I am not a politician – thank goodness. I don’t want my phone tapped by National Intelligence, I don’t want to stand on platforms calling for my machine gun or dancing to a sexists ditty named “Koekie Loekie”. Nor do I want to say nice things about the leader of my chosen party whom I might think is an idiot, a crook or a shrill pessimist. But as someone who really believes in the Constitution and the promise of a better life for all enshrined in it, I have to say that it it is sad that not more was said during the election campaign about service delivery and access to jobs, houses and good medical care.
The ANC made brilliant use of the fact that it had recalled President Thabo Mbeki and that some of the former President’s loyal foot soldiers had formed a new party. This allowed the ANC not to have to defend their shaky record in office over the past fifteen years. They could hint (or sometimes say directly) that it was all Mbeki’s fault that some councilors are lazy and corrupt, that the electricity does not always work, that some roads are full of pot holes, that some state hospitals are dysfunctional, that the police seem incapable of dealing with crime and that we still have not eradicated the bucket system.
At the same time the ANC could take credit (as it should) for expanding the social insurance net, building millions of houses and providing access to clean water for millions more of South Africa’s poorest citizens. People – especially those who are not part of a disgruntled and bitter minority – want to vote for their hopes, not their fears.
Instead of focusing sharply on the hopes the electorate have for a creating a better life for themselves, the opposition parties seemed to have focused far too much on the fears of minorities and of the middle and upper classes. So they focused on Mr Jacob Zuma and on the possibility that the ANC would get a two-thirds majority and will change the Constitution. But they did not say why changing the Constitution would be a bad thing and how this might affect the lived reality of ordinary people.
Fact is that the ANC has already used its current two-thirds majority to change the Constitution several times. The most problematic and unpopular amendment to the Constitution was made to change some provincial boundaries to eradicate cross-boundary municipalities. This led to vigorous resistance from communities in Merafong, Matatiele and Khutsong. People in these communities became active citizens, resisting the high handed and bureaucratic decision of the technocrats whom they believed was not in their interest.
The “new” ANC under Mr Jacob Zuma actually listened to these voices and have revisited the decision to incorporate these communities into the North West Province and the Eastern Cape. Because of resistance by citizens an unpopular decision was reversed. This is a good sign and holds a lesson for all who wish to defend the Constitution against the possible amendment by an ANC with a two-thirds majority.
This lesson is that people will resist the shenanigans of the majority party if they really believe that this will affect their lives. And our Constitution will thrive only if ordinary people are prepared to defend it against possible abuse. When we talk about the Constitution, we therefore need to convince people that the Constitution is a truly transformative document and that it will help to deliver a better life for all. We need to talk much more about the social and economic rights in the Constitution and how our courts have often intervened successfully to stop the ANC (or DA) governments from cutting off people’s water, evicting them from their houses, and denying them access to basic health care. Astonishingly, opposition parties hardly made this argument, instead making abstract arguments about defending the Constitution and the Rule of Law.
Respect for the Rule of Law is, of course, very important. Some actions of the ANC leadership and of the government it has lead over the past five years, suggest that respect for the Rule of Law is under threat. The firing of Vusi Pikoli, the way charges came to be dropped against Mr Jacob Zuma, the unconstitutional passing of laws by several Provincial Legislatures to give money to political parties to run their election campaigns, and the failure of several provincial governments to follow the law in the allocation of housing and social grants must trouble us all.
But this will remain an abstract issue for ordinary citizens unless they believe that the failure to respect the Rule of Law will effect them directly. I cannot understand why opposition political parties have not made a stronger argument about the dangers of fhe state not following the pre-announced legal rules. It is easy to show that where rules are not obeyed, corruption thrives and those who have money to bribe or who have connections with the ruling elite gain unfair access to services while the poor and marginalised unfairly are denied such access.
We will have to see whether the ANC appreciates this and whether they will follow the example of Khutsong or that of Vusi Pikoli. But perhaps until opposition parties can connect the abstract concerns of the chattering classes to the real concerns of ordinary voters, the ANC probably does not have much to worry about. And if a governing party does not worry sufficiently about what voters need and want, the voters suffer.
