but not once did it blame itself. Instead, it blamed the “usual suspects”. The monster also called on its waning sympathisers to distract the people though acts of anarchy, hooliganism, riots and protests if it didn’t get its way.

It believes it is fashionable to condemn everyone who does not agree with it. Equally, it criticises the rules it helped formulate when the rules apply to it.

Not only has the monster failed to deliver on its undertakings and poisoned the country, it has also poisoned itself. The time for it to go has come…

– Mashaba is a polital advisor