Stop moaning – rather cast a vote

Wherever you go in South Africa there is no shortage of moaning about the current predicament we find ourselves in.

Whether you are standing in a queue at the shops, or at the water cooler in your office chatting to your colleagues, South Africans are not short of telling you what is wrong with the country and how they’ll fix it. Not many escape the blame.

Thank goodness we are a nation that gets on with it, and usually makes fun of the position we find ourselves in – but if complaining was a national sport, we’d be up there with the very best in the world.

Complaining

Having said that we rightfully have reason to complain – and complain often. With our high levels of unemployment, unacceptable crime and concerning economic woes – just to mention a few – we should be vocal that we are not happy. This is no way to live.

We deserve adequate service delivery and a better future for all. But you should only have the right to complain when you have done everything in your power to bring about action, or even change. And making your mark at local and national elections is one way of doing this.

So it is hugely concerning to hear over a third of people registered to vote at the 29 May general election – 11.7 million of the 27.8 million registered voters to be exact – don’t have an interest in politics at all.

That’s all very well, but let’s hope that does not translate into that amount of people not voting in just over three weeks’ time. You don’t have to be interested in politics, but you do need to cast your vote.

Your very future and the future of your children and their children’s children depend on it.

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