I believe service delivery is by far the most important tool for social upliftment. Clean water and proper sanitation being the most important aspects of service delivery. Clean water is not just the type that’s drinkable when you open the tap, it also refer to healthy rivers and ecosystems.
I work for a private firm in the service delivery industry. Our biggest client is the Government. As I said on a previous comment, the way in which ANC and DA run municipalities operate in terms of service delivery, spending and procurement vary enormously.
Look at what’s happening in the Limpopo, Gauteng, Eastern Cape, Northwest Province… its in shambles. And as the latest voting results indicate, these provinces, the ones whose population suffer most, voted for the ANC again, when poor service delivery, the systematic degradation of water quality and natural ecosystems is most apparent in these provinces. Sure, population growth contributes to the problem, however, good governance can anticipate and maintain this.
Until the sufferers realise that a) the fight for services delivery is more important than a perpetual freedom fight, b) that service delivery in Kgutsong will not improve under any ANC led government and c) voting for the ANC does not guarantee you a house, they will bear the fruit of their vote.
Obviously ANC supporters and voters will go out and celebrate this victory for their party. Good for them.
However I cannot but feel extremely uncomfortable, not because the ANC won, but by the measure of the ANC victory. Now if one is to agree that our leaders, by virtue of being elected by us, are a reflection of what we are, as society, then we have to be one flawed society. To me our next president is merely a fair reflection on us. I now understand what bugs Tutu so much about a Zuma presidency, and that is the confirmation that a society we are more damaged than it is healthy to acknowledge. In his rape trial Jacob Zuma said some atrocious things about women and he has also been reported to have made quite unsavoury and violent statements about gay people. I bet that many women and gay people saw nothing wrong with voting him into power. It is as surreal as black people celebrating and voting for a white man who calls them kaffirs. Never mind this(including his relationship with the rape complainant’s father) and all the other issues around him, we, as society, have said that he best represents what we desire to be. Now I am not Zuma bashing here, all I am saying is that, given his acknowledged flaws, we cannot be a sound society, at all.
Perhaps, in time, his election to the presidency will, for all of us, provide a mirror that will prod us to see clearly that there is something wrong with us and we need to change and be a better society. I am hoping that we do use him as a mirror to clean ourselves up. Because the alternative, if we do not recognize the flaws on the mirror, quickly enough, Tutu worst fears will come to life. The man is clearly not the best we have, but he is what we have chosen.
I know some smart ass will try to argue that the people elected the ANC and not the man. All I can say to anyone who says that is that it gets worse if one drags the party to this equation.
Many people believe that Shakespearean heroes fall, not because of their flaws, but because of the need to illustrate the flaws of the society they reside in. Perhaps people like Pierre need to start to appreciate Mbeki, for it was his fall that led to the events that have culminated in this opportunity of self reflection that our society, could possible go through now. And many accuse him of falling while trying to stop Zuma from becoming president. Loosely translated, they are saying, he fell while trying to save us from seeing a mirror of our true self.
“But as someone who really believes in the Constitution and the promise of a better life for all enshrined in it, I have to say that it it is sad that not more was said during the election campaign about service delivery and access to jobs, houses and good medical care.”
I’m just wondering whose “constitutional” blog has been obsessively focusing on Jacob Zuma ?
Ozoneblue, as I said I am not a politician but a lawyer…..
Khosi, I could just kiss you. (Figuratively speaking of course). I could not agree with you more.
Whatever happened to sane people in our society?
“Now I am not Zuma bashing here, all I am saying is that, given his acknowledged flaws, we cannot be a sound society, at all.”
In fact I think we are getting to be a less schizophrenic society without that God-Man Mandela towering above us mere mortals.
Dumisani Mkhize // Apr 23, 2009 at 10:27 pm
khosi // Apr 23, 2009 at 7:46 pm
I thought i would say something here, i wouldnt stress to much, healing for this country is a slow progress. Mbeki was a little to ahead for his time….but opposition is growing slowly and a balance of power will eventualy come, besides if south africa carries on developing sons like you two, south africa will get there sooner than later.
positive side there is a fresh change in the country
Khosi – The after effects of collonialism give you a change of heart? Good to see such thoughtful comment from you – which differs like night by day since the days before TM was dismissed. Thought we’d make a convert of you yet.
