With the elections less than two months away, there is a sudden flurry of activity as typically-silent political parties have politicians wanting to campaign on a local level.
I simply can’t help rolling my eyes when councillors I’ve never heard of unexpectedly come out of the woodwork wanting to get involved at a local level on behalf of their political party. Amazing how all of a sudden our local issues are now deemed relevant. Do they really think anyone is fooled by their so-called concern about issues in our suburbs?
Believe it or not, some even admit to neglecting the “important relationship” with the local media between elections and then seem surprised by the fact that they “find [them]selves at a disadvantage when it comes to news coverage compared to” political parties that are actually active in the area, irrespective of whether there’s an election on the horizon.
The adage “too little too late” comes to mind.
I’d like to think most people see through the bureaucratic puppet show, but clearly enough people don’t or we wouldn’t have as many potholes, power outages, malfunctioning traffic lights and water cuts as we currently do.
The real question is whether there’s a single political party out there that can truly take South Africa to the next level without being bogged down by our history. And are there any real leaders that can step up and honourably tackle the role of president (or is that an oxymoron)?
Sadly, I think our country is seriously lacking in the suitable candidate department. It’s reached a point where, while I hate those who choose to abstain from voting, I am starting to understand their feelings of complete apathy.
Nevertheless, choosing not to vote isn’t the solution and I sincerely hope you decide to stand up and be counted when the nation goes to the polls on 7 May.
After all, if you don’t vote then you lose the right to complain about load shedding, e-tolls, taxes or any other government-related debacle.
