South Africa celebrates thirty years of democracy. I saw a post this week stating that this national election is a ‘historic’ event. The general mood is that the current ruling party will, for the first time, lose the remnants of its liberation flex which gave it the power it has abused for three decades. We saw the cracks at the last general election five years ago, so this sentiment is plausible.
There’s been no scheduled load shedding for more than a month leading up to said election. And Cereal Rama-poza, a moniker from my 8-year-old, has “rejected opposition allegations that a recent pause in the electricity cuts that have plagued the country for years was due to the election coming up on 29 May”. The privileges of democracy. We’ve been abused emotionally, physically, and financially.
Tricks without treats
Politricking is not my thing. I particularly despise the scare tactics used by most players, largely led by men. There’s the patriarchy, again. Then start a political party. No. I’m a rebel, not crazy. I do commend the many new faces who, as Brene Brown describes, are in the arena. That deserves applause. We know that campaigning is not only hard work but also expensive.
Sadly, I’m not convinced that any of the options have what it takes. Everyone starts with a noble cause. And then the Ego takes over. We’ve never had leaders with high EQ and maturity required to put the people first. This matrix is no different from the feudal systems of old. You have an elite group who lord over the masses who provide labour; they get t-shirts and food during campaigning. They get nothing in the periods in between. The tragedy is that we can’t blame De Klerk or Smuts for this.
We’re not citizens, we’re abuse survivors
That’s why you need to vote, is the obvious response. Every party vying to eat at the table has the same story. They all promise change. Even Cereal and his people. That’s the boldness of narcissism.
Call me jaded. It’s warranted, in this instance. No government formed from this election will give the masses what they desperately need. What we’ll likely see are coalitions of squabbling. I’m tired already.
What’s the alternative? We need to save ourselves. Not by voting. But by doing what needs to be done where we live, work, socialise, and school. I belong to a couple of community WhatsApp groups managed by selfless souls. They don’t get paid but give more of their time than the average civil servant, are happy doing so, and get results! I’ve seen crowdfunding for a needy cause in hours.
I have a dream
Here’s a thought. Residential areas are managed independently, maybe in blocks. COVID-19 showed us that we need to focus locally. For our food, supplies, travel, everything. Even this current government has been talking about building the “township economy” for ages. Maybe we leave that to them.
What if communities are left to deliver the services, road maintenance, security, schooling, and so on? We build entrepreneurs, create jobs. We keep the Constitution. The only piece of legislation worthy of pride.
Ok, ok. It’s sparse. It’s a dream. But if I tell my kids to dream, then so can I.
Cry the beloved country
Am I going to vote? I feel blackmailed into showing my kids that I’m a “responsible citizen”. They’ve had a mock election at school voting for a new netball court, zipline, or swimming pool and now I must deliver the real thing.
Ok, it’s the right thing to do. For the future. I’ll do my best to get into a queue for that black mark on the thumb of my new set of nails sometime today. I wasn’t thinking about this blight when I got them last week. Damn.
Who am I going to vote for? I genuinely don’t know where the Spirit will lead me. I could be that annoying person who takes forever in the booth. Perhaps the easier option is to align with Mr T. You know, birds of a feather. Sorry, Cereal. But it doesn’t matter to you, right? You can get off the gravy train and still eat at McDonald’s.
When will we get the ‘nonapplicable’ option on our ballots? Please and thank you.
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