The ANC Speaker now says that they would not want to change the Constitution because everything in there has already been done “by us”. That includes some very sinister changes in the past – floor crossing (wonder whether that will now be scrapped) and Provincial and Muniocipal Border changes. And then there is the recent Cabinet approval of a new Bill aimed at giving national government a bigger say over municipaliities. See the concerns of John Myburgh and hellen Zille in the article. http://www.news24.com/News24/Elections/News/0,,2-2478-2479_2506405,00.html
It is a real pity that COPE did not get more of the vote! Not that I particularly favour them, but anything to stop a two thirds majority.
A government is only as strong as its opposition! The new government will therefore not be strong at all.
Pity the voters voted emotionally again. “We love the ANC ’cause they gave us freedom”. What has freedom got to do with corruption, despotism, houses, food etc etc
Khosi and everyone else interested
I found your comment interesting. I myself am disappointed that the ANC didn’t at least just get below 60% and that COPE did better. There are so many cultural and other aspects that I run through to try to understand some of what’s going on.
I understand that Mantashe admitted to manipulation of people by telling them they will lose their social grants if another party were to govern and with 12 million grants that’s a lot of leverage on the lifeline of many poor people. But that is just a part of the picture.
I also understand that many people have no problem believing that their vote will not be secret, since there are “spiritual” ways of finding out.
But how much fear plays a role, I don’t know, maybe it is minor. But truly we are a broken society when the ANC can say that citizens abroad are racists, because they voted for the DA and other “white leadership” parties. No one will call a black person racist for voting for a party with a majority of black leaders. But that is no surprise considering our past. And though I am not one of those overseas votesI know that just being white, I have it coming, since it is not for us to decide when enough has been done. We need to create new past.
Maybe some of it has to do with what John Mbiti describes in “African religions & philosophy” (1969) as the difference in understanding time between African and Western cultures. He says: “The linear concept of time in western thought, with an indefinite past, present and future, is practically foreign to African thinking”.
From his perspective “actual time” is the only thing relevant and not “potential time”. Only that which has taken place and is taking place is “real”, but a short span into the future is relevant and constitutes potential time, but is of less significance. It is also very much event driven more than about time as such. So thought moves between the past and the present primarily, where in the west the future is very important and the analysis of the past serves to help guide the future.
I hope a did some justice to Mbiti’s ideas, but whether his is right or wrong or partially so, I do see how his analysis can explain a lot of what I’ve experienced and some people resonate with it. It could be argued that the modern business world is at enmity with this, through it’s constant focus on the future and strict *time* schedules. Not that I critique this aspect of culture if it be true, no value judgment from my side at all, I rather seek understanding. Afterall many westerners lament the overly future orientedness with a call to the present.
Maybe by a stretch it can be applied to voting in that a vote for anyone else but the “past”/”present” party would require taking (distancing?) yourself from that past and looking forward to different outcomes.
But I am trying to learn and understand, and hopefully if we do try to do that we can create a new not so distant past in which we can look back and to the now and see a growing body of reconciliatory events in individual lives.
Where service delivery will go under the new administration and how much it will contribute to reconciliation? Any one’s guess (, I guess).
Congratulations to the ANC, the vanguard movement of such luminaries as Dube, Makgatho, Gumede, Pixley ka Isaka Seme, Mahabane, Alfred Xuma, Luthuli, (the cadre extraordinaire) Oliver Reginald Tambo, Mandela, Pixley ka Isaka Seme ,Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki and, Gumede, and the like.
I agree with your post Pierre. But I personally attribute the ANC’s victory to its exclusive access to both private and public resources by virtue of its incumbency. People seem to fall so easily for this notion of a “well run campaign”, but I beg to differ and contend that it was in fact a cynical campaign for inter alia the following reasons:
1. the notion of “fairness” of the election:
The ANC had access to resources such as the following:
- over R 200 Million of “its own money”,
- hundreds of millions of money from “donations” (including R 60 Million from Mvela and Shanduka, R 20 Million from corporate donations, at least R 200 Million from the Chinese, Angolan, etc, ruling parties, R300 Million from provincial government coffers for “constituency work” – mind you, for parliamentarians with less than a week in office (!) and with flagrantly illegal appropriations in the Free State, use of government resources, including food grants, vehicles, telephony, buildings, etc.
