Pain of the first 100 days in government

I find the first 100 days of any government department cringeworthy.

The hype, hustle and bustle that created expectations of service delivery, dissipating as if they never were. The promises to investigate contracts are not fulfilled.

Every minister of justice uses gender-based violence as their public relations tool. Women want to believe this to be true.

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But only in depression, incurable diseases and unwanted pregnancies, it’s unfathomable that we have an expectation for women to continue to endure.

We hear the loud promises of Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie. We want to believe him, too, but history tells us to be a little more than gullible.

This history reminds us of the promises made by those who came before him. Many of them have spots next to their names in the Book of Judges that speaks of questionable integrity at the presentation of power and influence.

The excitement that was created because of their first 1100 days and the silence that followed on day 101. While we want to believe, we are the casualties of a broken system.

Broken by the ones entrusted to fix it, who make us believe that they found it broken and are the ones who will clean out the rot.

But we now know that power corrupts. When any organisation has personalities that become bigger than the organisation, the ones who feel the pinch are those who must survive the exploits of such squabbles – in comes the ANC and its leaders.

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For the longest time, it seemed as if former president Jacob Zuma could do no wrong. No matter the severity of the allegations.

No matter the resounding calls for his investigations – it kept falling on deaf ears, or so we thought. Misconduct would be reported. There would be a flurry of reports and battering eyelids.

Then, slowly, as if nothing had happened, silence would cover the allegations and onto the next scandal in the ANC.

There are personalities that outweigh the legitimacy of any movement, or even government. We hope that the new brooms are not swallowed by the system that has corrupted many.

Hoping we survive through the chaos of an endless 100 days in leadership pronouncements without further shattered hopes as a result of ministers who perform for likes, rather than sustainable goals and actions.