Recent research has a brutal one-word identifier for each of the three major parties, courtesy of the South African voters:
ANC = CORRUPTION
DA = RACIST
EFF = VIOLENT
Even though much has been achieved in a mere quarter-of-a-century, after more than 300 years of empire, colonialism, and apartheid, much remains to be done. South African voters are keenly observing the major players in our national life and putting lipstick on the proverbial pig is not fooling them.
I am not writing in support of any one party and agitating against others. I am simply interested in Our People and Our Democracy. That is all that counts in the end. It seems that we are heading for coalition governments in many local councils. That is a good thing and MALEMA and ZILLE will be very busy playing KINGMAKERS – joining many history-making figures. May their Kingmaking be done in good faith.
If you have time to spare, you can just click on the links and read the summaries of these fascinating Kingmakers in history:
The Praetorian Guard in the Roman Empire
Sayyid Brothers in the Mughal Empire
Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick – wealthiest peer in England during the Wars of the Roses, who overthrew King Henry VI and then restored him over his successor King Edward IV
Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick – wealthiest peer in England during the Wars of the Roses, who overthrew King Henry VI and then restored him over his successor King Edward IV
Che Guevara – accompanied Fidel Castro in the Revolution and later helped him attain power
Stefan Cardinal Wyszyński – Primate of Poland who was highly instrumental in the 1978 papal election of Karol Wojtyła, Archbishop of Kraków, as Pope John Paul II
Nick Clegg – described as a kingmaker in the 2010 British general election as the leader of the Liberal Democrats following a hung parliament
To South African Voters, I would like to say this though:
LET THE PARTY RESPONSIBLE FOR GETTING ESKOM TO LOADSHEDDING LEVEL 4 AGAIN THIS WEEK BE RELEGATED BY THE VOTERS TO FOURTH PLACE IN THE LOCAL ELECTIONS.
Yes shame on those in power who were too incompetent and corrupt to avoid that South Africa is being made the laughingstock of the world, reducing out cities to Third World Stereotypes with no electricity up to 7 hours a day this week. Forget about our main Summer Holiday Season that is on us. How do we expect to seriously convince corona-scared foreign visitors to spend their precious holidays in the most beautiful country in the world when it’s ‘candles in the wind’ again.
But ‘let us brace ourselves to our duties’, as Churchill once said, and vote. Mandela proved the French writer Victor Hugo correct. He wrote that “nothing in the world… not all the armies… is as powerful as an idea whose time has come.” It took Mandela 27 years of jail-time to break the might of the all-powerful Apartheid machine, but in the end nothing could stop his ‘idea whose time has come.’
1 NOVEMBER IS NOT ABOUT CONFLICT, BUT ABOUT SOLUTIONS
" If you add up all the benefits of conflict, the sum is zero. Conflict never makes your life better, and always makes it worse. Conflict subtracts power and joy as you fight battles that should never be fought." - I do not know who this is from, but it is worth repeating. In South Africa our violent conflicts are thankfully in the past. Let us resolve to vote for solutions.
THE LIPSTICK ON A PIG STORY
When former president Barack Obama told a crowd at a campaign event, “YOU CAN PUT LIPSTICK ON A PIG, BUT IT’S STILL A PIG,” the McCain [his opposition candidate in the American Presidential Election] campaign swiftly took offense, claiming the analogy was directed at vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin. Obama campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki countered the accusation, saying, “That expression is older than my grandfather’s grandfather and it means that you can dress something up but it doesn’t change what it is.”
Wikipedia confirms the meaning of this expression. To put "lipstick on a pig" means making superficial or cosmetic changes to a product or a policy in a futile effort to disguise its fundamental failings. We have plenty of them ‘pigs’ standing for election this November in the local elections in South Africa.
VOTERS unite in ONE THING on 1 November – don’t provide more lipstick to undeserving candidates.
Despite all the pigs with lipstick on, our democracy is vibrant and there are many talented leaders ready to put shoulder to the wheel and give South Africa another shove into the future – even if it is only one meter at a time.
The people of South Africa are vibrant & colourful. We are also democrats – let it shine through. The election is not only about politicians, it’s also about us. In fact, we are truly all in this together. The lift of service delivery and accountability takes everyone to the next floor or down to the basement.
WITHOUT YOUR VOTE THERE WILL EVENTUALLY BE NO DEMOCRACY.