- The support of professional associations, such as including: SAFA, BUSA, BMF, etc (who extended support unashamedly despite their membership including individuals who do not support the ANC);
- Access to patronage, etc;
- Full coverage from the State broadcaster.
Collectively, all other parties, participating in the elections, spent R 200 Million! This is a clear David and Goliath scenario. To therefore claim there is fairness in the process is no different from saying a malnutritioned child born in the gutter has the same chances of success as Bill Gates little babe. It’s extraordinarily absurd.
Our party political system, and particularly the party funding aspects thereof, serves only to entrench the incumbent. Indeed, it is interesting to note, in the foregoing regard, that the DA (also an incumbent party, and second to the ANC with regard to funding, was able to consolidate its hold on the Western Cape.
This situation has a corrupting influence on our body politic as incumbency becomes the prime directive of political intercourse. Access to government the sole means of accessing wealth. Thus Julius Malema (himself, now a beneficiary of a tender) can gleefully state that those who leave the ANC are condemning their families to starvation!
2. State v Zuma:
The NPA’s withdrawal of charges against Zuma occurred less than three weeks from the poll, therefore removing the most effective tool in the hand of the opposition parties, the Zuma corruption matter. Specialists from Ogilvy Martha informed the ANC that this corruption matter would be insurmountable and internal pollsters indicated that it would cost the ANC between 8% – 17% of their electoral support. We afterwards coincidentally have the charges being hurriedly withdrawn on the flimsiest of basis and with naught consideration of the implications, and voila, the albatross on the ANC’s neck disappears!
3. Mpshe and the Glamour Factor
We are informed that, regardless the questionable ethics of the above, that the “masses” care about houses and food and do not care about “morals”. We are therefore informed that these moralizing parties are not in sync with the desires of the noble poor and that in, any event, morality is relative. The inappropriateness of having a serving government minister (lindiwe sisulu), who is a former minister of intelligence (and therefore supposedly has an extensive network intelligence operatives on call) and who is part of a cabinet that must support and protect the NPA from external pressure, representing and strategizing on behalf of an accused against whom the “state” she represents must combat! The inherent conflict of interest escapes this lady, the inherent amorality is lost to madam, the inherent demoralization of the civil ethic is irrelevant to the honourable minister, but the masses are apparently not bothered by such relativist trifles.
3. The Need for Unity
In my view the ANC has become a cynical machine geared towards preserving its control to the levers of state at whatever cost. In my view if you claim the ANC is democratic you might as well accordingly paint the political operators of old Tammany Hall as the greatest democrats to ever live.
To the ANC the end justifies the means, and they no longer care that the means invariably will shape the end.
We must, by all means, congratulate the ANC and, as patriots, assist the government of Zuma in its endeavors to end poverty and other social ills. I however remain skeptical and am unconvinced by the incantations of those majoritarians who hail this charade as epitomizing democracy. Who claim that we ought to ignore the distortions that are rampant in our political system, that we ought to only be satisfied with periodic elections, and that ills such as corruption and pillage, must be ignored because concepts such as civic duty, responsibility, self-help, dignity, ethics, principle, morality, rule of law, and the like, are mere abstract concepts that escape the “masses”.
Dear Prof
Interesting insight. It is not only politicians that do not see this connection. Some of our judges do not either. You might recall the legal discussions of judging cases with against the backdrop of the Constitution. Great as our Constitution might be, ordinary people do not really have tool to defent their constitutional rights. The institutional mechanism in place either favour the wealthy, powerful, connected and elite or do not facilitate defence of those right by poor and marginlised. We would deepen our democracy by picking fights that close such institutional gaps, strenghten the defence of human rights lest we end up in the mercy of the savages and powerful. This is something many people seem to miss.
Cheers
I gather from your previous blog that you are back in Cape Town. I would love your comments on and additions to section 5 of the documents I emailed you a while ago.
to Khosi
Democracy in Africa is a failure! Why? Because the people vote emotionally and without education.
Even in the so called educated western democracies many people vote according to what their parents vote ie I am labour because my parents were labour supporters.
In Africa this becomes worse, with superstition, un-education, non-understanding and strong past loyalties. Just because the ANC brought about freedom does not mean they will ensure your freedom.
WE NEED A SYSTEM WHERE PEOPLE HAVE TO ATTEND A SEMINAR ON VOTING AND DEMOCRACY BEFORE THEY ARE ALLOWED TO VOTE! INTERNATIONALLY!!
Then maybe people will vote for the party that will be able to run the country and not just the one that makes promises.
I wonder if the politicians will agree to such a system. Probably not. Its easier to tell dum un-educated people where to put their cross.
Amendment to my post:
From his perspective “actual time” is the only thing relevant and not “potential time”.
SHOULD BE
From his perspective “actual time” is the primary thing relevant and not “potential time” as much.
Actual time is the past and the present, and potential time the not so distant future.
Vuyo
Brilliantly put! Thank you for expressing thoughts that many of us have so eloquently. I agree with you 100%.
Writing here for those that hate a two third majority does have a carthatic effect I truly hold. Don’t be ashamed of your own tears.
We need and have a strong opposition that indeed ensures accountability for the ANC. The strogest opposition is not these micky mouse parties we rub shoulders with daily in parliamentary precincts but the ordinary masses themselves that confront our leaders on fora in localities, in ANC branches all over the country.
Ordinary people through civil society structures and the legal experts on this blog who claim expertise on the constitution.
That is why when our legal experts speak on this issues they exude much polemic and greater clarity than the opposition parties.
Continue the good work and reduce the insults. We will not gloat but will learn from your valued constributtion. Zille boosted our campaign by the veiled swartgevaar.
Stop the Zulu boy factor caused our people to swell the voting stations and test the strength of ballot paper.
She ought to have indicated that the ANC will win so why bother. Then our voters would have gone to till the land on that holiday!
She went into ANC strongholds to condemn the ANC and it “flawed leadership” and angered the very voters she must have wooed on what the DA would do better than the current ANC government. The white vote was convinced! The black vote thought undermined.
Zille is a seasoned journalist and good communicator she will understand my point.
Pierre, you can make a good political leaders of the opposition and ultimately a President of South Africa, after Zuma. You must consider forming a party and leverage your constitutional law qualities to frustrate the ANC. This can work very effectively.
At the moment I and DA will continue to tap on your contributions to improve. The poor will love your points on social and economic rights.
The ANC spent sleepless nights explaining our acievements and bottlenecks to our people in house to house visits. We have thousands of volunteers who did this tough task.
We confronted difficult questions. Our people live in grinding poverty. Most do not even own a television set or a radio.
The depend on direct contact in community meetings. The ANC has monthly branch meetings to deal with daily challenges of the people.
We do not learn about poverty and rights in academic auditoria. The social and economic rights are a constitutional expression of the aspirations of the freedon charter assimilating views of society.
I am curious about the viewpoint that society is so dull to elect the ANC. The blog is indeed a blog of superhuman characters whose intellect hovers above the clouds as the unthinking crowds uncritically vote the ANC. That is why I like you so much. You think better everybody.
@Ishmael
“I am curious about the viewpoint that society is so dull to elect the ANC.”
Good post but, who said that society is dull?
Anon UK, I disagree. People do vote for what they perceive to be their own self interest. The ANC has managed to convince enough people (by whatever means) that it is in their interest to continue voting for it or at least that it is not in their interest to vote for other parties. The ANC government has overseen an improvement in the lives of many people – access to water and houses and some respect for their dignity – even if they have also done less well than many of us would have hoped for due to corruption and incompetence. Opposition parties did not speak enough about providing a better life for all. The DA started the campaign talking about “an opportunity society”, which if done well could have made a difference. But it often sounded as if the DA was speaking about opportunities for those who already have things and later it dropped this line and went on their “stop Zuma” rant. Cope hurt themselves terribly with the black middle class with their confusing and ill advised view on affirmative action. But as I said, I am just a lawyer, so maybe I am wrong.
I do think however that we should be careful not to be patronising towards voters. Just because they happen to be poor does not mean they are stupid.
@Anon UK,
As an African, I take extreme exception to that post of yours. Just because I said ours is a society that is flawed it does not mean that you should use that to say say that Africans are poor because we are uneducated and stupid.
The ANC has run this country commendably for the past 15 years. Just because one is not finding comfort with the current outlook, does not mean the ANC or Africans are useless and should get other people to make decisions on their behalf. We are making decisions for ourselves whether imbeciles like you like it or not.
khosi // Apr 23, 2009 at 7:46 pm
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It is interesting how you managed to sneak into your post your normal praize for Mbeki without anyone taking visible notice. Great Post anyway.
Pierre, your analysis is, as usual, perceptive – yet undermined by a reflexive political correctness. I offer four points in that regard:
• The SA electorate is indeed “stupid.” There is just no other explanation for it voting time and time again the way it does. If this is not stupid, then nothing is stupid.
• We are hardly unique in our persistent stupidity . It was objectively stupid of the U.S. electorate to hand Bush a second term in 2004. Middle class American voters stupidly supported an administration that had bungled a war and, through regressive taxation transferred massive wealth from the middle class majority to a tiny majority of the super-rich. (Of course, US voters were stupid also in voting for a man who was himself spectacularly stupid.)
• Plato was right: aside from tyranny, democracy is the very worst form of government.
• The big difference between SA and the US is that the American electorate is better informed. To pretend that illiteracy does not render many SA voters profoundly ignorant on political matters is quite foolish.
• The DA has hit a ceiling of less than 20% of the vote, but not because it speaks only for the middle classes, or because its unfortunate choice of words. No white-led party will garner more than a fraction of the vote for the foreseeable future. Political power wielded by people with white skins has been rendered illegitimate by 300 years of colonialism and apartheid. How could it be otherwise? (It took 200 years for a black man to have any real chance of winning the White House. I cannot see SA escaping its racist heritage any sooner.)
Vuyo // Apr 24, 2009 at 10:21 am
once again well put, you are 100% correct esp on point 1 money is what its all about.
if you had to look at the Obama campaign he spent over $600 Million much more than McCain
I think if the money was levelled out equaly between lets say the ANC and DA R200m each and the DA didnt lose focus and drop the ball with Stop Zuma slogan and instead used the slogan “its about service delievery” well then thats a different story and you wouldnt have this two thirds majority
My only negitive side to this is you shouldnt allow foreign donations or foreign handouts to help with an election campaign. That is playing with fire. That foreign donation should of been used for something else better and more constructive for the country not for spending on elections.
Michael Osborne // Apr 24, 2009 at 1:41 pm
I disagree with all your points i was one of them who voted for george bush so be a bit careful. the guy stood up to something were the rest of world didnt. so for that he has my respect but yes there were some bad policies no administration is perfect its all about tweeking them.
secondly its about money and its an african thing as well. If you have MIllions close to billions on elections you can buy your way to the presidency. The poor will see one thing and one thing only a party or an administration who has access to this kind of money and promise of delevery you cant bet that.
have a look here
http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/index.php
You have money people listen doesnt matter if your black or white.
Sne // Apr 24, 2009 at 1:27 pm
LOL!
Chris, note that I said that people were stupid to vote for somone who “bungled” the war. I think the one good thing Bush did do was to invade Iraq in the fisrt place. He bungled the implementation by embracing the Rumsfeld doctrine — the assumption that air power and special forces, unaccompanied by a massive troop presence, could win. There should have been 300,000 boots on the ground back in 2003. In effect the surge — which McCain pushed, against resistance from the Bushists — came five years too late.
Michael Osborne // Apr 24, 2009 at 2:41 pm
fair enough but before we end up hi jacking this thread. yes i agree 300 000 ground troops were needed thats why the bush administration tried to get countries involved it wasnt just a war between the US and terrorism its a global problem and im afraid the world powers didnt come to the party. so part of the blame for the lack of success is really the other countries lack of support and not helping out and they based it on personnalities im afriad.
but back to south africa I strongly believe politics is all about who has access to a magical vault that has an endless supply of cash.
Think about it if the ANC was going to get two thirds majority anyway, then why even bother spending R200m on the campaign? if im not mistaken the most any party in south africa has ever spent?
All its about is showing you that we have access to huge amounts of money and we will direct it straight to the poor in other words we have the biggest dick in africa.
If the DA spent R800m in this elections they would of won. money talks and people are desperate for houses here. you show people you can get your hands on that kind of money people will follow and you can forget about trying to play the liberation struggle, poor is poor people are having there own liberation struggle everyday and if your hungry you go to the party with the bling.
lol i must admit you guys have become americanized
khosi // Apr 24, 2009 at 2:24 pm
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I must admit though that I also admire the man. I have been consistently quoting him when these ardent ANC supporters ask me who I have voted for. When asked by the journalists who he voted for, Mbeki said that he cannot reveil such information as he, just like everyone else, is supposed to vote with his conscience and not fear.
Vuyo//Apr 24 2009 at 10.21 am
Vuyo, what you said in your comment made for upsetting reading. If it’s true that the ‘masses’ don’t care about ethics, then we will inevitably become a lawless society. I’m having a really dark moment here.
And what about that little matter of the illegal/classified/declassified tapes? Would one be correct in assuming that, having been conveniently swept under some carpet, it will never see the light of day again? Are we off to a fresh start, so to speak, now that the elections are over, with everything forgiven and forgotten? Can we be expected, as usual, to again become spectators for the next five years?
Vuyo, I really don’t believe the withdrawal of the Zuma charges made much difference in the elections. A large mass of South Africans would cast their ballot for the ANC irrespective of whether Zuma, Mbeki, Lekota or Ramaphosa were its Presidential candidate.
Many (but not all), of this group assume the charges against Zuma were trumped up anyway . For them, even a conviction would hardy have dimmed their enthusiasm.
As for the balance of voters (much less than 50%, I think), those predisposed against Zuma were not going to start supporting him because the charges have been dropped. Most of the chattering classes (I think this includes all of us on this blog, almost by definition), are convinced, rightly or wrongly, that Zuma is corrupt. If anything, what is seen as the cynical political manipulation of the NPA may make them even less inclined to support him and his party.
I concede there will be a sub-class of chatterers may be less hesitant to vote ANC after the dropping of the charges — because they thought that having the President on trial would be destabilising. But I think this grouping would be too small to make much of a difference.
I read a survey which found that more than half of the ANC supporters believe that Jake ‘the Take’ Zuma is guilty. Even a conviction of Zuma for his crimes would not have dented their confidence in the ANC. The only thing that would dent their confidence in the ANC is if the ANC chose a white leader.
Now that much of the smaller parties have been put on their places, The ANC can consider serious constitutional changes and not these mickey mouse crap dealing with municipalities … can’t wait for the dipping into Chapter 2!!!
This has been interesting, a month later… Zille did, if you attended smaller gatherings and not simply get snippets from the media, talk about service delivery. That is why the DA won the Western Cape. The people there herad about, and saw, how effective the DA had been in improving service delivery in CPT. Service delivery was, therefore, a central element to the campaign – if only you’d wisened up to that notion earlier Prof.
I am quite irritated that there are probably rape victims who voted for Zuma. Also that a few of my gay friends probably voted for the ANC after Zuma’s utterings. I personally did not waste my vote on a man who will use the collective voice to destroy Constitutional values.
I believe that issues that are abstract are real to those who consider them. The real issues of the poor are foreign to the super-wealthy. There should be some sort of expressionof the issues, whatever they may be, in a way that the rich and poor both realise they have the same concern. The DA had, among its principal concerns, Health, Education and Safety. Education and Safety affect us all in various shapes and forms. Health is a primary concern of those without medical aids and who have to currently deal with striking doctors. The “open opprtunity society” promotes a sociaty where all South Africans are equal from the starting blocks, as it were. It is, obviously, in keeping with the DA’s liberal policies. I understand it to suggest that the playing fields must be levelled as soon as possible and that we cannot simply use AA in a way that does not advance the society. It also promotes that there be more focus on people’s contributions than to race, in many a context.
The matter of Zuma is particularly sad. He was let off the hook as a political ploy and the people have been, largely, silent. I may be wrong, the people have endorsed that with their vote. If Zuma is to be a reflection of South AFricans then I’d much rather go to the USA and have Obama be my representative to the world.